MARKET STREET STUDY TECHNICAL REPORT EXISTING CONDITIONS

Transcription

1 MARKET STREET STUDY TECHNICAL REPORT EXISTING CONDITIONS This technical report is one of over a dozen reports prepared to support the Market Street Study. The purpose of the technical reports was to identify key issues and evaluate potential solutions. The techincal reports were developed in consultation with the Market Street Study Technical Working Group, which consisted of representatives from the San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic, Municipal Railway, Planning Department, and Redevelopment Agency. Supplemental assessments may be required prior to the implementation of some specific recommendations contain in the Market Street Study Action Plan.

2 INTRODUCTION Ever since it connected the beach at Yerba Buena Cove to Mission San Francisco de Asis, Market Street has been part of San Francisco s functional core. Numerous attempts have been made to improve or redo Market Street over the last one hundred and fifty years and some of them have succeeded better than others. None of them, however, has changed the street s role as an avenue for moving huge numbers of people in every imaginable conveyance. With streetcars, buses, delivery trucks, tour buses, bicycles, scooters, rollerbladers, two levels of subway, wheelchairs, and a sidewalk teeming with pedestrians, Market Street remains one of the great multimodal streets of the world. Nevertheless, any user of the street will tell you that it has room for improvement. This report provides a summary of the existing conditions on Market Street. It is not exhaustive; with such a dynamic subject, it would very difficult to be. It does, however, provide enough information to inform the development and evaluation of the potential improvements identified in the Market Street Study. THE MARKET STREET STUDY The Market Street Study, led by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, is an examination of pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle circulation issues on the length of Market Street between the Ferry Building and Octavia Street. The purpose of the study is to address the following four goals while preserving Market Street's character and its preeminence as one of San Francisco's truly grand streets: Improve pedestrian circulation and safety; Decrease transit travel time and improve transit reliability; Create a safer, more inviting bicycle route; and Accommodate necessary motor vehicle trips. With such a broad set of goals impacting a diverse group of stakeholders, it is clear that any recommendations to improve Market Street must be based on fact, not opinion--thus, the importance of this report Acknowledgements This report was produced by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, with contributions from the following agencies and individuals: Department of Parking and Traffic Department of Public Health Department of Public Works Municipal Railway Police Department Susan Fizzell Doug Johnson Andrew Kluter George Oliver Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 1

3 PREVIOUS PLANNING EFFORTS Not surprisingly, Market Street has been the subject of various studies and plans over the years, starting with Jasper O Farrell s original 1847 plan that created the street, and including Daniel Burnham s famous 1904 City Beautiful plan. The first modern plan appeared in 1955, when the Department of City Planning prepared a plan called Modernizing Downtown San Francisco. The plan was created in response to the alarming exodus of retail establishments and businesses to the suburbs. Market Street was in a state of decline, and traffic congestion was becoming an intolerable burden. However, a regional rapid transit district was being seriously considered, and many felt that this could be the answer to Market Street s traffic woes. Therefore, the plan recommended a program of street beautification and other measures that would keep businesses downtown. Even at that time, it was recognized that conflicts between transit, pedestrians, and motorists were a daunting problem calling for drastic measures. The plan recommended a series of underpasses to carry automobile traffic across Market Street, for example. The 1955 plan was rather conceptual, and it took twelve years for an actual implementation strategy to emerge, in the form of the 1967 Market Street Design Plan. By this time the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) had become a reality, and planners felt that since BART would run the length of Market Street with numerous stops along the way (as opposed to having only one stop at the Embarcadero as had been originally proposed), surface transit along Market would be redundant. Therefore, the 1967 plan virtually removed public transit from the street and instead created an attractive, tree-lined street reserved for pedestrians and automobiles. Much of Market Street s current appearance results from this plan. The total cost for the project came to $35 million, and was funded with a mix of federal urban beautification grants and a general obligation bond. In 1970, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce published a report called Downtown Traffic Improvements. The Chamber was concerned because traffic congestion was negatively affecting business along Market Street and other streets. This plan proposed numerous transit-only lanes, along with no-parking zones and one-waying of streets. Meanwhile, other city decision-makers began to question the wisdom of eliminating surface transit from Market Street. This culminated in a 1982 plan called the Market Street Design Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 2

4 Planning Study. This plan laid the foundation for today s current transit service. It also recommended construction of the boarding islands and the bus bulbs that exist today. The last major change to Market Street started in 1988, with preparation beginning for yearlong operation of the historic F-Line Streetcars. This $50 million, 7-year project replaced and realigned track, installed or moved medians, and modified boarding islands. The project culminated in the September 1995 opening of fulltime F-Line service. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION Market Street is wide. The width of right-of-way (the distance from building front to building front as opposed to the distance from curb to curb) is continuously 120 feet from Castro Street to the Embarcadero. When Market Street was first laid out, in 1847, it was considered too wide, even pretentious. Although sentiments have changed, its width is still one of its most notable features. See Figure 1 for the study area. The Market Street Study study area stretches from Justin Herman Plaza in the east to Octavia Street in the west, a distance of 2.4 miles. In those 2.4 miles are 29 intersections, 27 loading bays, 25 traffic signals, 22 transit boarding islands, 20 BART/Muni Metro subway portals, and 18 curbside bus stops. Also along those 2.4 miles are streetcar tracks in both directions and many miles of the overhead catenary to support F-line and trolley coach service (i.e., electrical wires). Even though the total width of the right-of-way does not change, the use within that right-of-way does change. Segments along this portion of Market Street differ in the number of lanes, width of sidewalks, and presence of medians and street trees. Table 1 summarized summarized these differing physical characteristics. Market Street forms the interface of two grid patterns. North of the street, the blocks are about 300 feet long, and the streets are oriented north-south and east-west. South of the street, the blocks are up to 800 feet long, and the streets are oriented northwest-southeast. The result is that Market Street intersections can be complex. For example, the motorist heading south on Hyde Street has a choice of six movements to make at Market Street. The intersection of Market Street, Fourth Street, Stockton Street, and Ellis Street presents the motorist with nine different possible movements. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 3

5 Figure 1: Market Street and the Market Street Study Area Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 4

6 Table 1: Market Street Physical Characteristics Octavia to Van Ness Van Ness to 8th 8 th to Steuart Curb-to-Curb width 70' to 88'. 68' average. 50' to 54'. Sidewalks 16' typical. 26' typical. 8' at subway portals. 35' typical. 8' at subway portals. Lanes Two mixed flow lanes each way. Eastbound transit-only lane begins. Double left turn lane for Franklin. Transit-only inside lane both directions to 5 th. Two outside mixed flow lanes merge to one before each intersection. No transit lanes east of 5 th. One outside mixed flow lane between 8 th and 5 th. Two mixed flow lanes east of 5 th. Parking and Loading Continuous parallel parking, tow away at peak. None. Regular loading bays. Bicycle Facilities Discontinuous bike lane and bike route Bike Route. Bike Route. Trees Source: SFCTA. Single row. Single row. No median. Double row both sides. No median. Overall, the physical condition of Market Street is actually quite good, given the volume and nature of traffic on it. The pavement is in good condition, especially when compared to adjacent streets like Mission and Howard Streets [1]. A significant amount of striping, however, is in need of maintenance. Bicyclists have complained about pavement quality on Market Street, but it seems that the complaints center on localized microdeficiencies as opposed to overall quality. The F-Line Streetcar tracks and subway access grates are particular hazards for bicyclists. The gap between the tracks and the pavement can catch narrow bicycle wheels, and the metal grates and rails can be quite slippery when wet. The Department of Public Works has no plans to repave Market Street in the next five years. However, Pacific Gas and Electric, as part of its Gas Pipeline Replacement Project, has Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 5

7 tentatively scheduled to trench Market Street in 2004 and At this point it is not clear how much of the width of Market Street will be excavated, but the program does call for trenching from Fremont Street to Octavia Street [2]. This should be considered when any physical improvements are made to Market Street. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 6

8 MODAL DESCRIPTIONS One of the distinguishing features of Market Street among great main streets in American cities is its multimodality. Buses, cars, streetcars, bikes, pedestrians, taxis and trolleybuses all use the corridor above ground, while light-rail and heavy-rail operate below. In March 2003 the SFCTA performed a vehicle classification study on Market Street, the results of which appear in Figure 2. Figure 2: Market Street Traffic Mix Commercial Vehicles 7% Taxis 12% Government and Emergency Vehicles 3% Other 1% Transit 15% Private Vehicles 62% Source: SFCTA, March While the majority of vehicles on Market Street are private autos, the majority of people on Market Street are taking transit. The following chart gives the relative passenger throughputs on Market Street of transit, other motor vehicles, and bikes. While walking also contributes significantly to passenger throughput on Market Street, due to the difficulties of counting pedestrians, comprehensive walking data have not been collected. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 7

9 Figure 3: Market Street Passenger Throughputs Bike 5% Transit 69% Other Motor Vehicles 26% Source: SFCTA, March 2003 This chart demonstrates the primary importance of transit in the movement of people along Market Street. Accordingly, at the policy level, transit is often prioritized over other modes using the corridor. Indeed, Market Street is classified as a Transit Preferential Street in the City s General Plan, and represents a successful example of the City s Transit First policy. However, transit is not important to the exclusion of the other modes. Nor is Market Street merely a transportation facility. Changes in policy governing transportation decisions on Market Street must strike a balance between not only the interests of the various modal users, but also local residents, businesses, and civic organizations, while simultaneously heeding such values as safety, attractiveness, and accessibility. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 8

10 PEDESTRIANS Volumes Market Street has one of the highest pedestrian volumes of any street in the United States. A 1985 study found that at noon, pedestrian volumes exceeded 4,000 people per hour in the Financial District [3]. In 2001, the Department of Public Health conducted numerous informal 10-minute pedestrian counts on Market Street; Table 2 summarizes the results of these counts. Though we do not have comprehensive pedestrian volumeus for Market Street there are some statistics that can give us an idea of Table 2: Market Street Pedestrian Counts (10 minute totals) Date Through Cross Total Pedestrians 2/15/2001 5th Market 198 2/15/2001 Market 5th 196 2/22/2001 Market Hyde 77 2/21/2001 Hyde Market 106 2/15/2001 5th Market 114 2/15/2001 5th Market 146 2/15/2001 Market Mason 33 8/23/2001 Stockton Market 512 8/23/2001 Market Ellis 354 8/23/2001 Market 4th 288 8/23/2001 4th Market 210 Source: DPH, the scope of pedestrian use. We know that over 200,000 people exit or enter the four Market Street BART stations each weekday. Over 70,000 people board or alight from Muni buses on Market Street each weekday. Finally, an estimated 60,000 people alight from the Muni Metro at the five Market Street stations each day. In other words, we know that the pedestrian volumes are high, and that pedestrian traffic is important. Pedestrians do not only use Market Street as a means to get somewhere it is also an important locale for recreation. There are multiple large plazas along Market Street, including the UN Plaza, between Hyde and 7 th Streets, and Hallidie Plaza, the site of the Powell St Cable Car terminus between Ellis and Cyril Magnin. During daytime hours one often finds street vendors, chess players, tourists, the homeless, people eating lunch, and others at these locations. In addition to the daily recreational activities, the UN Plaza is the setting of a weekly farmer s market. While such concentrations of people make Market Street a lively and attractive location, there is also the perception that Market Street is unsafe, Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 9

11 particularly in certain stretches. The numbers of tourists around Hallidie Plaza make it fertile ground for pickpockets. The prominence of adult theatres and the homeless between 7 th and 5 th Streets create the perception that this stretch of Market is unsafe. The dynamic nature of the uses along Market Street need to be taken into account when considering the issue of pedestrian safety and the attractiveness of Market Street for pedestrians and pedestrian travel. Crosswalks A common pedestrian complaint is that many pedestrian crossings at street intersections are longer than they need to be, forcing pedestrians to take circuitous paths. For example, if one wants to cross Sutter Street along Market Street, one must walk 80 feet north to where Sutter crosses Sansome, walk 50 feet across Sutter, and then walk 10 feet south to get back to Market Street. The total distance of 140 feet is almost twice the 75 feet that one would walk if one could cross Sutter Street directly where it hits Market. While 65 extra feet may not sound like very much, that is the figure for only one intersection; the pedestrian can face many similar intersections on any given trip. This is primarily an issue on the north side of Market Street, where the oblique street grid creates many multi-legged, complex intersections. The placement of crosswalks as in the above Sutter Street example minimizes the time a pedestrian is exposed to traffic. However, the converse comment comes up as well, namely that many crosswalks, while placed conveniently for pedestrian traffic, are too long and expose pedestrians needlessly to traffic. There are many crosswalks, such as those at Turk/Mason, Grant/O Farrell, and Van Ness, that cross Market Street obliquely instead of perpendicularly. This has the effect of adding 15 to 20 feet to the shortest crossing distance. The City s policy pedestrian speed for signal timing is 2.5 feet per second. This means that 15 to 20 extra feet adds 6 to 8 seconds to the pedestrian crossing time. That is 6 to 8 more seconds of exposure to traffic. Considering that the total green time (and therefore crossing time) in any direction at Market Street intersections is 30 seconds, an extra 6 to 8 seconds is actually quite significant. If we return to the Sutter example above, we see that the pedestrian spends 50 feet in traffic as things stand, but would spend 75 feet in traffic in the counterfactual case. In sum, any crosswalk treatment, therefore, must balance these two competing goals: minimizing pedestrian trip distance, and minimizing pedestrian traffic exposure. It should be noted that the existing crosswalks are constructed of a different, higher-quality paving surface than the roadway surface. This was done for urban design reasons. As such, the crosswalks represent a significant capital investment and so it is likely that significant support will need to be gained before any crosswalk changes can be made. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 10

12 Street Furniture The term street furniture refers to such elements on Market Street as benches, public telephones newspaper racks, fire hydrants, and trash cans. Many feel that street furniture hinders pedestrian flow and encourages the gathering of homeless people, thereby creating a pedestrian-unfriendly environment. Conversely, others feel that, without street furniture, Market Street would have a sterile feel and so street furniture is necessary in making Market Street more pedestrian friendly. Safety Pedestrian safety is discussed in the Collisions section of Intermodal Conflicts below. Crime One of the goals of the Market Street Study is to promote the pedestrian-friendliness of Market Street. It is popularly felt that Market Street, especially mid-market Street, is a threatening and dangerous environment, which has kept Market Street from being the pedestrian destination it could be. To get a better picture of this issue, crime statistics from San Francisco Police Department were analyzed [4]. The crime statistics were normalized into crime rate (crimes per 100 people). Rates are important because an area of town with low population densities is likely to have less crime simply because there are fewer people. Therefore, Figure 4 compares Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 11

13 Figure 4: Comparison of Market and Mission Street Crime Crimes per 100 People Citywide Market St - Steuart to Octavia* Mission St - 16th to Alemany* Total Crime Homicide Rape Source: SFPD, Jan to May, 2002 Robbery Aggravated Assault Burglary Crime Category Auto Boost Larceny Vehicle Theft crime rates, along Market Street to crime rates along Mission Street, another high-pedestrian but also high-crime corridor, and to Citywide crime rates. In general, except for larceny, Market Street is not much different than the entire City, and has less crime than Mission Street. Larceny, though, is exceedingly high on Market Street, compared to its incidence Citywide. By definition, larceny is the unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession of another person, without violence or threat of violence. Larceny includes pick pocketing, purse snatching, bicycle theft, shoplifting, and the theft of anything from an unlocked building or vehicle. These are the very crimes one would expect on a high-activity corridor like Market Street, with its high concentration of tourists. Furthermore, when the locations actually along Market Street are examined we see that the area between 2 nd Street and 6 th Street has by far the majority of crimes. This corresponds to an area of high activity in general. The Powell Street Cable Car turnaround is here, as is the San Francisco Shopping Center. However, the area that is most mentioned as being pedestrian-unfriendly is approximately between 6 th and 8 th Streets. One can conclude that the problem is as much one of perception as reality, but it must be noted that in this matter, perception is probably more important than reality. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 12

14 BICYCLES Market Street forms the backbone of San Francisco s bicycle network, for a number of reasons. It is flat, and it connects the flattest routes in the City known for its hilly topography. It connects to most of the City s existing bicycle lane network, including bike facilities on Upper Market, Valencia, 8 th, 7 th, Grove, Polk, the Embarcadero and the Duboce Bikeway. It connects Downtown, a major employment, shopping, and cultural destination, to the neighborhoods with the highest bicycle usage: the Mission, Castro, Haight, Hayes Valley, and Western Addition. The average auto speed is lower than on nearby parallel streets. Finally, Market Street lacks auto-oriented amenities like parking garages, parking lots, auto repair shops, or driveways, which make a street more dangerous for cyclists. Volumes Market Street has some of the highest bicycle volumes in the City. During the peak periods, some Market Street intersections see over 230 bicycles an hour, and much of Market Street carries 100 bicycles an hour [5]. See Figure 5 for peak hour volumes. Figure 5: Market Street Peak Hour Bike Volumes Source: SFCTA, Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 13

15 Existing Bicycle Facilities Within the San Francisco Bicycle Plan [6], Market Street is considered a bicycle route, which means that bikes and cars must share the [often narrow] roadway. Two or three short stretches of the study area include a striped bike lane, but no single section of bicycle lane is longer than 200 feet. Trip Purpose A 2003 survey conducted by SFCTA found that the large majority of bicycle trips on Market Street were made by people going to work. Figure 6 shows the results of this survey. Figure 6: Market Street Cyclist Trip Purpose School 3% Shopping 1% All Other 7% Recreation 6% Work 83% Source: SFCTA, Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 14

16 Route Choice The same survey found that bicyclists chose the fastest or shortest routes, as shown in Figure 7. Figure 7: Market Street Cyclist Trip Purpose Most Interesting 7% Flattest 2% Other 9% Safest 11% Fastest 42% Source: SFCTA, 2003 Shortest 29% Bicycle Parking Bicycle parking in and of itself is not a keystone issue for addressing bicycling on Market Street, but it does warrant consideration as an incentive to choose bicycling as a mode of transportation on Market Street. There are currently 40 bicycle racks installed, with plans for installation of 27 more [18]. Safety Bicycle safety is discussed in greater detail in the Collisions section of Intermodal Conflicts below. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 15

17 TRANSIT Service Market Street is the prime transit corridor in San Francisco. Besides the BART and Muni Metro trains that run underneath the street, 15 of Muni s 70 bus lines run on Market Street east of Van Ness. Furthermore, the historic F-Line Streetcar also operates on Market Street. These routes carry an estimated 160,000 passengers per weekday, almost 25% of Muni s Citywide total. Finally, two cable car lines terminate on Market Street, carrying another estimated 10,000 passengers. Table 3: Market Street Bus Lines Line Enters Market Street Study Leaves Market Street Study Area (Inbound direction) Area (Inbound direction) 2 Post Spear 5 Hyde First 6 Page First 7 Page Spear 9 Eleventh Steuart 16AX/16BX Golden Gate Fourth 21 Polk Spear 26 Valencia Eighth 31 Mason Spear 38/38L Grant First 66 Page Spear 71/71L Page Spear F Octavia Steuart Source: MUNI, 2003 Three types of transit vehicles ply the Market Street surface routes. Diesel buses are the most familiar. Electric trolley buses, which are electrically powered buses that draw power from a pair of parallel overhead wires by means of two trolley poles, are also present on the street. Compared to diesel buses, electric trolley buses have superior hill climbing ability. Furthermore, they are emission-free and much quieter. On the other hand, they require extensive infrastructure to distribute the electric power, which can be expensive and unsightly. Also, if the trolley poles become disconnected from the overhead wires, the vehicles become disabled, preventing other trolley buses and streetcars behind it from passing this location. The third type of transit vehicle is the historic streetcar. A streetcar is a steel-wheeled electrically powered vehicle that runs on rails set at street level. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 16

18 While west of 8 th Street all three types of vehicles use the inner lane (the transit lane), east of 8 th Street transit vehicles use both travel lanes. This seems counterintuitive given the decrease from three to two travel lanes in either direction east of 8 th Street. However, the center lanes cannot handle the increased transit volumes as one heads farther Downtown, which can exceed 100 vehicles per hour per lane, necessitating use of both lanes for transit. Also, the relatively narrow boarding islands may not be able to safely and efficiently accommodate the higher volume of passengers if more routes used the center lane. Furthermore, many of the bus routes make right turns off Market Street onto cross streets, Figure 8: Muni Surface Vehicle Frequency Source: MUNI, 2003 which is only possible in the right lane. Finally, as Figure 3 shows, transit furnishes the great majority of passenger throughput on Market Street, so prioritizing its efficiency maximizes the movement of people in and out of the Downtown area. Transit Vehicle Frequency Transit vehicle frequency on Market Street is relatively high. A passenger headed toward Downtown, waiting at 6 th Street and Market Street, should never wait more than three Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 17

19 minutes for a bus. However, the density of transit service does change along Market Street. For example, although 16 Muni lines serve the street, at the maximum point, only 12 lines are present [9]. Finally, different lines and different parts of Market Street have different frequencies of service, ranging from 36 buses an hour to 202 buses an hour. Figure 8 shows the Muni surface vehicle frequency [8]. Transit Performance Transit performance on Market Street, while better than MUNI s system-wide average [9], is far from perfect. A MUNI study of bus travel times on Market Street between Van Ness and Steuart found that buses on average are traveling 15% slower than they should be. One line was 33% slower [10]. Figure 9 shows the actual and scheduled travel speeds (averaged over all lines, all day) for Market Street lines. Figure 9: Market Street Transit Speeds Average speed (mph) Actual Scheduled Source: SFCTA, 2002 Inbound Outbound Curb Outbound Center Direction An SFCTA study attempted to uncover the causes of delay [11]. results of the study. Figure 10 shows the Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 18

20 Figure 10: Cause of Market Street Transit Delay 50.0% 45.0% 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% Pax loading Traffic signal Before loading Mechanical Other Traffic backup After loading Double park Rght turn Driver behavior Parking action Source: SFCTA, 2002 Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 19

21 OTHER MOTOR VEHICLES Volumes Market Street is important for automobile connectivity. It forms the connection between the different street grid systems of the north and south of Market areas (see study map on page XX). West of Van Ness, it lies along the shortest route to many locations in the northeast and southwest of the City since it is the only diagonal street in an otherwise orthogonal grid. Average daily traffic on Market Street is about 14,000 cars per day [12]. This is actually rather low for a facility of its size. By comparison, Mission and Van Ness Streets both carry approximately 23,000 cars per day. First Street carries 21,000 cars a day. This can be explained by the fact that Market Street has no auto-serving land uses, no onstreet parking east of Van Ness Avenue, no left turns, and heavy transit volumes. This reflects the street s designation as a Transit First street. In many ways, Market Street is more important for cross traffic. Specifically, Market Street is used to link the destinations in the Financial District and environs to the freeways. Figure 11 shows the ratio of cross traffic to through traffic at major intersections of Market Street. Figure 11: Cross Traffic vs. Through Traffic, PM Peak 100% Percent of Total Traffic 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Through Traffic Cross Traffic Fremont First Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Intersection Eighth Ninth Tenth Van Ness Source: DPT, 1999 This chart shows that approximately 60% of the traffic that passes through a Market Street intersection is crossing Market rather than traveling on it. This means that traffic signal timing needs to be carefully balanced Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 20

22 Figure 12: Total Daily Traffic Volume for Market Street Intersections Vehicles Spear /Main Main/ Beale Beale/ Fremont Fremont /1st 1st /Sansome Sansome /2nd 2nd/ New Montgomery New Montgomery /3rd 3rd /Grant Grand /4th 4th/ 5th 5th /Mason Mason /6th 6th/ Jones Jones /7th 7th/ 8th 8th/ 9th 9th/ 10th 10th/ Van Ness Source: DPT, 1999 As one might expect, through traffic on Market Street is heaviest during the AM and PM peaks in the typical directions inbound (toward the Embarcadero) during the morning and outbound (away from the Embarcadero) during the evening. Because of the various access functions Market Street provides, volume is quite changeable across its length. Volumes tend to be highest where Market Street is used as a means of access to or from another main thoroughfare, such as Franklin, Van Ness, and 3 rd Street. The following chart shows total daily traffic volume for segments of Market Street from Spear to Van Ness: Market Street motor vehicle traffic also exhibits much variation as to types of vehicles. Private autos, taxis, streetcars, delivery vans, and limousines are just some of the types of vehicles that use Market Street. As the vehicle classification study mentioned above demonstrated (see Chart 1 on Page), while private autos make up the majority of traffic volume on Market Street, other kinds of non-transit motor vehicles comprise approximately another quarter of total volume. Commercial Traffic Market Street, in addition to its importance as a pedestrian, bicycle, and transit corridor, is a commercial center as well. Figure 13 shows that most of the land on Market Street is given over to commercial or retail activity. Therefore, it is important that commercial traffic be given consideration when examining the transportation issues on Market Street. Commercial traffic is an oft-overlooked part of the transportation mix. On Market Street commercial traffic comprises 7% of total traffic. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 21

23 Commercial traffic has two components. The first component of commercial traffic is the provision of services. These services range from building renovation to air conditioning Figure 13: Market Street Land Uses Source: The Planning Department, 2002 repair to copier machine support. The second is the movement and delivery of freight. Statewide, most freight is carried by truck (67% by value, 62% by weight) [16]. Most of this freight is carried by large 18-wheeler tractor-trailers. Within City limits, and particularly on Market Street, however, the most important vehicle is the small delivery van or parcel van. In California, 16% of goods movement is done by the US Postal Service or by parcel or courier services like UPS and Federal Express. On Market Street, it is no doubt significantly higher. Bicycle messengers are another important element of goods movement in the urban center, particularly for low-weight, high-value or time-sensitive goods. Approximately thirteen percent of bicyclists in the Downtown area are bicycle messengers [14]. Market Street is the sole means of access for many commercial and retail establishments on the street. Many other establishments have access via side streets or alleys (though businesses don t use them). In general, side street or alley access is meant to complement Market Street s classification as a Transit First street. Market Street loading bays are of the Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 22

24 utmost importance to businesses. Illegal loading bay use will be discussed under Illegal Parking in the Operational Conflicts section below. Land Use As Figure 13 shows, land uses along Market Street change along its length. This is important to note because it affects transportation system performance and the public s perception of it. Taxis As the above vehicle classification chart indicates, taxis comprise nine percent of Market Street vehicle traffic. Taxis have an important but misunderstood role in the transportation mix. Often perceived as interlopers or hazards, they actually provide a valuable transportation service for the disabled, the elderly, and the transit-dependent. Taxis make transit more viable for many people because they solve the access problem at the collection and/or distribution end of a trip. Taxis also eliminate the need for parking by providing automobile coverage for only the portions of the trip that need it. Taxis are particularly good in situations when people may not want to wait for transit, such as at night or in certain areas of the City. Taxis also allow transit patrons to avoid transfers, thereby saving time. Taxis are an appealing option for Bay Area visitors who may take BART into the City but may not want or know how to use the bus to get around downtown. In short, taxis should be considered part of the solution and not part of the problem. Market Street has numerous large generators of taxi trips; notable destination include four BART/MUNI Metro stations and several major hotels. San Francisco Center, various theaters, and Civic Center are other destinations. With the exception of the Four Seasons Hotel between 3 rd and 4 th Streets, none of these generators has a designated taxi-loading zone. Taxis also use Market Street for circulation around the downtown area. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 23

25 INTERMODAL CONFLICTS COLLISIONS Given its complexity and intensive use, it is not surprising Market Street has the highest number of pedestrian-motor vehicle and bicycle-motor vehicle collisions for any street in the City. The Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) is a database of all collisions on California roadways resulting in injury or death that were reported to law enforcement officials [15] (See Appendix 1 for more on SWITRS). The data include whether or not a pedestrian or bicycle was involved in the collision. This database, then, provides a good source of information on collisions on Market Street. An analysis of SWITRS shows that the three worst intersections in the City (in terms of reported collisions) for pedestrian and bicycle collisions are located on Market Street. Table 4 shows these intersections and their rank. In all, there were 301 reported pedestrian collisions and 133 bicycle collisions in the period Jan 97 to Dec Table 4: Worst Collision Intersections in the City Intersection Rank (number of collisions) Pedestrians Bicycles Motor Vehicles 5 th /Market th /Market th /Market Source: SWITRS, While the dynamic nature of Market Street may in part to blame for the high number of accidents, at the same time, the slower speeds that such dynamism requires helps reduce the severity of collisions. According to SWITRS data, for the entire City of San Francisco, 12.3% of pedestrian collisions and 5.2% of bicycle collisions resulted in severe injury or death, while for Market Street those figures are only 8.3% and 3.9%, respectively [15]. Pedestrian collisions Figure 14 shows the distribution of pedestrian collisions along Market Street, mapped to the intersection closest to the collision. The accident rate peaks at the area around 5 th, 6 th, and 7 th Streets and declines slowly east and west of this segment of Market Street. Comparison with auto and transit volumes yields no apparent correlation. Additionally, a survey of pedestrian collisions on Market Street conducted in 2003 showed that neither homelessness nor intoxication are significant factors in the collision rate. Unfortunately, no pedestrian volume figures are available for multiple intersections along Market Street. However, informal observation suggests that the collision rate likely varies with the number of people present at a given location along Market Street. Analysis of the time the collisions Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 24

26 Figure 14: Total Pedestrian Collisions on Market Street Source: SFCTA, SWITRS, occurred, as shown in Figure 14 corroborates this hypothesis. The greatest number of collisions occurred during the lunch hour and the evening rush, when commuting pedestrians are more likely to run errands. According to SWITRS data, a pedestrian was at fault for 62% of collisions. The particular violations for which pedestrian and driver were cited are given below in Tables 5 and 6. Table 5: Collisions in which the pedestrian was at fault (62% of total) Cause Percentage of pedestrian at fault Jaywalking 38% Disobeyed traffic signal 26% Pedestrian failure to yield to vehicle in roadway 22% Pedestrian entered roadway suddenly 12% Source: SWITRS, SFCTA, Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 25

27 Table 6: Collisions in which the driver was at fault (29% of total) Cause Driver failed to yield to pedestrian in crosswalk Driver entered crosswalk at red light Unsafe speed Driver entered roadway unsafely Percentage of driver at fault 43% 27% 10% 8% Source: SWITRS, SFCTA, Figure 15: Pedestrian Collisions by Time of Day Number of accidents :00 AM 2:00 AM 4:00 AM 6:00 AM 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM Source: SWITRS, Bicycle Collisions Figure 16 shows the distribution of bicycle collisions in the study area, based on SWITRS, mapped over bike volumes along Market Street. The accident rate peaks between 4 th and 7 th Streets, similar to that for pedestrian collisions. This pattern correlates well with bike volumes along Market Street. Corroborating this correlation is the high incidence of accidents at high volume hours during the rush hour peaks and the lunch hour (see Figure 17). Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 26

28 Figure 16: Total Bike Collisions and Bike Volumes Source: SFCTA, SWITRS Table 7: Collisions in which the motorist is at fault (63% of total) Cause Percentage of motorist at fault Opening car door when unsafe 15% Unsafe passing 15% Driver entered crosswalk on red 12% light Unsafe turn and/or without signaling 11% Unsafe speed 10% Source: SFCTA, SWITRS, In total, 128 bicycle collisions were reported in the period Jan 1996 to Dec While pedestrians were cited for the majority of pedestrian collisions, only a small percentage of cyclists on Market Street were cited autos were cited for 63% of collisions, pedestrians 18%, and cyclists only 4%. It should be noted that the citation is missing for 20% of the Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 27

29 records for bicycle collisions. Table 7 gives the most common causes of collisions where the motorist was at fault. Figure 17: Bicycle Collisions by Time of Day Number of Collisions :00 AM 2:00 AM 4:00 AM 6:00 AM 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM Source: SWITRS, It should be noted that the above discussion dealt with reported collisions. Unreported collisions and near misses, while difficult to quantify, are just as important in a safety analysis of this sort (a near miss is a situation in which either the driver or the pedestrian/bicyclist altered her behavior to avoid a collision). OPERATIONAL CONFLICTS With the presence of four different modes competing for the same limited space, operational conflicts arise. Some of these conflicts were described in previous sections. Below is a brief treatment of topics not already discussed where operational conflicts are of particular importance. Boarding Islands The transit boarding islands, which are located between traffic lanes, have been the subjects of vociferous bicyclist complaint. Specifically, the transit islands and the sidewalk form a compression zone at intersections that bicyclists find difficult or dangerous to negotiate. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 28

30 This compression situation arises when bicyclists attempt to overtake autos or buses at a boarding island. This can happen when the motor vehicle are waiting to turn right or waiting for the traffic signal to change. The lane width between the curb and the transit island varies slightly from location to location, but only at three locations (at Van Ness, 6 th Street, and 1 st Street) is the distance greater than 12 feet. At New Montgomery Street, the distance is 10.5 feet. The boarding islands are uniformly seven feet wide; they were widened from five feet as part of the F-Line project specifically to address pedestrian safety. The California Highway Design Manual recommends that bicycle lanes be given four feet, while on streets with over 500 vehicles per hour per lane and/or speeds of 35 mph or more (which includes Market Street), the San Francisco Bicycle Plan recommends bicycle lanes of six feet in width. Clearly, then, there is no room for a bicycle lane and a traffic lane as things currently stand. Boarding islands also figure predominately in pedestrian collisions. Evidence suggests that many if not most of reported pedestrian-auto collisions involve the pedestrian crossing to or from the boarding island, legally or illegally. Signal Timing Signal timing is important for a number of reasons. The motor vehicle capacity of an urban arterial is determined by the capacity of its intersections, which is in turn governed by the traffic signal timing. Therefore, any discussion of automobiles on Market Street needs to consider signal timings. Secondly, transit performance is alos linked to the amount of green time a transit vehicle has. The SFCTA transit delay study found that 43% of Muni delay on Market Street is due to traffic signals. Finally, traffic signals affect pedestrian and bicyclist behavior as well (and vice versa). Bicyclist and pedestrians move much slower than cars, and so when they are in an intersection that has been timed for automobile speeds, conflicts can arise. On Market Street, signal timings were changed in wake of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and subsequent demolition of the Embarcadero Freeway. Before the earthquake, timings were set to optimize transit service on Market Street. Afterwards, the timings had to be changed slightly to accommodate the increased flow of cross-market traffic. Table 5 shows the current cycle length and amount of green time for the 25 traffic signals on Market Street in the study area. Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 29

31 Table 8: Market Street Signal Timing Cross Street Green Time, Green Time, Cycle Length Market St Cross St (seconds) (seconds) (seconds) Spear NA Main Beale Fremont st Sansome nd New Montgomery rd Grant th Powell Midblock NA 5th Mason th Jones th Civic Center Midblock NA 8th th th Van Ness Franklin Gough Octavia Source: DPT, 1999 The F-line streetcar introduces a complication because it accelerates and decelerates more slowly than diesel or electric buses. Transit Delay Transit delay is defined as the time difference between actual travel time and scheduled travel time. Possible sources of transit delay include traffic congestion, illegally parked vehicles, longer-than-normal passenger loading, and mechanical problems. While one might expect that on Market Street automobile traffic, particularly automobiles illegally in the transit lane, would be a major cause of transit delay, two SFCTA studies found that not to be the case. According to the first study conducted in early 2002, signal timing and passenger boarding together accounted for 86% of transit vehicle delay (See Figure 10). Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 30

32 The second study treated the subject of illegal use of transit lanes. On Market Street, only transit vehicles, taxis, and emergency vehicles are allowed to use the transit lane. Conducted in March 2003, this survey found that 16% of transit vehicle delay in the transit lane could potentially have been caused by violating vehicles. While increased enforcement of transit lane rules would likely result in some reduction of delays, the results of these studies suggest that increasing passenger loading and optimizing signal timing will yield the largest benefits in terms of increasing transit travel speeds. This is a complex subject, however, and we will continue to research causes of transit delay. Turning Movement Due to the complexity of Market Street intersections and the number of modes using the corridor, turns onto and off of Market Street are naturally a source of conflict. Cyclists and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable when such conflicts occur. By California law, cyclists riding slower than the average speed of traffic are required to ride on the right side of the street. However, this puts them to the right of right-hand turning vehicles, which may fail to notice the presence of a biker. Right-hand turning vehicles and crosswalks present a situation where both driver and pedestrian make a judgment call about who has the right-ofway. While a pedestrian already in a crosswalk has the right-of-way, pedestrians not yet in a crosswalk must heed vehicles that are already turning. A significant percentage of such turning accidents are the result of carelessness or unsafe actions by either party. As such, enforcement plays a role in prevention of these conflicts. However, given the complexity of Market Street other means of collision or conflict prevention, such as signs alerting autos to the presence of bikers and signs clarifying rights-of-way, also need to be considered. The large volumes of crossing pedestrians are also a source of traffic congestion. Rightturning vehicles are forced to wait until a gap opens up in the pedestrian traffic, which in turn forces traffic in the curb lanes to back up. Illegal Parking There is no street parking on Market Street from Van Ness to the Embarcadero. Here, parking is confined to loading bays, which are reserved for commercial vehicles. Illegal parking of non-commercial autos in the loading bays is a widespread occurence. There is also significant illegal parking outside of the loading bays by both non-commercial and commercial vehicles. Many of the latter are directly attributable to illegal loading bay parking. Such illegal parking can partially or entirely obstruct traffic flow in the rightmost lane. Cyclists are the most vulnerable since they typically hug the right side of the road, and merging into general traffic is particularly dangerous for them. Between 5 th and 8 th Streets, where there is only one lane for general traffic, illegal parking forces private autos and other vehicles into the Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 31

33 transit lane. Many vehicles also park illegally on the sidewalk. A March 2003 SFCTA study found that loading bay capacity is not a problem except in isolated spots. Consequently, improvements in this realm will likely require increased enforcement of parking laws on Market Street. Enforcement A complaint common to both the professional community and the public is that parking and traffic enforcement on Market Street is poor. In particular, enforcement of loading zone parking restrictions and transit-lane laws need to be stepped up. Parking enforcement falls to the Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT). DPT assigns its enforcement officers to zones called beats. Market Street forms the boundary of all beats in the downtown area. Furthermore, Market Street is the only street in the area without parking meters. Practically speaking, these two factors make it easy for parking enforcement officers to overlook Market Street. Transit lane enforcement is the responsibility of the San Francisco Police Department, which currently has 13 officers assigned to transit lane and Muni enforcement Citywide [117]. It is also felt that transit lane violations are due in part to confusing or poor signage. One notable example is that the City uses a diamond symbol for transit lanes, which is also used for freeway HOV (carpool) lanes. Visitors to the City, particularly those using the freeway to get to San Francisco, can easily assume that the transit lane is an HOV lane. REFERENCES 1. Based on SFCTA visual inspection. Objective pavement quality data from DPW are forthcoming 2. Five Year Proposed Utility Excavation and Paving Plan. San Francisco Department of Public Works (found at and conversations with DPW and PGE staff 3. Market Street Planning Project. SF Planning Department, January to May 2002 Crime Statistics, San Francisco Police Department, found at 5. Bicycle count on Market Street, performed by San Francisco County Transportation Authority, July 11 and 12, San Francisco Bicycle Plan. Found at: parks.sfgov.org/bac/bikeplan.htm Department of Parking and Traffic, Mike Sallaberry. Valencia Street Bicycle Lanes A One Year Evaluation. San Francisco Market Street Study Existing Conditions Report 32