Date August 17, 2017 To: Through: From: Subject: Recreation and Park Commission Philip A. Ginsburg, General Manager Sarah Madland, Director of Policy & Public Affairs Gary McCoy, Policy & Community Affairs Manager Golden Gate Park Traffic Safety Improvement Project Golden Gate Park Traffic Safety Improvement Project: Presentation only on proposed traffic safety improvements throughout Golden Gate Park by the SFMTA as developed in coordination with RPD, community stakeholders, and community outreach. Strategic Plan Strategy 1: Inspire Public Space: Keep today s parks clean, safe, and fun; promote our parks historic and cultural heritage; and build the great parks of tomorrow Objective 1.2 Strengthen the quality of existing parks and facilities Objective 1.3 Steward and promote good park behavior Strategy 2: Inspire Play: Promote active living, well-being and community for San Francisco s diverse and growing population Objective 2.2 Strengthen and promote the safety, health and well-being of San Francisco s youth and seniors Background Golden Gate Park is a 1,017 acre, three-mile long urban park that is within San Francisco Supervisorial Districts 1, 4, and 5. The park serves as a tourist destination, active recreational space for both San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, as well as a commuter route for people driving and bicycling. As a result of the park s heavy use, a large portion of John F. Kennedy (JFK) Drive appears on San Francisco s High Injury network, and on June 22, 2016, a woman riding a bicycle was sadly fatally struck by a person driving on JFK Drive near 30th Avenue. On August 4th, 2016, Mayor Ed Lee issued a Vision Zero executive directive which, in part, instructed the SFMTA and SF Recreation and Parks Department (RPD) to study and implement traffic calming improvements and traffic restrictions in Golden Gate Park, thereby initiating the Golden Gate Park Traffic Safety Project.
Improvements Speed humps and a raised crosswalk were installed on JFK Drive between Transverse Drive and the Great Highway in late 2016. The project team continued by conducting a thorough review of collisions in the park, design opportunities for effective near-term improvements, and collected the public s feedback on perceived safety issues in the park through an open house in December 2016 and an online survey. In partnership with RPD, collision data and public feedback were used to determine and prioritize those projects that would have the greatest safety benefits for park users and could be designed and implemented in 2017. These near-term improvements are focused on traffic calming, pedestrian safety, and intersection spot improvements, including the following: Speed humps Raised crosswalks and speed tables New and upgraded striped crosswalks Intersection turn guidance striping Intersection spot improvements at four locations These proposed improvements were presented to stakeholders during one-on-one meetings in spring 2017 and to the public at the June 11th Sunday Streets event in Golden Gate Park. An additional online survey was developed to solicit the options of people specifically on these 2017 projects. Feedback was largely positive and the input received regarding design details on individual projects will be utilized during the detailed design process. PROPOSED PROJECT ELEMENTS Speed Humps SFMTA is proposing to install up to 10 speed humps on streets in Golden Gate Park to manage vehicle speeds. These traffic calming features are to be built according to standard speed hump specifications with minor modifications given site-specific design concerns. The proposed locations for speed humps by street block segment are provided below and represent the maximum number of features that could be installed; the number could be lower given funding constraints and considerations realized during detailed design. Furthermore, certain speed humps could be modified to speed cushions (with slots for large wheel base vehicles) or speed tables depending on design considerations. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, between Lincoln Blvd and Bernice Rodgers Way (3 speed humps) Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, between Bernice Rodgers Way and Chain of Lakes Drive (1 speed hump) Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, between Metson Drive and 25th Avenue (3 speed humps) Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, between 19th Ave and Stow Lake Drive Drive (1 speed hump)
Chain of Lakes Drive, between Martin Luther King Drive and John F. Kennedy Drive Drive (1 speed hump) John F. Kennedy Drive, between Marx Meadow Drive and Transverse Drive Drive (1 speed hump) Raised Crosswalks and Speed Tables SFMTA is proposing to install up to 15 raised crosswalks on streets in Golden Gate Park to manage vehicle speeds and increase the visibility of and yielding compliance to people crossing the street. These traffic calming features are to be built according to standard raised crosswalk specifications with minor modifications given site-specific design concerns, including accessibility to the roadway and parking. While curb ramps already exist at 12 of these locations, SFMTA may undergo an assessment of the quality and condition of said curb ramps and subsequently decide to make minor alterations including the extension of sidewalk pads for adjacent accessible parking spaces. The remaining three locations of the 15 may be initially built as speed tables and eventually upgraded with continental crosswalk striping. These three locations would require the installation of associated curb ramps. All curb ramp work associated with the crossings discussed above may necessitate excavation to a depth of up to five feet. The proposed locations for raised crosswalks by street block segment are provided below and represent the maximum number of features that could be installed; the number could be lower given funding constraints and considerations realized during detailed design. All locations and distances are approximate. John F. Kennedy Drive, north (westbound) crosswalk, at Kezar Drive Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, east crosswalk, at Chain of Lakes Drive Bowling Green Drive, 454 feet north of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (Bowling Club) John F. Kennedy Drive, 434 feet west of Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive (10th Ave) John F. Kennedy Drive, 1,234 feet west of Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive (Rose Garden) John F. Kennedy Drive, 733 feet west of Stow Lake Drive (Stow Lake Boat House) Nancy Pelosi Drive, 796 feet west of Bowling Green Drive (west of AIDS Memorial Grove) Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, 630 feet east of 7th Ave (5th Ave) Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, 360 feet north of Lincoln Way (Botanical Garden east side) Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, 106 feet west of Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive (Botanical Garden north side) Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, 535 feet east of Metson Road (30th Ave) Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, 530 feet west of Metson Road (34th Ave) Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, 660 feet west of Transverse Drive (Hoover Redwood Grove John F. Kennedy Drive, 385 feet east of 8th Ave (6th Ave) [built initially as speed table] John F. Kennedy Drive, 1761 feet west of Transverse Drive (Marx Meadow) [built initially as speed table]
New and Upgraded Striped Crosswalks SFMTA is proposing to stripe up to 4 new continental crosswalks at 4 locations with legal crossings where there are accessible curb ramps. SFMTA is also proposing to upgrade up to 57 existing transverse crosswalks to the standard continental striping design at 31 locations. SFMTA may undergo an assessment of the quality and condition of existing curb ramps at these crossings and subsequently decide to make minor alterations. The proposed locations for new and updated crosswalks by street block segment or intersection are provided below. New striped crosswalks (4 crosswalk legs at 4 locations) o John F. Kennedy Drive & Chain of Lakes Drive (1 leg) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & 25th Ave (1 leg) o Transverse Drive & Middle Drive (1 leg) o Transverse Drive & Overlook Drive (1 leg) Upgraded striped crosswalks (57 crosswalk legs at 31 locations) o John F. Kennedy Drive & 47th Ave (1 leg) o John F. Kennedy Drive & Bernice Rodgers Way (1 leg) o John F. Kennedy Drive & Golden Gate Equestrian Center (2 legs) o John F. Kennedy Drive & Transverse Drive (3 legs) o John F. Kennedy Drive & Stow Lake Drive (1 leg) o John F. Kennedy Drive & 8th Ave (1 leg) o John F. Kennedy Drive & Conservatory Drive West (1 leg) o John F. Kennedy Drive & Nancy Pelosi Drive (1 leg) o John F. Kennedy Drive & Dahlia Drive (1 leg) o John F. Kennedy Drive & Conservatory Drive East (1 leg) o John F. Kennedy Drive & Kezar Drive (3 legs) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Bernice Rodgers Way (2 legs) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Middle Drive West (1 leg) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Sunset Blvd (2 legs) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Metson Rd (1 leg) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & 25th Ave (1 leg) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Transverse Drive (4 legs) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Crossover Drive (5 legs) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Stow Lake Drive West (1 leg) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Stow Lake Drive East (1 leg) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive (2 legs) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Sunset Blvd (2 legs) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Nancy Pelosi Drive (3 legs) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & 9th Avenue (1 legs) o Lincoln Way & 9th Avenue (4 legs) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & 7th Avenue (3 legs) o Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Bowling Green Drive (2 legs) o Bowling Green Drive & Nancy Pelosi Drive (1 leg) o Middle Drive & Metson Drive (1 leg)
o Conservatory Drive West at Conservatory of Flowers (1 leg) o Conservatory Drive & Arguello Blvd (3 legs) Intersection Turn Guidance Striping SFMTA is proposing to stripe turn guidance striping (white lines that slow turning drivers and help guide them around the corner into the appropriate lane) at up to 5 intersections in Golden Gate Park. These on-street striping markings are applied as solid curving white lines on the pavement and are similar to painted safety zones (but with no khaki paint or hit posts). In some cases, parking may be affected this will be discussed further in Parking Effects. The proposed locations for turn guidance striping by intersection are provided below and represent the maximum number of locations where this element would be installed; the number could be lower given funding constraints and considerations realized during detailed design. John F. Kennedy Drive & Chain of Lakes Drive John F. Kennedy Drive & Transverse Drive John F. Kennedy Drive & Music Concourse Drive / 8th Ave John F. Kennedy Drive & Conservatory Drive West John F. Kennedy Drive & Conservatory Drive East Intersection Spot Improvements SFMTA is proposing several spot improvement projects at up to 5 intersections in Golden Gate Park. A description for each is included below. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Bernice Rodgers Way Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Drive is a road in Golden Gate Park that runs from Lincoln Way & La Playa St at its western terminus to Kezar Drive at its eastern terminus. At the intersection with Bernice Rodgers Way, it is a two-lane street, carrying two-way traffic. The street is 43 wide west of the intersection with two 21.5 lanes; the street is 46 wide east of the intersection with two 23 lanes. Bernice Rodgers Way is a local road in the park that runs from JFK Drive at the north to MLK Drive at the south. It is approximately 29 wide as it approaches MLK Drive; the south-bound lane is 14 wide, the north-bound lane is 15 wide. SFMTA is proposing to adjust the three approaches to the intersection so they more closely meet at 90-degree angles (also referred to as squaring-off the intersection). This would be achieved with white and yellow paint on the pavement; specifically, an extension of the double yellow line on Bernice Rodgers Way and use of a white hatching pattern (with optional soft hit posts or planters) on MLK Drive. We are also proposing to close the right-turn slip lane from southeast-bound Bernice Rodgers Drive onto westbound MLK Drive. This lane would be closed-off using soft hit posts or planters in the short-term and may later be filled in with concrete by extending the sidewalk.
Crossover Drive & Transverse Drive Crossover Drive is an arterial street in Golden Gate Park that connects 19th Avenue in the Sunset District to 25th Avenue in the Richmond District, also meeting Park Presidio Blvd just north and overhead of JFK Drive. The stretch of Crossover Drive between 19th Avenue and Park Presidio Blvd is part of CA-1 and carries very high volumes of regional traffic and is not affected by this project. The proposed project would, however, modify the section of Crossover Drive between Fulton St and Park Presidio Blvd. In the northwest-bound direction, this stretch of road currently has a single approximately 16 lane approaching Transverse Drive, with 12 left-turns and merge lanes at Transverse Drive, and opening into three 10 lanes approaching Fulton St (one left-turn, one through, and one right-turn lane). In the southeast-bound direction, this stretch currently has two lanes, varying in width from 12 to 16 between Fulton St and Park Presidio Blvd. At the intersection of Crossover Drive and Transverse Drive, SFMTA is proposing to convert the right-most lane on southeast-bound Crossover Drive from approximately 325 south of Fulton St to Transverse Drive into a forced right-turn lane onto Transverse Drive. The single remaining left-most through lane would continue to meet the existing mid-block crosswalk for the walking/biking path that connects 22nd Ave to Transverse Drive. This single lane approach to an uncontrolled crosswalk would shorten the distance people walking and biking are exposed to traffic (i.e., the crossing distance), and should also improve yielding compliance by people driving. East-bound Crossover Drive would return to two lanes past the mid-block crosswalk. A painted buffer area with soft hit posts would be installed in the right-most lane approaching the mid-block crosswalk to discourage people from driving or parking in the closed portion of the lane. In the northwest-bound direction, soft hit posts are proposed to be installed in the existing painted buffer area to discourage people from driving or parking in the closed lane. In both directions, the existing PED XING pavement stencil message would be upgraded to read PED BIKE XING ; pole-mounted warning signs would also be updated to show this as a combined pedestrian and bicycle crossing. This change would affect service on the 29-Sunset Muni line, which runs on Crossover Drive between Fulton St and Lincoln Way (there are no bus stops along the stretch proposed to be reconfigured, however). With this change, after serving a near-side bus stop at Fulton St & 25th Avenue, southeast-bound buses would need to move into the left lane to continue on Crossover Drive, merging back into the right lane after the mid-block crosswalk east of Transverse Drive. While buses may encounter some marginal delay in order to merge into the one remaining through lane so as to continue on Crossover Drive, the roadway would revert to a two lanes after Transverse Drive at the approach to Park Presidio Drive thereby retaining the full roadway capacity at the intersection and minimizing or negating any potential transit delay. John F. Kennedy Drive & Music Concourse Drive / 8th Avenue John F. Kennedy (JFK) Drive is a road in Golden Gate Park that runs from the Great
Highway at its western terminus to Stanyan Street at its eastern terminus. The street is approximately 70 wide at the intersection with Music Concourse Drive and 8th Ave, varying somewhat given irregular curb lines. Specifically, here it is a seven-lane, twoway street carrying two 10 lanes of mixed traffic in each direction, two 6 bike lanes (west-bound, a parking-protected bikeway; east-bound, as a buffered bike lane), and with a 7 parking lane on the west-bound side. In addition to the intersection turn guidance striping described above, SFMTA is proposing to extend the existing 26 foot long (4 wide) island by up to 104 to a total length of up to 130. The project team is currently working with SFMTA s Transit group to assess how 44-O Shaugnessy (and similar tour buses) would make the turn with the lengthened island and its length may shrink if needed. The team is also assessing possible effects to events staged on JFK Drive. A double double-yellow line would extend at either end if the raised concrete island is indeed shortened. SFMTA is also proposing to make the left-most east-bound lane on JFK Drive approaching 8th Ave a left-turn only lane onto 8th Ave. This would make crossing the east-side crosswalk on JFK Dr and driving through the intersection a more predictable experience. Through traffic on east-bound JFK will still be permitted in the right lane. Additionally, on JFK Drive just east of 8th Ave, we are proposing to shift the eastbound merge zone closer to the intersection (moving west by 155 ), which will allow for an expanded bikeway buffer adjacent to the floating parking spaces. The existing buffer is very narrow and addressing this pinch-point will provide more room between people bicycling in the parking-protected bikeway and those loading parked vehicles. No parking removal would be needed for this change. Finally, at the speed table on JFK Drive, 385 feet east of 8th Ave (parallel to 6th Ave), as described above, we are proposing to remove approximately 6 parking spaces for visibility in support of striping the speed table as a raised crosswalk in the future when curb ramps are built. This visibility daylighting would also improve sight lines between people driving on JFK Drive and people bicycling in/out of the Roller Rink bikeway. Kezar Drive & John F. Kennedy Drive / Stanyan Street John F. Kennedy (JFK) Drive is a road in Golden Gate Park that runs from the Great Highway at its western terminus to Stanyan Street at its eastern terminus. Kezar Drive turns into JFK Drive where it intersects JFK Drive at the eastern edge of the park, with traffic free-flowing from Kezar Drive to JFK Drive in the northeast-bound direction and from JFK Drive to Kezar in the southwest-bound direction. Between Stanyan Street and where JFK Drive turns into Kezar Drive, JFK Drive is 91 wide with a 7 westbound bike lane, an 11 west-bound mixed traffic lane into the park, two 11 free-flowing left turn mixed traffic lanes to stay on Kezar Drive, a 7 median, a 5 center-running bike lane with 2 buffer, and two 10 and one 14 mixed traffic eastbound lanes. Westbound traffic into the park from JFK Drive stays on JFK Drive via an 11.5 westbound mixed traffic slip lane where JFK Drive turns into Kezar Drive. Bike riders can use a 6 bike lane with 2 buffer and removable hit posts to the right of the slip lane.
Eastbound traffic leaving the park on JFK Drive is stop-controlled. Vehicles intending to stay eastbound on JFK Drive approach the stop via 9 mixed traffic lane; bike riders can do so via a 5 bike lane with 2 buffer to the left of the eastbound mixed traffic lane. Eastbound traffic staying on JFK Drive waits at the stop for southwest-bound traffic on Kezar Drive to clear, then crosses those southwest-bound lanes. Traffic enters a dedicated eastbound mixed traffic lane on JFK that joins the two mixed traffic lanes from northeastbound Kezar; bike riders can enter the dedicated center-running eastbound bike lane. All three eastbound mixed traffic lanes and the center-running bike lane on JFK Drive approach the intersection of JFK Drive and Stanyan Street; the left two mixed traffic lanes proceed straight onto Oak Street (left turns are not permitted) while the right-most lane can proceed straight onto Oak Street or right onto Stanyan Street. The center-running bike lane proceeds straight onto the Panhandle. Eastbound traffic out of the park turning right onto southeast-bound Kezar approaches the stop in a single 15 mixed traffic lane that turns right to the two southeast-bound mixedtraffic lanes on Kezar Drive. In addition to the raised crosswalk proposed for west-bound JFK Drive, SFMTA is proposing to add soft-hit posts in the existing buffers between the bike lanes and mixed traffic lanes. West-bound, this would stretch on JFK Drive from Stanyan St to just after the proposed raised crosswalk; east-bound, this would stretch from approximately 170 east of the intersection of JFK Drive with Conservatory Drive East to Stanyan St. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Transverse Drive Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Drive is a road in Golden Gate Park that runs from Lincoln Way & La Playa St at its western terminus to Kezar Drive at its eastern terminus. At the intersection with Transverse Drive, it is a 3-to-4 lane street, carrying two-way traffic. West of Transverse Drive, the street is 36 wide with two 9.5 east-bound through lanes and one 17 west-bound lane. The street is 46 wide east of the intersection with one 11.5 through lane, one 10 through/left-turn lane, one 10 left-turn only lane; westbound, there is one 14.5 through lane. Preceding the intersection, there is a right-turn slip lane onto north-bound Transverse Drive. Transverse Drive is a local road in the park that runs from Crossover Drive at the north to MLK Drive at the south. It is approximately 38 wide as it approaches MLK Drive from the north (at which point, the roadway opens up to accommodate the exit of the aforementioned slip lane from west-bound MLK Drive). South-bound, there is one 9.5 right-turn only lane, one 5 through bike lane (for bike traffic onto the Class I shared path that connects to Lincoln Way @ 20th Ave), and one 9.5 left-turn only lane; north-bound, there is a single lane that begins wide and narrows to 14 just north of the intersection. Both Transverse Drive and 20th Avenue are on San Francisco s Bicycle Network (Bike Route 75), but the connection between them at the intersection of MLK Drive & Transverse Drive is not obvious and SFMTA has received many comments about improving wayfinding and guidance for bicycle traffic at this intersection. SFMTA is proposing to make striping improvements here to better guide bicycle traffic to and from the existing Class I shared path at the south side of the intersection which connects MLK
Drive & Transverse Drive to Lincoln Way & 20th Ave. This may include intersection guidance using standard dashed or solid white stripes and green-back sharrows; it could also include minor modifications to the lanes as they enter the intersection, but would not include the removal of any existing lanes, though new bicycle slip lanes could be added where there is room to squeeze them in. Way-finding signage could also be added, including specific messaging that Crossover Drive is not advised for bicycle traffic and route trailblazers guiding people onto Transverse Drive and the Class I shared path leading to 20th Avenue. Specific designs have yet to be developed for this intersection but would stay within the scope laid out in the preceding paragraph. Staff Recommendation San Francisco Recreation and Park Department staff have been working alongside the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to identify these traffic safety proposals to include RPD Permits & Reservations, Operations, and Public Affairs divisions. The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department recommends these improvements. Community Outreach San Francisco Recreation and Park Department has participated in community stakeholder meetings with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for the last three months, discussing these proposals and soliciting feedback and input. There has been no known opposition to the proposed improvements listed above. Academy of Sciences Fine Arts Museums and the De Young Cole Valley Improvement Association Cow Hollow Neighborhood Association Inner Sunset Neighbors Inner Sunset Park Merchants Friend of the Tea Garden Supervisor Sandra Fewer District 1 Supervisor Katy Tang District 4 Board President London Breed District 5 Walk San Francisco San Francisco Bicycle Coalition San Francisco Park, Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee Sunday Streets: Golden Gate Park Funding The above proposals, totaling $580k, have been fully funded by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority to include detailed design and construction costs.
Attachments: Project Map (SFMTA) Presentation (SFMTA)