Central Freeway and Octavia Circulation Study Final Report Plans and Programs Committee San Francisco County Transportation Authority September 18, 2012
Presentation Outline Background and Study Purpose Travel Demand and Transportation Needs Goals Framework and Circulation Strategy Project Analysis Study Recommendations Graphic Source: SFCTA 2
Study Purpose Assess circulation since the completion of the Central Freeway/Octavia Boulevard project, recommend improvements, and develop a circulation strategy. Multimodal approach to analysis of needs and opportunities Circulation strategy to inform San Francisco Transportation Plan Develop near-term project opportunities Graphic Source: SFCTA 3
Market and Octavia Area Plan Plan Area Graphic Source: SF Planning Dept. 4
Study Area Due to its central location, the Study Area encompasses multiple levels: Analyze local conditions and community needs Assess major connections to rest of SF and region Examine issues and opportunities at regional, interdistrict, and citywide levels Graphic Source: Google Maps 5
Existing Conditions Key Challenges and Needs While the Boulevard project brought substantial urban design and land use benefits to the area, key transportation issues and needs remain: Chronically congested corridors and intersections Vehicle conflicts and poor motorist behavior Pedestrian safety needs; missing infrastructure and amenities Transit crowding, reliability, and delay issues through area Need for improved bicycle connections Graphic Source: SFCTA 6
Motorized Travel in the Market-Octavia Area (2010) ~270k Daily Trips with an origin and/or destination in the M-O Area ~760k Daily Trips pass through M-O with origin and destination elsewhere Transit 85,000 32% Transit 206,000 27% Auto 183,000 68% Source: SFCTA SF-CHAMP 4. Auto 557,000 73% 7
Motorized Travel in the Market-Octavia Area (2010) About three-quarters of motorized travel is pass-through Auto to/from 183,000 Transit to/from 85,000 Transit pass-through 206,000 Auto pass-through 557,000 Source: SFCTA SF-CHAMP 4. 8
Traffic Levels Historical Changes Weekday Daily Traffic Volumes Location Fell Street, west of Laguna, westbound Oak Street, west of Laguna, eastbound 1996 With Freeway 2005 No Freeway / Before Octavia 2006 After Octavia 2005-2006 Change 1996-2006 Change 43,000 18,000 33,000 +80% -30% 47,000 25,000 41,000 +65% -15% Source: SFMTA 9
Areawide Circulation Strategy Study Policy Framework Goals Improve circulation and the multimodal network Shift travel to transit and non-motorized modes Improve safety and walkability Circulation Strategy Purpose Examine circulation issues and needs in the overall study area Develop a high-level circulation strategy (corridor- and street-level) Guide the development of future projects and programs 10
Areawide Circulation Strategy Principles All surface streets should provide accessible and safe pedestrian access Streets with a significant traffic role warrant features to address safety and performance for other modes, particularly non-motorized and transit Multiple modal priorities are possible/important on many routes; corridors should be considered across multiple streets Graphic Source: SFCTA 11
Areawide Circulation Strategy Highlights of street-level recommendations (east-west) Turk and Golden Gate potential for key bicycle network function McAllister develop as Muni Rapid corridor for 5-Fulton service Grove improve pedestrian/streetscape connections to Civic Center BART Page bicycle priority corridor Haight complete two-way transit connection at Market Street 16 th Street transit priority design options (as developed through EN-TRIPS) 12
Areawide Circulation Strategy Highlights of street-level recommendations (north-south) Church-Fillmore transit priority improvements and parking management Octavia design improvements to address intersection operations Gough/Franklin focus on pedestrian amenities and features Polk bicycle network development and connectivity 7 th, 8 th, 9 th, 10 th circulation and traffic management strategies, to be further advanced through SFTP Core Circulation Study 13
Citywide/Programmatic Strategies Demand management Congestion pricing Parking pricing and parking management/provision policies Employer-based TDM Freeway access/egress demand management and design changes Local/regional transit connectivity County-level and regional investments/programs, such as: Freeway HOV studies Caltrain corridor improvements Daly City BART FastPass fare policy M-Line/19 th Avenue corridor BART Metro 14
Graphic Source: SFCTA Closed Crosswalk Analysis Closed crosswalks present at heavy turn locations Fell/Gough (south to west) Fell/Franklin (north to east) Oak/Franklin (east to north) Options: Lead interval with permissive turn Restrict turn movement to one-lane Protect two-lane turn movement (dedicated signal phase) 15
Crosswalk Analysis Findings Restricting through or turning movements results in some traffic impact Two-way Hayes generally reduces level of delay Recommend Fell/Gough as first location to re-open, either: Maintain two lane right turn, or Restrict to one lane right turn Additional analysis for design phase: Updated analysis with post-hayes/fell two-way volume data Include supporting improvements with circulation change 16
Octavia Boulevard Operations/Design Opportunities Graphic Source: SFMTA Overview Opportunities are limited, absent more robust demand management Some spot improvements possible without major traffic impacts 17
Oak/Octavia Design Concept Graphic Source: SFCTA Oak Street Lane Drop Variations possible, including circulation changes for eastern portion of Oak Land use at NW corner may present opportunity to coordinate improvements 18
San Jose Avenue Corridor Analysis Objectives for Expressway Segment analysis: Reduce NB San Jose from 2 to 3 lanes Improve northbound bicycle facility Better managed 3-way traffic merge Support reconfiguration of I-280 off-ramp Anticipate more robust planning process Graphic Source: SFCTA 19
Graphic Source: SFCTA San Jose Avenue Corridor Three Options Option 1: Close San Jose Ave at Tingley Street Option 2: Close Monterey ramp to motor vehicles Option 3: Signalize merging traffic flows 20
San Jose Corridor Closing Monterey flyover is the most promising option of the three Further community input required More detailed assessment of traffic impacts Reducing I-280 off-ramp lane configuration remains a community desire May be feasible based on off-ramp volumes Further near-term improvements to be considered with SFMTA and Caltrans Graphic Source: SFCTA 21
Overall Study Findings Boulevard brought significant urban design and land use benefits Given somewhat lower capacity, some traffic diverted elsewhere nearby, citywide These shifts accompanied by general growth in traffic Trips generated to/from/within neighborhood have high transit first mode shares But, trips through the Market-Octavia area are auto-dominated High traffic volumes impair the neighborhood s ability to grow, improve livability Addressing transportation needs is challenged by the diversity of travel patterns 22
Graphic Source: SFCTA Overall Study Recommendations As the design of streets is rebalanced to prioritize non-automobile modes, improvements to the transit and bicycle networks are crucial A range of TDM strategies and policies are warranted to managed demand Both within the neighborhood and in corridors leading to/from it Given their varying network roles, different modes warrant varying levels of priority and design accommodation on different streets in the study area 23
Next Steps Work with DPW/SFMTA on integrating ped. improvements into Franklin/Gough paving Support other currently projects in planning/design phase: Re-opening closed crosswalks Lower Polk bike network connection Advance other projects into design phase: Octavia intersection improvements; Oak Street reconfiguration Coordination with major corridor projects Van Ness BRT, Better Market Street Seek resources to advance planning and design for the San Jose Avenue corridor 24