Ingleside Light Inquiry Results in Temporary Repair of Streetcar Boarding Island Safety Device

One of the K-line’s streetcar stops just got a little safer because of an inquiry made by the Ingleside Light.

Alex Mullaney Jun 23, 2021

K Ingleside streetcar boarding island with crash safety devices — The K Ingleside streetcar stop with new collision safety measures installed. Alex Mullaney/Ingleside Light

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One of the K-line’s streetcar stops just got a little safer.

After an inquiry by the Ingleside Light, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency installed a temporary safety measure on the K Ingleside light rail boarding island located on Ocean Avenue between Lee and Brighton.

The original safety device, called a crash attenuator, was broken and missing parts, rendering it ineffective should a vehicle strike it. A specially engineered piece will be ordered from a manufacturer to fix it, according to the SFMTA.

In December 2019, a motorist died in a collision with a boarding island without a safety device seven blocks away. An Ingleside Light review found the boarding island was missing a warning sign to ward off drivers.

A few weeks ago, the SFMTA placed three large sand-filled barrels at the Lee Street stop as a temporary solution to the safety problem posed by a bulky concrete structure in the middle of a congested arterial roadway.

“This measure is only temporary until we can find/develop a spec and arrange purchase/installation of the more permanent crash curtain like the previous we had,” SFMTA spokesperson Erica Kato told the Ingleside Light.