Planners Seek Public Input On Ocean Avenue Transit-Only Lanes, Streetcar Stops

A plan for significantly changing the sidewalks, transit stops, parking and traffic lanes along Ingleside’s stretch of Ocean Avenue has been updated as officials ramp up public outreach.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency launched a virtual hearing for the K Ingleside Rapid Project that allows the public to review the modified proposal, view a storymap and submit feedback through Friday, Jan. 19.

The project area covers Ingleside’s stretch of Ocean Avenue between Junipero Serra Boulevard and Balboa Park BART Station. The stretch of roadway is on the city’s high-injury network, the 12% of streets where 68% of traffic fatalities and severe injuries occur. The stretch of Ocean Avenue was returned to the list of dangerous streets last year.

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The project is scheduled to go before the transportation agency’s Board of Directors for consideration early this year. If approved, installation of less labor-intensive elements would begin as soon as the spring. Between this year and 2026, staff anticipate working on the detailed designs that would be built starting in 2027.

Transit-Only Lanes

The K Ingleside Rapid Project proposal adds transit-only lanes between Junipero Serra Boulevard and Lee Avenue to speed up and improve the reliability of the light rail line where it travels 4 to 5 mph due to traffic congestion, traffic lights and closely spaced transit stops, according to the transportation agency.

Members of the public have already raised concerns about transit-only lanes creating more traffic congestion by impeding general traffic. Officials countered that drivers would still enter the transit-only lane where left turns are allowed and they “anticipate that traffic would keep flowing but at safer speeds based on traffic modeling.”

Boarding Islands

The transportation agency does not allow the end car on trains to be used on Ocean Avenue because of the small, outdated boarding islands. This forces train operators to shepherd passengers from the second car to the first car at West Portal Station and locking the second car. The process can take 1 to 2 minutes and both delays the K and other rail lines such as the M Ocean View or S Shuttle.

Extending boarding islands will require the removal of parking spaces near the transit stops, but the SFMTA said that the project team has been able to identify locations to add back some spaces, retaining about 95 percent of the current parking spaces on Ocean Avenue.

The proposal calls for removing the Cerritos Avenue and Westgate Drive transit stops. The transportation agency said that the two transit stops have the lowest number of users and are a block away from the Aptos Avenue transit stop, which is closer to Aptos Middle School. Parking spaces would return when the stops are removed.

The proposal calls for extending several boarding islands:

• San Leandro Avenue at the cost of four parking spaces
• Aptos Avenue at the cost of eight parking spaces
• Victoria Avenue at the cost of nine parking spaces
• Miramar Avenue at the cost of nine parking spaces

A total of 30 street parking spaces would be lost.

Sidewalk and Crosswalk Improvements

Pedestrian bulbs are proposed at San Benito Avenue, Cerritos Avenue, Westgate Drive, Manor Drive, Granada Avenue and Plymouth Avenue.

Manor Drive and Granada Drive would get rapid flashing beacons.

Left Turn Restrictions

Left turn restrictions are proposed for vehicles going eastbound at Plymouth Avenue, Brighton Avenue, Lakewood Avenue, San Benito Way.

Left turn restrictions are proposed for vehicles going westbound at Brighton Avenue, Plymouth Avenue, Miramar Avenue and Jules Avenue.

Public Input

Feedback on the project proposal can be emailed to RapidKProject@SFMTA.com with the subject line “Public Hearing” or by calling 415-646-2410.

The public can email the project team or attend virtual office hours on Jan. 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., where staff will be able to answer questions from the public about the project.