Supervisor Yee and SFMTA collaborate to preserve stop at local Safeway

Riders on the L Taraval use new “clear zones” that improve safety. These clear zones will be in place until full concrete boarding islands can be added during construction of the L Taraval Rapid Project.

SFMTA is pleased to share a new proposal for the L Taraval that keeps the inbound 17th Avenue stop while improving reliability, safety, and accessibility for the line’s 30,000 daily riders. Supervisor Norman Yee and SFMTA staff worked together closely to develop this new plan that responds to Muni customer feedback about the special importance of this stop located near a Safeway grocery store.

As part of the much larger L Taraval Rapid Project, the stop was approved for a trial removal to improve safety, increase the efficiency of the L Taraval and preserve nearby parking for local merchants. This new proposal preserves the inbound 17th Avenue stop while still achieving the original goals of the project.

If the inbound 17th Avenue stop was removed, stops at 19th and 15th avenues would still have provided access to the Safeway, with an additional distance of about 500 feet. But many Muni customers and neighbors expressed concern over the greater distance for people carrying heavy groceries. In response, Supervisor Yee and SFMTA worked on a new plan that would keep the stop, add safe boarding “clear zones” until a boarding island can be built, and improve efficiency by reconfiguring the stops between West Portal and 17th Avenue -- reducing travel time for Muni customers.

To keep the Safeway stop while boosting reliability for transit riders, the new proposal consolidates two lesser used inbound stops: Forest Side Avenue/Ulloa Street and 15th Avenue/Taraval Street. These two stops would be combined into a single new stop on Ulloa Street at 14th Avenue. This would require no changes to parking and would be only a minor shift for most nearby residents.

This new proposal has many benefits:

• Maintains convenient access to Safeway and nearby merchants
• Increases safety and accessibility by adding a boarding island and accessible wheelchair ramp
• Improves travel times through one of the slowest sections of the L Taraval route by better aligning L Taraval stops with existing stop signs

The diagram below illustrates the proposed stop changes:

This new proposal will go to the SFMTA Board for a final vote in the coming months.

These changes are all a part of the much larger L Taraval Rapid Project which will make riding the train safer and more efficient by adding boarding islands, transit priority traffic signals, bulbouts for safer pedestrian crossings, new trees, enhanced crosswalks and unique wayfinding elements. In addition, the project will rehabilitate infrastructure on Taraval Street by replacing the train rails, overhead wires, water lines and sewers, as well as repaving the entire street. All of these changes will make Taraval safer and more inviting for everyone that uses it.