Image of 38R Geary Rapid bus driving in a bus lane on a busy stretch of Geary Boulevard in the Richmond.

Geary Boulevard Improvement Project

Virtual Open House

UPDATE: The Open House is now over. This site will remain live for the public to explore.

Welcome

Thank you for joining the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project Open House! This is an opportunity for you to learn more and provide feedback on plans to improve transit and safety along Geary Boulevard in the Richmond District.

Goals of This Open House:

Inform you about updates to the vision for “Bus Rapid Transit” along the Geary corridor.
Seek feedback on your transportation priorities to inform the draft detailed design.

How to Navigate This Virtual Open House

This webpage is best viewed on a laptop or desktop web browser, but it is also accessible by tablet or mobile devices.

There is a navigation bar at the top of the page that can help you move to specific sections that you're interested in. Otherwise, for full project context, we recommend scrolling from the beginning to the end.

To share your feedback, please visit the section titled "Tell Us What You Think". Survey participants will be entered to win a pre-loaded Clipper Card worth $38!

If you encounter any issues with this webpage, please email ImproveGeary@SFMTA.com .

Language assistance:

☎ 311 - Free language assistance / 免費語言協助 / Ayuda gratis con el idioma / Бесплатная помощь переводчиков / Trợ giúp Thông dịch Miễn phí / Assistance linguistique gratuite / 無料の言語支援 / 무료 언어 지원 / Libreng tulong para sa wikang Filipino / การช่วยเหลือทางด้านภาษาโดยไม่เสียค่าใช้จ่าย /خط المساعدة المجاني على الرقم

Project Background

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has been working to implement the Geary Bus Rapid Transit project to improve transit and safety since the completion of the project’s environmental phase in 2018.

The first phase of work, called the Geary Rapid Project , began implementation in late 2018 and is on track to be completed on schedule and on budget this fall.

Map showing the project limits for the Geary Rapid Project, on Geary between Stanyan and Market streets.

The second phase of work, called the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project , was in the detailed design phase, but was paused during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to deliver the 38 Geary Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes project , installed in winter 2020-21.

Both the Geary Rapid and Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes projects installed “side-running” transit lanes on the right-hand side of the street.

Map showing the project limits for the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project, on Geary between 34th Avenue and Stanyan Street.

Project Proposals

Transit lanes changes

The Geary Boulevard Improvement Project originally envisioned “center-running” transit lanes in the middle of the street between Arguello and 28th Avenue.

Diagram showing center-running transit lanes. On each side of the street, there is parallel parking next to the curb, with two general-traffic lanes, and a bus lane next to a platform in the center of the street.

Evaluation of the side-running transit lanes on Geary indicate that they have improved bus performance with minimal impacts to car traffic. Because of these positive evaluation results and in response to evolving conditions, the SFMTA is now recommending side-running transit lanes instead of center-running transit lanes in the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project limits.

Diagram showing side-running transit lanes. On each side of the street, there is parallel parking next to the curb. Next to that is a dedicated bus lane, followed by two general-traffic lanes next to the median.

Currently, buses and cars share a lane along stretches of Central Richmond where there is angled parking.

In both the side-running and center-running configurations, the project calls for converting angled parking to parallel parking to make room for a transit lane. This would require removing 1-2 parking spaces per block face.

Diagram showing existing street configuration. On each side of the street, there is angled (diagonal) parking next to the curb. Next to that is one mixed-use bus plus general traffic lane, followed by one general-traffic lane next to the median.

Bus stop changes

To further improve 38 Geary and 38R Geary Rapid bus performance, some bus stops could be removed or relocated. Proposed changes shown below include:

Moving bus stops from the near side of intersections to the far side, so buses don’t get stopped at red lights as often.
Removing closely-spaced stops to improve travel time reliability.

Map of the Richmond showing draft proposed bus stop changes on Geary Boulevard. • At Geary and 25th Avenue, both the inbound and outbound Rapid bus stops are proposed to be relocated from the near side to the far side of the intersection. • At Geary and 23rd Avenue inbound, the local stop is proposed to be relocated from the near side to the far side of the intersection. • At Geary and 22nd Avenue outbound, the local stop is proposed to be relocated from the near side to the far side of the intersection. • At Geary and 20th Avenue, both the inbound and outbound Rapid bus stops are proposed to be relocated from the near side to the far side of the intersection. • At Geary and 17th Avenue, both inbound and outbound local bus stops are proposed to be relocated from the near side to the far side of the intersection. • At Geary and Park Presidio inbound, the Rapid stop is proposed to be relocated from the near side to the far side of the intersection. • At Geary and 12th Avenue, both the inbound and outbound local bus stops are proposed to be removed. • At Geary and 6th Avenue, both inbound and outbound Rapid bus stops are proposed to be relocated from the near side to the far side of the intersection. — **Map showing draft proposed bus stop changes**

Bus and pedestrian bulb-outs

In addition to transit lanes and bus stop changes, other features that are planned include sidewalk extensions called "bulb-outs."

Pedestrian bulb-outs improve safety for people walking by extending the sidewalk at intersection corners. This shortens the crossing distance and encourages vehicles to make turns more slowly.
Bus bulb-outs extend the sidewalk at bus stops to improve bus travel time and provide more space to wait. This allows buses to pull directly up to the curb at bus stops without leaving the travel lane.

Diagram of a typical intersection on Geary. • Item 1 shows dedicated side-running bus lanes. • Item 2 depicts bus stop changes, which could include removals or relocations. • Item 3 shows a pedestrian bulb-out, which is a sidewalk extension that shortens the crossing distance at an intersection. • Item 4 shows a bus bulb-out, which is a sidewalk extension at bus stops that allow buses to make stops directly at the curb without leaving the lane.

Curb space changes

Earlier this year, we began conducting outreach to merchants and organizations on Geary to help inform the design of the new curb space configuration. Of the 71 businesses who completed our loading survey, several identified a need for more commercial loading zones, additional short-term parking, or pickup zones to improve access for food delivery services who often have to double park.

What could these changes mean for a typical block on Geary?

Opportunities for new curb designations to accommodate community needs, such as: green zones for short-term parking, yellow zones for commercial loading, permanent Shared Space parklets, general loading zones to accommodate other pick-up and drop-off needs, and new general metered parking on nearby side streets.
About 1-2 fewer parking spaces per block face where angled parking is converted to parallel to accommodate transit lanes.
Installing pedestrian bulb-outs at some intersections to improve safety for people walking. Would require removing up to one parking space each.
Changes to curb space to accommodate relocated or removed bus stops. A relocated bus stop could require removing 5-6 parking spaces but would restore 2-4 parking spaces on the other side of the street. Where a bus stop is removed, 2-4 parking spaces could be restored.
Lengthening substandard bus zones that can't accommodate more than one bus at a time. Would require removing 1-2 parking spaces per block.

Example: Proposed Block. Bird’s eye diagram of how a typical street on Geary Boulevard could look after changes based on public input. Parking has been converted to parallel, which frees up space to install a transit lane. A pedestrian bulb-out at the intersection would improve safety but reduces parking by 0 to 1 space. 5-minute general purpose loading zones could be added to some former parking spaces. New green meters for short-term parking could be added as needed. Yellow (commercial) and white (passenger) loading zones could also be retained or adjusted as needed. Additional parking meters on side-streets could be considered. And the project would continue to accommodate merchant requests for Shared Space parklets, subject to permit approval. — **Drag the arrows left or right to see a before and after view of how a typical block could look.**

Example: Existing Block. Bird’s eye diagram of a typical street on Geary Boulevard. On each side of the street there is angled parking and two general traffic lanes. — **Drag the arrows left or right to see a before and after view of how a typical block could look.**

Tell Us What You Think

Step 1: Complete a brief survey

Click on the form below to complete a brief survey about your priorities for the project and bus stop changes. Survey participants will be entered into a drawing to win a pre-loaded Clipper Card with a $38 value! * See drawing details

Geary Boulevard Improvement Project Survey

Step 2: Share location-specific feedback on an interactive map

Using the map below, drop pins over areas where you have encountered any of the following issues:

Transit delays
Double-parking: commercial loading
Double-parking: pick-up/drop-off
Hard to find metered parking
Hard to find overnight parking
Traffic safety challenges
Other issues

Click this icon to add a comment to the map

Interactive Map Instructions: Press the “Add comment” icon to begin entering comments. A comment box will open with a list of topics. Choose the topic that describes the issue you’d like to comment on, then click on the map where you want to place your comment. Once you are finished entering your comment, you can click the "x" to close the comment box.

Add your comments about transit, parking or safety issues to the map

Meet with Us!

Click below to join SFMTA staff for a community presentation followed by a Q&A session on Wednesday, September 15, 2021 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Community Meeting: 9/15, 4-6 p.m.

We can also come to you!

If you host, coordinate, or attend a standing community organization or neighborhood association meeting, let us know and we can come to you virtually! The Geary Boulevard Improvement Project team would be happy to present at one of your meetings.

Reach out to us at ImproveGeary@SFMTA.com to request a presentation.

"38 for 38" Clipper Card drawing details

All qualifying survey entries will be entered into a drawing to win a Clipper Card! 38 participants will be selected at random to win a pre-loaded Clipper Card with a $38 value. That's enough for several trips on the 38 Geary, or anywhere else a Clipper Card will take you!

To qualify for the drawing, participants must complete the survey (demographic questions are optional) and provide a form of contact info, such as an email, phone number or a mailing address. Contact info will only be used to notify winners and will not be associated with survey responses. Winners will be notified by October 15, 2021.