M Ocean View Transit and Safety Project
Improving transit reliability, accessibility and safety on the M Ocean View corridor between Junipero Serra Boulevard and Balboa Park BART
Project Background
The M Ocean View connects the Ocean View neighborhood to downtown San Francisco. It also provides access to San Francisco State University, City College of San Francisco and regional BART service.
The M Ocean View had a ridership of over 30,000 people per day before the pandemic and has been recovering steadily, seeing 18,000 daily riders in recent months.
The M Ocean View Transit and Safety Project focuses on improvements along the M Ocean View between Junipero Serra Boulevard and Balboa Park BART Station. Our goals are to:
- Improve reliability for M Ocean View riders
- Enhance accessibility for people with disabilities along the corridor, as many stops do not have fully accessible boarding areas
- Improve safety for people walking
Muni Service Equity Strategy
The Muni Service Equity Strategy aims to improve transit routes most critical to households with low incomes, people of color, seniors and people with disabilities. In addition to being a key part of the Muni Forward program, the Equity Strategy highlighted the M Ocean View as a priority for improvements.
The Ocean View Neighborhood
Access to many community centers, small businesses, parks, religious institutions and schools is provided by the M Ocean View within the Ocean View neighborhood.
Neighborhood demographics
*Data from 2021 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates
The M Ocean View serves a high percentage of people from households with low incomes and people of color.
- 89% of residents are people of color, compared to 52% across the city*
- 39% of households within a quarter mile of the M Ocean View make less than $50,000 each year, compared to 25% across the city*
Current Challenges
Reliability
The M Ocean View creeps along its route in the project corridor during peak hours at 9 mph on average. And along Randolph Street, the train slugs along averaging only 7 mph due to frequent stop signs.
Average M Ocean View speeds toward downtown in the morning peak period.
Narrow streets, frequent stop signs and other obstacles impact the M Ocean View’s reliability. These challenges mean that riders can experience long waits between trains, followed by multiple trains bunched together all coming at once.
Inaccessible and Low Quality Stops
Many M Ocean View stops along 19 th Avenue, San Jose Avenue, Randolph and Broad streets lack dedicated boarding areas. Riders are forced to get on and off the train in the street.
These stops are particularly difficult for older adults, people with disabilities and people traveling with children to use.
Two people boarding or exiting the M Ocean View in this area were injured in crashes on average each year 2017-2022.
To address this issue, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors urged the SFMTA to improve safety and accessibility by removing parking where people have to walk through parked cars to access Muni stops with a resolution passed unanimously in 2021 .
Street Safety
Randolph Street and 19 th Avenue in the project area are part of San Francisco’s Vision Zero High-Injury Network, the 13% of streets where 75% of the city’s serious traffic-related injuries and fatalities occur. San Jose Avenue in the project area was previously part of the High-Injury Network, and still has a high rate of collisions.
2017-2022, a total of 62 reported injury collisions in were the project area. Of those collisions, 26 involved someone walking.
Outreach and Feedback
Community Engagement
To understand community priorities for the M Ocean View we launched a community listening tour in early 2022. Through extensive community outreach we developed and refined our proposals. We consulted with Muni riders, neighborhood residents and organizations, business owners, church members and the Ocean View community.
We heard feedback from the community through meetings and pop-ups along the corridor and at key places like senior centers, schools and churches. We also spread the word about the project with posters along the corridor and postcards to all nearby homes and businesses.
Multilingual community surveys and Muni rider surveys guided our initial proposals. These were refined through additional rounds of outreach, where we got more detailed feedback from hundreds of community members.
In our community survey, the top priorities for transit and safety in the neighborhood were safer access to stops and more reliable transit.
Some feedback came from opposing perspectives. Some community members want wheelchair accessible ramps and full stop amenities at every stop while others want no changes that impact parking. Others want greater transit priority or more bicycle amenities while others prefer limiting congestion for people driving.
We also heard a few common themes. These changed our proposals in specific ways:
More street safety improvements are needed.
- To help slow drivers down and improve safety on San Jose Avenue we added center transit lanes and wider boarding islands.
- To limit exhibition driving (like doing “donuts” in intersections) we added locations where we will pilot stunt driving deterrents at intersections on Randolph Avenue, as part of a citywide effort.
Stops are unwelcoming and in accessible.
- For a safer, more comfortable area to wait for the M Oceanview, we’re proposing wider sidewalks or boarding islands, that provide room for transit stop features like shelters, seating and enhanced lighting
- To improve access, we’re proposing additional wheelchair-accessible ramps along 19 th Avenue and San Jose Avenue
Moving stop locations could be difficult for riders.
- So riders can easily access the future library location, we removed a proposal to remove stops at Orizaba and Broad avenues
- For closer access to the OMI Senior Center and Wu Yee Childcare Center, we adjusted the proposed stop consolidation on 19 th Avenue
Losing parking is a concern.
- To minimize parking loss while ensuring a safe, accessible boarding experience, we have designed transit boarding islands and sidewalk extensions.
- The number of parking spaces lost at transit bulbs was reduced and a requested passenger a loading zone was added at IT Bookman Community Center and Pilgrim Community Church
- Locations where new parking spots can be added have been identified
Project Proposals
Our project proposals reflect the community feedback we received and the project goals. Many parts of our proposals reflect using the following tools for safety, accessibility and transit reliability improvements.
Boarding Islands and Transit Bulbs
On another Muni route, a transit bulb allows riders to get on and off the train directly from the sidewalk.
So that passengers could avoid waiting in the street or stepping directly from the train into the street, we add or extend boarding islands or the sidewalk to meet the train (also known as “transit bulbs”).
While this tool requires removing parking spaces, it also provides space for transit stop features community members have requested, like shelters, seating, lighting and landscaping.
Wheelchair-accessible ramps would be added for passengers riding in both directions at two stops – on 19 th Avenue at Sargent Street and on San Jose Avenue at Niagara Avenue.
Stop Location Changes
To improve safety and reliability, we are proposing to move some M Ocean View stops on 19 th Avenue. The project would combine the existing stops on 19 th Avenue at Junipero Serra Boulevard and 19 th Avenue at Randolph into a single stop at 19 th Avenue and Sargent Street. The existing stop at 19th Avenue and Junipero Serra Boulevard cannot be upgraded with a safe boarding island or bulb due to the limited space available at this intersection. Combining the stops into one at the middle of the block avoids traffic conflicts and additional parking removal at Randolph Street. It also allows space for new wheelchair-accessible ramps for both directions. It will also make M Ocean View trips quicker and improve reliability for riders since the train won’t have to stop as much.
To improve reliability, the project would remove the low-ridership stop at San Jose Avenue and Mt. Vernon Avenue. This stop’s location adjacent to Highway 280 overpass makes upgrades to improve safety there challenging. There are also no major destinations near the stop. Riders would still be able to use the stop one block away at San Jose Avenue and Lakeview Avenue, where stop safety would be improved and the train would arrive more reliably.
Transit Lane
On Church Street, a transit lane improves the J Church’s reliability and speed.
To improve transit reliability and street safety, a transit lane would be added on San Jose Avenue between Niagara Avenue and Broad Street. To decrease dangerous speeding residents have noted, general traffic would be limited to one lane in each direction, and the street would be narrowed for drivers. Traffic would be slower but steady. We don’t expect this to cause congestion based on our traffic counts. Drivers on San Jose Avenue would still use the transit lane to turn left.
Pedestrian Bulb Outs
To increase traffic safety, we would add pedestrian bulbs at several locations. This extension of the sidewalk at the intersection increases the visibility of people walking. Pedestrian bulbs also shorten the crossing distance and slow turning vehicles. These are proposed at several locations.
Traffic Signals and Stop Signs
To improve traffic safety on this high-injury corridor, we would add stop signs at Randolph Street at Bright Street. Adding stop signs for northbound traffic at San Jose Avenue and Broad Street would calm this complicated intersection.
To reduce delay for the train, we would install transit-signal priority. This technology keeps the light green longer when a train is approaching. We would also converting existing stop signs to traffic signals on Randolph Street at Victoria Street and at Ramsell Street. Traffic signals would be designed to maximize safety for people walking and keep traffic moving at a safe, steady speeds. At night when there’s less traffic and transit service, the traffic signals could function as all-way stop signs with flashing red lights to discourage speeding.
Stunt Driving Deterrents
Community members expressed frustration with stunt driving, sometimes called “sideshows,” on neighborhood streets. The project proposals includes a pilot to test tools designed to deter exhibition driving in intersections on Randolph at Victoria and Head streets. Other pilots of a variety of these tools to deter such driving by the SFMTA are at nearby intersections like Plymouth Avenue and Sadowa Street.
Proposal Details
Review how these tools and others are proposed in our block-by-block drawings.
Project Timeline
Spring - Summer 2022
Initial public outreach and engagement “listening tour”
Fall 2022
Address what we heard on our listening tour and consult with the community on our initial proposals
Spring 2023
Share refined proposals and gather more public feedback
Late Summer 2023 (where we are now)
Hold Public Hearing on updated proposals
Fall 2023
Bring final proposals forward for SFMTA Board consideration
Fall 2023 - Late 2025
Implement initial improvements with a “quick build;” design details of permanent improvements
Early 2026
Begin construction of full project
Share Your Feedback
Thank you for learning more about this project. You may submit written comment for consideration. Comments received prior to the end of the hearing period on Friday, September 8 will become part of the official public record and will be brought to the attention of the team conducting this hearing. Once we’ve gathered all this feedback, we’ll also summarize it for the SFMTA Board before they vote on whether to approve the project.
Please share your comments:
By email: Brian.Haagsman@SFMTA.com with subject “Public Hearing”
By phone: 415.646.2410
By US Mail to: Brian Haagsman, SFMTA / One South Van Ness Ave, 3rd Floor, San Francisco CA 94103 (must be postmarked by Friday, September 8)
Attend an upcoming office hours:
Tuesday, September 5 - 4:00-5:30pm – In-Person at Ocean View Branch Library (345 Randolph Street) https://www.sfmta.com/calendar/m-ocean-view-transit-and-safety-project-office-hours
Thursday, September 7 - 11:30-1:00pm - Online via Microsoft Teams - https://www.sfmta.com/calendar/m-ocean-view-transit-and-safety-project-virtual-office-hours
All questions received on or before Friday, September 1 will receive a response on Wednesday, September 6.
All questions received on or before Friday, September 8 will receive a response on Wednesday, September 13
