Folsom Street Quick-Build Project
Virtual Engineering Public Hearing
8/27/2020 Update: The Folsom Street Quick-Build Project Virtual Engineering Public Hearing is now over and the public commenting period for the project has concluded. This site will remain live so the public can explore the project and get more information.
Welcome
Thank you for joining the Folsom Street Quick-Build Project's Virtual Engineering Public Hearing. This event is an opportunity for the public to learn more about the project, see the proposed design, and provide public comment on the project.
No decision or approval will be made during the Public Hearing event period and all comments received will be reviewed by the project staff and responded to accordingly. After the Public Hearing event concludes, staff will present the comments received to the City Traffic Engineer, who will then make a decision on project approval.
Comments and questions received during the week will be responded to and posted on this webpage by 5 pm the following Friday. Check back to see public comments received and responses to questions.
The Virtual Public Hearing event will be live from August 12th, 9:30 am to August 26th, 11:30 pm.
How to use the Virtual Public Hearing tool:
The Virtual Public Hearing 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 web page that can help you move to specific sections that you're interested in such as safety information, the proposed design, project schedule, etc. Otherwise, for full project context, we recommend scrolling from the beginning to the end.
To leave a public comment during the Virtual Public Hearing, please visit the section titled "Leave a Public Comment", which can be found in the navigation bar above or at the bottom of this Virtual Public Hearing web page.
If you encounter any issues with the web page, please send an email to FolsomQuickBuild@SFMTA.com.
Language assistance:
Contact 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 Overview
Folsom Street Quick-Build Project Area - This map can also be found on the project fact sheet on the project webpage at SFMTA.com/FolsomQuickBuild
The Folsom Street Quick-Build project is an effort to improve traffic safety and comfort for all people traveling along Folsom Street between Second and Fifth streets by implementing cost-effective and temporary design treatments that can be installed quickly.
This project is part of the SFMTA’s Vision Zero Quick-Build effort, which stems from two executive directives from Mayor London Breed for faster transportation safety improvements and to deliver higher quality bikeway facilities, such as protected bikeways, to prevent collisions and increase safety. This project will contribute towards the 20 miles of protected bikeways in two years, as called for by Mayor London Breed as part of her initiatives around traffic safety.
Project Goals
- Improve traffic safety and comfort for all users of Folsom Street between Second and Fifth streets
- Serve as a near-term solution to traffic safety needs while the longer term Folsom-Howard Streetscape project completes detailed design and construction
Policy Background: Vision Zero and Quick-Build Program
The Vision Zero Quick-Build Program is a SFMTA effort to quickly implement bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements, stemming from executive directives from Mayor London Breed for faster transportation safety improvements and more protected bikeways. The agency committed to delivering 15 quick-build projects by the end of 2020, while working on comprehensive longer-term street changes for major capital projects. Quick-build safety projects are a critical part of realizing the physical changes to street design required to reach San Francisco’s Vision Zero goal.
Quick-build projects have a streamlined approval process and use reversible, adjustable and lower-cost materials that can be installed quickly for traffic safety improvements.
After a project is implemented, the project team evaluates the design for effectiveness. The results of the evaluation help identify the need for further adjustments and inform the design of future projects.
Typical quick-build improvements can include:
- Roadway paint and traffic delineators
- Traffic signs
- Parking and loading changes
- Signal timing*
- Transit boarding islands*
*requires additional time for design and implementation
For more information on the Vision Zero Quick-Build program or Vision Zero initiative, please see the links below:
Our Work on Folsom Street
Folsom and Howard Corridors Project Areas - This map can also be found on the project fact sheet on the project webpage at SFMTA.com/FolsomQuickBuild
The Folsom Street Quick-Build Project is part of a multi-project effort to improve the traffic safety conditions and public realm of Folsom and Howard streets.
Since 2016, the SFMTA has been working to design and implement capital changes to Folsom and Howard streets, as part of the Folsom-Howard Streetscape Project. This effort improves safety for all users, while enhancing the livability of the corridor. The streetscape project is in detailed design with an estimated groundbreaking in 2021. Realizing that traffic safety improvements needed to come sooner, the SFMTA implemented near-term changes on Folsom Street in late 2017 as part of the Folsom Near-Term Project and on Howard Street in 2019 as part of the Howard Near-Term Project. Two other long-term streetscape efforts will address the remaining portions of Howard and Folsom streets not covered by the Folsom-Howard Streetscape Project. The Transbay Folsom Streetscape Project is currently in construction, with an estimated completion date in 2020. The Transbay Howard Streetscape Project is in the early stages of planning and preliminary design with public outreach beginning in 2020. In the interim, the Howard Street Quick-Build Project will be implemented in 2020 and the Folsom Quick-Build Project will be implemented in 2020-2021.
Pressing Safety Needs
Every year in San Francisco, about 30 people lose their lives and over 500 more are severely injured while traveling on city streets. Vision Zero is our city's commitment to end all traffic deaths and serious injuries.
In the most recent five-year collision history available (July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2019), there were 31 traffic collisions on Folsom Street between Second and Fifth streets that involved a vehicle and a bicycle or pedestrian. Of those incidents, 5 resulted in a severe injury
Folsom Quick-Build Traffic Safety Dashboard
Existing Conditions
This section of Folsom Street is a four-lane street with one-way traffic operations in the eastbound direction. Parking and loading exists on both sides of the street. Muni and Golden Gate Transit bus routes operate on Folsom Street and have curbside bus stops.
The corridor also serves as an important bike network connection and is a couplet route with adjacent Howard Street, which runs in the westbound direction. The current Class II Bike Lane is on the south side of the street and is between a travel lane and a parking lane.
With the varying uses and diverse presence of transportation modes, all users can experience an uncomfortable travel environment. User conflicts along the block and at intersections could lead to collisions or unsafe interactions. The parking and loading regulations need to be modified to adequately meet the current curb usage demand.
Notable Issues in the Project Area
- Vehicles parking and driving in the bike lane causes conflict with people riding bikes; double parking also worsens traffic operations and cause visibility issues
- Oversupply of space for vehicle lanes and overcrowding in the bike lanes
- Speeding - the 85th percentile speed on Folsom Street between Fifth and Fourth streets is 30 mph, but the street is a 25 mph zone
- Lack of available loading zones result in double parking and parking in red zones, impacting safety and traffic operations
Proposed Changes
The project's proposed design balances the diverse needs of the various roadway users and feedback we received from businesses and institutions that front this section of Folsom Street while observing the goals and objectives of the project.
Scroll through the images below to see the traffic safety features incorporated into the project design. Scrolling arrow is to the right of the image.
01 / 07
01 / 05
1
Second Street to Hawthorne
In the proposed design, the bike lane is upgraded to a protected bikeway and moved to the curb side. Bikeway separation is achieved through the use of safe-hit posts and parking. The bikeway is also widened from the existing condition of five feet to eight feet to accommodate the high volume of people riding bikes.
A bicycle signal will be installed at the intersection of Folsom and Second Street to facilitate people riding bikes and walking through the intersection and reduce conflicts with right-turning vehicles.
The roadway on this block has been reconfigured from the former four travel lane condition to three travel lanes.
2
Hawthorne to Third Street
The proposed bikeway design on this block of Folsom Street is similar to what is proposed on Folsom between Second and Hawthorne streets.
The intersection of Folsom and Hawthorne will also see a bicycle signal installed to facilitate movement through the intersection.
The roadway on this block has been reconfigured from the former four travel lane condition to three travel lanes.
3
Third Street to Mabini
The proposed bikeway design on this block of Folsom Street is similar to what is proposed in the previous block.
The roadway on this block has been reconfigured from the former four travel lane condition to three travel lanes.
4
Mabini to Fourth Street
The proposed bikeway design on this block of Folsom Street is similar to what is proposed in the previous block.
The intersection of Folsom and Mabini will have a protected corner, which is essentially a partial protected intersection. The protected corner increases the turning radius of right-turning vehicles, which reduces their turning speed and improves sight lines between turning vehicles and people riding bikes and walking proceeding through the intersection.
This block will also have a transit boarding island, located far side, to reduce bus/bike conflicts, reducing pedestrian crossing distances, and improve transit operations.
The roadway on this block has been reconfigured from the former four travel lane condition to three travel lanes.
5
Fourth Street to Fifth Street
On this block the existing Class II buffered bike lane will be relocated to the curbside and upgraded to a Class IV protected bikeway. Similar to the other blocks, the bikeway will be separated by safe-hit posts and parking.
This block will also have a transit boarding island and it will be on the far side of the block.
The roadway on this block retains the existing three travel lanes.
Project Schedule
Plan View Illustration of Proposed Design
*Please give the the application a couple of minutes to load the plan view drawing of the proposed design.
If the design still is not showing up after a couple of minutes in the application, please visit our project web page to view the PDF version of it.
Interactive Plan View Illustration of Proposed Design
How to Leave a Public Comment on the Project
8/27/2020 Update: The Folsom Street Quick-Build Project Virtual Engineering Public Hearing is now over and the public commenting period for the project has concluded. This site will remain live so the public can explore the project and get more information.
If you would like to comment on the proposed changes, please use one of the recommended methods below:
Online Public Comment Form
Email - FolsomQuickBuild@SFMTA.com with the subject line "Public Hearing: Folsom Street"
Please include the following text in your email:
Mail - Mail-in comments or questions may require additional time before a response can be given by project staff. Please use the Mail-in Public Form and address it to:
Comments and questions received during the week will be responded to and posted on this webpage by 5 pm the following Friday. Check back to see public comments received and responses to questions.
General Information about this Virtual Public Hearing:
- No decision will be made while the Virtual Public Hearing event is live and active
- Please use this opportunity to provide your input and ask questions
- All written correspondence will be evaluated by the City Traffic Engineer to determine next steps
- The public hearing items can be approved by the City Traffic Engineer after the hearing
- To receive information about the results of this Public Hearing, please provide your contact information on the Public Hearing Comment form
- The result of this Public Hearing should be posted on the agency's project web page by 5 p.m. a week after the Public Hearing concludes
Check back here to see comments and questions received by the public and SFMTA staff responses at 5 p.m. by the end of the week.
Click the button below to view comments and questions already received from the public for this Virtual Public Hearing.
How to Stay Updated on the Project
For project updates, please visit the project web page at www.sfmta.com/folsomquickbuild
