Battery/Sansome Quick-Build Project

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Welcome! |  歡迎 ! 

Thank you for joining this virtual open house for the Battery/Sansome Quick-Build Project! This is an opportunity for you to learn more and give the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) feedback on proposed traffic safety improvements along Battery Street from Market to Vallejo streets and Sansome Street from Market to Broadway streets.

The SFMTA is seeking your input on the proposed street design changes for the corridors so that we can better understand interest in creating more protected bike connections and pedestrian safety improvements in the Financial District and Barbary Coast neighborhood.

This open house website will be available for feedback for a two-week period from April 25th to May 8th. While the open house website is live, staff will be available via email, and you are also welcome to attend our online office hours for further questions.

•  April 27th (Wednesday) from 5:30pm to 7pm Office Hours  
  • Meeting ID: 850 9352 9486 | Passcode: 273913 | One tap mobile +16699006833,,85093529486#,,,,*273913# US (San Jose)  +12532158782,,85093529486#,,,,*273913# US (Tacoma)
•  April 28th (Thursday) from noon to 1pm Office Hours 
  • Meeting ID: 860 5143 4451 | Passcode: 528710 | One tap mobile +16699006833,,86051434451#,,,,*528710# US (San Jose) +13462487799,,86051434451#,,,,*528710# US (Houston)
•  May 4th (Wednesday) from 4pm to 5pm Office Hours 
  • Meeting ID: 879 8765 4243 | Passcode: 377995 | One tap mobile +16699006833,,87987654243#,,,,*377995# US (San Jose)  +13462487799,,87987654243#,,,,*377995# US (Houston)

Join us on Thursday, May 5th at the Embarcadero Center (Battery Street between Clay and Sacramento streets) from 4pm to 6pm to talk more with staff! 

This open house website 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 background information, proposed changes, and the project schedule. Otherwise, for full project context, we recommend scrolling from the beginning to the end.

To leave a question or comment, please visit the "Feedback" section, which can be found in the navigation bar above or at the bottom of this web page. You can also directly access our feedback survey  here .

If you encounter any issues with this web page, please send an email to  BatterySansomeQB@SFMTA.com .

To access this open house website in Chinese , please scroll back up to the top and click on the word, "Welcome" in the corresponding language.

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

Battery and Sansome streets are currently part of the city's bike network, but can be challenging to navigate when biking and competing with vehicular traffic. This project seeks to improve the north-south bike connection to and from the Financial District and Barbary Coast neighborhood, while also improving safety and predictability for all traveling on the corridors.

As part of the  Vision Zero Quick-Build Program , the Battery/Sansome Quick-Build Project proposes to install a two-way protected bikeway on Battery Street from Market to Vallejo streets and focus on pedestrian safety improvements on Sansome Street from Market to Broadway streets. This project will build off the prior safety improvements made in the northern sections of the corridors through the  Sansome Battery Connections Project  to provide an improved bike connection in the neighborhood. 

The goals of the project include:

• Providing an improved and protected north-south bicycle connection
• Improving safety for all who travel on Sansome and Battery streets
• Minimizing delay to transit
• Balancing and improving overall curb management 

The project extents on Battery Street from Market to Vallejo streets are about half a mile long. In its current condition, there are three vehicle travel lanes at all times and two vehicle travel lanes from Broadway to Vallejo streets; parallel parking is on both sides of the street. Bike sharrows (a symbol on the streets that delineates a bike route) are marked on the street from Bush to Clay streets. There is a mix of regular metered parking spaces and commercial and passenger loading zones on the corridor. Battery Street also leads to 1st Street, which serves as a major street that feeds into the Bay Bridge. Currently Golden Gate Transit and PresidiGo shuttles run on Battery Street.

The project extents on Sansome Street from Market to Broadway streets are also about half a mile long. In its current condition, Sansome Street is one lane in each direction, but a second lane opens up during the evening peak hours so that two vehicle travel lanes can travel north. In the southbound direction, there is a vehicle restriction that only allows for transit, commercial vehicles, taxis and bikes to access Sansome Street everyday, from 6am to 8pm. Bike sharrows are also marked on the street from Market/Sutter to Washington streets. Almost all available curb space is dedicated to loading on the corridor, and the east side parking/loading spaces open up to a vehicle travel lane in the evening peak hours. Sansome is a heavily used transit corridor, with multiple Muni routes, Golden Gate Transit and PresidiGo buses traveling daily.

In the existing conditions, riding a bike or scooter can be challenging to navigate when competing with vehicle traffic in the neighborhood. Sharrows indicate a shared lane for people on bikes and in cars and help to suggest bicycle positioning in the lane, but may not be the preferred option in terms of comfort for riding a bike or scooter. That is why the SFMTA is proposing protected bikeways, not only to fill in the gap of the existing bike network, but to also provide a safe route and option for people to get around on two-wheels to and from the neighborhood.

Battery Street: Over the past five years, there were 62 reported traffic collisions that resulted in injury on Battery Street. The top factor for injury collisions were due to red light signal violations. The second highest reason for injuries was speeding.

Sansome Street: Over the past five years, there were 34 reported traffic collisions that resulted in injury on Sansome Street. The top factor for injury collisions was due to drivers failing to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

This project is in support of San Francisco’s Vision Zero commitment of eliminating all traffic deaths and serious injuries.

Quick-build projects are reversible, adjustable, traffic safety improvements that can be installed relatively quickly with city crews using road paint, street bollards and traffic signs. Unlike major capital projects that may take years to plan, design, bid and construct, quick-build projects are buildable within months and are reviewed,  evaluated , and adjusted for a 24-month period following initial construction.

Many of the traffic safety and bikeway connection issues we see on Battery and Sansome streets can be addressed through quick-build improvements. While quick-builds are typically low-cost and use low-impact materials, they can create highly effective results. Community outreach and engagement play a key role in ensuring quick-build projects respond appropriately to the neighborhood's needs.

For more information, please visit  SFMTA.com/QuickBuild .

The SFMTA is proposing a street design on Battery Street that includes a northbound and southbound two-way protected bikeway. Because the bikeway will be consolidated onto Battery Street, the SFMTA is proposing more pedestrian safety improvements on Sansome Street.

The SFMTA proposes to install quick-build improvements on Battery Street. Proposed changes include:

• A northbound and southbound protected bikeway on Battery Street
• Removing one driving lane (from three lanes to two from Market to Broadway streets)
  • A third driving lane can be accommodated for during the morning and evening commute hours from Market to Washington streets in order to help alleviate some congestion leading to the Bay Bridge
• Removal of parking on the eastside of the street
• A reallocation of parking/loading space - includes assessing side street parking nearby intersections
• Signal timing changes
• Left-turn restrictions at all intersection, except for Clay Street
• Upgrading crosswalks along the corridor

Considerations and Tradeoffs

• Consolidating the bikeways onto one corridor result in fewer impacts on Sansome Street, since Sansome is the primary transit route through the neighborhood
• This design can accommodate three lanes during peak hours (Market to Washington)​
• A wide two-way protected bikeway can also be used for emergency response vehicles, when needed
• Minimal transit impacts
• Approximately half of the parking/loading will be removed
• Additional analysis is needed to accommodate the heavy left turn movement on Battery Street onto Clay Street

Since the proposal involves installing a northbound and southbound bikeway on Battery Street, some of the main goals of the project will have been met with the two-way bikeway. However, the project team plans to propose more pedestrian focused quick-build improvements including:

• Daylighting
• Upgrading existing crosswalks to high visibility crosswalks
• Advanced limit lines
• Extending pedestrian walking time at signals for people walking
• Pedestrian head start signals at locations that currently do not have them

Let us know what you think about the proposed changes in the following survey.

Thanks for visiting the virtual open house!

While the open house website is live, staff will be available via email, and you can also talk with the project team directly by attending office hours at one of the times listed below:

•  April 27th (Wednesday) from 5:30pm to 7pm Office Hours  
•  April 28th (Thursday) from noon to 1pm Office Hours 
•  May 4th (Wednesday) from 4pm to 5pm Office Hours 

Other questions, comments, or concerns not answered here?

Email us at  BatterySansomeQB@SFMTA.com  with your feedback.

Comments and questions received will be responded to and posted on this webpage and the project website following the virtual open house.

To stay in touch, visit SFMTA.com/BatterySansomeQB or sign up for updates using the button below.