Better Westside Traffic Flow
By Supervisor Joel Engardio
Everyone can agree that we must improve street and pedestrian safety while helping drivers get where they need to go on the westside.
I’ve been coordinating city and state agencies to accelerate the completion of:
New traffic signal at Lincoln and 41st Avenue, which replaces a four-way stop sign. The traffic engineering and signal crew at SFMTA deserve a big thanks. They constructed this signal in record time — and in the rain. In the weeks after turning on the new signal, SFMTA will monitor and make adjustments to the light at 41st and Lincoln. This includes timing and looking at the left turn. Making adjustments is standard with a new light.
New traffic signal at Sloat Boulevard and Skyline, which replaces a three-way stop sign.
A new traffic signal at Skyline and Great Highway, which allows for a smoother commute on Skyline and safer pedestrian crossing from Lake Merced to planned hiking trails near the coast. This signal will also direct traffic into a new parking lot for access to the coast.
Sunset Boulevard repaving, plus repositioning of bus stops on the far side of each intersection for better traffic flow in the right turn lane.
Intersection upgrades at Great Highway and Lincoln. New double turn lanes will be installed in both directions, allowing better traffic flow from Great Highway to Lincoln and visa-versa. Traffic signals will get programmed so a complete green-yellow-red signal will replace today’s blinking red. These improvements will make it easier for drivers to go around Golden Gate Park to access the Sunset and Richmond neighborhoods.
Note: The goal of the new signal at Lincoln and 41st Avenue is to improve traffic flow on Lincoln. Traffic flow improvements at Great Highway and Lincoln will make it smoother to use the Great Highway between Point Lobos, Balboa, Fulton, and Lincoln to go around Golden Gate Park. Traffic engineers are making it faster to go around the park instead of cutting through it. Then traffic can use Lincoln to Sunset Boulevard. This will remove pressure from Chain of Lakes.
Read the city’s press release on these traffic improvements.
The traffic engineering and signal crew at SFMTA constructed a new signal at 41st Avenue and Lincoln Way in record time.
After last November’s election, I asked then Mayor-elect Lurie to partner together on westside traffic improvements. He and I agreed the city needed to complete several major infrastructure projects to get residents where they need to go. And we agreed to put key improvements in place before any road closure of the Great Highway.
We’ve cut through the bureaucracy to see results in a matter of months versus what has normally taken years. We need to apply this can-do spirit to projects throughout the city as we work to create our best San Francisco.
My advocacy also helped secure millions of dollars for new traffic signals on Lincoln Way at La Playa and on Lincoln at 45th Avenue.
Through my work with the County Transportation Authority (each city supervisor also serves as a commissioner on the CTA board), I have funded more than six miles of new stop signs, safer crosswalks, and speed humps in District 4. Many of these treatments are targeted on streets adjacent to the Sunset’s schools. These improvements help make our neighborhood more safe for everyone.
Emergency evacuation routes
My office sent a letter of inquiry to the Department of Emergency Management and the San Francisco Fire Department asking about emergency evacuation plans and routes on the westside. Read the full response.
The fire chief and the emergency management director stated: “The Upper Great Highway is not a designated emergency evacuation route and closing it to private vehicles will not change our existing emergency response protocols.”
Emergency vehicles will still be able to access the Great Highway when the middle section between Lincoln and Sloat becomes a park. There will always be a section kept clear for first responders and emergency vehicle access.
Accomplishments
I strive to be a responsive and accessible supervisor, working to fix everything from trash cans to broken benches.
As supervisor, I’ve: