A task force to identify and prioritize mobility improvement projects for people who live, work and visit Ingleside’s stretch of Ocean Avenue is on track now that the San Francisco County Transportation Authority board Tuesday gave a final approval of $275,000 for the project.
Made up of residents, business owners and community representatives from supervisor districts 7 and 11, the 14-member task force has already been selected and held one meeting in October with the next scheduled for February. The group is charged with creating the Ocean Avenue Mobility Action Plan, four to five transportation improvements that should be prioritized for the area of Ocean Avenue between Junipero Serra Boulevard to San Jose Avenue. It may also identify new projects.
The task force will not have to start from scratch.
“The action plan will build on ideas for the Ocean Avenue corridor that have arisen through various past planning and development processes but have not yet advanced implementation,” SFCTA Senior Transportation Planner Camille Guiriba said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Guiriba previously told the Ingleside Light that the SFCTA and task force are looking for projects that can move forward immediately since many of them have been on the drawing board for years.
Guiriba added that both District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who initiated the project, and District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai handpicked its members from their respective districts since the study area crosses supervisorial boundaries.
Ingleside’s stretch of Ocean Avenue has been studied several times over the years for transportation and safety improvements, including but not limited to the Balboa Park Station Area Plan to the Ocean Avenue Corridor Design Study, according to the SFCTA. Some projects from the studies have been completed or are ongoing. There are some that have stalled or not yet implemented.
Melgar said in a news release she did not want any more studies and instead wanted action on prioritizing the projects that have yet to be completed.
“As a resident, I have known for years that Ocean Avenue is in dire need of coordination of all the proposals different agencies have produced to improve transportation on the corridor,” Melgar said.
The supervisor added that the “vibrant and versatile” Ocean Avenue needs to support everyone, including residents, families, seniors, students, people with disabilities and merchants with coordinated transportation improvements.
“I’m happy to support the Ocean Avenue Action Plan that has brought together a diverse and experienced group of community stakeholders to identify much needed improvements for pedestrian, bike and vehicle safety,” Safai said in the news release.
Melgar’s office said the task force will have a goal of prioritizing two-large scale improvement projects and two to three smaller projects that can move forward in the near-term.
Large-scale projects could be installing protected bike lanes or improving the Frida Kahlo-Ocean-Geneva intersection. Smaller projects could include re-striping of lanes at targeted areas.
The total budget project is $300,000. Besides funding from the SFCTA, Guiriba is seeking $25,000 from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Community Response Team Funds that are available to each supervisor.
“Ocean Avenue is the heart of the Ingleside,” SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin said in a news release. “It’s also the flattest east-west street in southwest San Francisco, so it is of highest importance for transit, walking, biking and driving.”
The SFMTA, Department of Public Works and Planning Department will work in coordination with the plan, according to the news release.
For more information about the project, visit the SFCTA website or contact Senior Transportation Planner Aliza Paz at oceanave@sfcta.org.
