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Where the hell is 19th and Sloat? Oh, it's in, like, Southie. Near the Golf Course District. Anyway, the intersection is getting a left-turn arrow, hooray! Nineteenth is an insanely deadly stretch. A young lady died at this particular intersection a month ago; meanwhile, negotiations between the MTA and Caltrans to improve the intersection languished in their SEVENTH YEAR.
The traffic on 19th is so fast and so thick that it's like an interstate highway; and in fact, the state considers it exactly that, and claims ownership of the road. Leland Yee's attempts to make it more safey have been stymied by Caltrans foot-dragging and the Governor's veto of speeding-fine hikes. Until now! Apparently October's death was the tipping point, because Caltrans is finally getting to work on making things a little less manslaughtery.
A bunch of intersections will be getting better traffic signals and countdown timers (full list, plus more details, after the jump). And it only took seven years of negotiating, plus a lot of dead people. We're in SUCH good hands.
Here's a press release with details, if you believe in that sort of thing:
SFMTA Announces Traffic Upgrades to 19th Avenue
After seven years of negotiations, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will make further improvements to the intersection of 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, November 1, 2007.
The SFMTA will add a left-turn arrow for eastbound motorists on Sloat Boulevard at 19th Avenue. This addition builds upon previous improvements, such as red light cameras installed in 1997, more visible mast arm signals in 2000, and pedestrian countdown signals in 2004. Additionally, a radar speed limit sign was also installed in 2004.
This green left-turn arrow will assist vehicles making a left turn that do not complete this turn during the regular green interval for Sloat Boulevard. This eliminates the conflict of left-turning traffic with pedestrians and oncoming through traffic.
The State Department of Transportation (Caltrans) approved the SFMTA's proposed change at the intersection of State Highways 35 (Sloat Boulevard) and 1 (19th Avenue) on October 18, 2007. The work was done by SFMTA staff as part of an agreement between the two agencies to expedite implementation of the signal change. Changes of this nature are normally done by Caltrans.
SFMTA Executive Director/CEO Nathaniel Ford stated, "We are committed to improving safety on 19th Avenue and at intersections around The City. Our traffic engineers work diligently to improve pedestrian and traffic safety. Thanks to their continued efforts, San Francisco has seen a reduction in injury collisions on 19th Avenue of more than 25% in the past five years."
Further, the SFMTA, in conjunction with Caltrans, received on Wednesday, October 31, three responding bids for signal upgrades throughout 19th Avenue and Park Presidio Boulevard, beginning with 10 targeted intersections on 19th Avenue. The lowest of these bids ($2.95 million) came in 30% below the engineer's estimate of $3.8 million. The improvements will replace the aging signal infrastructure and include pedestrian countdown signals and new mast arm signals. The contract will be awarded in early 2008 and the work will be completed by early 2009.
Targeted 19th Avenue Intersections
1. 19th Avenue and Crossover Drive/Lincoln
2. 19th Avenue and Irving Street
3. 19th Avenue and Judah Street
4. 19th Avenue and Noriega Street
5. 19th Avenue and Quintara Street
6. 19th Avenue and Taraval Street
7. 19th Avenue and Vicente Street
8. 19th Avenue and Eucalyptus Street
9. 19th Avenue and Holloway Avenue
10. 19th Avenue and Junipero Sera Boulevard
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19th isn't an interstate, it's a state highway (1). Interstates are federally funded, and often... better maintained. Compare 101 (state) to 280 (fed).
That said, it's odd that the signals on Sunset have been upgraded before the signals on 19th (considering that 19th has more traffic).
Countdown signals on their own won't fix things, however. At some point protected turn lanes should be implemented at the major intersections (like Sloat & 19th).
Or burry the whole thing in a tunnel and turn the resultant top street into a much narrower tree lined boulevard. With a lot less turns. Actually you could do that anyway. And eliminate the tunnel. Eliminate all left had turns as well except for a couple protected turn lane intersections.
Actually, the 101 (yes, I'm from LA) is a US highway, not state...but yeah, the 280 is better maintained...and the entirety of 19th Ave is a mess - Great Highway's prettier, safer...
Err... yes. 101 is a federally funded road, silly distinction to make I suppose given that interstate doesn't really mean interstate.
A tunnel would be nice, except... big dig anyone?
this is from the Chron four years ago. brutal:
http://tinyurl.com/2h8mh7
Both 19th Ave [1] and Sloat [35] are state highways.
CHP has enforcement juristriction, but currently "outsources" and PAYS SFPD to do the [to me] non-existent enforcement. That's now under review.
There are a few red-light cameras, but only some of them are real. The others are fakes which get rotated so you can't figure out which are which.
There should be red light cameras on every corner. The ped count-down walk signals will do nothing, as cars zoom thru redlights all the time.
Plans are being analysed to see about putting in a tunnel, also moving the M tracks away from the center of the street and over to the SF Sate/Stonestown side. That [if it ever happens at all] will take mucho years, and lotsa people will be squashed and killed B4 anything real is done.
The governor has agreed to sign Yee's "double fine" bill if it's sebt to him again.
Bottom line: most drivers are selfish, oblivious on cell phones, don't give a shit, or all of the above.
BTW the young woman who died last month was crossing the street legally. A speeding SUV went out of control and pinned her to a pole where she died in the arms of a police officer from Taraval station.
He said that as he held her, among her last words were, "I was just trying to cross the street to go to school"
I was on 19th and Irving the other day, crossing from 19th west to east (towards downtown). For the record, I'm a guy in my mid twenties, plenty light of foot. Next to me was an old(er) man, bent over and shuffling slowly. He was heading south, crossing Irving Street. I came up to the intersection when the counter was on 8, counting down. I stopped at the curb, waiting til the signal cycled again.
The old man, who was walking behind me, stopped at the newspaper rack to examine the newest issues. His light was flashing red, counting down. He looked up, apparently forgetting what he was supposed to be doing, and then, with the light on 3, STARTED TO CROSS THE STREET!!! The light for traffic he was in front of was green before he crossed a full lane. He shuffled as quickly as he was able, blocking traffic from four lanes, almost causing a huge accident and getting himself killed in the process.
I read an editorial letter from a 79 old woman that same day saying her friend died recently.
So, yesterday, I was driving down 19th heading north. I took a right on Judah, sliding into the bus lane so traffic behind me wouldn't have to slow down and/or hit me. As you might know, there as bus and muni stops on Judah, and as I moved over into the lane, there were 2 people standing literally in the street, with both feet off the concrete. Apparently they were REAAAAALLLY restless to cross, because when my car came up to them, they looked at me and continued to stand there. I honked the hell outta my horn, and they seemed affronted to be made aware that they were standing the road against a green light.
This is why people get killed on 19th Street. People who cross with lights, look both ways, and stand on the sidewalk, those are the people who live. (Apologies to cars running lights and hoping sidewalks. That is not what I'm addressing here) The idiots who do otherwise are the ones who get hit, deservedly so, and then we're subjected to the million dollar renovation plans to address pedestrian stupidity.
I don't mean to sound uncaring of human life, but there's a certain Darwinian ethic here. If you can't manage to stay out the way of huge metal masses driving on a specially marked area meant to contain them, then your life probably isn't worth saving.
I think an interesting project for hazardous intersections is to put safety zones on every corner. There would be cement poles or some type of metal pole barriers that edge around each corner of the sidewalk that have openings so that people can walk through to cross at the right times and wide enough to let wheelchairs and physically challenged walk through.
In case a car runs out of control, it would hit the metal poles and protect the people waiting to cross.
Although 19th avenue has a very small median island, for the larger islands like on Geary, they should also put safety waiting zones in the median for people who can't make it through all the way, and they can also be protected from vehicles as well.
mariconsoy: You are correct. My understanding is that the Taraval Police Station is so severely understaffed, they only have enough officers for the desk jobs. The only time they actually leave the station is when they get emergency calls. A few more officers doing some preventive traffic calming on 19th, would likely prevent many injuries and deaths. Protection of citizens is a fundamental responsibility of government, and both San Francisco and the State of California have failed miserably on 19th Ave.
Yes, it is sad that it took so many accidents to get Caltrans and MTA to work together. But they really weren't accidents, they were murders. There was nothing "accidental" in the drivers' decisions to run the light or speed up. There was nothing "accidental" about the hit and run death mentioned in the linked story from the Chronicle. These drivers made a choice to put their self-important errands above the lives of others, and killed people as a result. Of course they didn't think of the consequences of their actions. Why should they, when it's obviously much more important to get to the mall. And every single person who runs a red light, forces their way to the front of a merging lane, or pushes pedestrians and bicyclists off the road is guilty of the same thing. Cops and timers and extra lanes aren't going to help when people drive this way.