Fact Sheet Municipal Transportation Agency LAST UPDATED November 2011 Van Ness Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Draft Environmental Impact Statement Quick Facts XXWHAT? Rapid transit on Van Ness Avenue: see page two and three for a list of BRT features and /Report now available for public comment project alternatives.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report (EIS/EIR) compares XXWHICH ROUTES? Muni Routes 47 and 49. Golden BRT alternatives to conditions without BRT and documents how the BRT Gate Transit Routes 10, 70, 80, 93, and 101. alternatives would affect a range of issues: XXWHERE? Dedicated BRT lanes would extend along Van Ness Avenue from Lombard St. to Mission St. • Transit travel times and delays • Historic resources XXWHEN? Construction could begin in 2014 for start Regional and local tripmaking Trees and landscaping • • of service in 2016. • Pedestrian safety • Construction XXHOW MUCH? $90M–$130M. • Traffic diversions and traffic delays • Affordability and funding • On-street parking • Operations and maintenance costs Did You Know... • Noise, energy consumption, and • Golden Gate Transit operations XXHIGHEST FEDERAL RATING: The Federal Transit greenhouse gas emissions Administration has given Van Ness BRT a “high” rating for cost-effectiveness—one of only two Project History projects in the nation to receive this designation! XXANTICIPATED FEDERAL FUNDING: Based on the FTA Bus rapid transit (BRT) is an affordable rating, the project has been recommended for approach to creating true rapid transit a total of $45M in federal funds in 2011–2012, with an additional $30M anticipated for project along ’s major North-South implementation. travel route. The Van Ness Avenue BRT Feasibility Study, called for in the 2004 Public Hearings and Meetings Countywide Transportation Plan and Learn more and comment at public meetings: adopted in 2006 by the Transportation PUBLIC HEARING: NOVEMBER 30, 2011. Authority and San Francisco Municipal Holiday Inn, 1500 Van Ness Ave. (at St.). See www.vannessbrt.org for more information. Transportation Agency boards, found that BRT FREE WEBINAR: DECEMBER 5, 2011. on Van Ness Avenue would likely See www.vannessbrt.org for more information. provide significant transit benefits with COMMUNITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL MEETINGS: manageable impacts, and called for an Visit www.vannessbrt.org for a schedule of environmental review of the project. upcoming neighborhood group and organization meetings where the Van Ness BRT Project Team will be presenting. To arrange a briefing for your Read and Comment on the Draft EIS/EIR and Project Alternatives organization, contact us at [email protected]

XXDownload the Draft EIS/EIR from XXCall us at 415.593.1655 to request an www.vannessbrt.org electronic copy XXHard copies are available for review at XXEmail a request to [email protected] SFCTA (100 Van Ness Ave.), the SFMTA XXWrite to us at: Van Ness BRT EIS/EIR, Attn: (1 S. Van Ness Ave.), the SF Planning Michael Schwartz, SFCTA, 100 Van Ness Department (1660 Mission St.), the SF Ave., 26th floor, San Francisco, CA 94102 Main Library (100 Larkin St.), the Golden XXComments may also be given verbally to Gate Valley Branch Library (1651 Union a court reporter at the public hearing or St.), and the Marina Branch Library (1890 via email during the webinar (see “Public Chestnut St. at Webster St.). Visit www. Hearings and Meetings” to the right) vannessbrt.org for a full list of locations. Contact us for more information, to comment, or to arrange for a briefing to your neighborhood group or organization. The formal public comment period will last 45 days, ending on December 19. For information on the next Van Ness BRT Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting, see www.vannessbrt.org. Meetings are held at 100 Van Ness Avenue, 26th floor, and are open to the public. Buildings used for the public hearings are accessible to persons with disabilities. Any individual who requires special accommodations, such as sign language interpreter, accessible seating, or documentation in alternative formats is requested to email [email protected] or call 415.593.1655.

Project location map BRT Features • DEDICATED BUS LANE separated from regular traffic to improve transit performance. • ALL-DOOR, LEVEL BOARDING, AND PROOF OF PAYMENT to allow buses to pick up and drop off passengers more quickly. • HIGH QUALITY SHELTERS including protection from the elements and comfortable seating. • PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS including reduced crossing distances on streets where BRT stations exist and large platforms for waiting passengers. • TRANSIT SIGNAL PRIORITY with traffic signals recognizing an approaching BRT vehicle and extending the green light when it is safe to do so. • TRAFFIC SIGNAL OPTIMIZATION, a data-driven approach to timing all traffic lights in the corridor. Project Study Area and Van Ness BRT Station Locations • BRT Station

NOTE: Routes 47 and 49 would continue north and south of the project study area. N Expected BRT Benefits Analysis discussed in the Draft EIS/EIR indicates that BRT on Van Ness Avenue would help achieve the City’s goals for transportation system performance and sustainability, with manageable impacts and trade-offs:

PROJECT GOAL EXPECTED BRT BENEFITS Improve transit speed and reliability • Reduced transit travel time by as much as 33% • Decreased delays leading to improved reliability Boost transit ridership • Increased transit ridership on Muni 47 and 49 lines by up to 35% Improve pedestrian amenities and safety • Shorter and safer pedestrian crossings • Audible Pedestrian Countdown signals at all intersections Provide for safe circulation for all travelers • Design expected to reduce collisions Increase transportation system performance • Increased capacity to move people through the corridor Deliver near-term benefits cost-effectively • Rated by FTA as the most cost-effective transit project in the nation Improve transit operational efficiency • Reduced Muni operating costs of up to 30% for Van Ness Avenue service BRT Alternatives Under Analysis INTERSECTION SHOWN IS VAN NESS AVE. AT UNION ST. Build Alternative 1: Future-year conditions without BRT (“No Build”) • New households and jobs expected in San Francisco by years 2015 and 2035 • Transportation network improvements already planned • Modest improvements to Van Ness Avenue signals, bus stops, and pavement • Replacement of the trolley overhead wire contact system and supporting poles/streetlights Build Alternative 2: Side-Lane BRT with street parking • Conversion of rightmost traffic lane in both directions to bus-only lanes • Cars allowed to cross bus lane for curb parking or to turn right • Sidewalks widened at transit station locations (bus bulbs) • Center landscaped median remains as is

Build Alternative 3: Center-lane BRT with right-side boarding and dual medians • Creation of dedicated bus lanes separated from traffic by two parallel landscaped medians • BRT stations located on side platforms • Use of right door buses

Build Alternative 4: Center-lane BRT with left-side boarding and single median • Conversion of inside traffic lane in both directions to dedicated bus lanes on either side of single center landscaped median • Center landscaped median maintained as is • BRT stations located on center median • Use of left/right door buses

The Draft EIS/EIR also analyzed a Design Scenario for the Center-lane Alternatives (Design Option B) which would remove most vehicular left turn pockets along Van Ness Avenue to enhance multimodal operations and safety on Van Ness Avenue. Next Step: Selecting a Preferred Alternative The Van Ness Avenue BRT Draft EIS/EIR analyzed three BRT alternative configurations and one design variation. In early 2012 we will identify a locally preferred alternative (LPA), based on the technical analysis and public and agency input. The LPA is the BRT configuration that we will recommend for construction. The Transportation Authority and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency boards will consider adoption of the LPA in spring 2012. Contact us to join the list for notifications about these future milestones. Project Schedule Draft Environmental 2008 Studies and Conceptual Engineering

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2011 2011/12 Schedule Final Environmental Public circulation Studies and Preliminary of Draft EIS/EIR Engineering 2012 1942 Plans, Specifications, Adoption of Locally and Estimates, Preferred Alternative and Final Design Final EIS/EIR, Caltrans 2013 approvals, FTA Full Funding Grant Agreement, commence 30% engineering 2014

2011 2015 Public Library San Francisco History Center, 1891 and 1942 photos courtesy San Francisco A Brief Transportation History of Van Ness Avenue Construction Development was slow along Van Ness until the 1906 Earthquake, when businesses and residents fled a devastated downtown. Redevelopment of Civic Center and the need to move throngs of visitors to the 1915 2016 Panama-Pacific Exposition in the Marina also fueled development along the avenue, which included a new Municipal Railway line. Begin Revenue Service A nascent auto industry and its array of support sectors found a home as businesses moved back to a rebuilt downtown, and the Van Ness corridor 2017 quickly became one of the west’s largest Auto Rows. After the united San Francisco with points north, Van Ness Avenue and Lombard Street became integral auto corridors carrying US 101 and the burgeoning local and regional commercial, commuter, and recreational travel. Van Ness was widened in 1936 and extended PROJECT WEB SITE: www.vannessbrt.org south to Howard Street to connect with the southern portion of the city and the Peninsula. PROJECT EMAIL: [email protected] Post-war highway planning saw the removal of rail lines, which were paved over for use by motor buses. The H Line, running up Van Ness since the 1915 Exposition, was abandoned in 1950. But in the late ’50s citizen protest against proposed freeways throughout the city led the Board of Supervisors to halt construction on most of them, and Van Ness SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY was left as the main conduit for US 101. By the ‘70s, Auto Row had fallen into decline. In the late ‘80s, the 100 Van Ness Avenue, 26th Floor Planning Commission adopted the Van Ness Area Plan, which called San Francisco, CA 94102 for an increased mixed-use and residential character—which is now project phone: 415.593.1655 being realized—and encouraged tree-planting on the street, echoing the boulevard plans of the late nineteenth century. Starting in the mid ‘90s, long range transportation plans prepared by the Authority and Muni recognized Van Ness Avenue as one of the city’s top transit corridors in need of rapid service. Prop K, passed by 73% of San Francisco voters in 2003, provided the local funds that now attract federal investment in Bus Rapid Transit on Van Ness Avenue. By 2016, local and regional transit passengers alike could be experiencing the Scan for project web page travel time, reliability, and pedestrian improvements offered by BRT.