By Jonathan Farrell
On April 18, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) released a plan to drastically limit cars on West Portal Avenue. This was done at the behest of Supervisor Myrna Melgar and SF Mayor London Breed.
In an article/commentary published over a week later in the Westside Observer, Melgar stated, "National press attention descended on this corner of our district after an entire family was tragically killed by a speeding car while waiting for the bus.
"For decades, the intersection of Ulloa and West Portal Avenue has been crowded, confusing and conflicted," she added.
No further details were released by police concerning the investigation into the fatal collision that took the lives of Diego de Oliveira, his wife Matilde and their two young children, on March 16 while waiting at a bus stop in the West Portal neighborhood.
Police arrested and booked Mary Fong Lau on suspicion of three counts of felony vehicular manslaughter as well as misdemeanor counts of reckless and wrong-way driving, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Melgar's constituency includes the West Portal area, and she is also chair of several influential committees, such as ones regarding land use and transportation. Melgar, who was elected to the SF Board of Supervisors in 2020, is also a commissioner for the County Transportation Authority, Bay Area Air Quality District and the First Five Commission.
Melgar told the San Francisco Standard in an earlier statement, "If it were up to me, the plan would take all of the cars off West Portal. I think that this plan takes most of the cars off the intersection, and that is my goal."
In response to the tragic incident, Melgar is working to make changes along West Portal Avenue, the main thoroughfare of the West Portal neighborhood; especially that intersection with Ulloa Street where the collision occurred.
Melgar's initial proposed changes were:
• Eastbound traffic on Ulloa will be forced to turn right onto West Portal Avenue.
• Northbound traffic on West Portal will be forced to turn right onto Ulloa.
• Northbound traffic on Claremont Boulevard will be forced to go past Ulloa to Taraval for vehicles wanting to turn left.
• The westbound Ulloa lane at West Portal will become a transit-only lane.
A 10-day community outreach period was then announced by Melgar's office that will take into account a survey conducted by SFMTA.
From there, the plans will go to the SFMTA's Citizen Advisory Committee before the SFMTA board gives final approval in June. If approved, the changes would be enacted this summer.
While the proposed changes were applauded by transit and pedestrian advocates Joe Girton and Luke Bornheimer, the local merchants do not view such changes as being beneficial or practical.
Upon learning of the initially proposed changes, the president of the West Portal Merchants Association, attorney Deidre Von Rock, responded quickly. She considered the plan shortsighted.
"We still don't know what happened," (regarding the collision) Von Rock told reporters in previous news reports.
"And, (officials) are coming up with a solution for a problem that didn't cause the accident," she said.
"In the merchant's view, there are a lot of other things SFMTA should be doing to improve the corridor. But closing down a vital intersection that is critical for consumers to shop and support our small businesses, this is unacceptable," Von Rock said.
On April 21, Von Rock posted on the Von Rock Law website: "SFMTA supplied no data to support the proposed changes."
A week after the incident, Von Rock announced that the intersection was safe and did not contribute to the accident.
"They (SFMTA) confirmed they were directed by Melgar and (SF Mayor London) Breed to make this happen, and to make it fast," Von Rock said.
Bornheimer believes the proposed traffic routing plan would benefit public safety, especially since West Portal Elementary School is within the area.
Von Rock and others were initially skeptical given the very short time span of public input for Melgar's proposed plan.
On April 27, Melgar's office released a joint statement from Melgar and Von Rock.
"We recognize the importance of transparent communication, active engagement and inclusive decision-making processes throughout the duration of the project," the statement said. "That's why, together we announce the formation of a new joint committee to analyze the proposal and identify both areas of consensus and areas for improving the proposal."
A new collaborative effort has formed called, "The Welcoming West Portal Committee."
In the coming weeks, this committee will meet to discuss traffic impacts and parking issues and come to a consensus that works for all parties.
The Welcoming West Portal Committee will then consider changes that are something different from what Melgar initially proposed. They are as follows:
• Traffic safety at the intersections surrounding West Portal Avenue and Ulloa Street, including but not limited to Ulloa and Wawona, Claremont and Portola, 14th and Vicente, and Wawona and Vicente.
• Assessment of loading and passenger drop-off zones on Ulloa between the West Portal Station and Claremont.
• Traffic impacts on Vicente Street, 14th Avenue, 15th Avenue and Taraval Street.
• Review the number and location of bus stops on Ulloa.
• The Welcoming West Portal Committee will consist of merchants, neighbors and visitors to West Portal who share our vision of safety, mobility and vibrancy for West Portal.
The Welcoming West Portal Committee will meet at least three times over the coming months to develop a second proposal for consideration by the SFMTA board and for implementation in coordination with the return of the L-Taraval in fall 2024.
In response to what Melgar had released and published, Michael Ayres posted to social media: "This is the most brain-dead idea ever. Leave West Portal alone. The accident was one in 10,000, and there are many other places that have accidents all the time. Remove the parklets along West Portal and stop the war on cars. All the traffic reengineering does not solve problems, it just causes more congestion and directs traffic to other roads."
To learn more about the proposed changes to West Portal Avenue and to make a comment, visit the SFMTA website at sfmta.com/reports/west-portal-station-safety-and-community-space-improvements-proposed-design.
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