1. The curb lane is currently a towaway zone during the commute hours, and
metered parking at other times. There are five traffic lanes during rush
hour.
2. DPT proposes changing the curb lane to a transit only lane. There
would be four auto lanes and one transit lane.
3. An alternate idea is to eliminate the towaway zone, use the curb lane
for parking, and convert the right lane to a transit lane. Then there
would be three auto lanes and one transit lane.
The last alternative reduces the number of lanes available to automobiles
from the current five to only three. This 40% decrease in capacity will
increase congestion. It will also make it more likely for autos to use the
transit only lane. Autos must occupy the transit lane in order to parallel
park, so enforcement will be difficult. This is all undesirable for Muni.
A lane of parked cars to separate pedestrians and moving buses may be
desirable but it is not necessary. The buses stop at every corner and the
blocks are short, so speeding buses should not be a problem. I too am
uncomfortable walking next to moving vehicles, so I don't walk next to the
curb. I also stand several feet away from the edge of the Muni Metro and
BART platforms. The DPT proposal sounds reasonable. If there is a real
concern, the sidewalk should be widened. Let's make sure the streets
around PacBell Stadium have wide sidewalks, as well as the Mid-Embarcadero
Roadway and future Mission Bay developments.