SF steps up game on Church & Duboce commute

The Church/Duboce commuting nightmare is finally over.

The recent renovations to the transit and bike corridor there have come with some nifty additions to help with safety, and perhaps make traveling about that area of the city a little easier for everyone.

Bicyclists in that chaotic area used to have difficulty passing through pedestrians who often blocked their path. There is now a bright lime-green painted bike lane indicating right-of-way and dispelling previous conclusions about where pedestrians should stand and walk.

Pedestrians also get some snazzy new perks – with widened boarding islands adorned with brick lining and fresh pavement.

Drivers may be bearing the brunt of the changes, with access to westbound Duboce from Church now closed to vehicles. This isn’t necessarily more problematic, as left turns from northbound Duboce were already illegal and southbound Duboce is only a block away.

Raised bumps in the pavement were also implemented to keep cars off the transit lanes.

Congested traffic is still an issue in the area, but new train signals will help operators make turns while accounting for such things.

Workers made the improvements over the course of the 9-day N-Judah shutdown and disturbance to the J-Church lines. These changes are part of SFMTA’s ongoing Church and Duboce Track and Street Improvement Project which is set to be completed in about a year.

Let’s just hope these improvements live up to the hype.