West Portal residents, merchants at odds over city's traffic safety plan
SAN FRANCISCO - City officials are proposing changes to improve street safety in the West Portal neighborhood.
The changes would include prohibiting left turns and restricting traffic to commercial and transit vehicles only around the West Portal Tunnel.
Though changes to parking are not included in the proposal, residents and small businesses are concerned that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is moving too fast and could be making decisions as a knee-jerk reaction to the tragic accident that took the lives of a family of four back in March.
The current proposal is to eliminate left turns on Ulloa Street and West Portal Avenue and there would be no access to the West Poral Station from Claremont, which is the artery feeding the top of the corridor.
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Diana Zogaric owns the historic Shaw’s Candy in the neighborhood.
"Of course, we want safe streets. We want pedestrians to be safe," she said.
However, Zogaric thinks this was a fast-tracked proposal that merits further reflection for everyone’s benefit. She fears the proposal could include limitations to parking, which would crush her business.
She said, "Right now, if you can’t find a parking spot, you can usually loop around and find a space, but by looping around you have to make five turns and cut this way, not turn left, people are going to give up and say, ‘I’m going to the mall.’"
Another resident expressed concern about how the changes could impact small businesses and customers, saying, "This is one of the few neighborhoods that has recovered and that is vibrant after COVID, and for them to destroy this neighborhood is insane."
Myrna Melgar is district supervisor for West Portal.
In a statement to KTVU, she said West Portal streets are "in dire need of an upgrade, and now is the time to act."
She also discussed efforts that her office and the SFMTA have made to engage the public on what’s needed, through surveys, pop-up engagement opportunities and an online form.
Feedback to the proposal through an online survey is open to the public and can be found here.
Melgar said in a statement to KTVU that she promises an updated proposal once feedback is received.
"I appreciate all those who have provided their feedback and look forward to sharing the updated proposal with the West Portal community and all District 7 residents once the targeted public outreach has concluded," she said.
Another West Portal neighbor who identified himself as Gus G. shared that he believes there is room for everyone, and a well-thought-out plan is necessary for the benefit of all.
"Merchants rely on pedestrian traffic as well as car traffic. So, I think that it's important to consider all people, because look at what's happened to the downtown. The main downtown with the loss of merchants," he said. "I know that they're trying different things. And I think it's good to try different things, but I think everything we try should be done thoughtfully and with care and with consideration of all parties involved."
Alice Wertz is a freelance reporter for KTVU Fox 2 News. She can be reached at Alice.Wertz@Fox.com