Photo by SFMTA Photography Department
The Transportation Authority Board approved the Inner Sunset Transportation Study Final Report at the June 9 meeting. The Board gave final approval at the June 23 meeting.
The Inner Sunset Transportation Study was requested by Transportation Authority Chair Myrna Melgar (District 7) to address transportation safety and circulation issues in and around the Inner Sunset commercial core, with an emphasis on improving conditions for vulnerable road users. The Transportation Authority led the study in collaboration with the SFMTA.
Recommendations were developed through technical analyses and informed by feedback from two rounds of community outreach, including online surveys, in-person Town Hall meetings, and pop-up events, a scavenger hunt, and presentations to community groups.
In March 2026, a serious injury crash occurred on Irving Street just west of 7th Avenue. While the incident remains under investigation, the study team, in collaboration with the District 7 office, conducted a thorough review of the draft concepts and recommendations. This resulted in either a refined or an advanced timeline of recommendations regarding parking and curb management, opportunities to create more public space on Irving Street, and bicycle safety in the study area.
Near-term recommendations include:
- Making it easier for drivers to see people walking and rolling by implementing painted safety zones, continental crosswalks, and advanced limit lines at intersections
- Updating driving directions in map apps by partnering with online mapping companies to indicate preferred routes for drivers that can reduce congestion and safety conflicts, including to popular nearby tourist destinations in Golden Gate Park
- Consolidating transit stops for more reliable service on Judah Street between 5th and 7th Avenues, to reduce travel time variability on the 6 Hayes/Parnassus and 43 Masonic bus routes
- An upgraded 7th Avenue bike lane on 7th Avenue between Judah and Lincoln Way/Golden Gate Park through the implementation of a painted (Class II) bike lane. These two blocks of 7th Avenue are identified in SFMTA’s Biking and Rolling Plan as part of the city’s “North Star Network”
Medium-term recommendations include:
- More Reliable N Judah through improvements to existing signals, the addition of a new signal at 10th Ave and Judah Street, and expanded sidewalk space at 9th Ave and Judah to prevent vehicles blocking the trackway.
- More Reliable 7 Haight/Noriega by implementing a part-time bus only lane in the current part-time tow-away lane on westbound Lincoln Way and constructing bus bulbs for eastbound passengers at the 5th Avenue and 9th Avenue stops.
- Closing the gap in bicycle facilities from 7th Avenue and Lawton Street to Golden Gate Park by conducting a study of the best route for a lowstress, low-conflict bicycle route through this gap in bicycle facilities. This study will examine options on 5th, 6th, and 7th Avenues to make this connection.
The study also recommends longer-term proposals, including conducting follow-up studies to improve parking access by better matching the use of the curb with user needs and managing parking demand. Another longer-term recommendation is identifying opportunities for more public space on Irving Street by building on improvements made as part of the Inner Sunset Streetscape Improvement Project, work in collaboration with Inner Sunset Merchants, the Department of Public Works, and other stakeholders, advance options to improve public space, increase safety, and prevent double parking along the N Judah on Irving Street between 5th and 9th Avenues.
At the same Board meetings, the Transportation Authority allocated $150,000 in Prop L sales tax funding to the SFMTA for the implementation of a painted bike lane on 7th Avenue (a near-term recommendation) and the further study and design of how to best close the gap in bicycle facilities between Lawton Street and Golden Gate Park, including a review of options for lower-stress, higher priority options on 5th, 6th, and/or 7th Avenues.The Transportation Authority will collaborate with Chair Melgar’s office, SFMTA, and other city agencies to seek funding for the remaining recommendations based on the potential grant sources included in the report.
Resources
View the Inner Sunset Transportation Study Final Report (PDF)