Clement bus line terminus source of residents' angst

by Thomas K. Pendergast

The Metropolitan Transit Authority's (MTA) board of directors' Parking Authority Commission ordered a six-month trial period on Oct. 20 to place the Muni #2 Clement bus terminus on the south side of Clement Street, between 14th and 15th avenues, to shorten the line and save money.

The temporary location of the bus stop, on the north side of Temple Beth Sholom, will allow time for MTA staff to determine its viability and also allow for the study of an alternative solution, which would change the line from a motor coach to an electric trolley, which would extend overhead wiring from Arguello to Park Presidio boulevards.

"We've identified a near-term and medium-term solution that will balance the needs of our stake holders," said MTA Program Manager Julie B. Kirschbaum. "We're also recommending a more ambitious six-month project to look at replacing the #2 Clement with an electric trolley service, using the overhead wires that are adjacent on California. Sutter Street has both motor coach and trolley service right now, so we're essentially operating four miles of motor coach service simply because we don't have adequate wires for the last three-quarters of a mile between Arguello and Park Presidio."

Ordered by the commission at a previous meeting on Sept. 15 to further study two other options for the ending point of the Clement bus line, Kirschbaum said placing the terminus in front of the temple was "the most politically feasible." She said staff did not recommend the other options because they would require the removal of several parking meters and handicapped parking and placing the terminus in front of businesses could possibly restrict access or visibility.

But the main complaint from citizens to the commission about the staff's recommended option was the route buses would have to use to "loop" around and arrive at the terminus for the inbound trip. In all three options that staff reviewed, it would require the buses to use 15th Avenue, between Geary Boulevard and Clement, to approach the terminus, which means they would be going right in front of the main entrance to the temple's preschool.

Adeline Mueller urged the board to reconsider the loop because her daughter attends the temple's preschool.

"Beth Sholom has a very unusual schedule that involves six pickup and drop-off times scattered throughout the day to increase flexibility with parents," said Mueller. "So there's pick-ups and drop-offs going on directly at 15th Avenue, midway between Geary and Clement, at eight a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. And while there's a white zone, this involves a lot of pedestrian and vehicle traffic, principally at the corner of Clement and 15th Avenue."

Kirschbaum said two other loop routes were considered but discarded by staff because both would involve making a left turn onto California St. from either Funston or 14th avenues, in order to circle back around onto 15th Avenue before going south to Clement, and neither of those intersections have traffic lights.

"The challenge with both of these routes is that the intersections at California are not controlled, so it's challenging for the bus to make the turn," she said. "We have evaluated the loop from Park Presidio to Geary at 15th, to Clement several times, and several different times of day, and found that it works well for circulation. But, we will continue to monitor it closely during the transition."

A permanent bus terminus in front of the temple would require the loss of two parking spaces, less than either of the other options. The alternative electric trolley route would place the terminus somewhere around Clement and Eighth Avenue and would involve installing overhead wires from Arguello Boulevard, possibly all the way to Park Presidio. The bus would connect to California via Arguello, then use existing overhead lines to Presidio Avenue, then to Sutter Street before traveling east to the downtown area.

Although several residents of 15th Avenue showed up to voice their concerns, the last Richmond resident to speak on the issue didn't seem impressed with the way the terminus has been tossed around by the commission and different neighborhood groups over the past few months.

"Whatever avenue you decide to reroute the #2 Clement, you are going to meet with protests," Herbert Weiner told the board. "You want to tie down these meetings for the next six months? Be my guest. It won't be pleasant. I have a feeling that basically the literal equation is you all propose a plan that the people who protest less will be sacrificed. Certain people have to be thrown under the wheel. I don't like this kind of politics. I don't think it's appreciated by any resident of the Richmond neighborhood and you really have to reevaluate the whole thing. This plan is clearly off its trolley."