elevated pedestrian walkway over busy street
Ocean View, Outer Mission, West of Twin Peaks

Balboa Area Transportation Demand Management Plan

The Balboa Area Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Framework recommends measures to better manage the current and future transportation needs of commuters, families, seniors, employees, visitors, and students of all ages, means, and schedules in the neighborhood.

The final draft of the Balboa Park TDM Framework is now available.

The Balboa Area TDM Framework provides specific recommendations to encourage sustainable travel choices, make efficient use of limited transportation infrastructure, and maximize access for Balboa Area residents, employees, visitors, and students.

This document is not a plan in itself. Rather, it provides a common foundation for future, implementable TDM plans at the Balboa Reservoir, for City College, and within the surrounding neighborhoods. The document is a supportive resource, which recommends physical and operational TDM measures and includes case studies, best practices, paths to implementation, and monitoring programs to ensure goals are being met. Finally, it recommends further study of infrastructure projects that enhance transit, bicycle and pedestrian safety and access.

Based on community feedback, this Framework also provides guidance on future data collection practices, feasibility analyses and coordination efforts before the Balboa Resrvoir development and City College pursue their own implementable TDM plans.

What is TDM?

Transportation Demand Management, or TDM, is a general term for policies, incentives and programs that help make the best use of limited roadway and transportation resources. By providing residents, employees, students, and visitors with safe and sustainable transportation options, TDM measures can reduce single-occupant vehicle (SOV) trips, reduce peak-hour congestion and enhance neighborhood livability. Measures can include:

  • Subsidized transit passes;
  • Bike share and/or car share;
  • Safe bicycle parking;
  • Market rate parking fees;
  • Wayfinding signage;
  • Last-mile shuttle service to and from transit hubs;
  • Real-time transportation information displays;
  • Land use planning that reduces the need for travel; and

Read more about TDM citywide with SF Planning and SFMTA

Project Area

map of project area

The project area includes the City College of San Francisco Ocean Campus, the Balboa Reservoir site, and parts of three adjacent neighborhoods of Sunnyside, Westwood Park and Ingleside.

Why do we need a TDM Framework?

A number of improvements in the Balboa Park Plan Area are steadily enhancing transit access, SFMTA operations, BART access and pedestrian safety around Balboa Park station. In addition, planned streetscape improvements will make Ocean Avenue more pedestrian friendly and visually appealing. Yet, as the neighborhood and City College continues to grow, access to the area will continue to face the limits of roadway, transit, and financial resources. TDM measures can help more efficiently use these limited resources by encouraging sustainable transportation choices.

The Balboa Area TDM Framework is the first effort to understand and coordinate measures to support sustainable travel choices and roadway space on behalf of all users and needs in the neighborhood. These measures address various forms of transit, parking, safe and convenient walking, driving and carpooling, and bike facilities.

Next Steps

The TDM Framework is a first step in planning TDM efforts for the Balboa Area. As the Reservoir developer and City College begin to draft implementable plans, community input will continue to play a significant role. Transportation and TDM will be discussed in ongoing public meetings for the City College Facilities Master Plan, for the Balboa Reservoir and at Balboa Park Station CAC meetings. Only after further public engagement and exploration of TDM programs will the Reservoir developer and City College draft more detailed, implementable TDM plans.

These plans will then become part of larger proposals that will undergo the public environmental review process. The Balboa Reservoir project will include a commitment for ongoing monitoring and evaluation to ensure that TDM measures adapt and improve over time to ensure that goals are being met.

More Information

Jeremy Shaw
Senior Planner
jeremy.shaw@sfgov.org
628.652.7449

Peter Costa
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates
pcosta@nelsonnygaard.com

Funding

Funded by the District 7 Neighborhood Transportation Improvement Program (NTIP) at the request of Supervisor Norman Yee's office, this Framework was proposed as a response to community feedback gathered by the Balboa Park Station and Balboa Reservoir Community Advisory Committees (CAC), as well as public workshops in the neighborhood. Read more about the NTIP process here.