Speed hump? Really? Where?
We got a couple of emails recently about a mysterious disappearance in the outer Richmond.
There was a speed hump installed recently on Clement Street near the intersection of 36th Avenue. They even installed a warning sign on the north curb.
But suddenly, late last week, the speed hump vanished. Only the warning sign remains.
The SFMTA has been busy this year installing traffic calming in various spots around the neighborhood including Lake Street, the infamous (and neighborhood’s only) roundabout at 23rd Avenue and Anza, and out on Point Lobos Avenue.
Did they need the concrete from this hump for another project? Or did someone living nearby convince them it’s usefulness had expired? Or did a swampy sinkhole swallow it up?
It was a curious hump, on an uphill block – albeit on a long stretch of Clement Street that has no stop signs.
One reader wrote “it was huge – safe to cross it at 5 mph, no higher.” Maybe it was TOO big? Size does matter when it comes to humps.
If you’ve seen the hump wandering the neighborhood, let it know some residents have been asking about its well being. If we hear back from 311 on the matter, we’ll let you know.
UPDATE: The speed hump was removed because the initial installation was “out of spec” according to the SFMTA. As many of you have commented, the speed hump was too high. It will be replaced, but we were not given a firm date as to when. There are additional speed humps planned for that stretch of Clement as well.
Sarah B.
I’m regularly on that section of Clement and don’t recall a time that there was ever a speed bump there. How long ago was this?
It was there last week and gone last night. The sign and the shadow of it remain. It was way too big, so I’m sure they got lots of complaints from drivers or cyclists or both. The next complaints will be over those mini-islands on Pt. Lobos from the Geary split to 48th. They are already covered with many skid marks from folks running into them–no reflectors or any signage to let folks know they are there. Not sure which brainiac had this idea, but it is going to result in some serious auto damage.
That Clement St speed hump was a menace; you could see the scrape marks on top from people bottoming out on it! It was too steeply angled and too tall. That stretch of Clement does become a speedway, with people driving 35-45 mph, so I can see the need for calming, but it was a poorly built hump that needed to be taken out and re-done.
It was there the Friday after Halloween, not there last week Thursday/Friday when I drive that stretch to pick up carpool kids.
It was way too big and they installed the hump before they marked it or installed any warning signs. Quite a rude shock (and I was going about 10 mph, which was still too fast.
The hump is one of three planned on Clement between 40th and 36th Aves. They took that hump out because it was both poorly designed and because the traffic coming down the hill did not see it till it was too late to slow down… hitting it at 40 mph and barely keeping the vehicles under control. They are planning to replace it. The signs now say November 13th to 20th, although they have changed the dates at least 3 times so far. Perhaps when they do they will put all three in at the same time. I am hoping they put flashing lights to warn speeders till the neighborhood gets used to them.
Any more information on the half dozen or so mini islands on lake between arguello and park presidio? These seem pointless and unsafe to vehicles and give a false sense of safety to pedestrians.
@Andy, I’m glad there’s someone else who feels the islands on Lake are troublesome. Before they repaved the road, I had been almost run off the the road a couple times while riding my bicycle home from work, with people trying to squeeze by me. There was not enough space between the bike lane and islands for a car to pass safely.
I’m assuming for Lake St. the next step would be restriping the road and painting the curbs red so cars can’t park on Lake Street right next to the traffic circle ?
Another vote on the Lake street mini-islands being very hard to see…. they are going to cause more problems then they solve! The stick out so far into the lanes, with zero viability or reflective paint. SFMTA needs to take a lesson from the beginning of the bus island on the east side of California & 7th, the reflective post is taken out within 24 hours of a new one being installed!
@B.H., Yes! I remember driving that stretch before repaving, and it was impossible to go around them without veering into the bike lane. Is that still issue or is there more space now?
I was really lucky that a car was ahead of me the first night this was installed or I would have seriously damaged my car. That poor person did instead.
I saw this morning a private bus coming down from the VA hospital and they ran over the island on 43rd and Geary. There are already huge chucks of concrete chipped off of it.
My previous car was totaled 3 years ago on 41st and clement when someone “fell asleep” at the wheel and hit a total of 3 parked cars. So I support traffic calming on Clement. But geez, terrible planning seems to be a pattern here.
I remember when they replaced the tar and concrete at the Geary and 29th intersection. and for a weekend it was just unpaved and they didn’t shut it down to traffic. I didn’t realize it would be so bad until it was too late. Who makes these horrible decisions?
Regarding the Lake St. mini islands – this is a horrible idea. As has been said already – they are difficult to see, they’ve already taken damage after a week, they cause cars to swerve into the bike lanes. Perhaps this is just an attempt to force no parking zones along Lake, I have no idea – but there just isn’t room for these ridiculous things.
A better question to ask is why Lake St. has traffic in the first place. California is one block south, has two lanes, and should be the major road through this area. But then it’s a lot harder to roll through a traffic light than a stop sign. (People try it though – judging by the amount of wrecks on California between Arguello and Park Presidio.) The trouble, in my opinion, lies with the people that are using Lake to cut through to the Presidio/Marina while the onramp from 101 to Doyle Dr. remains closed. (built, seemingly ready, but closed). Traffic enforcement on Lake would do a lot more than red concrete follies. How about some enforcement a few times a month? A few tickets for speeding, blown stop signs, failure to yield to pedestrians – this would surely be more effective.
But what do I know? Some fool complains, a knee jerks in city hall, and we’ve got to live with the results of the dementia.
Mini concrete islands on outer Pt. Lobos, Lake St. and now the HUGE “bulb-outs” on Balboa. Really going to be a nightmare to drive there. Until MUNI is really a dependable, safe and functional system, folks in the Outer Richmond will be driving, and if they are not careful, ruining their cars on some of these traffic obstacles.
Wow, I can only say the expectation that one can drive without looking where one is going as expressed in these comments is frightening. If you can’t see an island in the road, you ought not be driving, you don’t possess the minimum basic skill set for the job. Consider taking public transit. God help the pedestrians in this neighborhood.
It’s not that people aren’t looking where they’re going – they have no reflectors, they are painted a sort of clay red that is practically black in low light, it is a narrow street, and no one expects them to be sitting there in the middle of the road – especially if you’re already busy looking for bikes, pedestrians, kids, pets, joggers in black sweats after sundown, etc. The position and size of them causes one who -has- noticed them to drift away from the centerline, dangerously close to the bike lane. This is good for no one. Get over yourself.
The speed hump troubled the SPEEDERS! Slow the heck down, people. It is challenging to cross clement st by the gold course where many walk their dogs and others like me, simply walk.
Correction – “golf course”.
Yeah.. no chance the speed hump messed up bicyclists coming down that hill. For god’s sake, enforce laws that are already on the books and we wouldn’t need this lowest common denominator nonsense.
Speed bumps have come and gone many times in the Richmond. The speed limit of 25 MPH is regularly exceeded and the loudest complaining about any calming measures is made by those who feel that laws do not apply to them. Enforcement would be nice but there are not enough SFPD patrol officers available on any shift to make a dent in this perpetual issue.
A goodly percentage of drivers do not pay attention. In the late 90s a large trench (10 x 25 feet) was dug to replace a section of sewer that was not connected to my neighbor’s home on a numbered Avenue. There were multiple signs with words and pictures (for those who are reading challenged) starting at the south corner (2/3 block from hole) on the curb and on either traffic end of the trench along with cones directing drivers around the hole. There were backhoes and Bobcats parked along the block, piles of gravel, dirt and other construction materials, along with no parking signs tied to every vertical thing along the block. There was a pickup being used by the City Inspector parked at the north side of this trench in the middle of the street.
The Inspector and Contractor were in the trench measuring gravel depth and compaction when a late model Buick driving north ignored all the signs and cones flew into the occupied trench. He bottomed quickly and fortunately did not hit the people in there. After some loud words were exchanged the City Inspector departed, leaving the contractor to figure out the mess. A backhoe was used to tow the irresponsible driver out and he left as the Buick still ran. No idea why SFPD was not called. The contractor’s crew then spent 10 minutes laughing about the motorist.
I asked the Foremen how often this sort of thing happened. He told me it’s regular, at least once a week.
I remember consciously minding my speed and anticipating a hump on several occasions, but it never appeared. Then one day a monstrosity of a hump appeared and tripped me out (way too large for its own good) and now it’s gone?!
Maybe the sign actually refers to the elusive creature known as “speed hump.” It normally travels at night by burrowing just under the street. It doesn’t move very fast but it tires out easily and will sleep all day and night on top of the street.
genius idea! drivers will slow down anticipating a speed bump, and SFMTA doesn’t have to spend any time or money on building one.
Oh yeah I saw the huge bulbs getting installed in outer Balboa. No paint on them. I hope people don’t run into them on a dark night. They must really hire idiots to run the DPW because none of the road calming measures are well thought out or designed well.
@21 This is what I always suspected.
Lake street update – at some point late last week, they added reflectors on the street surrounding the new Lake street mini-islands… which is helpful, but they still blend into the darkness pretty easily.
So, here’s my analysis: that stretch of Clement is way too wide. 50 feet is ridiculous: that’s the width of California street, where it has 4 lanes of traffic and two lanes of parking. It’s the width of Clement in the Inner Richmond, where there is far more activity, and diagonal parking. There is simply no reason for the street to be as wide as it is.
So the solution is easy. Don’t install speed bumps, just narrow the street. Move the north edge twenty feet south, and you get a nice, calm, neighborhood street, instead of the existing speedway. In its place, you can have a very nice jogging and biking path– or simply extend the park. It’ll make it much more pleasant, and it’ll be cheaper to boot– less asphalt to maintain.
For an example, see Hugo St. in the inner Sunset. It’s a 30 foot wide street, two way, with two lanes of parking– and I’m pretty sure they don’t have much of a problem with speeders.
It’s back, and it’s lower than before.
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