You'll be seeing red on Church Street next week

In an effort to help Muni traverse the Church / Duboce corridor more efficiently and to help drivers stay out of Muni's way, the SFMTA will be painting the center two lanes going in either direction red effectively creating "transit-only" lanes for the 22 and the J (taxis are allowed too). That means no more driving in these lanes. The lanes will extend all the way from 16th Street to Duboce. The plan also includes adding Transit-Only Lane Enforcement (TOLE) cameras to deter folks from skirting the law and driving their cars in these lanes. With the foot traffic, bikes, and cars that are constantly flowing at the Duboce and Church intersection, this should be a welcome relief for the trains turning in and out of the underground and a slight annoyance for drivers who will now be funneled into one lane on either side.

The pilot is set for an 18 month duration and is part of a larger plan called the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) that has implemented other efficiencies and improvements like all-door boarding, vehicle replacement, and route restructuring in order to create a "rapid transit network." The plans objectives are to improve service reliability, reduce transit travel time, improve rider experience, and deliver more efficient service. Weather permitting, the lanes will be painted this weekend and go into effect immediately. via SF Streets Blog