Bike lanes coming to middle of busy Valencia Street in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO -- New bike lanes are about to go up in one of the busiest corridors in San Francisco, but instead of traditional bike lanes on the right of traffic, these lanes will go right down the middle of Valencia Street in the city's Mission District.
The new bike lanes are going to begin at the intersection of 15th Street and Valencia and continue south for eight blocks all the way to Valencia and 23rd. This is a pilot program that will last at least a year.
The city believes moving the bike lanes to the center of the road will improve safety by helping cyclists avoid all the cars and trucks that pull over to load and unload on this stretch of road. But many cyclists are worried the lanes will create new safety problems.
This reporter spoke with one local cyclist about how she feels about this project. Caetie Ofiesh has been biking around San Francisco ever since she moved here 10 years ago.
"I use this bike to get around to the store, to work, anywhere I'm going, to restaurants, almost every day," said Ofiesh, adding she loves how convenient biking is, not to mention it's also just fun.
"Sometimes especially if I'm on my way home from work it's like the best part of the day," she said.
But San Francisco is a busy town. Cars, buses, streetcars, and pedestrians; they all have to share the road with cyclists and that can cause some issues.
"Nearly daily I avoid something," said Ofiesh. "I've been hit by a car once. Luckily only once."
For years, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has been trying to come up with creative solutions to keep everyone on the roads safe.
In April, SFMTA approved a new pilot project that will move the Valencia Street bike lanes from the side of the road to the center for an eight-block stretch.
"If we just look across the street here. Instead of the bike lane that I'm standing in right now which again is often full of double-parked cars, the bike lane will be where that bus is right now," said SFMTA Streets Director Tom Maguire.
He says the project will not only help cyclists but also pedestrians because after the center bike lanes go in cars will no longer be allowed to turn left.
"It'll get the cyclists away from the parked cars and will ban the left turn so we'll protect pedestrians from those turning vehicles," said Maguire.
But not everyone is convinced the plan is a good idea. Ofiesh said she and a lot of her cyclist friends have concerns.
"You know at the intersections when a car needs to turn left or a cyclist needs to turn right, like what does that traffic pattern look like, and is everyone ready for that at every single intersection?" said Ofiesh. "The other thing I worry about with the center bike lanes is you've got cyclists coming at each other without much margin for error and you know we're not encased in steel boxes, we're just on our bikes."
Maguire says he just hopes everyone will give the project a chance.
"We're committed to coming back to our board and coming back to the public with a lot of transparency and robust data about what's working and what's not working," said Maguire. "We wouldn't be proposing this if we didn't think it would be a major safety improvement on what the street looks like now."
Ofiesh says she understands SFMTA is trying and despite her concerns going into it she'll still try out the new lanes once they're built.
"I would love to be wrong. I would love for this to work and to be an improved experience for everyone but I'm definitely going to be cautious," said Ofiesh.
The city says construction on the project is expected to begin at the end of April with the lanes opening to cyclists in mid-May.