Unusual Valencia Street center bike lane in San Francisco's Mission causes confusion
SAN FRANCISCO -- A two-way bike lane down the center of busy Valencia Street in San Francisco's Mission District was supposed to make it safer for cyclists, but the unorthodox design has caused confusion and is even being blamed for some crashes.
Bruce Halperin lives near the corner of Valencia and 23rd Street in San Francisco. He doesn't own a car. His main form of transportation for both him and his dog is his bicycle.
"I do all my shopping, I patronize restaurants and what not on Valencia Street. It's my main route to work on days when I work downtown. So yeah, I use Valencia for basically everything," said Halperin.
Halperin says Valencia Street has long been an issue for cyclists. The often busy thoroughfare's narrow lanes and limited parking all combine to create safety concerns.
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Earlier this year, San Francisco officials announced the launch of a pilot program to test out a new center-running bike lane on Valencia between 15th and 23rd Street.
It's a design they said they believed would make the street safer for all.
"We've restricted the ability of drivers to make left turns. So banning left turns and separating the traffic with the center running bike lane reduces the risk to pedestrians. Somebody was killed at this intersection walking across the street with a green light just a few months ago. Secondly, we've physically separated the cyclists from the moving traffic," said SFMTA Streets Director Tom Maguire.
Halperin says he was nervous about how well the new design would actually work, but he initially tried to keep an open mind.
"Once it was approved, I was willing to give it a chance and the rollout has been an absolute disaster I think," said Halperin.
He says in just the few weeks the bike lanes have been fully open, he has already witnessed multiple crashes.
"In one, the woman was injured. She has a gash in her head and had to be taken away by ambulance. And I think that's going to keep happening," said Halperin.
He said the center lanes make it difficult for cyclists to get on and off the road. He also has already seen multiple cars driving over the protective barriers and down the bike lanes.
But the worst part he says are the turn lane boxes that force cyclists to stand within inches of passing cars.
"And the car traffic is just whizzing right by you and there's no physical protection whatsoever. It's really scary," said Halperin.
Still, SFMTA officials are standing by the design. They argue that, in the long run, this design will be a safer option.
"We think that this a big step forward for safety on Valencia. It does not solve every single problem and it's not perfect, but it's a big step forward," said Maguire.
Halperin still doesn't agree. His hope is that the city removes the center lanes as soon as possible and goes back to a more traditional side-lane design.
Until that day, he says he has no choice but to use the lanes since they're right outside his front door.
"I'm young. I'm relatively confident as a cyclist, but it's still scary," said Halperin.
The pilot program is expected to last a year. SFMTA says the first report on how the lanes are working will come out in the fall.
