Tom Ammiano speaks at the rally for a safer Cesar Chavez Street.
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2006, residents gathered at the intersection of Cesar Chavez & Mission Sts. to demand a safer, more livable street, including bike lanes. They were joined by Supervisor Tom Ammiano and other neighborhood representatives. The SFBC is proud to be part of a growing coalition of groups, called C.C. Puede, which is organizing to make Cesar Chavez safer for all users.
- The SF Examiner reports that Residents urge on-foot safety.
- For our photos from the rally, see our Flickr set.
- For more photos and a video that features Fran Taylor and other speakers, see Bill Carpenter's independent media report.
Current Status
San Francisco's southern Mission district is extraordinarily well suited for bicycle riding, being both flat and centrally located. Yet, there are no established east-west bike lanes to safely connect the Mission with other neighborhoods. This is particularly noticeable on Cesar Chavez which connects the Mission to the Bayview, North Bernal, and Noe Valley neighborhoods. The current street configuration squeezes bicycles between fast moving traffic and dangerously close to opening car doors. Bicycle lanes on Cesar Chavez would provide a safe space for bicyclists and traffic-calming for a street with several schools and high volumes of foot traffic.
Cesar Chavez Street, reimagned by Riyad Ghannam
Proposal
A community group has proposed traffic calming measures for the Cesar Chavez corridor including bicycle lanes striped the length of Cesar Chavez, from Guerrero to I-280, as well as:
- Removing a travel lane in each direction and adding some turn pockets
- Removal of some parking east of the 101 (non-residential)
- Improved cross walks/ intersections
Concept illustration by James Weinberger
You can download the Traffic Calming Application now being circulated in the neighborhood:
- Cesar Chavez Street Traffic Calming Application (English)
- Solicitud para calmar el tráfico automotriz a calle Cesar Chavez (Español)
What do you think?
We welcome and encourage your thoughts on this project. When providing feedback, keep in mind what you think the impacts would be on bicyclist safety, pedestrians, loading, parking, and neighborhood concerns.
Commentary
Fran Taylor provides some historical context in Traffic Calming Efforts Stir Up Race and Class Issues (BeyondChron, March 15, 2006).
Contact for Cesar Chavez
Andy Thornley
SFBC Program Director
431-2453 ext.307
andy@sfbike.org
Cesar Chavez: Part of the Citywide Bike Network
Bike improvements on Cesar Chavez would help fill in the gaps of the Citywide Bike Network — a system of bike lanes, paths and traffic calmed streets connecting every neighborhood and business corridor in SF. Safe bike lanes open up more choices for mobility for more San Franciscans and can help reduce parking demand, reduce air pollution, and increase safety for all road users. Currently, about 4% of trips in SF are made by bicycle (that's better than the nationwide average of 1%, but far below Amsterdam, where over 40% of trips are made by bike). A major goal of the Bike Plan Update is to create an infrastructre of bike lanes and routes to encourage an increase in bicycling trips to 10% by 2010.
