In January 2012, thousands of daily commuters, weekend visitors to the Academy of Science and de Young Museum, and explorers of Golden Gate Park will be enjoying 1.5 miles of separated bikeway on the eastern half of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park. A special thanks goes to Mayor Lee, Supervisors Mar and Mirkarimi, the SFMTA, the Concourse Authority and the Recreation and Parks Department and Commission for conducting extensive community outreach for this redesign.  And special thanks to the hundreds of SF Bicycle Coalition members for sharing your personal stories and speaking up at public hearings in support of this SFMTA project.

Sample Cross-section for JFK Drive

The JFK Drive separated bikeway design includes a continuous painted buffer between the bikeway and moving vehicles, with parked automobiles adding an additional buffer in some sections.  This project will be on JFK Drive from Transverse Drive to Stanyan Street, including improved connections to the Panhandle Path.  See the SFMTA’s JFK Drive project page for more specific information on the design.

Parking-protected bikeways have been in the ground in cities across North America and around the world for many years with many promising benefits. People biking enjoy an extra level of comfort being separated from motor vehicles – helpful for both seasoned bike commuters and those new to urban biking – and the SF Bicycle Coalition is thrilled to see this first example go in on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park.

Watch this instructional video from Portland, Oregon that explains what to expect when biking or driving on parking-protected bikeways.

The SFMTA will  begin construction in January 2012 and the SF Bicycle Coalition will keep you updated on the project status in the coming weeks.  The JFK Drive separated bikeway will be testing out many design features that the SF Bicycle Coalition would like to see replicated across the city on streets like Fell and Oak between Scott and Baker, Polk Street, Masonic Avenue, and more.  Stay tuned for ways that you can provide feedback on the JFK Drive separated bikeway directly to the city once it’s in the ground.

Email Neal if you have any questions about the JFK Drive separated bikeway, and watch our Connecting the City video that shows how this idea can grow in the coming years in San Francisco and connect you to neighborhoods across the city by bike.