First ‘Safer Market Street’ Community Meeting

In our last Market Street blog, we told you about three exciting projects coming to Market Street within the year – reduced private auto traffic, Upper Market spot repaving and the Market Street Prototyping Festival. We’ve been working on these projects for a long time, and are thrilled that there’s finally some action coming down the pipeline!

We’re pleased to let you know that after years of advocacy, the first project on that list, Safer Market Street, is kicking off with a public open house on Tuesday, September 30 (6-7:30PM at Bayanihan Community House, 1010 Mission Street)

This is your chance to let the City know how important a Safer Market Street is to you! If you walk, bike or take transit on Market Street, you know we all deserve a safer Market. Please join us.

Safer Market Street Public Meeting
Tuesday, September 30
6-7:30PM
Bayanihan Community House (1010 Mission Street)

What is ‘Safer Market Street?’

Safer Market Street is the SFMTA’s new program to reduce collisions on Market Street by expanding private automobile turn restrictions and enforcing transit-only lanes. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition advocated for this program as an interim step to improve Market Street safety while we wait for a Better Market Street. Market Street has over 6,000 daily bicycle riders, and 84% of all people get to Market Street by means other than a car, but the corridor still has some of the City’s highest rates of collisions. Safer Market Street restricts turns onto Market Street from North-South crossing streets, reducing existing conflicts at intersections and freeing up space on East-West Market Street for MUNI buses and thousands of daily bicyclists. The current proposal calls for turn restrictions for private autos (exempting taxis, commercial vehicles and paratransit) from 8th to 3rd Streets.

Safer Market Turn Restrictions

Turn restrictions proposed from 8th to 3rd Streets by the Safer Market Street project.

The Need for Safer Market Street

If you’ve travelled Market as a bicyclist, pedestrian or transit rider, you know Market Street is busy. In fact, it’s our city’s busiest bikeway, as well as one of the busiest bike routes in the country. On an average day, bikes account for 67% of all Market Street traffic, and a whopping 76% on Bike to Work Day. Yet we’re seeing far too many collisions on the City’s most important transit and bicycle street.

In 2009, the SFMTA implemented eastbound right-turn restrictions for private vehicles at 10th and 6th Streets. These restrictions improved transit efficiency by up to 3% and dramatically increased bike and pedestrian safety and comfort. The pilot restrictions were made permanent in 2011 and your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, along with other community partners, have been calling for expansion ever since.

But as someone who bikes on Market Street, you know this bustling bikeway is far from perfect. Your SF Bicycle Coalition is busy working to win protected bikeways from Van Ness Avenue to the waterfront so that you and the thousands of others who pedal it will have a safer, more comfortable ride. As we work on the bigger vision of a truly better Market Street, we’re also working to improve it with smaller, near-term improvements that make our city’s main boulevard better for people biking, walking and taking transit.

Get involved!
To receive updates on Market Street projects, including Safer Market Street, sign up for our Market campaign. And if you’re not already a member, support our ongoing work to make Market Street better for biking, walking and transit by becoming a member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition today!

 

 

Become a member and you'll improve your commute and get discounts at shops across the city.