The SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors received the message: You deserve protected bike lanes on the high-injury corridor that is Upper Market Street. And now it’s time to celebrate.
Last Tuesday dozens of people joined us at the SFMTA Board meeting to push for protected bike lanes on Upper Market. Following over 300 letters of support sent, the Board unanimously approved the plan, which is due for near-term implementation by end of the year.
It’s been a few years in the making, but after walking tours, community meetings and even an open letter to the Director of the SFMTA Ed Reiskin, physically protected lanes on Market Street are soon to be a reality.
At the hearing last week we heard straight from people who bike that this project is necessary to keep people biking on Market Street safe. Shawn Grunberger stated that “protected bike lanes are a proven way for the city to get more people on bikes.” Mary Kay Chin followed by saying that she feels safest when biking in protected bike lanes, and Sarah Jones described how these protected lanes would transform her daily commute for the better.
The project features protected bike lanes in both directions from Octavia to Duboce along with a landscaped median, an improved bike crossing at Octavia, pedestrian safety islands and bulb-outs throughout. These changes will calm traffic and address the chronic issue of double parking in the bike lanes, a well-known problem for Upper Market.
If you’re looking to celebrate the victory on Upper Market, you’re in luck: The biggest and best bike day of the year is this Thursday, May 11. Celebrate Bike to Work Day with us by pedaling by an Energizer Station, or better yet, by joining a commuter convoy that ends in a rally at City Hall.
