Riding down Kirkham at 33rd Ave with a view of the oceanKirkham Street is one of the Big 56 bike lane projects that hasn't raised many eyebrows. Unlike the looming battle over 2nd Street or 5th Street, the Kirkham lane will be on a relatively quiet residential street that runs east-west from Ocean Beach to 6th Avenue, where it will connect with the remainder of bicycle Route 40.
District 4 Supervisor Carmen Chu said in an interview that she had not heard of any community resistance to the plan, in large part because there would be only minor parking removal in one of the proposed options and none in the other.
"There have been a number of individuals who have expressed a desire to have an integrated bike network where bike riders feel they get get across the city in designated lanes," she said. "I think that would be good for the district, some path of travel that is clearly marked for bicyclists."
Kirkham Street is part of bicycle Route 40Neal Patel, SFBC's community planner, thinks the Kirkham lane is not only an important connector in the bicycle network, but the existence of a lane might convince more people to ride.
"The Kirkham project is important because there are so few bike lanes in
the Sunset District," he said. "This route will make it easier for all
residents to get downtown and most points East; it's great to have a more direct option for
commuters. And having
more bike lanes should hopefully attract new riders."
Flickr photo: real plastic trees
