Eyes on the Street: Stenciler Urges Drivers to Keep Clear of Bike Lane
Flickr photo: thornleyA mystery stenciler/good citizen isn’t waiting for the MTA to implement measures to stop the mess of drivers seeking cheap gas from continuing to obstruct the bike lane on Fell Street at Divisadero. Early Sunday morning, someone stenciled “keep clear” signs in the bike lane, and painted antlers on the bicyclist symbol.
Anyone who has pedaled down Fell knows this gas station has been a troublesome spot for bicyclists for some time now. We don’t know yet what kind of impact it’s having on drivers, but feel free to share your impressions in the comments section if you’ve pedaled by recently.
MTA spokesperson Judson True said the agency has been planning to put in similar markings. Although crews plan on grinding out the fresh unofficial markings “soon,” he said they intend on replacing them with essentially the same thing, except the signs that read “keep clear” will have the word order switched, with some additional signage warning drivers to stay out of the bike lane.
“We’ll see if those signs and markings work and if not more extensive measures, such as parking changes, may need to be explored,” he said.
If the MTA were to remove parking, it would be on that portion of Fell Street, where a tow-away zone would be created. True said MTA staffers have been in discussions for some time now with the owner of the gas station to consider options.
See the old bike lane and the antlered cyclist after the jump.
A normal afternoon in the Fell Street bike lane. Photo by Bryan Goebel. 
Flickr photo: thornley
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