SFMTA Crews Install Market Street’s First Green Bike Boxes

Westbound Market at Ninth Street. Photo: Aaron Bialick

Crews were out on Market Street today laying down the first bike boxes on both sides of the Ninth Street intersection. They come as the first of five promised by the SFMTA earlier this month.

The boxes allow bike riders to get up front at a stop light, increasing visibility to motorists and allowing them to cross safely. The ones going in on Market Street are the first in San Francisco to be made of a rough, grip-sensitive material that should help bike riders keep traction even in the rain.

The bike boxes come as welcome news to bicycle advocates who have been pushing the city to complete a continuous Market Street separated bikeway.

Crew members said they’ll be installing the next boxes at Van Ness Avenue tomorrow. See more photos after the jump.

Westbound Market at Ninth Street. Photo: Aaron Bialick
The material comes in hard, rectangular sections. Crews lay them out precisely and give them a preliminary heating on the eastbound side of the Ninth Street intersection. Photo: Aaron Bialick
Crews heat the material with torches to secure it to the ground as they sprinkle a traction-yielding powder on top. Photo: Aaron Bialick
Bike traffic was temporarily forced either onto the sidewalk or in the trolley lane for a couple of hours. A surprising number of riders dismounted and walked their bikes. Photo: Aaron Bialick

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