Construction has begun on a left-turn bicycle traffic signal and queuing lane that will help bicycle riders turn on to Valencia Street from westbound Market Street, according to the SF Department of Public Works.
Originally expected to begin last month, work on the project started yesterday, said DPW spokesperson Rachel Gordon, and it should be completed by November 30, depending on weather.
The project, which is being implemented by both DPW and the SF Municipal Transportation Agency, will create a left-turn "pocket" for bicycle commuters to queue up by the curb along Market, where an exclusive bicycle signal will indicate when to cross onto southbound Valencia. To make that possible, DPW crews will also remove a piece of the center median on Market.
When completed, it should bring some major relief for commuters connecting between two of the city's busiest bicycling routes, who must currently merge over three lanes of traffic, one of which has streetcar tracks on it.
For a visual of what the treatment could look like, check out a similar example used at the Harvard campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts after the break.
