Eyes on the Street: Embarcadero Bike Lane Gets Greater Priority at Battery
The southbound Embarcadero bike lane was re-aligned and painted green this week to smooth out a tricky junction where people on bikes have to merge with right-turning drivers between Sansome and Battery Streets.
Previously, the bike lane disappeared on that block, and people biking were left to battle it out with fast-moving drivers. SFMTA Livable Streets staff wrote in a Facebook post that they “repurposed the third travel lane and shifted the location of the bike lane near the intersections of Sansome and Battery (southbound Embarcadero) so there is a continuous path of travel for people riding bikes.”
“Before this project, there was a significant gap in the bike lane which created a merge that wasn’t very comfortable. Now, we’ve eliminated that gap so that vehicles, not people biking, must merge,” SFMTA staff wrote.
While the bike lane still won’t attract as many risk-averse riders as the proposed two-way protected bikeway, regular Embarcadero bike commuter Bruce Halperin said he had long pushed the SFMTA to at least make this fix. He launched an online petition on Change.org, which gained 58 signatures, and raised the issue to SFMTA planners at public meetings as well as through emails and phone calls.
“The bike lane on the Embarcadero southbound ends abruptly at Sansome Street, with no warning,” Halperin wrote in the petition (now marked with “victory” status). “Bike riders are forced into fast-moving traffic, dodging cars, trucks, buses, and motorcycles, in order to continue straight. These conditions are incredibly unsafe!”
Check out this video made by Halperin showing the hairy conditions under the former configuration:
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog San Francisco
Driver Runs Red, Hits Cyclist, Speeds Off
Friday Video(s): Kidical Mass, Night-Biking in Tokyo, and More
Mayor Gloria’s Budget Has Deep Cuts for Safety and Bicycle Program for the San Diego Department of Transportation
Gloria when running for re-election in 2024, "Even in a difficult budget year we still put good money towards our Vision Zero plans.” Gloria's 2026 budget: Elimination of funding for the multi-modal team at SDDOT.
The post Mayor Gloria’s Budget Has Deep Cuts for Safety and Bicycle Program for the San Diego Department of Transportation appeared first on Streetsblog California.
