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Bicycle Infrastructure

Eyes on the Street: Work Starts on Phase II of the 8th Street Protected Bike Lane

4:13 PM PDT on April 20, 2018

This DPW crew was busy prepping for the installation of a bus-boarding island on 8th just north of the Townsend round-about.

It's nice to report on street-safety improvements twice in one week.

On Tuesday, Streetsblog took a tour of the new protected bike lanes on Upper Market and Turk. Work has also started on phase two of the parking-protected bike lane on 8thΒ Street, from Harrison to Townsend.

Temporary tape shows where the 8th Street....
Temporary tape shows where the 8th Street protected bike lane will soon go, south of Harrison
Temporary tape shows where the 8th Street....

Bike advocate and people-protected bike lane protest organizer Matt Brezina was pleased to see the progress:

The project, of course, is awesome. Protected bike lanes on the wide and dangerous streets of SoMa will save lives, will make riding far more comfortable, and were the right response to the tragedies that have occurred in SoMa.

That said, there isΒ currentlyΒ a big challenge for cyclists at the top of 8th. In coordination with a sewer project, the city is building a new transit-boarding island at Market and 8th, and it is creating a real traffic headache for both motorists and cyclists. And,Β as in the past, no provisions were made for bikes, so it’s particularly hazardous and should be avoidedΒ at least until construction is completed, which, according to the SFMTA, should be sometime in May.

In the future, one hopes the city will create safe bicycle detours during construction, just as they would for motorists and, usually, pedestrians.

Construction at Market and 8th
Construction at Market and 8th. Riding couldn't have been too comfortable, or safe, for the lone cyclists in the picture trying to carve some space out for himself.
Construction at Market and 8th
IMG_20180419_164812
A confused cyclist trying to access 8th street.
A confused cyclist trying to access 8th street

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