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

Hurrah! It's now getting extended from Harrison to Townsend

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

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 is currently 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, as in the past, no provisions were made for bikes, so it’s particularly hazardous and should be avoided 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.
IMG_20180419_164812
A confused cyclist trying to access 8th street.

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