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"I'm sick of it," said District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, addressing a crowd of some sixty people Tuesday morning on the steps of San Francisco City Hall at a rally for protected bike lanes on Arguello. As she explained to Streetsblog prior to the rally, she's had enough of the death, the severe injuries, and a transportation agency that fails, again and again, to make streets safe. "It's been decades."
Melgar was part of a coalition of grassroots advocates. The protest comes two weeks after an errant driver plowed across the center of Arguello in the Presidio, killing cyclist Ethan Boyes. "Every day I encounter drivers speeding in San Francisco, looking at their phones," said James Grady, a friend of Boyes who also attended the rally. "I face an attitude from many that I don't deserve to exist because I ride a bike."
“Ethan’s death was preventable with protected bike infrastructure, and our city needs to be taking immediate action to build a connected network of protected bike lanes to make it safe for people to bike in San Francisco. Ethan’s death has left a huge hole in the community," said Grady. "We need change now.”
Boyes isn't the only person to die or be seriously injured on Arguello. In Nov. 2022 a sixteen-year-old was severely injured by a motorist. And as if to punctuate the incessant reckless driving and unsafe conditions on the street, on Monday a motorist drove off the road near the location where Boyes was killed.
Advocates want physically protected bike lanes -- with concrete -- so reckless driving doesn't result in loss of life. "No more plans, no more studies, no more outreach," said advocate Luke Bornheimer, who helped put the rally together. "Our city leaders are failing us."
"District 1 has zero protected bike lanes and we need to fix that immediately,” Richmond District parent Dave Alexander said. “Arguello Boulevard is a critical route for people on bikes and it’s long past time for this street to get protected bike lanes and for our city to stop accepting death and severe injury as the status quo on our streets.”
Supervisor Connie Chan, who was not at the rally but whose district includes Arguello, issued the following statement: "I have also requested a District 1 Mobility Study to improve traffic safety and transit connectivity in the District, and I am urging SFMTA to explore the possibility of protective bike lanes on Arguello between Geary and the entrance to the Presidio."
“Ethan’s death and the sixteen-year-old's critical injury are a reminder of the urgent need for protected bike lanes on Arguello and throughout our city,” San Francisco Bicycle Advisory Committee Vice Chair Kristin Tieche said. “Protected bike lanes save lives. We have proof and we have the data. We need to immediately install safe bicycle infrastructure on Arguello to prevent future tragedies in our community.”
In addition to pushing the Presidio to protect its section of Arguello, the coalition wants Supervisors Chan and Catherine Stefani to have protected bike lanes installed immediately between Fulton Street and the Presidio. They want them to write a resolution directing the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to do it without delay.
Nevertheless, Melgar was the only Supervisor to show up in person at the rally, despite the fact that Arguello doesn't run through her district. As someone who rides her bike everywhere, she said it was her duty to be there. "Safety shouldn't be a district issue."
The campaign can be found at ProtectedArguello.com.
