Advocates are asking for help to push the city to build a protected bike lane on Oak Street along the Panhandle. The project should get its final approval at the SFMTA's next board meeting on April 1. From a KidSafeSF petition page:
The Oak Street Quick Build will parallel a similar project on Fell Street, which has reduced traffic collisions by 40% since it was installed in 2020 by removing a travel lane and converting it into a protected bike lane. Neighbors from North of the Panhandle Neighborhood Association and local schools have been advocating for increased safety and a protected bike lane on Oak Street for over a decade to relieve crowding on the Panhandle shared path and make Oak Street safer for people walking and biking.
The westbound Fell Street lane has been an unqualified success, as noted, so it's unclear why the eastbound lane, on Oak, has been continually delayed. "We’ve seen project after project get delayed for insubstantial reasons and we can’t let the Oak Street Quick-Build become the next victim. We need these street safety improvements and we can’t wait any longer," wrote the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Rachel Clyde in a recent post about the issue.
If it's approved, construction should start later this year. More from SFMTA's post about the project:
The Panhandle’s shared-use path is a high-quality off-street path shared by people walking and bicycling – a central piece of San Francisco’s active-transportation network. Though the number of peak-hour downtown commuters has dropped, it is still a busy crosstown route. When the path is less active, the difference in speed between users – particularly those walking and bicycling – is higher, resulting in more potential conflicts. Now that the JFK Drive Promenade car-free space has been made permanent and continues to be very popular, the project would provide additional active transportation space for those traveling to Golden Gate Park from neighborhoods across San Francisco and improve the connection between the Panhandle and Golden Gate Park.
As the Frisc's Kristi Coale Reports, the Oak Street lane was funded back in 2021, shortly after Fell Street, so it's unclear why this "quick build" is taking so long. But whatever the reason, it's long past time to get this done. Don't forget to go to KidSafe's page and write your letter to the SFMTA board and Mayor Lurie before April 1.
