Bicycling

Mission Bay commuters are no doubt aware that the Lefty O'Doul drawbridge on Third Street is currently locked in the upright position and, according to SF Public Works (DPW), will remain so until approximately January 26.

For readers who haven't been on Folsom Street in SoMa in the last few weeks, Streetsblog is happy to report that the new parking-protected bike lane has gotten a lot more green paint since we last reported on it in October. Back then, the lane--the latest of several projects designed to make SoMa safer for bikers--consisted of bus-boarding islands, some stripes, and a splash of green here and there.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) released its latest figures on fatality and injury crash rates in the Bay Area late last week.

Yesterday evening, some 70 people came to stand on the edge of Upper Market to protect cyclists traveling between Octavia and Laguna from motorists encroaching on the bike lane.

Around 1,100 people attended and donated at the annual SFBC fundraiser. All photos Streetsblog/Rudick unless indicated

The $20 million Second Street Improvement Project is finally underway. No planning speed records were broken.

The other day, I biked over to a market on Oak Street in Jack London Square. There was a truck driver parked in the bike lane in front of the store, right by an open parking spot. I ended up walking into the store at the same time as an Oakland police officer. So I mentioned the truck outside and asked the officer if he would please cite the driver.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously today to reject an appeal for a lengthy environmental review of proposed bicycle and pedestrian improvements to the Hairball

For many years, cities have refused to consider bicycle and pedestrian improvements on or across state-owned highways—which frequently run right through cities. The stated reason is that Caltrans controls those streets and won't allow changes that might slow or impede car traffic.