Bike Lanes

Looking to circumvent a citywide bike lane injunction or avoid bike lane-related Community Board histrionics? Alex Tee and Evan Gant from the product design firm Altitude Inc. have a novel solution for you: Use laser beams to project your own lane from the back of your bicycle. Gant tells me that he and Tee developed their LightLane concept for a design competition aimed at encouraging bike commuting. For now, the idea exists only on paper but the duo has received so much positive feedback, they are planning to build a prototype.

Valencia Street is one of the most heavily biked corridors in San Francisco but its current traffic signals are timed at an auto-only capable speed of 25 mph, leaving bike riders stymied at intersections, or gasping for breath after a mad 15-block sprint. Unfortunately, most riders choose the third option of running red lights, putting not only themselves at risk of being hit, but also endangering pedestrians crossing the street.

The Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors has unanimously endorsed its traffic engineer's plan to remove the eastbound bike lane on Market Street at Octavia Boulevard despite pleas from bicyclists and advocates.