Bike Lanes

In a ruling cheered by bicycle advocates, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Peter J. Busch today rejected the MTA's request to modify the bike injunction to allow the removal of the eastbound Market Street bike lane and concrete island at Octavia Boulevard, the city's most dangerous intersection for bicyclists. 

A San Francisco judge, in a tentative ruling issued this afternoon, agreed to a portion of the city attorney's request (PDF) to modify the bike injunction to "enhance markings on already existing bike lanes," but will move forward with a hearing tomorrow before deciding on an MTA plan to remove a portion of the eastbound Market Street bike lane and concrete barrier at Octavia Boulevard.

In a powerful show of opposition to a plan that calls for removing the eastbound Market Street bike lane and concrete island at Octavia Boulevard, hundreds of bicyclists, their supporters and local and state elected officials gathered today at the dangerous intersection to loudly urge the MTA to scrap its idea for a shared lane.

The Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) traffic engineer proposing the removal of a portion of the eastbound bike lane and concrete barrier on Market Street approaching Octavia Boulevard insists safety is his primary goal in merging car and bicycle traffic at the city's most dangerous intersection for bicyclists.

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.