Fell Street Bike Lane Gets the Green; Crews Close Arco Entry and Exit for Several Hours

This morning city crews painted the much-discussed block of Fell Street between Scott and Divisadero a long-awaited green stripe -- actually a solid green lane to mid-block and then a dashed green lane for the rest. This latest iteration in the traffic configuration on the block represents one more attempt to lessen the risks to road users, especially bicyclists, and to pedestrians needing safe passage along the Arco station property. The green lane on Fell is the first since Market Street was re-striped to created a more noticeable, safer bikeway. Workers explained that the green paint sprayed on Fell contained less epoxy than the substance applied to Market Street to reduce the odor that can linger for days.

During the morning and early afternoon, the Arco entry and exit along Fell were closed to customers while the bike lane was painted and new bike icons were added.

The Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) will study the impact of the green lane on vehicle and bicycle traffic on the block. At the same time the durability and visibility of the paint itself will be measured to determine its usefulness for other locations in the city, especially those with vehicle traffic on the painted areas.

#5 Fulton Riders & Bicyclists To Get Direct Access to Market Street from McAllister

#5 Fulton: one of NOPA's primary transit lines. Flickr Photo by Mike LaHood/SF Public Press

Amid the dire service cuts to all Muni lines and the threat of worsening conditions for the city's transit riders, there's at least one glimmer of positive news for Muni patrons who use the #5 Fulton bus. As first reported by Streetsblog, an MTA proposal to convert the two-and-a-half blocks of McAllister Street from Hyde to Market from one-way to two-way for transit, bicyclists, and deliveries was recommended for approval during an April 30 public hearing. If the change is accepted by the full MTA board as expected in June, the #5 and cyclists will no longer need to shuffle and shift through the Civic Center to reach Market. Private vehicles, however, will be prohibited from using the eastbound traffic lane on the these blocks. The traffic engineers' plan for McAllister was cleared for final MTA consideration at the same public hearing that also moved the Fell/Arco proposal to the board.

NOPA residents who use the #5 or the McAllister bike route to get downtown should find their rides a bit quicker. The news may be especially welcome to cyclists who prefer McAllister's gentler grade over Golden Gate Avenue's steep slalom ride from Broderick to Van Ness and then to Market.

Readers note: The most comprehensive and thoughtful coverage of everything related to the operations and current fiscal crisis at SFMTA with all the impacts on transit users can be found at sf.streetsblog. The year-old news blog has changed the Bay Area's understanding and discussion of transportation and livability concerns.

Saturday Surprise: Green Bike Lanes on Market Street

Green paint still drying on Market Street this afternoon

From Gough to 8th Street on both sides of Market Street

Working OT and a very long day but these guys are excited about this job

New green bike lanes attract the best people; here, Bryan Goebel, editor of SF Streetsblog

Since posting the story on the new green bike lanes on Market Street this morning, I had to get out there and see them for myself. By mid-afternoon the paint crews were still on the job painting blocks or half-blocks at a time. And they will keep at it until both sides of Market go green from Gough to the west and 8th to the east.

Painting the city's first green bike lanes today was a well-kept secret. Most advocates were focused on the potential "first green" honor going to Fell Street between Scott and Divisadero as part of the MTA's proposal for the traffic tangle at the Arco gas station. But Market Street is where the city's most important trials are underway in an attempt to make city streets safer and more suitable to various uses.

Rather than a weekend analysis of what the new green lanes signify, we're going to sit back and enjoy the introduction of what so many people have worked so hard to get implemented.

San Francisco's First Green Bike Lane Now on Market Street

Green bike lane: savor the color, appreciate the enhanced safety

This morning painters gave San Francisco its first green bike lane, beating out the one proposed for Fell between Scott and Divisadero by several months. A race like this -- to be first with the green -- is one NOPA don't mind losing.* The broad expanse of green has been added to the existing bike lane between Gough and 12th Street. That block also features soft-hit posts and double white stripes to separate the traffic lane from the bike lane. The double-white lines, the posts and now the green lane are all meant to enhance the safety for bicyclists on Market and to cue motorists to stay within the traffic lane.

Thanks to Dan Nguyen-Tan for his early morning eye-on-the-street report. He said the two crew members he spoke with were very excited about the project. They indicated another block would be painted green today but did not specify which one.

*Bike advocates expected that the improvements proposed for Fell Street between Scott and Divisadero would include the city's first green bike lane. That green segment is unlikely to appear before June of this year. San Francisco already installed its first green bike box.

Mixed Outcome for Bicycle Blocks in San Francisco's New Paving Plans

Patch paving of mid to lower Market Street earlier this year.

The recently repaved intersection of McAllister and Van Ness.

Part of the Divisadero Corridor makeover and repaving now underway.

The grinding of the old asphalt before the filling with new.

The streets most-used by San Francisco bicyclists fared generally well -- with some serious exceptions -- in the city's slashed Five Year Paving Plan. A combination of the Department of Public Works' commitment to the city's Transit First policy, advocacy by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, and the already poor condition of the streets that cyclists share with motorists helped keep many priority bike blocks in the resurfacing schedule.

After City Hall dropped the streets repair bond just before it was to appear on this month's ballot, an overhaul of paving plans was undertaken, often stretching street work from five years to fifteen years or more. The result for all street users is more than wear and tear. What's going on for hundreds of our untended streets is structural damage that will worsen and become increasingly more expensive to repair. In the reconfiguration of the paving schedule, priority bike blocks took a hit, but it could have been much worse.

By Fiscal Year (July 1 to June 30), here's some of the repaving cyclists can expect-- but always with the caveat that the projects are subject to available funds and coordination with utility construction. These aren't all the bike blocks to be repaved, but they are the ones most used.

FY 10-11

Wiggle bike route (two of the roughest surfaces in or near the Wiggle): Steiner between Waller and Duboce; and Sanchez between Duboce and 14th. (Note: the current utility work on these blocks is not part of the eventual repaving).

Bosworth, from Diamond to O'Shaughnessy

Holloway, from Harold to Junipero Serra

Howard, from Stuart to 2nd, and from 3rd to 4th

7th Avenue, from Hugo to Noriega

FY 11-12

2nd Street, from Market to King

17th Street, from Pennsylvania to Potrero; from Bryant to Valencia. (Note: The Potrero to Bryant repaving has been advanced to the current fiscal year)

Cesar Chavez, from Guerrero to Hampshire

Parnassus, from Clayton to 5th

Point Lobos, from 42nd to the Great Highway

FY12-13

Kirkham, from 7th to 12th, Funston to 15th, 19th to 37th, and also from 37th to the Great Highway with a less expensive surface treatment

Columbus, from Union to Beach

Silver, from Bayshore to Palou

And, at long last, Market Street, from Main to South Van Ness

FY 13-14

Eureka, from Market to 23rd Street

Polk, from Bush to Beach

20th Avenue, from Lincoln Way to Pacheco

FY 14-15

Polk, from Market to Bush

17th Street, from Valencia to Ord

Note: A full list of streets to be repaved can be found on the DPW web site here. Select the "Proposed Paving" for the 200 page PDF.

Which paving projects were delayed that might most concern bicyclists?

Folsom, from 6th to 10th, now scheduled for FY 16-17

Arguello, not so bad now but can it wait for repaving until FY 19-20?

Potrero, Alameda to Cesar Chavez, now set for FY 19-20 and FY 20-21

8th Street, Market to Townsend, no paving planned

Folsom is especially important as a major bike route today, but it will likely see even more bike and vehicle traffic in FY 12-13 when Market Street undergoes its major makeover. Repaving Folsom before then becomes even more important.

Resurfacing Folsom is complicated not only by lack of funds. Like all streets in San Francisco, Folsom can only be torn up once every five years. Repaving projects must be coordinated with the construction schedules of the various utilities in the city. As a result, the Five Year Paving Plan becomes an intricate dance of many partners.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition already works with DPW staff to identify priority bike blocks that might be advanced in the paving plan, but the scarcity of funds for the city's infrastructure severely limits the possibilities. Obtaining the financing for essential street repair requires political leadership and public willingness to accept some of the financial burden. For now, bicyclists can appreciate the high percentage of bike blocks scheduled for repaving.

Related information:

In the "2008 Survey of Bicycling in San Francisco," 185 respondents (representing 10% of the total) said they had a serious fall while riding a bicycle in the last two years due to broken or irregular pavement or potholes.

See this recent post for a longer discussion of the withdrawn streets bond measure and the impact of dwindling street repair funds on one San Francisco neighborhood.