Bike Injunction Lifted Friday; New Bike Lane Today

Mayor Gavin Newsom applauds the imminent bike improvements in the city

City crews followed the ceremonial first paint roll on Townsend

Dozens of bicyclists, livability advocates, city staff, and elected officials gathered for the new bike lane striping and to celebrate the lifting of the court injunction

San Francisco city officials and bicycle advocates hailed the end of the four-year-old bicycle injunction this afternoon and applauded the striping of the new Townsend Street bike lane. On a bright, sunny day Mayor Gavin Newsom touted the environmental and public health benefits of more bike lanes in the city at a press conference held at 4th and Townsend. Nathaniel Ford, executive director of the Municipal Transportation Agency, assured the dozens of San Franciscans in attendance that the city was prepared to implement several new bike improvements. Minutes later Newsom and SFMTA Board Chair Tom Nolan shared a paint roller to get the lane striping underway.

Today's new bike lane has been in the works for years as part of a city-wide bike plan that was put on hold under court order in June of 2006. That changed late Friday afternoon when San Francisco Superior Court Judge Peter J. Busch issued an order that the city was in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, in its plans to implement the bike plan. Originally 56 new bike projects were anticipated, but the number was pared to 45 with the remainder delayed for further study. Last November Busch permitted a few of the bike improvements but held back 35 for a final decision on the adequacy of the environmental review undertaken by the city.

In a statement released this afternoon by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Renee Rivera, acting director, noted that even under the pall of the injunction, bike riding in the city increased by more than 53% and that every neighborhood was requesting bike improvements. According to the SFBC, surveys show that one in two San Franciscans would bike if streets had bike lanes and were more inviting to cyclists. In addition, bike counts reveal that bicycling surges by an average of 50% after a bike lane is added.

The Townsend bike lane will soon be followed by stripes on North Point Street and on Laguna Honda. Thirty-two other streets will also see bike lanes in the city.

Judge Grants Partial Bicycle Injunction Relief

In the future: expect something more like this "bike corral" outside the Main Library or at least the utilitarian inverted U locks where cyclists need them.

Instead of this current option for bike parking found in NOPA and all over the city.

Superior Court Judge Peter J. Busch ordered a partial lifting of the three-year old injunction prohibiting bicycle improvements in San Francisco this afternoon. The court order allows the "most easily reversible" projects to be implemented while still holding back the more extensive improvements designed to complete the city's bike network. The limited relief allows the city to implement bike projects for the first time since the injunction was issued in June 2006, a period of 1254 days.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) submitted a list of twelve "most easily reversible" bike enhancements to the court earlier this month. Judge Busch accepted nine of the twelve plus installation of bike racks, painting sharrows (the shared-use chevron-like pavement markings), and other innovative improvements to make bicycling safer in the city.

The nine approved projects include bike lanes on the following streets: Howard, Otis, Scott, Mississippi, Kansas, Clarendon, Clipper, 7th Avenue, and JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park. (The three projects denied by the judge were those intended for Fremont, Kirkham, and the Great Highway).

SFMTA has been anticipating implementation of bike improvements -- while remaining within the limits of the injunction -- and anticipates moving forward with projects as soon as the court permitted them to do so. Bicyclists and livability advocates can expect the first installations within the next week or two, weather permitting.

The most immediate benefit for NOPA bicyclists is the Scott Street Bicycle Lane, Fell street to Oak Street. The project involves the installation of a dedicated, striped bike lane (a Class II bike lane) northbound on Oak between Fell and Oak. Two design options have been under consideration.

According to the SFMTA description of the project, "Option 1 would add a northbound Class II left-turn bicycle lane by removing the left-turn lanes on northbound Scott Street approaching Fell Street and on southbound Scott Street approaching Oak Street." Under Option 1, no parking spaces would be removed.

"Option 2 would add a northbound Class II left-turn lane bicycle lane by narrowing travel lanes and removing approximately three parking spaces from the west side of Scott Street between Fell and Oak Street." SFMTA adds: "the existing left-turn lanes approaching Fell Street and Oak Street would not change under Option 2."

SFMTA staff have presumably decided upon one of the two options, but representatives have yet to announce their choice. (Although a variation of Option 1: removing the left-turn lane and adding two parking spaces is a serious contender). This summer the neighborhood associations for both the North Panhandle (NOPNA) and Alamo Square (ASNA) issued letters of support to bicycle improvements on Scott Street.

San Francisco officials expect a June 1, 2010 start date for a court hearing of the lawsuit that originally resulted in the Bike Plan injunction. Bicyclists and a good many San Franciscans frustrated by the delay in improvements hope the lawsuit will then be dissolved and the injunction lifted.

Leah Shahum, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, commented on the court decision in a press release today. "Interest in bike commuting is surging in San Francisco, and it's really heartening to see so many new people on the streets, despite the three-year absence in improvements," Shahum said. "There's definitely an excitement that San Francisco could become one of America's most bicycle-friendly cities once the injunction is fully lifted."

For a full reading of the court order, see the pdf here, posted on sf.streetsblog.org.