40% Fewer Motorists Block Green-Painted Fell Street Bike Lane in SFMTA Study

Bike lane on block of Fell Street painted green in August 2010

Forty percent fewer motorists blocked the Fell street bike lane near the Arco service station once the city painted the lane green, according to a study conducted by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). Of all the motorists waiting to enter the gas station before the green paint was applied, 25% blocked the bike lane. After the green, 15% of all the motorists queuing up for gas obstructed the bike lane. The change represents 40% fewer motorists in the way of westbound bicyclists. As one traffic engineer observed, "In the greater context of it, that's a pretty effective drop in blocking of the bicycle lane for something as 'simple' as coloring it."

In June of this year the SFMTA removed several parking spaces along Fell near the entry and exit of the Arco station to create a curb-side queue for motorists waiting to purchase gas. In August the SFMTA painted the city's second green bike lane to encourage safer passage for cyclists. Anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of the interventions has been mixed. Removing the parking spaces opened up a long stretch of Fell and improved visibility for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Several bicyclists have observed greater ease traveling between Scott and Divisadero, but many others describe the traffic improvements as minimal and intermittent. No one would be hard-pressed to find instances of motorists partially or fully blocking the bike lanes, green or not. Every Friday during the evening commute, the grassroots group Fix Fell stages a protest on Fell with the intent of doing so every week until the city closes the Arco entry and exit. Now the SFMTA has presented data that, in effect, reflects both views: a 40% reduction is a considerable improvement, but much of the problem remains.

In the months ahead, more motorists may keep the green lane clear as they notice others doing so, but a cumulative effect it is difficult to predict. Little traffic enforcement has been observed on Fell near Arco -- at least none to keep drivers out of the bike lane. SFMTA interns informed motorists of the changes on Fell this summer, but the outreach has been discontinued. The only other major traffic design changes being discussed for Fell Street are the removal of the Arco curb cuts, the installation of a separated bikeway, or cycle track, from Scott to Stanyan streets, and the possibility of returning Fell to a two-way street.

The SFMTA study of this one block of Fell adds more data and local experience with the positive impact green bike lanes can bring to public safety and traffic flow. Market Street features the only other location of green-painted lanes in the city. The SFMTA plans to extend the green stripe on Market all the way to the Embarcadero, but not as quickly as the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has urged, as reported in Streetsblog.

A minor note: The description of the study of the Fell green bike lane on the SFMTA website (scroll to mid-page) inaccurately reports 10% fewer motorists blocking the bike lane since it was painted green. The mistake reflects a misreading of the 25% and 15% findings mentioned in the first paragraph above. The relevant equation, for those inclined, is 1-(15/25) x 100.

1:15 pm Tuesday update: The SFMTA description of the study has now been updated.

Thanks to BIKE NOPA reader "S.N." for alerting me to the SFMTA report.

Fell/ARCO Traffic Tangle Closer to Trial Solutions

SFMTA proposal to improve safety for users of Fell St at ARCO station

One enhancement suggested by Marc Caswell of SFBC

The Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) will implement traffic flow changes for bicyclists and motorists approaching Divisadero on Fell Street. The MTA hopes the trial improvements will resolve a raft of safety problems for street and sidewalk users at the Fell Street entry to the ARCO gas station at the corner of Divisadero. The proposed designs are expected to be implemented “fairly quickly.”

James Shahamiri, MTA Assistant Engineer for the Bike Program, told BIKE NOPA that he thinks a gradual approach will work best for the changes. “We’re trying to take experimental steps now and see how they work. Maybe we’ll enhance them later.” He emphasized that design changes have yet to be finalized but he expects plans to be approved “fairly quickly,” perhaps within the next two days. “But we’re not going to be making changes on the street tomorrow,” he cautioned. When pressed further about whether MTA will proceed before the bike injunction is fully lifted (which is not expected before June of this year), Shahamiri said, “We can definitely do this before June.”

The improvements will likely include “several small steps”
• Installation of four “soft-hit” posts along both sides of the bike lane near ARCO
• Transitioning the bike lane inward as it approaches ARCO (see diagram)
• Applying painted “hatching” on the street surfaces to guide traffic flow
• Posting “Keep Clear” signs to advise motorists
The MTA proposal will not remove parking spaces, change lane widths, or prevent access to driveways.

“The idea is that the posts would force any queuing vehicles in the bicycle lane to go back out into the travel lane to turn into the gas station,” Shahamiri wrote Tuesday to a “study group” of NOPA and Alamo Square neighbors and livability advocates. “This should make queuing in the bicycle lane pointless.

Members of the review group responded more positively to the latest MTA proposal than to a previous plan presented last September and reported in a BIKE NOPA post. Michael Smithwick, Transportation Chair for the Alamo Square Neighborhood Association (ASNA), wrote, “It is a sound plan” that keeps cars out of the bike lane up to the ARCO entry but does not keep them from blocking the bike lane at that point or keeping motorists off the sidewalk. He and Marc Caswell, Program Manager for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, proposed adding prominent signage and painting more hatching of the bike lane and sidewalk at the ARCO entry.

Caswell expressed concern that the MTA plan, while a good start, “dumps the bicyclist off” into the large space along the ARCO lot and should instead guide riders to Divisadero and through the intersection, preferably with a bike lane painted green. Janel Sterbentz of ASNA also encouraged a green-painted lane for safer passage at both the Scott and Divisadero intersections.

In a conversation this morning, Shahamiri said he was ready to incorporate some, but not all, of the proposed changes. “We can do the signage and the crosshatching on the streets, but I’m not sure if we can do the hatching on a sidewalk." Shahamiri advised that the MTA was not ready to paint the bike lane green. The agency is studying whether the Fell/ARCO traffic location fits the criteria for previous approval MTA received to experiment with green lanes at other “conflict areas” in the city.

Shahamiri and study group members all agreed that enforcement would be required for the proposed changes to work. “I’d like to see SFPD out there citing drivers,” he said. The MTA proposal will continue to be reviewed in the days ahead. Shahamiri emphasized, "Our intention is to work with the community in an ongoing process.”

4pm update: More on the MTA proposal with additional comments on Streetsblog this afternoon.