Space for cyclists painted onto city streets

By Liska Koenig
Contributing Writer

With an increase of bicycle use by more than 58 percent since 2006, according to statistics compiled by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, safety is becoming a growing concern for city planners and bicyclists alike.

Following plans and suggestions supplied by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, SFMTA has implemented 48 miles of bicycles lanes throughout the city. The San Francisco Bike Plan, developed in conjunction with the cycling community, SFMTA and other partners, was adopted by the transportation agency in June 2009. The plan will add more than 30 miles to the already existing routes.

The bicycle coalition’s goal is to establish a network of bike lanes that are physically separated from car traffic. Five blocks on Market Street, starting at Gough Street and leading northeast to 10th Street, sport the bright green color marking that area of the road exclusively for bicyclists. SFMTA is currently working on extending that path to Octavia and 8th streets.

“Altogether San Francisco does a good job. I’d give the city a B+,” said Misha Antonich, an instructor at the City College video and electronic media arts department. Antonich is a father of two and regularly commutes to Mission campus on his bike. “Being a parent makes a big difference because you definitely want to be safe and separate from traffic with your child, so you use bike lanes,” he said.

SFMTA’s most recent bicycle collision reports are from 2008 and show a total of 468 accidents for that year, including three fatalities. “It’s too early to tell if the bike lanes make a difference as far as accidents are concerned,” SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose said.

The agency recently marked 11 more miles of bike lanes, among them Ocean Avenue between  Lee Avenue and Alemany Boulevard. “We are making good progress with this,” Rose said. “Of 21 projects to be completed by June, all will be completed by May.”