What’s the score for the Valencia Pilot?
Protected bike lanes on Valencia Street were installed in February, but we won’t stop until the entire corridor has a bike lane free from Uber and Lyft drivers.
The great news is that the Valencia Street Pilot Project from Market St to 15th St was a success. To continue the momentum, Mayor London Breed tasked the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) with installing the next stretch of protected bike lanes from 19th to Cesar Chavez streets by spring 2020 so Valencia Street can truly become welcoming for people who bike and walk.
While there are lessons learned and tweaks still to be made, the safety of those biking has significantly increased with the implementation of a protected bike lane on Valencia. Below are some of the pilot project’s highlights:
- The potential for dooring has dramatically decreased, with a 95% drop in interactions between those biking and driving midblock.
- Conflicts in the bike lane are almost gone completely, with a 99% decrease in cars parking in the new protected bike lanes.
- The new school boarding islands are a hit, with no conflicts observed in the bike lanes.
These are just a few of the positive results that have rolled in from SFMTA’s evaluation. With results like this, it’s clear that the rest of the corridor needs protected bike lanes installed swiftly in order to prioritize the safety of those biking and walking.
But first, we need your feedback on how the current pilot serves you as we look into the potential design fixes for the next stretch. Let us know your thoughts on the pilot thus far so the next rollout is even more successful.