We often hear stories of particular streets, bike lanes, or intersections we wish were better – safer, easier to use, more thoughtfully designed. Meet member Alyssa Cheung who recently did something about that, in her own neighborhood of Lakeview/OMI. We sat down with Alyssa to find out what drives her to get involved, and what she learned about being an advocate for change, in her corner of the city and beyond.
What prompted you to start advocating for street safety?
I’ve been a bike commuter for nearly 10 years, most of that time commuting from the westside of SF to downtown. When my daughter was old enough to be a passenger on my bike a few years ago, I started biking around the city with her. It’s brought us so much joy as a family. My husband and I made a commitment to only drive when absolutely necessary – even though we live in the far southwest corner of the city.
Even as an experienced cyclist, I still feel nervous every time I get on a bike with my daughter. I want my daughter to be able to ride on her own when she gets older, but that doesn’t feel possible right now with the state of bicycle infrastructure in SF. I imagine other parents feel similarly.
Our neighborhood of Lakeview/Oceanview/Merced Heights/Ingleside (Lakeview/OMI) is often forgotten when it comes to city improvements, including safer bike infrastructure. Too many times I’ve heard neighbors say “no one bikes here in Lakeview/OMI” as a justification for not improving streets for cyclists. That’s simply not true, and I want to make sure that even more of my neighbors feel safe enough to walk, bike, and roll in Lakeview/OMI in the future.
Tell us about this curb cut. What is the story behind this project and why does it matter to you?
I live on St Charles Ave, which is also a bike route that links Lakeview/OMI south to Daly City BART and a shopping complex, which houses H-Mart, the only grocery store within walking distance of my neighborhood. St Charles Ave dead-ends at a path that allows pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross Brotherhood Way. There are a lot of cyclists and scooter users that ride this path daily.
When I moved in a few years ago, there was no curb cut from the street onto the path; it was an 8-inch standard curb. Cyclists, especially parents with kids on their bikes, would need to dismount between the street and the bike path and manually lift their bikes onto the curb. When I asked my neighbors, I found out it had been this way for decades, with several failed attempts to get the city to improve it.
I thought it would be easy, but between reporting it to 311 and getting Supervisor Safai’s office involved, we spent over a year bouncing around between Public Works, Rec & Parks, and SFMTA. In December 2023, I gave public comment at a Public Works Commission meeting, as well as a meeting with the Mayor’s Office of Disability, in hopes of getting somewhere. After many back-and-forth emails with Public Works employees, it became clear that a bike ramp, not a curb cut, would be the correct request – and that a bike ramp would be the SFMTA’s domain. 18 months after that initial 311 request, SFMTA installed the bike ramp in March 2024! It’s a small win, but makes me really happy when I see people using it on a daily basis.
What was your biggest takeaway from this experience?
Be persistent and try to leverage all the resources you can. Develop relationships with city staff early on so you can link up with the right people in the city from the get-go to raise this issue. I think part of the reason this took so long is because my requests kept going to staff who weren’t sure where this issue belonged.
What do you think would help more parents and families start biking in SF?
If biking felt safer and less stressful. I know so many parents who love biking on car-free JFK and the Great Highway Park. When I ask them if they bike around other parts of the city, they say they would like to, but they don’t feel safe doing so. The physical separation from cars is what makes them feel comfortable enough to ride on JFK and the Great Highway Park. If we had routes where cyclists were physically protected from cars, I think many more parents and families would bike in the city with their kids.
What are you hoping to accomplish next? What’s your biggest aspiration for your neighborhood?
My dream is to transform Brotherhood Way from a 4-lane freeway that runs through our neighborhood into a vibrant greenway that is welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists – the Brotherhood Greenway. The current pathway is narrow, often covered by deep sand, and with large impassable stretches where tree roots have torn up the pavement.
Brotherhood Way links Lakeview/OMI directly to Lake Merced, the only large green space near our community. There are also schools, churches, and residences all along Brotherhood Way, as well as future development projects that would all benefit from using Brotherhood Way as a connection to Daly City BART.
Brotherhood Greenway could help link Lakeview/OMI to Lake Merced to the Great Highway and on to Golden Gate Park. Imagine riding from our neighborhood all the way to Golden Gate Park on protected bike lanes!
I’d love to see SFMTA assume full responsibility for this project and build a physically protected, multi-use pathway as soon as possible, with traffic calming and beautification projects. Pedestrian and cyclist safety cannot wait.
7. Where is your favorite place to bike in the city?
Aside from the obvious favorites (JFK, Great Highway), lately, it’s been along Frida Kahlo Way to witness the quick-build project come together. I’ve biked that stretch for years and part of me gets a little emotional seeing how much better it is now – a beautiful two-way bike lane. It gives me a lot of hope that we’re moving in the right direction.
