On May 8, we joined City leaders and the SFMTA at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new curbside, parking-separated bike lanes on Mid-Valencia.
While the ribbon cutting ceremony officially opened the bike lanes for use, construction continued. Within the last few weeks, all construction materials have finally been removed from the corridor and the bike lane is fully open.
The SFMTA regularly says that it takes a minimum of three months for behavior to normalize on any given street change. We’re about two months into the protected curbside bike lanes and there are some drastic differences from the center-running bike lane. The most obvious change is that it’s never been easier or safer to stop and shop at businesses by bike along mid-Valencia. But we’re also seeing some persistent issues with the new design, and we’ve been hearing from our members about them, too.
Timing and signal changes: The green wave is currently set to 10 mph (lowered from 13mph before the construction) and between 15th and 19th Street, the road and the bike lane are both narrower; this means people on bikes are usually riding slow and in single file because it’s hard to pass. Over our opposition, SFMTA implemented three new dedicated left turns at 17th, 21st, and 23rd streets, which interrupts the green wave and is confusing for cyclists and drivers alike – this .
Pavement quality: Valencia Street is slated for a full repaving in the near future. Until then, the pavement quality of the bike lane is rough and SFMTA needs help from people who ride it regularly to share hot spots. For particularly bad pavement issues, report them to 311 to get them in the queue for Public Works.
Right hook risk: Most worryingly, the danger of the right turn hook has returned. We’re urging everyone to remember that it’s permissible to leave the bike lane and to always pass on the left. Here is a great resource from SFBike member and regular Valencia rider, Dylan Harris, on how to avoid the right hook.
The SF Bicycle Coalition has actively worked on Valencia Street since the 90s. We are so close to having a fully protected Valencia Street and we need your help completing 23rd Street to Cesar Chavez. Join our campaign to complete Valencia Street by signing up below.
