In 2013, the Folsom Street bike lane pilot gave us a taste of change. Now, the time has come to reenvision the future of Folsom and Howard Streets. But before public planning kicks off later this year to bring protected bike lanes to SoMa, we want to hear from you.
Hundreds of people bike on Folsom and Howard Streets everyday, and we know that with the implementation of protected bike lanes, that number will grow. With flat terrain, apartment buildings, offices, shops and restaurants on nearly every block, SoMa is a great place to bike — given adequate, well-designed and welcoming bike infrastructure.
Our ask is bolstered by last week’s Executive Directive issued by Mayor Ed Lee. The entire length of Folsom Street through SoMa is on the city’s high-injury network list, meaning that all future infrastructure implemented here must include the highest-quality bike lanes achievable. The City recognizes this and will be launching their Folsom-Howard Streetscape Project later this year to get public input and support for protected bike lanes from Second Street to 11th Street.
We can only win big changes with strong member support and input. The first step is to learn how you get around SoMa and the issues you face when biking here. Please take a moment to fill out this brief survey and share your thoughts.
As we sift through the results, our next step is to launch our SoMa Member Committee later this month to bring together people to make your vision for Folsom and Howard Streets a reality. We know that SoMa is a diverse neighborhood, so please share this blog with everyone you know to bring more ideas to the table and build broad, strong support for this project.
