Construction begins on Valencia today, for the next phase of the design of its protected bikeway. Although we strongly support the curbside parking-protected bike lanes that have been approved and are finally being implemented, we have grave concerns about the construction period.
The most important thing SFMTA and Public Works can do now — to keep vulnerable road users safe, to minimally impact Valencia businesses, and to launch the new design in the best possible light — is quickly and competently implement the changes. Doing so requires learning the lessons of the disastrously slow and confusing rollout of the center-running lane in 2023.
To that end, we’re incredibly disappointed in the agency’s decision to not provide an alternative bike route on Valencia Street during construction — stakeholders who saw the calamity in 2023 clearly voiced that this needed to be a top priority for construction this time around.
We also have major safety concerns about the decision to close the entirety of the center-running bike lane on February 18, and forcing people on bikes to share the lane with drivers, which is a repeat of a major mistake made in 2023. In the absence of active construction in the center-running bike lane, and with only signage marking it as closed, people on bikes will continue riding in it, as they did in the last round of construction.
If people biking and rolling feel unsafe sharing the lane with drivers during construction, we are recommending people take Shotwell Slow Street as an alternative to Valencia Street. And sign up below to stay updated as we continue to push SFMFTA to extend the protected curbside bike lanes from 23rd Street to Cesar Chavez.
