A new bike route connecting Arguello Boulevard to Masonic Avenue is here!
Bike lanes on Euclid Avenue were recently completed, establishing calmer, family-friendly streets through the Laurel Heights and Jordan Park neighborhoods, one block north of Geary Boulevard. With several schools, a playground and two university campuses nearby, this residential street was a prime location for bike lane striping.
These bike lanes were just one of the many improvements that came out of a neighborhood-based traffic calming project led by the SF Municipal Transportation Agency back in 2011 and 2012 with support of Supervisor Mark Farrell. The final report showed some of the fastest vehicle speeds on Euclid Avenue, with the block right in front of Laurel Hill Playground averaging over 31 m.p.h., while the speed limit posted is 25 m.p.h.
These bike lanes encourage slower speeds for cars by narrowing the travel lane and create safe passage for the families in the area, like at Laurel Hill Nursery where they recently hosted their own ‘trike-a-thon.’ Because the existing lanes were so wide before, no parking or vehicle lanes needed to be removed.
While this is a small project in the larger vision of a network of protected bike lanes, it connects to much bigger bike projects on either end. On the Richmond side, we’re encouraged by Supervisor Eric Mar’s commitment to improving Arguello Boulevard to build safer pathways into Golden Gate Park and the Presidio.
On the eastern end of Euclid Avenue, we’re thrilled that Masonic Avenue will be breaking ground sometime this year, after years of advocacy from grassroots leaders living in the North of Panhandle neighborhood. This important project will turn an existing traffic sewer into a “complete streets” boulevard, lined with trees, raised bike lanes on both sides and a new median for safer pedestrian crossings.
So next time you’re heading up to the Clement Street Farmers Market or over to Pac Heights, take a spin on these new bike lanes on Euclid Avenue!