On Friday morning, January 26, over 20 SF Bicycle Coalition members mingled with delicious coffee in hand to discuss their vision for a protected bike lane on Oak Street along the Panhandle. Hosted at Flywheel Coffee Roasters, this kick-off meeting for the Oak Street Quick-Build campaign was a huge success and has us ready for more.
Just off Golden Gate Park and Slow Page, we spent an hour diving into the SFMTA’s plans for Oak Street and hearing suggestions from our members. Everyone had great ideas on how to make this project the best it could be.
Several members stressed the importance of creating safe and intuitive connections between the JFK Promenade and the Wiggle, mentioning that if the bike lane doesn’t fit those criteria, most people biking won’t use it. Others also stressed the need for robust protection at the intersections where people on bicycles will be interacting with cars and pedestrians. Everyone agreed that a dedicated eastbound lane would complement Fell Street’s westbound lane, and expand the options for people cycling crosstown.
We love hosting small meetings like this – it allows for richer conversations and bonding over shared experiences, and creates momentum for all of us, staff and membership, as we join to advocate for better streets. We look forward to the next Oak Street event soon!
Sign up for project updates to attend the next one.
More background on the project:
The Oak Street Quick-Build is part of the city’s Vision Zero commitment to achieve zero traffic fatalities. For the past couple years, the SFMTA has been implementing quick-build projects on all of the high-injury streets in San Francisco. This portion of Oak Street is on the High-Injury Network and needs immediate attention to prevent further injuries and fatalities.
A huge benefit to this project will be alleviating congestion coming from the JFK Promenade along the Panhandle’s multi-use path. A popular route for all people walking and rolling, the path is narrow and is prone to collisions because of the wide range of user speeds. The bike lane will reduce crowding on the path and improve a crucial part of SF’s active transportation network.
In addition to the protected bike lane, the project will include pedestrian safety improvements, a removal of one vehicle travel lane to help control car speeds and signal timing changes for improved safety. The majority of this project scope falls within District 5 and Supervisor Dean Preston has been incredibly supportive of the project. Previously, he helped achieve the Fell bike lane and secured funding in 2021 for Oak St bike lane. You can read more about the project on the SFMTA’s website.
