Last Tuesday the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors unanimously approved extending the protected bike lanes on Eighth Street from Harrison to Townsend. Help us toast to this victory and talk about what’s next for SoMa at an upcoming member happy hour.
This win comes at the one year anniversary of the near-term project, connecting Market to Harrison. The approval last week now extends this protected bike lane all the way through to Townsend as the second phase of the Eighth Street Safety Project.
For the hundreds who bike here daily, taking Eighth Street to get to work or connect to Caltrain, this new project will be an crucial safety improvement. Similar to the near-term treatments we’ve seen here or on Folsom Street, the parking and boarding island protection creates space for people riding along this high-injury corridor that is physically separated from moving traffic. And with construction set to begin in April, the new lanes will be in the ground and ready to ride soon.
We want to particularly thank the SF Bicycle Coalition members who were there last week to support the project. Steven Solomon, a member of our SoMa Member Committee, spoke in support while calling out the need for renewed focus on intersections as a part of quicker, near-term projects.
“I want to encourage emphasis on intersections; those are some of the more scary places,” Solomon said.
Members of the SFMTA Board were in agreement, including Director Joël Ramos. “I would love for us to accelerate protected intersections … . It should be made a priority for us.”
Led by members like Steven, our SoMa Member Committee will continue to push for improvements to intersections throughout the neighborhood, with upcoming projects on Fifth Street, Townsend Street, and Folsom and Howard streets. Join us at an upcoming happy hour to talk about what’s next for safe streets throughout SoMa.
SoMa Member Committee Happy Hour
Tuesday, March 27 — 6:00 pm
Driftwood, 1225 Folsom St.
