Second Street’s Transformation Begins Now

Move over Ocean Avenue: The city’s newest bike lanes were just striped on Second Street!

Our vision for a network of protected bike lanes criss-crossing San Francisco is one step closer to reality, as the complete transformation of Second Street from King to Market is under way.

Last year, we took a significant step to change that reality. With the help of our members who worked tirelessly in advocating for change over the years, the Second Street transformation was approved by the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) in August 2015. As approved, the project includes raised bike lanes for the entirety of Second Street in both directions, coupled with sidewalk widening and raised crosswalks at alleyways.

Why wait for a truly great street, though, when a better street could be just around the corner? Knowing final project construction was not scheduled to begin until later 2016, we worked with the SFMTA to identify near-term safety upgrades and successfully saw them included in the first official list of Vision Zero Priority Projects.

Much needed improvements coming to high-risk segments of Folsom Street.

Much needed improvements coming to high-risk segments of Folsom Street.

Over the last few weeks, the SFMTA has made good on their promise: they added bike lanes on 2nd Street between Market and Howard streets and implemented much-needed left-turn restrictions. Additionally, the SFMTA began improving a dangerous segment of Folsom Street east of Second Street, where people biking were forced to mix with fast-moving cars trying to get onto the Essex onramp to the Bay Bridge.

While we are hearing nothing but enthusiastic comments from people who bike about the Second Street improvements, member concerns about the design on the Folsom-Essex improvements led us to sit down with the SFMTA, hone the design and identify solutions to better serve the needs of people biking and walking. We are also urging education of drivers on the new changes and stricter enforcement of turn restrictions.

Join our 2nd Street campaign to get regular updates about the upcoming final project construction, our work around effective enforcement in and around 2nd Street and ways you can support our advocacy work in the South of Market.

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