Three Market Street Improvements Coming Soon!

Market Street is our city’s busiest bikeway, and one of the busiest bike routes in the country. The Market Street bike counter averages around 3,000 inbound bike trips every day (and we think that undercounts because of drivers illegally parked in the bike lane). On an average day, bikes account for 67% of all Market Street traffic, and a whopping 76% on Bike to Work Day.

But as someone who bikes on Market Street, you know this bustling bikeway is far from perfect. Your SF Bicycle Coalition is busy working to win protected bikeways from Van Ness Avenue to the waterfront so you and the thousands of others who pedal it will have a safer, more comfortable ride. As we work on the bigger vision of a truly better Market Street, we’re also working to improve it with smaller, near-term improvements that  make our city’s main boulevard better for people biking, walking and taking transit.

Here are three near-term improvements that your SF Bicycle Coalition is busy working on. We hope it improves your commute!

1. Less Private Vehicle Traffic
This fall, the SFMTA will be putting together a program to improve street safety and Muni speed through traffic-calming measures and auto-diversions. The program, called Safer Market Street, will focus on Market between 8th and Montgomery Streets, and will allow drivers to cross Market Street but not turn onto it in this area. We hope these reductions will result in a calmer, safer street for people walking, a more comfortable ride for people biking and improved speeds and reliability for Muni. Community outreach will begin this fall and the program will be up and running in Spring 2015. Sign up for our Market Street campaign to receive updates and get involved.

2. Upper Market Street Repaving
If you bike in the Upper Market Street area you endure the teeth-chattering potholes and cracked pavement on a daily basis. Members, we heard your complaints, and we worked with decision-makers to tackle these conditions. We’re happy to report that thanks to Supervisor Scott Wiener and the Department of Public Works, the City will be doing much-needed patch repaving. Look for this smoother pavement in the next few months.

3. Market Street Prototyping Festival
The SF Planning Department, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Knight Foundation have partnered to put on this three-day urban prototyping festival in April 2015. The festival will transform Market Street into a public platform showcasing up to 50 of the most exceptional ideas for improving San Francisco’s main thoroughfare. Proposals are open to the public, and selected projects will receive $2,000 in funding and mentorship from festival partners. Have a great idea for how bicycles can enhance Market Street’s social life? The submission deadline is October 10!

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