It’s true: protected bike lane designs for Howard are finally being revealed to the public!
Earlier this year, we saw the completion of protected bike lanes on Folsom. For the thousands of daily commuters, they made the ride in to work that much safer. These new bike lanes on Folsom were a near term project, offering protection on a quick timeline to bridge the gap until a larger streetscape project rebuilds the street. But Howard, Folsom’s sister street, didn’t get a similar near term treatment.
At the time that the Folsom bike lanes were being built, Howard was left behind in the planning process. Inter-agency disagreements delayed the project indefinitely, leaving a big question mark on Howard’s near-term future.
Over the past months, we’ve pushed the City to cut down delays and deliver safety projects on Townsend and Embarcadero. Howard is no different. To accelerate Vision Zero, we need to continue resolving inter-agency conflicts that block safety projects and demand collaboration and creativity that will ultimately result in accomplishing our safety goals.
In the case of Howard, a new staff person at the SF Fire Department has allowed them to work hand in hand with the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to make street safety projects a reality. Because of this new collaboration, Howard is moving forward.
In a couple of weeks, the SFMTA will be bringing the protected bike lane designs for Howard to the public at two open houses. This will be our opportunity to make sure that the designs address the urgent safety needs on Howard. We need member voices to fill these open houses and make sure that we get these lanes built by the end of the year.
We fought hard for Folsom, and now it’s time to do the same for Howard. RSVP today to make protected bike lanes on Howard Street a reality.
Howard Open House #1
Aug. 16 — 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Bayanihan Community Center, 1010 Mission St.
Howard Open House #2
Aug. 18 — 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Bayanihan Community Center, 1010 Mission St.