Since construction wrapped up a couple of months ago, our members have loved the new protected bike lane on Eighth Street. Several new design features came together to make this new bike lane one of a kind:
1. The bike-first intersection at Eighth and Brannan: As the second such intersection built this year in SoMa, this design is proving to be a viable alternative to keep people riding safe from turning vehicles on San Francisco’s high injury corridors.
2. Bike share protection for the bike lane: Right before the bike-first intersection at Brannan, the new bike lane is protected by a big bike-share station. Not only do the bikes keep other riders safe, but they allow bike share users to dock in and out without ever leaving the protected bike lane.
3. Transit boarding islands: We’ve seen these boarding islands before, but they’re especially welcome at busy intersections like Eighth and Harrison. Not only do these islands keep people riding safe, but they keep Muni buses running smoothly and on time.
The new Eighth Street protected bike lane continues to build out the bike network in SoMa, and we want to see more. Townsend, as the main bike route to Caltrain, is where we are looking to next for protected bike lanes in SoMa. Plans for Townsend are still in early phases, but we want to see all of the above as an integral part of Townsend’s bike lanes and will need member support to get that done.
Help us push for protected bike lanes on Townsend as our SoMa-wide advocacy continues.