Bicycling

New San Francisco Bike Lanes: Feel the Ecstasy

These are heady days for San Francisco cyclists. After three years that saw the addition of pretty much zero bike infrastructure, this week the city hailed the arrival of its first new bike lane since 2006 and its first-ever physically protected bikeway. Thanks to a partial dismantling of Rob Anderson's crowning achievement -- the legal injunction banning bike lanes under the guise of environmental review -- more projects are on the way. The atmosphere is fairly giddy.

By Ben Fried

4:28 PM EST on December 4, 2009

SF MTA Chief Nat Ford and Mayor Gavin Newsom work the green rollers. Photo: Matthew Roth.

These are heady days for San Francisco cyclists. After three years that saw the addition of pretty much zero bike infrastructure, this week the city hailed the arrival of its first new bike lane since 2006 and its first-ever physically protected bikeway. Thanks to a partial dismantling of Rob Anderson’s crowning achievement — the legal injunction banning bike lanes under the guise of environmental review — more projects are on the way. The atmosphere is fairly giddy.

Meanwhile, here in New York, we’ve been shouting and muttering curses over the loss of a well-used bike lane segment in Williamsburg. So I figured it might lift everyone’s spirits to share some of the good vibes emanating from Streetsblog SF. Here are some highlights from just the past few days:

Andy Thornley of the SF Bicycle Coalition rides the new left-turn bike lane on Scott Street. Photo: sfbike/Flickr.

The city stripes its first new bike lane since 2006, a left-turn bike lane at that.

Photo: Bryan Goebel.

On Market Street, the city installs its first physically protected lane.

Mayor Newsom announces that Clear Channel is backing out of its bike-share deal with San Francisco, but that he intends to launch a robust public bike network with 2,700 bikes in the pilot phase.

Photo: Bryan Goebel.

Newsom and MTA Chief Nat Ford join bike advocates to paint a green bike box on the new Scott Street lane.

Ben Fried

Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.