On Tuesday, Feb. 20, we presented our three-month evaluation of the Valencia bike lane pilot to the SFMTA Board of Directors. You can watch a video of the presentation and the questions and comments from board members and the public on SFGOVTV. This blog post summarizes the evaluation findings: Valencia Bike Pilot Reduces Bike-Car Conflicts, but Changes Still on the Way | SFMTA.
While board members did not have an opportunity to vote on changes to the pilot – this was an “informational item” on the board agenda – they took the comments they received in writing and in person during the meeting very seriously. They asked SFMTA staff to continue collaborating with the Valencia Corridor Merchants Association, Misión Destino and other stakeholders to come up with a design that achieves the project’s safety goals while also supporting Valencia businesses and community members.
They passed a motion directing staff to: (1) take immediate steps to correct the current center-running design to reduce the incidence of collisions and address the specific concerns from merchants and community members including taking immediate steps to address and prevent illegal U- turns and left turns, and take steps to address the concern around accessibility of bicyclists to businesses, including bike boxes; (2) develop a design for a side-running bike lane as quickly as possible, including consideration of addressing the concerns of stakeholders, including merchants; (3) bring back an alternative design for board consideration and approval in 2024; and (4) continue sharing information of learnings from the pilot and return to the Board with an updated evaluation.
Our next steps are to pursue two paths forward simultaneously: We will continue to improve on the current bike-lane design in response to the evaluation findings and community concerns around safety and parking availability. At the same time, we are actively working on alternative designs for a side-running bike lane and will work closely with the Valencia Street businesses on the details around shared spaces, parking and loading. We will report back to the Board of Directors this summer.
The community -- those who live, work, drive and ride in and around Valencia -- will be critical to informing the final design recommendation. Every block of Valencia is unique and requires a tailored approach and a multitude of conversations, not only with individual businesses but also with residents and others on the corridor. We know there is great interest within the Valencia community for the SFMTA to work toward a final design urgently, and we are working as expeditiously as possible on the details to make that happen.
We’re out on Valencia Street talking with people, and we invite you to send your feedback to Valencia@SFMTA.com.