SF Bike plan includes more than 30 miles of new lanes, less space for car parking
 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../BAA0VQ5CS.DTL

Bike plan includes more than 30 miles of new lanes, less space for car parking

Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

(03-25) 16:23 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco officials are circulating a plan to add 34 miles of new bike lanes to city streets, possibly meaning a loss of curbside automobile parking and traffic lanes.

The city currently has 44 miles of bike lanes.

The proposed projects include new bike lanes on roadways such as Market Street, Ocean Avenue, Howard Street, Portola Drive, Masonic Avenue, Alemany Boulevard, Seventh Avenue, Portola Drive and Fifth Street. Some would require the removal of street parking and traffic lanes, or the narrowing of traffic lanes.

The recommendations are aimed at updating San Francisco's 1997 bicycle plan, a document that is required to make the city eligible for regional, state and federal grants.

In addition to creating new lanes, the new proposal calls for the adding secure bicycle parking. It also suggests starting a pilot project that would allow bikes on the Municipal Railway light-rail system and stepping up enforcement and penalties against motorists who illegally double-park in bike lanes.

In all, more than 50 individual projects are proposed.

Get involved

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will host an open house to provide the public with information on its proposed bicycle plan update.

When: Wednesday, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Where: 101 Grove St., auditorium

For more information or to comment on the proposal:

E-mail: bicycle@sfgov.org

Call: 415-585-2453

E-mail Rachel Gordon at rgordon@sfchronicle.com

I find that most of the bike lanes in San Francisco are not that useful as most of them are just a few blocks length here and there.