Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
Sorry, but I missed that you rode “with separate bike lanes most of the way.” However, “But the bike lanes are often blocked by parked cars, delivery trucks, pedestrians and other shenanigans.” so I presumed you took to the streets. Most of my bike lanes are on the street, marked only by a white line, and sometimes disappear at intersections, requiring filtering. (A fun aspect of reading these commuter descriptions is trying to visualize them compared to my own.)
Ah, yes, I did say that. Riding on SF's bike lanes (many of which are delineated with a stripe, very few of which are actually separate) is an exercise in flow; something's in the bike lane, so move into the vehicle lane briefly (if possible), then back into the bike lane. There's usually an obstruction every few blocks. On top of that, faster cyclists use this approach to get around slower cyclists. I think the drivers in this city are relatively accustomed to having bicyclists sharing the lanes with them, and often can observe why. Mostly it works out and everyone gets where they're going.