Bike lane fiasco in Golden Gate Park
The Bicycle Coalition's special bike lane has been installed in Golden Gate Park.
Labels: Anti-Car, Bicycle Coalition, Parking, Traffic in SF, Videos
posted by Rob Anderson @ 9:38 AM
18 comments
18 Comments:
Want more bikers? Build more bike lanes.
"in a new study (pdf) in the journal Transport Policy, Ralph Buehler and John Pucher suggest that cities might actually be able to influence how many cyclists are on the road. Perhaps all they have to do is — and this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise — build more bike lanes and bike paths."
This bike lane is a disaster.
As a bicyclist, I don't think the change is an improvement. Ironically, the only thing I think it may improve is driving, by reducing the prevalence of slow bikers in the middle of the street. The leisurely bikers will presumably stay in the bike lanes, but the fast bikers will be way too frustrated at being stuck behind slowly weaving cruisers, and so will ride in the auto lanes. However, at least they'll do so swiftly.
At least, that's how I see it, having not biked there since the change.
As a sometime-cyclist, I do not expect this to be an improvement. I expect the bike lane to be constantly blocked by pedestrians going to and from their vehicles, as well as slow rent-a-bike cyclists (with no way to go around them now that cars are parked to your left.) Cars trying to get in and out of the unfamiliar, middle-of-the-road space will be another hazard. And now, not just cyclists, but drivers as well, need to be wary of driving in the "door zone."
A very inefficient use of our limited road space.
These bike lanes are awesome. Need more cities following this lead.
I expect the bike lane to be constantly blocked by pedestrians going to and from their vehicles...
You mean "motorists" going to and from their vehicles.
Motorists become pedestrians when they leave their vehicles.
Let's step back: the problem is with allowance of cars and tour buses in the Park in the first place. (I supposed "Park" is an appropriate word). Golden Gate Park was established as a refuge and a retreat from the City. It has become a passageway for cars and tour buses. Do we see this in Central Park in NYC? Do we see this in European parks? On the whole, no! We can make accommodation for the disabled, but we don't need tour buses going through. These people can take MUNI lines to the Park (there should be more shuttle options). Walking will do people good.
Ironically, one of the reasons I gave up my bike several years ago, was that, in using it solely for pleasure, I would ride to the park on Sundays (before Saturdays was also car-free in that designated area) and after the 19th Ave overpass, have to contend with car doors opening and smelly, loud, tour buses. The success of what was then only Sunday car-free areas showed the need for more space. It was too crowded with kids learning to ride, skaters, etc. There are simply not enough options for such activity in SF. We need more space!
Keep the north-south cross-over streets and close the east-west streets to general traffic.
Some of the intersections in the park are ridiculously congested and noisy.
Then step up enforcement of blocked driveway infractions, etc. that could plague the residents on either side of the park.
The Park is for people not for cars/buses!
these bike lanes are the stupidest idea ever. they're not even safer for the bikers! how are cars expected to park in the middle of the street with no curb for guidance, without getting into the bike lane to do it? and this way the drivers', pedestrians', and bikers' views are all blocked!
how do we get rid of them?!
Inna, start with filing an Environmental Impact Report. If you can show how the bike lanes cause pollution you can get an injunction and shut them down for years while the case drags through the court system. Fun stuff!
No, don't bother with that, since success would be uncertain. Instead, observe how the poor bike lane design makes the Bicycle Coalition and City Hall look dumb, discrediting both, like the ban on the right-turn onto the freeway at Market and Octavia.
I am sure that this design was created with good intentions by the Bicycle Coalition and City Hall.
Unfortunately it ruins the joy of riding in the park. I tried it yesterday and felt like I was riding in a parking lot. There was a beautiful park on my right side and a unending row of parked cars on my left.
Good intentions are not enough.
Good intentions are not enough - agreed. You must come up with a good plan. Which is to ban cars from the park. QED.
Sometimes the best "plan" is to do nothing, to leave things alone. If you banned cars in the park, you would make it difficult and/or impossible for families with children, the elderly, and the handicapped to enjoy the park.
How am I supposed to ride in the bicycle lane on JFK and turn left on Middle Drive E? I have to navigate through parked cars, surprise oncoming motorists and find my way in the lane in order to make a left hand turn? Who thought this would be safe? I felt much safer riding next to moving cars and will continue to ride in the road, mainly out of fear that I could seriously injure an oblivious pedestrian coming out between parked cars to get to the curb! How many pedestrians and cyclists will be injured before they take these lanes away? I am ALL for bike lanes, but this one is putting EVERYONE at risk!
Seems like some commenters are light-users of the GGP route. I'm a pretty heavy user, at least 3 round-trips per week. The new lane configuration is terrible. It's unsafe for everyone. It's wastes almost 8 feet of roadway since passenger doors now open over the road rather than over the curb. And, importantly, it looks ugly having cars parking in the middle of the street. This is easy to fix. It only takes paint and the admission that a mistake was made. Ok, it's hard. Fix it anyway.
Watched 3 bicyclists run the stop signs clearly posted, watched a bicycle try to avoid a confused ped and swerve directly into an already open door of a parked car. Luckily the bicyclist wasn't hurt but he almost took out an elderly person exiting the vehicle. I kid you not. Who thougt this up? Must have really looked viable on paper, but it is a disaster in practice. One of the joys of living out in the Richmond is being able to drive my hybrid through the park and center myself after work. Alas, no more. It is horrible now and what's worse, i think my property taxes and yes gasoline taxes help fund misguided projects such as this one. What a shame.
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