SFMTA: Prioritize safety during Valencia construction

We’re concerned about reports of injuries in the center-running lane on Valencia during the ongoing construction. While we recognize that construction is not yet complete, the city must immediately provide safety measures to protect people on bikes during the remainder of construction. 

Valencia is one of the highest volume bicycle corridors in the city, and construction does not mean people stop needing to go to work, pick up groceries and medicine, drop their kids at daycare, or go to the doctor.

KidSafe SF calls on SFMTA to complete the bike lane and install all additional protection as soon as possible. The signs in the middle of the lane must be removed so that people on bikes have a safe, wide berth to ride. Even better, SFMTA could close one lane to vehicle traffic during construction to provide safe passage for people on bicycles.

Safety on Valencia depends on separated space for cars and people riding bicycles. SFMTA must prioritize parking enforcement to prevent people in motor vehicles – including city employees – from parking in the bike lane, while SFPD must enforce moving violations at Valencia’s new left turn restrictions.

SFMTA must move quickly to address the issues with this novel bike lane design, and simultaneously work on future plans for creating a Valencia promenade. We called on SFMTA to create a demonstration block for one-way traffic on Valencia during this pilot period, and expect these plans to move forward quickly.

Valencia can and should be the city’s first pedestrian Promenade, but in the interim we must prioritize making it safe for all, especially people on bikes.