If you've ridden a bike on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco's underbelly, congratulations on surviving. Newswire21.org reporter Cameron Crowe reports below that some relief is on the way. If you'd like to see better reporting from local neighborhoods, please support Stories from the Ingleside on Spot.Us.
Cameron Crowe
Newswire21.org
Bike lanes should be in place along Ocean Avenue from City College to Alemany Boulevard by late summer following a four-year legal delay.
The so-called “class II” lanes will be marked by a stripe on each side of the roadway. They’ll extend from Lee to Alemany. There will also be lanes on Phelan from Judson to Ocean.
Although many cyclists say Ocean Avenue is unsafe, even frightening, the installation of the lanes have has long been delayed by a lawsuit filed by opponents. The suit claimed that plans for bike lanes across the city would slow traffic in a way that would, in turn, increase air pollution.
In November, a Superior Court judge partially removed an injunction, giving San Francisco’s Municipal Transit Authority the green light to improve 45 bike routes.
“We expect Ocean Avenue to have bike lanes by August,” said Marc Caswell, project manager of the San Francisco Bike Coalition. “That street is really essential for a lot of students going to SF State or CCSF from Balboa Park Station.”
Streetcars & Autos
With streetcar tracks and heavy car traffic around the I-280 interchange, Ocean Avenue is considered a danger zone by cyclists riding through the area.
"There is just a lot going on," said Trent Downes, a 23-year-old student at SF State. "A MUNI train runs down the middle, the curbs are constantly coming in and out of the lane, and the drivers are horrible."
The number of cyclists in San Francisco is estimate at 128,000, up 53 percent since 2006, according to the bike coalition.
“Personally Ocean Avenue is my least favorite street to ride on,” said Caswell. “We look forward to seeing some changes.”
