Bicycle Advisory Committee

Bicycle Plan - Part 3
Recommended Bicycle Network

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OBJECTIVES OF THE BIKEWAY NETWORK

A major objective of the recommended bikeway network is to provide cyclists with the safest, most reasonable routes available in a very densely populated, congested, and hilly urban area. The other major objective of the plan is to serve all areas of the City and all major attractors. The bikeway network is intended to attract cyclists who may otherwise be intimidated by hills and/or traffic. For this reason, many of the routes indicated are not the most direct way of traveling from one part of the City to another. However, they are safer, sometimes slower, and in most cases, flatter than other alternatives available. In a few cases, the most direct street is considered so essential, that even though it may have more traffic, it has also been recommended. Most of these routes are recommended for curb lane widening or the actual marking of a bike lane.

The identification of a citywide bicycle network will enable DPT to plan for and prioritize future improvements on these streets including resurfacing, abandoned railroad track removal, and installation of rubberized rail crossing surface improvements. It will also help DPT evaluate opposition to traffic engineering changes that would be detrimental to bicyclists, such as the installation of STOP signs, angled parking, and the narrowing of travel lanes to provide more lanes.

No overt distinction has been made in the recommended bicycle network between commute routes and recreational routes. Many routes which may seem to be primarily recreational are indeed used by commuters. As no distinction is made between motorists out for a Sunday drive and commuter traffic, the same philosophy should be applied to all bicycle facilities. Bicycle facilities should be provided to serve all potential users and designed to the highest possible standards.

It must be emphasized that along with designating these routes on a map and implementing the physical changes such as striping or traffic calming, there must be an on-street signing system guiding bicyclists along the route. The signing system should indicate the route number as well as the major destination that the route serves, particularly for routes that direct cyclists to a particular destination such as SF State University or City College. A discussion of signing is presented later in this chapter.

It is acknowledged that making improvements to facilitate bicycle travel may, in some instances, impact other modes. For example, restriping a street to eliminate one travel lane to provide bike lanes may impact the resulting level of service at intersections along that street. Alternatively, removing STOP signs along a street may in fact benefit the neighborhood, provided that traffic safety is not compromised and the corresponding traffic calming measures are implemented to prevent non-neighborhood traffic from diverting to the street. San Francisco's transportation system is truly multi-modal, and vehicular travel, MUNI service and pedestrians were considered in designing the bikeway network. Hard decisions may have to be made if further analysis shows that a recommended bicycle improvement has a "significant impact" on another mode. In some cases, it may be possible to shift the recommended improvements to an adjacent street rather than the recommended street. However, it must be recognized by the decision makers that major bicycle improvements are needed in San Francisco to provide bicyclists with the same level of mobility and safety as other travel modes in the City.

Furthermore, San Francisco's street system has largely evolved without significant consideration for bicycle transportation. For example, traffic lanes have been narrowed to increase traffic capacity and STOP signs have been added to increase traffic and pedestrian safety; both impact bicycle travel.

DPT is committed to improving conditions for and accommodating the needs of bicyclists. If a crucial bicycle project may cause a LOS E condition at an intersection, rather than abandon the project it may be worthwhile to pursue an EIR for the project.

It is acknowledged that many improvements will not be implemented immediately. Thus, the bikeway network has been divided into two phases. Phase I is composed of the relatively non-controversial projects that can be implemented with the current funds. Phase II is composed of the projects that may need more study before they are implemented or that will use future funds. In addition, options are presented that have not been assigned to Phase I or II. These are not recommendations so much as design options for the City to consider in order to make San Francisco as bicycle-friendly as possible. The recommended phasing of the proposed improvements is presented in Chapter 4.

CRITERIA FOR ROUTE SELECTION

In selecting routes for the Bikeway network, three factors were considered: the types of users, service to major attractions, and deterrents to cycling.

Users

The potential users of the bikeway system have been classified into two main categories: the experienced bicyclists, and the novice and/or casual adult bicyclists. Older children who have the knowledge and skill to ride in traffic can be placed into the latter category. Young children who need adult supervision to cross the street as a pedestrian are not included as potential users. Their recreational and educational needs have been addressed in the recreational element and safety element, respectively.

Most casual or novice adult bicyclists are intimidated by traffic and will ride either where there is little or no traffic or on a street with a bike lane. Some will not ride on a street with high traffic volumes no matter how wide the bike lane. The experienced adult bicyclist knows how to ride in traffic. This plan recommends facilities for both types of users, and in many cases, the same facility will be preferred by both user types.

A person using a bicycle for transportation often will need to use a major thoroughfare for at least a part of their trip. Some bicyclists are not intimidated by traffic and will choose to use a major thoroughfare for all or most of their trip. Thus, all major thoroughfares must be as conducive to bicycling as possible, without undue negative effects on other modes, and should, therefore, be included as a subset of the bikeway network. General recommendations to make these streets more attractive to bicyclists are presented in Chapter 6 - Traffic Calming, Chapter 5 - Design Standards, and Chapter 8 - Policies and Maintenance.

Examples of such measures are to slow speeding traffic, reduce right-turn/bicycle conflicts, and maintenance procedures and policies, respectively.

Attractors

Routes have been selected to serve all the major neighborhoods as well as San Francisco's major attractions. These major attractions include but are not limited to:

Bicyclists need to travel wherever any other citizens would travel. Anywhere there is motor vehicle traffic there will be bicycle traffic. Even though the above list has identified some of the attractors which should be served by the bicycle network, the need to provide safe bicycle conditions throughout the entire City cannot be ignored. Thus, safety improvements and maintenance procedures as recommended in Chapters 5 and 8 should be implemented on all city streets, not just those identified as part of the Bikeway Network.

Deterrents

Of the three factors considered in route selection users, attractors, and deterrents the deterrents are the factor that can be objectively evaluated. Each route was rated for several criteria that make bicycling on that street unsafe, difficult, or unpleasant such as: heavy traffic volumes, narrow lanes, grades over 5 percent, bus/street car/light rail/cable car conflicts, and street parking characteristics.

These are referred to as deterrents. These evaluations formed the basis for selecting one parallel route over another as well as in determining the need for improvements to that route. The evaluation sheet used to rate alternative routes is presented in Appendix B-1. In most cases, selection of the bicycle route required a compromise between selecting the most direct route and avoiding deterrents. The potential to improve the safety of the route was also considered in the selection of the route.

Certain deterrents, such as poor quality pavement or frequent STOP signs, are possible to mitigate by repaving or removing STOP signs as part of a traffic calming plan. Narrow traffic lanes can sometimes be widened by restriping the street. Other deterrents are more difficult to alleviate without impacting existing traffic circulation. Where bicycle improvements to these routes to improve bicycle safety are recommended, the potential impacts of these recommendations on traffic and parking are cited.

Although bus activity on a street was scored as a deterrent, establishing bike routes on streets with bus routes was unavoidable in some cases. MUNI is concerned about possible bus-bicycle conflicts as buses pull to and away from the curb on streets designated as both transit and bicycle routes. The average speeds of buses and bicycles are about the same. This results in buses and bicycles repeatedly passing each other before and after bus stops. MUNI operators' concerns, as expressed at the October 1996 SFBC meeting, were primarily bicyclists passing on the right and making sudden unexpected moves or appearances. MUNI is also concerned about bike lanes on streets with bus routes attracting inexperienced bicyclists. In some cases, the implementation of bike lanes will require the removal of a motor vehicle lane. As a result, the motor vehicle lanes will be widened and bicyclists will be provided with a dedicated space resulting in safer conditions for both MUNI and bicyclists. Also, knowledge of the legal and safe way of passing buses is an essential component of urban biking skills regardless of whether or not the street has striped bike lanes. One easy and direct way to educate bicyclists that has been suggested is to put a sign on the back of the bus reading PASS ON LEFT with an appropriate graphic illustration. Issues such as visibility, possible conflicts with advertising space, and funding need further exploration. In addition, MUNI driver training should include safety information about the interaction of buses and bicyclists on city streets, as is done in other cities. When bike lanes or traffic calming are proposed on streets with transit routes, MUNI will be consulted.

 

LIABILITY ISSUES

According to a publication from the Bicycle Federation of America, there are two areas of potential liability in regard to bikeway designation: 1. Negligent designation or design; and 2. De

This publication concludes that the designation of a bicycle facility will have virtually no effect on the potential liability of the government entity which controls the facility. It also states that the single most important step that the City can take to reduce potential liability related to bikeway designation is to reduce accidents. The City is being proactive in this regard via its SPOT improvement program to identify and implement safety improvements that will in turn reduce injury to bicyclists. This program demonstrates that the City does respond to reports of problematic situations, is sensitive to the needs of bicyclists, and is taking steps to improve their safety.

Conforming to all design standards not only reduces the risk of accidents but also potential liability. The Traffic Manual acknowledges that unique non-standard situations deserve unique treatment where justifiable within the limits of CVC 21400. Providing signing and striping over and above the design standards should not cause the City to face increased liability but rather should demonstrate that it is serious about reducing the risk of injury to bicyclists and exercising caution over and above the standard expected of a local agency. For the many situations that pose difficulty to cyclists for which there is no appropriate sign in the Traffic Manual to adequately convey a message or warning, a local agency has three choices:

1. Do nothing;

2. Use inadequate or inappropriate signs from the Traffic Manual or MUTCD; or

3. Develop a new sign to convey an appropriate message.

This plan recommends the latter approach, and specific recommendations are presented in Chapter 5.

BIKEWAY IMPROVEMENT CLASSIFICATIONS

The recommended routes have been classified into five bikeway types, expanding on the standard three classifications identified in the California Highway Design Manual. These additional categories were used to provide more information about the specific types of improvements recommended for the master bikeway system. These bikeway types are described below:

Class I = Bicycle path

Class II = Bike lane

Bicycle Priority Street/TC = Bicycle Priority Street through traffic calming

Wide Curb Lanes = Bicycle route with wide curb lanes

Class III = Bicycle route - improvements vary

Bicycle Path

For the most part, the existing bicycle paths in San Francisco are multi-use trails. Due to the heavy volumes of non-bicycle traffic, they are often not effective as true "Bicycle Paths". Depending on the time of day or day of week, they may or may not be usable for a leisurely ride; they are often unusable for a fast-paced bicyclist. This plan recommends that all existing bicycle paths be widened to at least 12 feet or more where feasible. Feasibility will be affected by costs and environmental impacts which are beyond the scope of this study to assess.

In addition, this plan recommends new paths to connect sections of the bicycle routes through parks or other areas. Abandoned railroad rights-of-way, such as along Treat Avenue in the Mission District, provide opportunities for bike paths. They should be considered for conversion to paths, where possible. In addition, the technical feasibility of constructing a linear multipurpose trail along the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board right-of-way (CalTrain passenger commute service) should be explored. Although the results of a feasibility study for San Mateo County look promising, the fact that this right-of-way passes through three tunnels could limit the feasibility of such a trail in San Francisco. Guidelines for bicycle path cross-sections are presented in Chapter 5.

Class II Bike Lanes

Bike lanes are reassuring to bicyclists who are intimidated by traffic. Bike lanes provide a continuous visual reminder to motorists to expect bicycles along a street. Bike lanes also help to assign the available roadway width to bicyclists, thereby reducing the chance that it will be usurped by future roadway widening or restriping.

Bike lanes have been recommended only when they can be maintained for the length of a street, and only when they make sense in terms of the street's traffic volumes. Low volume streets do not need striped bike lanes even if the width is available, for there is ample opportunity for a car to easily pass a bicyclist. Even novice cyclists don't need a bike lane to feel safe on such streets. Research indicates that traffic levels of 3,000 - 4,000 vehicles per day for a 40-foot wide street with on-street parking do not require bike lane striping. Conversely, the heavier and faster the traffic, the wider the bike lanes should be. Criteria for bike lane widths are presented in Chapter 5. The street sweeping schedule was also reviewed before recommending bike lanes on a particular street.

Wide Curb Lanes

In many instances, there is not sufficient street space to stripe separate bike lanes. In these cases, the existing striping was evaluated to determine if the curb lane could be widened so that there would be more room for cars to pass bicycles as safely as possible. Where wide curb lanes are proposed, it is recommended that a pavement stencil be painted on the roadway surface in conformance with the Design Guidelines presented in Chapter 5.

Bicycle Priority Streets - Traffic Calming

Many existing low-volume residential streets make excellent bicycle routes for novice or casual bicyclists. On such streets with low traffic volumes, striped bike lanes are not necessary. These streets can also be extremely attractive routes for both casual and experienced bicyclists if STOP signs are placed such that these streets have the right-of-way at most cross-streets. In order to prevent motor vehicle traffic from diverting to these streets, traffic calming techniques are recommended.

This plan recommends the inclusion of such streets in the recommended bikeway network as Bicycle Priority Streets. Thus, in the following discussion where traffic calming is recommended, it means by implication that STOP signs should be positioned such that travel along this street has the right-of-way, and traffic calming measures are recommended to prevent diverted motor vehicle traffic. A detailed discussion of appropriate Traffic Calming measures is presented in Chapter 6. The specific strategies to implement along a given street should be developed in conjunction with the residents of the specific neighborhoods as described in Chapter 6.

Class III Bicycle Routes

A road or roads may be recommended as part of the bikeway network even though no widening or other specific improvements will or can be implemented to accommodate bicycles. Such Class III routes have an important function in providing continuity to the system, serving the entire City and connecting route segments, particularly when signed and maintained as part of the overall bikeway system. They are recommended where other bikeway types are not possible due to political or physical constraints. Class III bicycle routes should still be signed and marked with pavement stencils and signs indicating that cars and bicycles are sharing the curb lane. (See Design Standards in Chapter 5.)

DESCRIPTION OF RECOMMENDED BIKEWAY NETWORK

The following presents a brief description of each of the recommended routes. The routes are presented in numerical order: east-west routes (even numbered) are listed first. In a few cases, there are several options to provide bicycle facilities, with different impacts on parking, traffic flow, traffic control devices, etc. In these cases, all the options are described and the preferred alternative is indicated. Also, in some instances, there may be actions the City could take to improve bicycle circulation along the route. These actions will be described, but it is beyond the scope of this report to develop these concepts further and to develop cost estimates for their implementation. Further detailed engineering analysis will be needed in these cases.

The recommended bikeway network is illustrated on Map 1 in the map pocket at the end of this report. The bicycle routes that will be signed in the short-term are illustrated on Map 2. This map shows slightly different routing of some bike routes before the capital improvements described below are made. Note that some routes are one block connectors between two other routes (such as Route 534). These short connectors have been numbered in order to maintain a systematic route inventory. The route numbers for these short connectors will not appear on route signs or the map distributed to the public. Instead, the signs at each end of these short connectors will read "TO ROUTE XX", where XX is the route that the short connector leads to.

A description of each recommended route segment is presented in the table in Appendix B-2 in the same order as presented in the text below. This table also contains conceptual cost estimates. These cost estimates are based on unit construction costs obtained from the Department of Parking and Traffic and the Department of Public Works. The base construction cost assumptions on which these cost estimates are based are presented in Appendix B-3. Recommended phasing and potential funding sources are presented in Chapter 4. A summary of the public comments is presented in Appendix B-4.

In certain cases, travel lane removal may be the only way to safely accommodate bicycle travel within a corridor. However, lane removal may have significant impacts on public transit, truck traffic, general traffic, truck loading and parking. These impacts would need to be evaluated in detail for each particular location. The process necessary to study and implement such recommendations is discussed on page 4-1. In addition, for routes on land under the jurisdiction of the Port of San Francisco, the Draft Waterfront Land Use Plan policies must be considered. Any development or use of Port property requires prior approval by the Port Commission. The Bicycle Plan will allow for the possibility of re-routing parts of the Bicycle Network if and when necessary to accommodate reuse of Port property. Since this is a planning level document, it was impossible to analyze in detail the impact of these measures. However, the need and importance of these proposals make it imperative that alternative solutions be implemented if the suggested improvements prove infeasible upon further study.

Route 2: Northpoint Street/Marina Boulevard/Old Mason Street

This signed route on Northpoint Street begins at The Embarcadero and connects with the existing path behind Fort Mason via Van Ness Avenue. From Fort Mason, the route connects to Marina Boulevard then continues through the Presidio on Old Mason Street and Mason Street to Crissy Field Avenue. Due to the one-way segment of Crissy Field Avenue, the east and westbound routes then diverge. Westbound, the route continues via Crissy Field Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard to Merchant Road. The eastbound route is via Lincoln Boulevard, Cowles Street, McDowell Avenue, and Crissy Field Avenue. Connections can be made between Lincoln Boulevard and the Golden Gate Bridge walkways via Routes 95, 202 or 295.

Along Marina Boulevard, two facilities are recommended. On-street bike lanes can be striped, given the existing curb lane widths between Webster Street and Baker Street. Also, given the high demand for access to the waterfront, a bicycle path is recommended by striping and/or widening the existing sidewalk from Laguna to Baker Streets. A separate bicycle path adjacent to the sidewalk can be provided between Buchanan and Scott Streets. Path widening is needed between Laguna Street and Buchanan Street and between Scott Street and Baker Street. Where the existing path from Fort Mason joins Laguna Street, it should be widened. The paths within Fort Mason should be resurfaced and signed as necessary. These recommendations are depicted in Figure 3-1.

Route 202: Battery East Road Multi-Use Path

This route connects Route 2 (Lincoln Boulevard) and the Golden Gate Bridge walkways (Route 95) via a multi-use path along Battery East Road. It provides an alternative to cycling through the Golden Gate Bridge parking lot roadway (Routes 295).

Route 4: Francisco Street/Bay Street/Francisco Street/Lincoln Boulevard

This existing route is retained to provide access for the residents of the Marina to the Presidio, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Route 25 (Polk Street) via Francisco and Bay Streets. From Polk Street, cyclists will have access to Route 2 (North Point Street) that connects to Route 5 (The Embarcadero) and Downtown. The existing bike lanes on Bay Street from Laguna Street to Webster Streets provide bicycle access north of the Moscone Recreation Center. Due to the large number of STOP signs, this route could benefit from traffic calming. The STOP signs along this route should be removed, if possible, and unwanted traffic intrusion should be prevented using traffic calming techniques. West of Lyon Street, this route continues to the Golden Gate bridge via Lombard Street, Presidio Boulevard, and Lincoln Boulevard.

Route 6: Green Street/Octavia Street/Greenwich Street

This route connects Polk Street to the Presidio via Cow Hollow. Access is provided to Route 2 (North Point Street) via: Route 106 (Octavia Street), Route 4 (Francisco Street), and Route 25 (Polk Street). For access to southbound Route 25 (Polk Street), Octavia and Green Streets were selected to avoid the steep hill on Greenwich Street between Van Ness Avenue and Polk Street. At the western end, this route connects to Route 4 at Lyon and Lombard Streets, providing access to the Presidio. Due to the large number of STOP signs, this entire route could benefit from traffic calming.

Route 106: Octavia Street

This route connects Route 6 (Greenwich Street/Octavia Street) with 4 (Francisco Street) via Octavia Street. Route 106 provides a connection between Cow Hollow and the Fisherman's Wharf Area. It should receive traffic calming treatment, as recommended for the portions of Routes 4 and 6 that it connects.

Route 10: Broadway/Pacific Avenue/Clay Street/Lake Street/Clement Street

This route provides direct access across the City from The Embarcadero to the Cliff House. Beginning at The Embarcadero (Route 5), Broadway is proposed as a bike route to Webster Street, in order to avoid the steep grades on parallel streets.

The Broadway Tunnel, which eliminates the grade problem, presents other challenges to solve. Bicycle riding is specifically prohibited on the Broadway Tunnel sidewalks by ordinance, so for less experienced bicyclists, Pacific Avenue is recommended as the eastbound route between Polk and Powell Streets. Experienced cyclists who wish to travel eastbound by riding through the Broadway Tunnel on the roadway, may choose spur Route 210 (Broadway Tunnel). In the westbound direction, the steepness of the Pacific Avenue grade in the uphill direction is a significant deterrent. Westbound, Broadway is recommended as the tunnel avoids the step westbound grade between Mason and Larkin Streets.

It is acknowledged that avoiding the Broadway tunnel is an inconvenience to cyclists. However, until improvements are made in the Broadway Tunnel and legislation is obtained to permit sidewalk cycling in the tunnel, the recommended interim routing of Route 10 is via Pacific Avenue in both directions. The westbound route follows Broadway (the one-way westbound uphill block north of the tunnel and not the tunnel itself), and Mason Street to Pacific Avenue. The eastbound route follows Pacific Avenue and Powell Street to Broadway.

To improve conditions for bicyclists through the Broadway Tunnel, the following options should be considered:

* Designate the sidewalk in the westbound tunnel for bicyclists and advise pedestrians to use the sidewalk in the eastbound tunnel.

* Widen the westbound tunnel sidewalk (existing width 3'11" to edge and 3'5" to rail) by relocating the rail to the lower ledge. This would add about 6 inches in usable sidewalk width. In addition, seven fire hydrants would have to be relocated. Another 16 inches of usable sidewalk width could be gained by reconstructing the existing ledge adjacent to the sidewalk so that it is part of the sidewalk. The resulting sidewalk width would be 5'3", less the width needed for the rail and occasional fire hydrant.

* To provide adequate shy distance for vehicles from the relocated rail, restripe both lanes in the westbound tunnel to be ten feet wide and stripe an edge line along the right side of the right lane to keep cars away from the relocated rail.

These are costly and possibly technically complex improvements for a relatively short length of route. In addition, there may be compliance problems in restricting pedestrians to the eastbound tunnel sidewalk and westbound bicyclists to the westbound tunnel sidewalk. These options are presented to document what could be done to provide safer bicycle access through the Broadway Tunnel. It is recommended that a separate consultant study be undertaken to consider these and possibly other recommendations in much more detail to determine the best way to accommodate cyclists through the Broadway Tunnel.

* In the eastbound tunnel, the sidewalk should be signed for pedestrians only. Eastbound bicyclists can be routed on Pacific Avenue. Since bicycle travel on the tunnel roadway would still be legal, bicycle travel through the tunnel should still be made as safe as possible for bicyclists by:

* Restriping the existing 11-foot-wide lanes so that the right curb lane is 12 feet and the left lane is ten feet; and

* Installing a push-button activated flashing yellow beacon with a sign that reads: BIKES IN TUNNEL WHEN LIGHTS ARE FLASHING.

Route 10 continues via Broadway, Webster and Clay Streets into the Richmond District. From Clay Street a connection can be made to the Presidio via Route 55 (Presidio Avenue). Route 10 then continues via Cherry and Sacramento Streets to Lake Street. There are existing bike lanes on Lake Street between 3rd and 12th Avenues and 14th and 28th Avenues. Additional connections can be made to the Presidio via Route 65 (Arguello Boulevard) from eastbound Route 10, Route 165 (Jackson Street/Cherry Street) from westbound Route 10, Route 69 (Fifteenth Avenue), and Route 75 (Twenty-fifth Avenue). From Lake Street the route continues via 30th Avenue and Clement Street to the Cliff House. It is recommended that the portion of this route between the Broadway/Webster Street intersection and the Lake Street/30th Avenue intersection is studied for Bicycle Priority Street treatment. Note that Lake Street is shown as this type of route on the map although it currently has bike lanes on most of its length, as described above.

Route 210: Broadway Tunnel

This spur route, for experienced cyclists only, follows Broadway through the tunnel between Powell and Polk Streets. Until improvements are made to the Broadway Tunnel sidewalks and legislation permitting cycling on the sidewalk is approved, experienced cyclists who wish to avoid the Pacific Avenue hill may choose to ride on the Broadway Tunnel roadway, being sure to stay in the right curb lane and exercising extreme caution.

Route 310: Taylor Street/California Street

This route provides the most gradual, practical assent of Nob Hill and connects Route 10 (Pacific Avenue) and Route 210 (Broadway) with Route 25 (Polk Street). From Pacific Avenue and Taylor Street it follows Taylor and California Streets to Polk Street. Warning signs should be installed at all cable car track crossings. The roadway surface at these crossings is smooth enough to make this a good route.

Route 16: Sutter Street/Post Street

The Sutter Street/Post Street one-way couplet is recommended between Route 50 (Market Street) and Route 55 (Presidio Avenue) due to the high traffic volumes on parallel streets that are designated as major thoroughfares (Geary, Pine, and Bush Streets). This route provides access to several north-south routes: Route 17 (Stockton Street), Route 25 (Polk Street), Route 345(Webster Street), and Route 45 (Steiner Street). It is recommended that the existing bus-only lanes be converted to shared lanes (buses, bicycles and right-turn vehicles). Although it is acknowledged that in most cases sharing lanes with buses is not ideal, many experienced cyclists would prefer to share a lane with only buses, cars, taxis, etc. In fact, bicycles and buses are sharing the lane today. When one considers the alternativeCbicycles riding one lane over in the mixed flow lanes, with buses on the right and cars to the leftCone realizes that sharing the bus lane is a safer, saner alternative for bicycles and thus should be legitimized by the City. Several cities have already implemented such tactics and San Francisco would require its own legitimizing. Before the bus-only lanes are converted to shared lanes, DPT will work with MUNI to assess its effects on MUNI vehicles.

However, if this is all that is done, this route will likely attract only experienced cyclists. The City should consider restriping Sutter Street to reduce the number of lanes from three narrow lanes to two wide lanes.

Route 20: McAllister Street/Turk Street/Fulton Street/Cabrillo Street

This crosstown route provides access for cyclists traveling on Route 50 (Market Street) and Route 23 (7th and 8th Streets to the Western Addition and the Richmond District, ending at the Great Highway (Route 95). It intersects many north-south routes, offering connections to many parts of the City.

Starting from Market Street, the westbound route would be McAllister Street, as it is the most convenient, flattest street through the Western Addition. The route continues via Masonic Avenue to Turk Street where the University of San Francisco is a major bicycle destination. Arguello Boulevard connects Turk Street with Cabrillo Street.

The eastbound route from Masonic Avenue is McAllister Street. It is acknowledged that the General Plan's Transportation Element classifies McAllister Street between Central Avenue and Market Street as a Secondary Transit Street in the Transit Priority Streets Network. Provisions will be made to accommodate bicycles without interfering with the operation of transit on this segment of McAllister Street. The route continues via Baker Street to Fulton Street. Fulton Street is recommended because the grades are favorable and it is wide enough to strip bike lanes. However, because Fulton Street ends at Franklin Street, the route continues via Octavia Street and Grove Street to Market Street. This provides a convenient connection to 8th Street (Route 23). Bicycle lanes are recommended on Grove Street between Gough and Larkin Streets.

In the Richmond District, Cabrillo Street between Arguello Boulevard (Route 65) and The Great Highway (Route 95) should be designated a Bicycle Priority Street as described in Chapter 6. This route has less traffic, fewer steep grades, fewer buses and less commercial frontage than Balboa Street.

Route 30: Howard Street/Folsom Street Couplet/14th Street/Duboce Avenue/

The "Wiggle"/Panhandle Multi-Use Path/John F. Kennedy Drive

Beginning in the east with the Howard Street/Folsom Street one-way couplet, this route provides relatively level access across San Francisco from the South of Market Area (SOMA), through Golden Gate Park, to Ocean Beach. The Howard Street/Folsom Street couplet provides a link between the CBD and the Mission District via connecting Route 25 (Eleventh Street/Harrison Street). While continuity would dictate choosing Harrison Street all the way from the Mission District to The Embarcadero, the Howard Street/Folsom Street couplet was deemed better due to fewer conflicts with freeway ramps than Harrison Street and their proximity to employment centers in SOMA.

It is recommended that Howard Street be restriped to lose one travel lane in order to provide wide curb lanes on both the north and south sides of the street. Wide curb lanes on both sides of this one-way street give cyclists the option of using the right lane or avoiding buses and positioning themselves for left turns in the left lane. Folsom Street currently has a 23-foot wide curb lane on the south side of the street. A 6-foot eastbound bike lane is recommended from 11th Street to The Embarcadero. It can be striped utilizing the existing curb lane width.

At 11th Street, the eastbound and westbound routes diverge until Sanchez Street. Both directions of route 30 then continue together via the "Wiggle", the Panhandle Multi-Use Path, and John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park.

The westbound route from Howard Street is via 11th, Mission, Otis, McCoppin, and Market Streets and Duboce Avenue to Sanchez Street. Although Mission Street has heavy bus traffic and its right lane is narrow, it is only used for two blocks. Since parking demand along these two blocks is relatively low, the removal of parking should be considered to provide more room for westbound cyclists.

The eastbound route to Folsom Street is via Sanchez and 14th Streets. Fourteenth Street, between Mission and Folsom Streets has already had its curb lanes widened. Between Guerrero and Mission Streets, curb lane widening is recommended. The curb lane between Sanchez and Guerrero Streets is narrow (10 to 10-1/2 feet), but this street appears to be the best eastbound alternative.

Duboce Avenue and the "Wiggle" provide an extremely important connection, particularly in the westbound direction, between Market Street and the Panhandle. Duboce Avenue, between Market and Church Streets, is a one-lane one-way eastbound street. It will need to be converted to a two-way bicycles-only facility. Since eastbound vehicular traffic is currently required to turn right at Market Street and this block of Duboce Avenue has extremely low traffic counts, this closure should not cause any problems for traffic circulation. Signing, traffic signal timing, and turn restrictions may need to be modified at the Duboce Avenue/Market Street/Buchanan Street intersection so that eastbound bicyclists can safely turn left from Duboce Avenue onto Market Street. As a result of a MUNI disabled-boarding platform project on this block, legislation has been obtained for the closure of this block. DPT is currently working with MUNI and DPW to implement this two-way bicycles-only facility recommendation. Duboce Avenue between Church and Sanchez Streets is a Transit Preferential Street with light rail operation. Provisions will be made to accommodate bicycles without interfering with the operation of transit on this block.

From Duboce Avenue and Sanchez Street the proposed route continues via Sanchez, Waller, and Scott Streets. It is coincident with and connects with Route 47 (Scott, Waller, and Sanchez Streets) from Duboce and Sanchez Streets to Scott and Oak Streets. The streets between Church and Scott Streets should receive some traffic calming treatment to prioritize the right and left turns needed along this route. There are several alternative ways to travel through this area to connect Duboce Avenue and Church Street with Scott and Haight Streets. The exact route and traffic calming treatment should be determined with input from neighborhood residents, the SFBC, and the BAC.

Due to the significant grades (greater than 15 percent) on Page and Haight Streets, the route must continue on Oak or Fell Streets for three blocks between Scott and Baker Streets. It is recognized that these are major thoroughfares for motor vehicle traffic, but there are no other direct options for bicycles with grades less than 10 percent, so these three blocks are heavily used by bicyclists.

Four design alternatives were considered to safely accommodate bicycles on these three blocks of Oak and/or Fell Streets. They will require additional study to determine the most feasible design.

* Prohibit parking on the north side of Oak Street. Add a two-way bike lane (10-12 feet wide) on the north side of Oak Street (so that the bikes adjacent to traffic will be traveling in the same direction as traffic). The two directions of bicycle travel would be separated by a standard double-yellow line. Add left-turn phasing for bicycles (using bike signal heads) to separate the bikes-through movement from the vehicular left-turn movement or prohibit left-turns onto Baker, Broderick, and Divisadero Streets. Build a bike path from the corner of Oak and Baker Streets to the existing Panhandle Multi-Use Path.

* Prohibit parking on the south side of Fell Street, stripe a 6-foot one-way bike lane, and give extra width to the right curb lane for westbound cyclists. Prohibit parking on the south side of Oak Street and stripe a 6-foot one-way bike lane for eastbound cyclists.

* Prohibit parking on the south side of Fell Street, stripe a 6-foot one-way bike lane, and give extra width to the right curb lane for westbound cyclists. Eastbound bicyclists would use Page Street.

* Prohibit parking on the south side of Fell Street and add a two-way bike lane. Similar signal phasing would be required, as in the first design alternative.

* Eliminate 7:00 - 9:00 AM tow-away on these blocks of Oak Street and 4:00 - 6:00 PM tow-away on three blocks of Fell Street.

However, due to the proposed extensive parking prohibitions (including the loss of tow-away lanes during peak periods), unresolved problems with a two-way bike lane on a one-way major thoroughfare, turn prohibitions, and driveway interference, none of these alternatives were deemed acceptable by DPT Traffic Engineering. Further detailed engineering analysis of these and possible other alternatives will be needed to provide a safe and convenient bicycle route between Scott Street and the Panhandle Path at Baker Street. It is recommended that a separate consultant study be undertaken to consider the above and possibly other recommendations in much more detail to determine the best way to accommodate cyclists along Oak and Fell Streets. Until a solution to this major design challenge is developed, the route will be temporarily detoured via Scott, Hayes, and Baker Streets. Cyclists wishing to avoid out of the way travel to Hayes Street and willing to climb an additional hill on Page Street may instead use Routes 32 (Page Street) and 130 (Baker Street) to connect to the Panhandle Path from Scott Street. Hardy cyclists will continue to use Fell and Oak Streets in their present configurations.

Route 30 continues on the Panhandle Multi-Use Path to Golden Gate Park. The intersection of this path and Masonic Avenue should be made safer by the following actions:

Modify the traffic signal phasing at Fell Street and Masonic Avenue to add a left-turn phase for westbound traffic. Bicycles would receive a red light during the left-turn phase and would proceed when the left-turning traffic receives a red arrow.

Prohibit parking in advance of Masonic Avenue for 100 to 200 feet to improve visibility between westbound traffic on Fell Street and cyclists on the path. Use this area for a left-turn lane required for the left turn phase described above.

Pave the path crossing at Masonic Avenue with a special textured colored surface as described in Chapter 5 for bike path crossings of streets.

Better lighting should be provided along the Panhandle Path itself and it should be widened by a few feet. Since there is no parallel pedestrian facility immediately adjacent to the this path, pedestrians also use this path. It is recommended that a separate pedestrian path or sidewalk be built either adjacent to the bicycle path (which could meander to avoid the existing trees) or adjacent to Fell Street. The path closer to Oak Street appears to be too far from Fell Street to discourage pedestrian use of the multiple-user path.

At the intersection of Fell and Stanyan Streets, a bicycle-only traffic signal phase is recommended. Related signing and striping recommendations are depicted in Figure 3-2. Although this recommended phasing would greatly improve the crossing of this intersection for cyclists, detailed analysis conducted as part of the Golden Gate Park Master Plan EIR indicates that it would severely impact motor vehicle traffic at this intersection. For that reason, the EIR recommends against this proposal.

The separate consultant study to consider the best way to accommodate cyclists along the Oak/Fell Corridor should also include the following five issues:

In Golden Gate Park, the route is via John F. Kennedy Drive to the Great Highway (Route 95). Traffic calming techniques should be implemented on John F. Kennedy Drive to slow traffic to 25 mph (maximum speed) to increase bicycle safety. Currently, the Golden Gate Park Master Plan EIR is being revised to study the feasibility of closing John F. Kennedy Drive to motor vehicle traffic between Kezar Drive and Transverse Drive. A variety of other measures could be implemented as described in Chapter 6.

Route 130: Baker Street

This route provides access between the Panhandle Path (Route 30) and Page Street (Route 32). It also provides a more direct routing for Route 30 ("Wiggle") cyclists to connect with the Panhandle Path without out of the way travel via Hayes Street (temporary Route 30).

Route 330: Seventh Avenue

This route connects Route 30 (John F. Kennedy Drive) and Route 20 (Cabrillo Street) via 7th Avenue. It provides access to Golden Gate Park from the Inner Richmond District. Route 330 is a signed route north of Fulton Street and is a multi-use path south of this point, in Golden Gate Park.

Route 530: 30th Avenue

30th Avenue provides access to Route 30 (John F. Kennedy Drive) in Golden Gate Park from Route 20 (Cabrillo Street).

Route 730: 43rd Avenue/Chain of Lakes Drive West

Beginning at Route 20 (Cabrillo Street), this route follows 43rd Avenue to the multi-use path on former Chain of Lakes Drive West and continues south of John F. Kennedy Drive (Route 30) to the Golden Gate Park Bicycle Path (Route 830). Northbound, leaving Golden Gate Park, this route briefly jogs onto Chain of Lakes Drive East to avoid the one-way section of Chain of Lakes Drive West that is open to motor vehicles.

Route 830: Golden Gate Park Bicycle Path

Recreational cyclists who wish to avoid on-street Route 34 (Middle Drive West/Martin Luther King Jr.) and on-street Route 30 (John F. Kennedy Drive) may use the existing bicycle path which parallels both routes. Route 830 begins at Route 30 across from Lloyd Lake and runs south of Speedway Meadows, the Polo Field, Middle Lake and the Bercut Equitation Field. This path ends at Lincoln Way between 46th and 47th Avenues.

Route 930: 47th Avenue

Cyclists from the Outer Richmond District may access Route 30 (John F. Kennedy Drive) via Route 930 (47th Avenue). The route begins at Route 20 (Cabrillo Street) and ends in Golden Gate Park at Route 30.

Route 32: Page Street/Golden Gate Park

Page Street provides an excellent route to and from Market Street to Golden Gate Park. For eastbound bicyclists, Page Street is a wonderful straight shot downhill to Market Street. The street currently has numerous stop signs and would benefit from traffic calming techniques west of Laguna Street. Once in Golden Gate Park, Route 32 connects with Route 365 (Kezar Drive Path) and with Route 30 (John F. Kennedy Drive) via multi-use paths.

Route 34: Middle Drive/Martin Luther King Jr. Drive

Stemming off Route 75 (Transverse Drive), Route 34 provides access from the Western half of Golden Gate Park. The route begins on West Drive and connects with the multi-use path on Middle Drive to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Cyclists may proceed on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive or divert to Route 30 (John F. Kennedy Drive to Fulton Street).

Route 134: Middle Drive

Southbound cyclists on Route 75 (Transverse Drive) who wish to connect to Route 34 (Middle Drive/Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) can access the Middle Drive Multi-use Path directly without having to use West Drive.

Route 234: McClain's Bend

To provide access from Route 34 (Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) to Route 30 (John F. Kennedy Drive), McClain's Bend is recommended.

Route 534: Martin Luther King Jr. Drive

This is a one block connector between Routes 34 (Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) and 85 (Sunset Boulevard and 34th Avenue).

Route 536: Third Street (King to Townsend Streets)

This is a one block northbound connector between Routes 5 (Third Street, King Street, The Embarcadero) and 36 (Townsend Street).

Route 36: Townsend Street/Division Street

Townsend Street is an extremely important route since it serves the CalTrain Depot. From Route 5 (The Embarcadero) the route jogs on King and Third Streets and continues via Townsend, Division, and 13th Streets, where it connects with Route 25 (Harrison Street). It continues south two blocks on Harrison Street and west one block on 14th Street to eastbound Route 30 (14th and Folsom Streets). It is recommended that Townsend Street be striped with bike lanes between Third and Division Streets. The two-lane section of Townsend between 4th and Division Streets has adequate width for bike lanes. The number of lanes on Townsend between 4th and 5th Streets would need to be reduced in order to stripe bike lanes on this block. Townsend Street may not be an accepted street, due to its condition and lack of sidewalks, curb and gutter along some segments. This may preclude the striping of bike lanes. It is recommended that Townsend Street be brought up to City standards so that it can be classified as an accepted street.

A bike path along the railroad right-of-way from the intersection of Treat Street/16th/Harrison Streets to the planned promenade on the northside of Mission Creek should also be considered. This would follow the alignment of Mission Creek and would use mostly vacant publicly-owned land.

Route 40: 16th Street/17th Street/Corbett Avenue/Clayton Street/

Parnassus Avenue/Kirkham Street

The eastern portion of this route, 16th and 17th Streets, provides an important connection through the Mission District and to the 16th Street BART Station. Sixteenth Street is recommended between 3rd Street (Route 5) and Kansas Street (Route 123) because 17th Street does not continue east of Pennsylvania Avenue. At Mississippi Street/7th Street, Route 23 provides a connection south to Indiana Street and the 22nd Street CalTrain Station or north to Division, 11th, 5th, and Townsend Streets. Bike lanes are recommended on 16th Street from Route 5 (3rd Street) to Route 123 (Kansas Street). When this plan was begun, the 16th Street section of this route required major infrastructure redevelopment to improve safety conditions for cyclists. Since that time, railroad tracks have been removed, the street resurfaced, and bike lanes striped between 7th and De Haro Streets, providing a major safety improvement. However the diagonal CalTrain railroad tracks at the intersection of 16th and Mississippi Streets will require rubberization in order to provide safe passage for cyclists over the tracks.

Route 40 continues via Kansas Street, 17th Street, Corbett Avenue, Clayton Street, and Parnassus Avenue. From Corbett Avenue cyclists can also continue southbound to West Portal and Stern Grove via Route 50. Route 40 then continues via 7th Avenue and Kirkham Street, which serves the Sunset in an east-west direction. Traffic calming techniques should be explored to reduce the number of STOP signs along this street. Kirkham Street provides connections to Golden Gate Park and to San Francisco State University via Route 65 (7th Avenue), Route 75 (20th Avenue), Route 85 (34th Avenue), and Route 95 (the Great Highway). Traffic calming techniques (to eliminate stop signs and provide better cycling conditions) should be explored for Kirkham Street west of 7th Avenue, as well as 17th Street between Kansas and Noe Streets.

Route 44: 22nd Street/Chattanooga Street/Jersey Street/Diamond Street/

Eureka Street/Romain Street

This route connects San Francisco General Hospital, the Mission District, Noe Valley and Upper Market. At San Francisco General Hospital at Potrero Avenue (Route 25), a connection can be made from Cesar Chavez Street (Route 60) from the east. From Potrero Avenue, Route 44 follows 22nd, Chattanooga, and Jersey Streets to Noe Valley. The route continues via Diamond, 23rd, Eureka, and 21st Streets, Grand View Avenue, and Romain Streets. The route crosses Market Street via an existing non-motor vehicle over-crossing at Romain Street. The route ends at Corbett Avenue, where cyclists can take Route 55 to the Haight and Richmond (connecting to Route 40 to the Sunset) or Route 50 to West Portal and Stern Grove. Traffic calming techniques should be explored for the major portion of this route south and east of the intersection of 21st and Eureka Streets, as these streets are low traffic volume residential streets.

Route 50: Market Street/17th Street/Corbett Avenue/Portola Drive/

Sloat Boulevard

Market Street is an extremely important route for bicyclists for the very same reasons that it is an important transit street. The vast number of destinations and attractions along Market Street make it the generator of hundreds if not thousands of bicycle trips per day. (A recent bicycle count revealed 165 bicycles during the PM peak hour at the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue.) Being the northern-most street in San Francisco with a northeast-southwest orientation, it is essential to make Market Street as bicycle friendly as possible. The following are some options that could be further investigated to improve bicycle safety along Market Street:

The rail tracks on Market Street present a significant problem for bicycles as bicycle wheels, (particularly on road bikes) can become trapped in the gap between the rail and the pavement surface. This is a problem at intersections, but it is a worse problem at intersection approaches as bicyclists cross over tracks at a skewed angle to prepare for a left-turn. Reducing the width of this gap through the intersection and for 100 feet prior to the intersection would improve bicycle safety. This can be done by adding rubberized pavement or a resurfacing the area with concrete at the proper height and width from the flange. The new F-Line tracks on Market Street in general have been laid well with the minimum possible gap.

Another improvement that can be made to Market Street, is striping to prevent motorists from traveling two-abreast at the approaches of several intersections, such as westbound at Van Ness Avenue and Church Street. This practice results in cyclists being "squeezed out" of the traffic lane. Possible solutions include striping a short section of bike lane, painting diagonal stripes to better define the travel lane, or widening the sidewalk by one or two feet.

Market Street is recommended as a signed bike route from The Embarcadero to Octavia Street, due to the narrow curb-to-curb width, resulting from wide sidewalks. Existing bike lanes are striped westbound from Laguna Street to Castro Street and eastbound from Castro Street to McCoppin Street. Double-parking is an existing problem in these (and other) bike lanes. Signs have recently been installed between Church and Castro Streets advising motorists of the $50 fine for double parking. See Chapter 8 for a discussion of this problem. Another problem is the discontinuous nature of the Market Street bike lanes. The total width available for the bike lane and motor vehicle lanes decreases at each MUNI streetcar boarding platform. As a result, the bike lanes are discontinued at and in advance of each platform. Situations such as this need to be addressed in the design phase of any future streetcar or LRV lines, such as on Third Street and Geary Boulevard, for example.

In the westbound direction 17th Street is recommended from Castro Street to Corbett Avenue. In the eastbound direction, the route uses Corbett Avenue, 17th Street, and Eureka Street to Market Street because 17th Street is one-way westbound east of Eureka Street.

From Corbett Avenue, the route continues on Portola Drive, portions of which have undergone curb lanes widening. Portola Drive provides access to Golden Gate Park via Route 65 (Laguna Honda Boulevard) using Route 60 as a connector. From Portola Drive Route 50 continues to Sloat Boulevard, ending at the Great Highway (Route 95). Sloat Boulevard provides access to San Francisco State University via Route 75 (20th Avenue) and to Lake Merced and western Golden Gate park via Route 85 (34th Avenue).

Eastbound Route 50 cyclists can avoid the complicated triple left turn lane at the intersection of Sloat Boulevard and Portola Drive (Saint Francis Circle) by continuing east onto St. Francis Boulevard and turning left at San Fernando Way and then right onto Portola Drive.

Route 350: Duboce Avenue

Westbound Duboce Avenue is westbound Route 30. IN the eastbound direction, Route 30 uses 14th Street. The eastbound connection from the "Wiggle" to Market Street is Route 350 via Duboce Avenue. Note that Duboce Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic. (See Route 30 (Duboce Avenue)).

Route 60: Cesar Chavez Street/Clipper Street/Vicente Street

A central east-west connection is essential, and unfortunately only available on relatively major thoroughfares, sometimes with steep grades, and with truck traffic (Cesar Chavez Street is a Port truck route). Care needs to be taken to minimize potential truck-bicycle conflicts on Cesar Chavez Street and further study is needed to determine whether potential truck-bicycle conflicts can be adequately minimized on this route. Route 60 connects Route 5 (Third Street) with Vicente Street, via Cesar Chavez, Precita, Mission, Valencia, Duncan, Sanchez, Clipper Streets and Portola Drive. This crosstown route intersects many north-south routes, offering connections to many parts of the City. Cesar Chavez Street should be striped to have wide curb lanes between Potrero Avenue and Guerrero Street. This will necessitate the removal of the existing concrete median and the relocation of the existing light standards.

Recommendations to improve bicycling conditions through the Cesar Chavez Street/Highway 101 interchange are presented in Figure 3-3. They include rehabilitation of the path paralleling and south of Cesar Chavez Street under the US 101 interchange to improve access and safety for cyclists. Sections of the existing path should be widened and resurfaced, a steep grade reduced, curb ramps constructed, lighting improved, and a semi-actuated traffic signal installed. The construction of a bicycle/pedestrian overpass to connect westbound Cesar Chavez Street (under the US 101 interchange) to the Potrero Avenue sidewalk is being considered.

Bike lanes should be provided on Cesar Chavez Street west of the 101 interchange from Hampshire Street to Bryant Street westbound and from Precita to just beyond Hampshire Street eastbound. These bike lanes permit a safe connection on Cesar Chavez from Precita to the paths underneath the interchange with 101. Precita Street could be considered for traffic calming in order to provide a low traffic alternative to Cesar Chavez Street. One option is to convert Precita Street from Harrison Street to Mission Boulevard from a one-way street to a two-way street, and to place a barrier somewhere along the route to prevent through traffic. (This is a proposal currently being considered by the residents of Precita Street.) Mission (shared route), Valencia (bike lanes), Duncan (traffic calming), and Sanchez, are used to connect with Clipper, which leads to Portola Drive.

To provide a connection to Vicente Street, Woodside Avenue (westbound), Dewey Boulevard, Taraval Street, Forest Side Avenue, Ulloa Street, and 16th Avenue are used. In the eastbound direction, Laguna Honda Boulevard is used instead of Woodside Avenue since its lower traffic volumes and less steep grade are more suitable for uphill cycling. In addition the left turn at Portola Drive is more easily and safely made from Laguna Honda Boulevard (a T intersection).

West of 16th Avenue, Vicente Street, which serves the Lower Sunset on the north Side of Stern Grove is recommended, since it is flatter than Ulloa Street. It has no street car tracks and less traffic compared to Taraval Street. Traffic calming from Dewey Circle to the Great Highway (Route 95) should be explored to reduce the number of STOP signs. Bike lanes are recommended on Dewey Boulevard from Laguna Honda Boulevard to Dewey Circle to improve bicycle safety.

Route 760: 14th Avenue

This route provides a connection between Route 60 (Vicente Street) and Route 50 (Portola Drive).

Route 66: Farmer's Market

Route 66 accesses the popular Alemany Farmer's Market. Branching off Route 45 (Chenery Street), it continues via Richland Avenue, Lesse Street and Crescent Avenue, providing this much needed connection. It is the only dead end route in the network. It was not connected to Routes 25 (Bayshore Boulevard) or 70 (Silver Avenue) because of several barriers to cyclists (I-280, the steep hill at southeastern Bernal Heights, and the heavy traffic and narrow lanes on Alemany Boulevard).

Route 68: Evans Avenue

This route will serve future development of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard site. Given its potential for redevelopment, it is extremely important to plan for good bicycle access and to incorporate needed improvements into the required transportation infrastructure. Evans Avenue was selected because it is the only flat through street providing access to Hunter's Point. It is acknowledged that Evans Avenue is a port truck route. Care needs to be taken to minimize potential truck-bicycle conflicts on Evans Avenue and further study is needed to determine whether potential truck-bicycle conflicts can be adequately minimized on this route.

Route 68 will eventually form a loop through the shipyard site by connecting with Route 70. At this time, the streets within the shipyard that are recommended for Routes 68 and 70 are Donahue Street, Galvez Avenue, Horne Avenue, Spear Avenue and Crisp Avenue to Griffith Street. The specific streets used within the shipyard site may vary depending on the land use pattern and street network when this area is redeveloped. Until general access is permitted to the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard site, Route 68 will begin at the gate at Innes Avenue and Donahue Street.

Outside the shipyard, Innes Avenue, Hunters Point Boulevard, and Evans Avenue are recommended between Donahue Street and Route 60 (Cesar Chavez Street). Route 7 (Phelps Street) is a major connector between Route 68 and route 70 (Palou Avenue). Innes Avenue is recommended for bike lanes between Hunters Point Boulevard and Donahue Street in order to improve bicycle safety.

Route 70: Palou Avenue/Silver Avenue/Hearst Avenue/Monterey Boulevard

This route will also serve the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard site. Until general access to the shipyard site is opened along this route, Route 70 will start at Griffith Street. It continues via Palou Avenue, jogging onto Oakdale Avenue via Phelps Street and then continuing southeast via Silver Avenue. Connections are provided to Route 7 (Keith Street/Palou Avenue/Phelps Street), Route 5 (Third Street), Route 170 (Oakdale Avenue), Route 25 (Bayshore Boulevard), and Route 45 (Cayuga Avenue). It provides access for the residents of Bayview and Hunters Point to the shipyard site, Glen Park BART Station, City College, and the West Portal District.

At Cayuga Avenue, this route is coincident with Route 45 (Cayuga Avenue) to Diamond Street in Glen Park, where it intersects Route 55 (Bosworth Street/O'Shaughnessy Boulevard). The route continues via Circular and Hearst Avenues to Gennessee Street. Hearst Avenue (and Gennessee Street) are recommended as Bicycle Priority Streets, since Hearst Avenue has a lower traffic volume than Monterey Boulevard east of Gennessee Street. City College is served by connecting Route 770 (Gennessee Street/Phelan Avenue). Route 70 then continues as a signed Class III route via Monterey Boulevard, Santa Clara Avenue, and Saint Francis Boulevard to Saint Francis Circle. From the Saint Francis Woods area, cyclists can access northeast/west Route 50 (Portola Drive/Sloat Boulevard) and north/south Route 65 (Santa Clara Avenue).

Route 170: Oakdale Avenue

This route will serve as a connector between Bayview and Bayshore Boulevard. It begins at Route 70 (Silver Avenue/Oakdale Avenue) at Quint Street and continues via Oakdale Avenue to Route 25 (Bayshore Boulevard).

Route 770: Phelan Avenue

Gennessee Street and Phelan Avenue are chosen in order to provide a connection between Route 70 (Monterey Boulevard and Hearst Avenue) and Route 84 (Ocean Avenue). These streets are chosen in order to provide direct access to City College of San Francisco. The route starts at the Gennessee Street/Hearst Avenue intersection and continues via Gennessee Street, Judson Avenue, and Phelan Avenue to Ocean Avenue (Route 84).

Route 84: Ocean Avenue

This route serves as a connection between the Excelsior District and Stern Grove. From Route 45 (Cayuga Avenue), Ocean Avenue provides access to the Balboa Park BART Station and to Route 50 (Sloat Boulevard), via Route 75 (20th Avenue). Route 84 east of Phelan Avenue provides a more direct connection to northbound Route 45 (Cayuga Avenue) than Geneva Avenue (Route 90). However, Ocean Avenue was selected as a route since in combination with Geneva Avenue (Route 90) they form virtually the only direct link between the southeast part of the City and Stern Grove.

Route 86: Winston Drive/Lake Merced Boulevard

This route connects Route 84 (Ocean Avenue) and Route 91 (John Muir Drive/Skyline Boulevard). It provides access to San Francisco State University, the Stonestown Shopping Center, and Lake Merced. Although there are several MUNI bus routes and the traffic can be heavy on the portion of Winston Drive through the Stonestown Shopping Center, this route also provides direct access to this major destination. The route runs from Ocean Avenue via Cedro Avenue, Mercedes Way, Winston Drive, and Lake Merced Boulevard, to Skyline Boulevard (Route 91). At Lunado Way, the Ingleside District to the south and the Daly City BART Station are accessible via Route 75 (Lunado Way and Beverly Street). At Lake Merced Boulevard, connections can be made with Route 85 south to San Mateo County and north to the Sunset and Richmond districts. Winston Drive west of Buckingham Way has sufficient width to stripe bike lanes in both directions, without any change in the number of traffic lanes. Cyclists would benefit by improved lighting in the Winston Drive tunnel under part of the Stonestown Shopping Center.

Route 90: Geneva Avenue/Holloway Avenue/Font Boulevard

Beginning at Route 5 (Bayshore Boulevard/Third Street/The Embarcadero) in San Mateo County, this route runs along Geneva, Harold, and Holloway Avenues, and Font Boulevard. This provides an important route connecting the Balboa Park BART Station with San Francisco State University. Font Boulevard connects this route to Lake Merced Boulevard (Routes 85 and 885). Plymouth Avenue was chosen to connect Holloway and Ocean Avenues because there is a left-turn prohibition from westbound Ocean Avenue to southbound Harold Avenue. In addition, there are no painted crosswalks at the Harold Avenue/Ocean Avenue intersection. The corresponding left from Ocean to Plymouth Avenues is more easily made and is safer, since there is a traffic signal at this intersection.

Bike lanes on Geneva Avenue can be striped given existing conditions southeast of Mission Street to the County line. Bike lanes are recommended on Geneva Avenue by restriping between Alemany Boulevard and Mission Street. Traffic calming should be explored on Holloway Avenue between Beverly Street and Plymouth Avenue. On Holloway Avenue, bike lanes have recently been striped between Varela Avenue and Tapia Drive. A short spur (Route 990) provides direct access to City College from Geneva Avenue. See Route 990.

Since a portion of this route (as well as portions of Routes 5, 805, 905, 45, 75, 85, and 95) extend into San Mateo County, San Francisco should work with the cities of Daly City and Brisbane to make arrangements for signing these routes within the northern parts of those cities to better direct cyclists.

Route 990: City College Overcrossing of Ocean Avenue

The route connects westbound Route 90 (Geneva Avenue) with City College via the non-motor vehicle overcrossing of Ocean Avenue. Note that there is no connection from eastbound Route 90 with City College via this overcrossing, as the eastbound and westbound lanes of Geneva Avenue are at different grades and are separated by a wall. Access to city College from the west is via Phelan Avenue (Route 710).

Route 98: Sagamore Street/Brotherhood Way

A connection between the Excelsior and Ingleside Districts is needed. Route 98 provides access between Route 45 (Alemany Boulevard) and Route 75 (Beverley Street). This will provide access to the San Francisco Golf Club, SFSU, and Lake Merced.

Route 198: Goethe Street

Route 198 was designed to provide a more direct route to San Jose Avenue (Route 45) from eastbound Route 98 (Brotherhood Way) via Goethe Street. Goethe Street is recommended as a connection from the Sunset District to San Jose Avenues and Mission Street in Daly City.

Route 5: The Embarcadero/Third Street Corridor/Bayshore Boulevard

The Embarcadero is one of the most important routes in the City both for commuter and recreational cyclists. The Embarcadero carries a large volume of high speed traffic. Storm drains and a high curb subtract from the physical width of the existing bike lane, yielding less of an effective width. The scenic views of the waterfront and the proposed baseball stadium at China Basin are both likely to attract a large number of bicyclists, resulting in high demand for a wider bike lane. A minimum 6-foot bike lane is recommended for the full length of The Embarcadero. It is also recommended that casual, slower cyclists be allowed to use the Embarcadero Promenade.

The South Embarcadero project includes bike lanes that were added after the roadway cross-section was already designed. It was designed to have an 11-foot inside lane and 15-foot curb lanes on sections with no on-street parking, and 23-foot wide curb lanes on sections with on-street parking. It was to be signed as a bicycle route, not as bike lanes. To fit in the bike lanes, the minimum bike lane width of 4 feet with no on-street parking and 5 feet with on-street parking was used. The resulting roadway has bike lanes which meet Caltrans minimum design standards. The difficulty in providing wider bike lanes was compounded by the method of surveying which resulted in 6 fewer inches of roadway width for each direction of travel. This survey method resulted in the inside lane only being 10' 6" instead of 11 feet.

Six-foot wide bike lanes are recommended as stated previously. Six foot wide bike lanes can be provided on The Embarcadero south of Folsom Street, where there is parking, by restriping the existing roadway to have a 10-foot lane adjacent to the bike lane. Where there is no on-street parking, 5-foot wide bike lanes can be provided by restriping again to have a 10-foot lane next to the bike lane. While not ideal, it is better to have the extra foot in the bike lane where bicycles can use it to their advantage such as avoiding opening car doors. Reconstruction of the curb and gutter to provide an extra one to two feet of roadway space for each direction of travel would be the best alternative to improve safety for both motorists and bicyclists, as 11-foot lanes could then be maintained adjacent to the 6-foot bike lanes. However, it is recognized that curb and gutter reconstruction is not imminent, since this project has been recently completed.

The bike lanes for the North Embarcadero project, between Broadway and North Point Street, should be striped as recommended for the South Embarcadero portion: 5-foot wide bike lanes where there is no on-street parking and 6-foot wide bike lanes where there is on-street parking.

Design is near completion for the Mid-Embarcadero Project, between Folsom Street and Broadway. It will include tow-away lanes during peak hours. This will preclude the striping of bike lanes for this portion of The Embarcadero, although the same roadway width would be provided. The Embarcadero is a very popular, highly visible bicycle route, and bicyclists and motorists could be confused by the abrupt termination of bike lanes. Since tow-away lanes have been adopted, the following should be implemented:

* Minimum 11-foot lane adjacent to curb lane;

* Minimum curb lane width of 15 feet during peak hours;

* Consideration of signs and/or pavement stencils indicating that a bicycle route exists even during peak hours; and

* Painting of a stripe to define and separate the motor vehicle lane and bicycle zone during peak-period tow-away times, even if a bike lane is not striped.

Bicycles are not currently permitted on the Promenade, which is under the Port of San Francisco's jurisdiction. If the Port Commission determines that bicycles and pedestrians could be safely accommodated on the Promenade, they could revise the Port's Harbor Traffic Code to permit bicycling on the Promenade in the future. Having one zone for bicycles or roller bladers traveling more than 10 mph, and one for pedestrians and slower cyclists traveling at around 5 mph is one possible configuration. This arrangement would enable southbound bicyclists to enjoy nonstop travel along the waterfront, which is not possible if they ride on the street, in the on-street bike lanes.

To avoid precluding future bicycle use of the Promenade, it is recommended that the amount of clear space on the Promenade be maximized. Installations, such as luminaires, should be placed as close to the curb as possible. However, considerations such as the large number of pedestrians disembarking from ferries and crossing the path of cyclists, potential cyclist/pedestrian conflicts at intersections where cyclists are not regulated by traffic signals, potential cyclist/motor vehicle conflicts at entries to Port facilities, and enforcement of bicycle/pedestrian or user speed separation along the Promenade need to be addressed. The City's experience in other locations (such as Lake Merced, the Marina, and the Panhandle) has been that mixed-use pedestrian/bicycle facilities can be problematic. Therefore, it is recommended that DPT work closely with the Port in exploring possible future bicycle use on the Promenade. Given the variety and large number of users of the Promenade, adding bicycling to the current mix of uses could pose a substantial risk to the Port.

The Promenade could be an attractive future bicycle route. Such a facility would truly be a regional attraction, taking advantage of the proximity of BART, several ferry services, and the connection to the Golden Gate Bridge via Route 2. The waterfront should be developed to its full potential for all users, including cyclists.

For cyclists wishing to continue south along the Third Street corridor, King Street connects The Embarcadero with Third Street. Improvements will be needed to the Third Street bridge crossing China Basin channel. The entire length of Third Street is recommended as an essential, direct link for cyclists traveling through the eastern part of the City. It is acknowledged that Third Street has been identified by the Port of San Francisco as one of the major inbound and outbound streets for cargo trucking operations. However, given the current level of cargo truck traffic on this street and since no other direct alternative bicycle route exists, Third Street has been selected as the recommended bicycle route. However, care needs to be taken to minimize potential truck-bicycle conflicts and further study is needed to determine whether potential truck-bicycle conflicts can be adequately minimized on this route.

From China Basin to Bayshore Boulevard, 6-foot wide marked bike lanes are recommended to make this route safer for cyclists. However, the possible establishment of a light rail line on Third Street could compete with the bike lanes for street width. An EIR for this future light rail line is currently being prepared. DPT has informed MUNI that Third Street is part of the bicycle route network, shown in the Transportation Element of the City's Master plan and that this plan proposes bike lanes on Third Street. Since it appears that the width of Third Street cannot accommodate light rail and bike lanes, further analysis will be necessary.

Route 705: Paul Avenue

This is a temporary one-way westbound signed route on Paul Avenue between Third Street (Route 5) and Bayshore Boulevard (Route 25), until bicycle improvements are made to Third Street where it passes under US 101. Northbound Route 5 cyclists remain on 3rd Street. However, southbound Route 5 cyclists are detoured from 3rd Street (Route 5) via Route 705 (Paul Avenue) and temporary Route 25 (San Bruno Avenue) back to southbound Route 5 (Bayshore Boulevard) just north of Arleta Avenue.

Route 805: 3Com Park

This route serves 3Com Park and Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, by connecting to Routes 5 (Third Street), 7 (Keith Street), and 905 (Tunnel Road). Wide curb lanes have been striped on Harney Way, Jamestown Avenue Extension, and the southern part of Hunters Point Expressway. The remainder of the route on Carroll Avenue, Fitch Street (Arelious Walker Drive), Gilman Avenue, Hunters Point Expressway, Alana Way, and Beatty Avenue is recommended to be a signed route. It is acknowledged that Carroll Avenue is an important truck route in the General Plan's Transportation Element. Provisions will be made to accommodate bicycles without interfering with the operation of the other primary transportation mode on this segment of Carroll Avenue.

Route 905: Tunnel Road

This signed route provides a low traffic volume alternative to Route 5 (Bayshore Boulevard) via Tunnel Road between its intersection with Bayshore Boulevard and the San Mateo County line.

Route 7: Indiana Street/Third Street/Phelps Street/Palou Avenue/Keith Street

This route was designed to provide an alternative to Route 5 (Third Street) between Mariposa Street and Carroll Avenue. Although is it much less direct, it does offer the advantage of generally following streets with much lower traffic volumes than Third Street. It also provide additional inter-route connections and additional neighborhood access.

Route 7 begins at Route 5 (Third Street) and continues via Mariposa and Indiana Streets to Cesar Chavez Street (Route 60). Indiana Street is the recommended route to Cesar Chavez Street, but the existing one-way northbound section (between Cesar Chavez and 25th Streets) would need to be redesigned to accommodate southbound bicyclists. Until that is accomplished, southbound cyclists are routed from Indiana Street via 23rd and Minnesota Streets to Cesar Chavez Street.

The route continues east on Cesar Chavez Street to 3rd Street. Third Street (Route 5) is used between Cesar Chavez and Phelps Street so that Islais Creek can be crossed. Route 7 continues via Phelps Street (that also connects Route 68 (Evans Street) with Routes 70 and 170 (Palou Avenue). The route then continues southeast on Palou Avenue to Keith Street and again connects to Route 5 (Third Street) via Carroll Avenue (Route 805). Connections are made here to Route 5 (Third Street/Bayshore Boulevard) to San Mateo County or Route 805 (Carroll Avenue) to 3Com Park.

Route 11: Columbus Avenue/Sansome Street/Battery Street/Second Street

This route connects Aquatic Park and Fisherman's Wharf with North Beach, the Financial District, and the South of Market Area including the CalTrain Depot. Although Columbus Avenue has narrow lanes and high traffic volumes, there is no other reasonable alternative that is as direct and flat. Beginning on Columbus Avenue at North Point Street, the route follows Columbus Avenue to the Washington Street/Clay Street one-way couplet, which connects to the Sansome Street/Battery Street one-way couplet to provide access to the Financial District. The Sansome Street/Battery Street couplet is recommended over the Kearny Street/Montgomery Street one-way couplet due to the wider curb lanes and either lower or comparable traffic volumes as compared with Sansome and Battery Streets. The route continues south of Market Street via Second Street to Route 5(King Street/The Embarcadero). Route 11 also connects with Route 36 (Townsend Street). It is recommended that a traffic lane be removed on Second Street to stripe bike lanes in both directions. Second Street is a port truck route, so any restriping will take truck traffic into consideration. Care needs to be taken to minimize potential truck-bicycle conflicts and further study is needed to determine whether potential truck-bicycle conflicts can be adequately minimized on this route.

Route 17: Stockton Street

To serve Chinatown, the Union Square shopping district and the Financial District, Stockton Street is recommended between Broadway and the Sutter Street/Post Street one-way couplet. It has heavy traffic volumes, as do parallel routes, but its tunnel provides access through Nob Hill, not available on parallel routes. Lastly, Stockton Street is centrally located between the routes on The Embarcadero and Polk Street. Thus, Stockton Street is recommended as the best alternative to fill what would otherwise be a gap in the bikeway network. Note that cyclists cannot access northbound Route 17 from eastbound Route 16 (Post Street), since Stockton Street is one-way southbound between Sutter and Post Streets. It is recommended that they be routed via Post Street, Grant Avenue, Sutter Street, to Stockton Street.

To improve cycling conditions in the tunnel, lane restriping is recommended so that a northbound bike lane can be striped. Since this is the uphill direction, cyclists will be generally traveling slower than motor vehicles and would benefit from a bike lane. In the southbound (downhill) direction, most cyclists should be able to travel at speeds comparable to motor vehicles and the need for a bike lanes is less crucial. As an additional measure that would improve cycling conditions and safety in the Stockton Tunnel, the removal of one of the two southbound travel lanes should be considered. Then, both northbound and southbound bike lanes could be striped in the tunnel.

Route 19: Fifth Street

A major bikeway connection between Route 36 (Townsend Street) and Route 50 (Market Street) is needed. Fifth Street is recommended due to its central location between The Embarcadero and Van Ness Avenue and its relatively low bus volumes. By restriping 5th Street with two northbound lanes and one southbound lane, 6-foot bike lanes can be striped. The adjacent streets appear to have enough capacity to absorb the diversion of southbound traffic. (Currently there is less southbound traffic than northbound traffic on Fifth Street). Additional detailed analysis of this traffic lane reduction will be needed before this recommendation is implemented, with particular attention given to the 5th Street freeway on and off ramps. Cyclists on this route can also connect via Market Street to and from Route 20 (Turk Street/Golden Gate Avenue). This route continues via Townsend Street (Route 36) to Fourth Street, connecting with Route 5 at Third Street. It is acknowledged that the General Plan's Transportation Element classifies 4th Street between Townsend Street and 3rd Street as an important truck route, a Transit Important Street in the Transit Priority Streets Network, and a Major Arterial. Provisions will be made to accommodate bicycles without interfering with the operation of the other primary transportation modes on this segment of 4th Street.

Route 23: 7th Street & 8th Street Couplet/Mississippi Street/Mariposa Street

The 7th Street/8th Street one-way couplet is recommended to connect South of Market, China Basin and Potrero Hill. In order to provide this vital connection through the heart of South of Market, north of Townsend Street 7th Street is recommended as the northbound route and 8th Street is recommended as the southbound route. South of Townsend Street, Route 23 continues via the two-way portion of 7th Street, Mississippi Street, and Mariposa Street, where it ends at Route 7 (Indiana Street). Route 7 provides a connection to the 22nd Street CalTrain Station. It is acknowledged that the General Plan's Transportation Element classifies 8th Street between Market Street and Townsend Street as an important truck route and a Major Arterial. Provisions will be made to accommodate bicycles without interfering with the operation of the other primary transportation modes on this segment of 8th Street.

Route 123: Kansas Street

This route connects Route 23 (7th Street/8th Street) and Route 36 (Townsend Street/13th Street) with Route 40 (17th Street), that in turn connects with Route 25 (Potrero Avenue). It provides access to Potrero Hill from the Civic Center and the CalTrain Depot (via Townsend Street).

Route 25: Polk Street/11th Street/Harrison Street/Potrero Avenue/

Bayshore Boulevard/San Bruno Avenue

To connect Aquatic Park, Civic Center, the Mission District, Bernal Heights, Bay View and Visitacion Valley, Route 25 is recommended. It begins at Route 2 (Northpoint Street) and proceeds south on Polk Street to Route 50 (Market Street). Polk Street north of Pine Street is recommended since it is the safest and most convenient alternative due to the steep grades on Larkin Street and the high traffic volumes on Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. Polk Street is a commercial two-way street with one lane in each direction north of Vallejo Street. It has two southbound lanes and one northbound lane south of Vallejo Street. Restriping Polk Street between Vallejo Street and Golden Gate Avenue with one lane in each direction and 5-foot wide bike lanes is recommended. The potential increase in double parking resulting from bike lanes and its effect on traffic flow needs to be considered. Traffic studies will need to be conducted to determine the impact of removing a southbound lane. Between Turk Street and Market Street, Larkin Street would be designated the northbound route, since Polk Street is one-way southbound between Grove and Market Streets.

If the above is not adopted, Polk Street is still recommended as the southbound bicycle route due to favorable grades and the two travel lanes which enable motorists to easily pass bicycles. However, if the one narrow northbound travel lane is not widened, the recommended northbound route is Larkin Street from Market to Turk Streets, then Turk Street to Polk Street. This has bicycles sharing existing narrow lanes, but Larkin Street has multiple lanes (as opposed to northbound Polk Street) so that motorists can more easily pass bicycles. This Polk Street/Larkin Street one-way couplet alternative is inferior to providing bike lanes on Polk Street. It does not improve bicycling safety and only provides routing information and signing and would not appeal to casual cyclists.

If a lane of Polk Street is not eliminated, northbound cyclists are routed via 11th, Market, Larkin, and Turk Streets. The southbound route is via Polk, 10th, Howard, and 11th Streets. Eleventh Street cannot be accessed from westbound Market Street. Improvements will need to be made at the intersection of Polk, Fell, 10th, and Market Streets to safely enable cyclists to travel from the right lane of Polk Street to the right lane of 10th Street. One possibility is a cut through the median separating Polk and Fell Streets. Cyclists could then cross Fell Street to position themselves in Fell Street's right through lane before crossing Market Street. Howard Street was chosen as the connector to 11th Street since Mission Street has heavy bus traffic and its right lane is narrower than 10th Street's right lane between Mission and Howard Streets. This plan does not recommend any more median cut-throughs. However, if any unanticipated median cut-throughs are considered in the future, the City's Disability Access Coordinator will be notified early-on in the process.

Eleventh Street, between Market and 13th Streets, should be restriped, where possible, to include a 6-foot bike lane in both directions. Between Folsom and Harrison Streets, 11th Street has two 30-foot travel lanes. Between Market and Folsom Streets, the restriping of 11th Street from two southbound lanes and one northbound lane to one lane in each direction should be analyzed. This would permit the striping of continuous bike lanes on both sides of the street.

The route continues from 11th to Harrison Streets. Harrison Street should also be restriped to include 6-foot bike lanes between 11th and Cesar Chavez Streets. A travel lane would need to be eliminated between 16th and 22nd Streets. From Harrison Street the route continues to Potrero Avenue via 17th Street (also Route 40). Potrero Avenue is recommended between 17th Street and its intersection with Cesar Chavez Street and Bayshore Boulevard at US 101. Potrero Avenue should be restriped with wide curb lanes between 17th and 23rd Streets.

The connection between Potrero Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard is important for the continuity of this route, which serves the City's eastern industrial districts as well as Bayview, Hunters Point and 3Com Park. The Potrero Avenue/Cesar Chavez Street/Bayshore Boulevard/US 101 interchange is a major challenge for cyclists. To continue on Route 25 in either direction through this interchange, cyclists must weave across several lanes of fast moving traffic onto raised ramps, overcrossings and off-ramps. A conceptual plan for accommodating northbound and southbound cyclists through this interchange and making vehicular traffic aware of bicycles is presented in Figure 3-3. Another alternative is Route 525 (Twenty Third Street/Kansas Street) described below.

One possibility to improve bicycle access and safety through this intersection is to construct a new path to connect the existing path on the south side of Cesar Chavez Street with Bayshore Boulevard to the south along the edge of the freeway ramp. A long-term recommendation is to create a bike overcrossing of Cesar Chavez Street (which is depressed at this location) from the intersection of Potrero Avenue and 25th Street to connect to this same existing path. This would eliminate the need for bikes to use the circuitous 23rd Street/Kansas Street route. Another possible improvement for westbound cyclists is to build a bike overcrossing from the north side of Cesar Chavez Street, beginning just west of the US 101 on-ramp to the Potrero Avenue crossover. This would carry westbound cyclists over the high-speed southbound US 101 off-ramp to westbound Cesar Chavez Street. Until these improvements are made, the recommended temporary route (southbound only) is: path from Cesar Chavez Street to Marin Street, east sidewalk of Bayshore Boulevard, Jerrold Avenue, Barneveld Avenue, Loomis Street, Oakdale Avenue, and Bayshore Boulevard. The northbound route follows Bayshore Boulevard to the path to Cesar Chavez Street.

From Potrero Avenue, Route 25 continues via Bayshore Boulevard to Route 5 (Third Street), which continues south to San Mateo County. Until bicycle related improvements are made at the Bayshore Boulevard/ Third Street/US 101 intersection, the following interim route is recommended: Bayshore Boulevard, Paul Avenue, and San Bruno Avenue to Route 5 (Bayshore Boulevard).

Route 125: Eleventh Street (Southbound - between Market and Howard Streets)

This is a two block connector between eastbound Route 50 (Market Street) and southbound Route 25 (11th Street) or eastbound Route 30 (Howard Street).

Route 325: Eleventh Street (between 13th and Harrison Streets)

This is a one block connector between Routes 25 (11th Street) and 36 (13th Street).

Route 525: Twenty Third Street/Kansas Street

This route was designed to direct cyclists around the Potrero Avenue/Cesar Chavez Street/Bayshore Boulevard/US 101 interchange. It routes them east of US 101, north of Cesar Chavez Street, and avoids this difficult intersection. The route begins at Route 25 (Potrero Avenue) and crosses US 101 via 23rd Street, continuing via Kansas, 26th, and Vermont Streets to Route 60 (Cesar Chavez Street). Implementation of this route requires the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Vermont Street and Cesar Chavez Street to enable cyclists to easily and safely cross Cesar Chavez Street. It also requires access to the existing path on the south side of Cesar Chavez Street.

Route 33: Harrison Street

This route provides cyclists traveling on Route 25 (11th Street/Harrison Street) the opportunity to remain on Harrison Street south of 17th Street to Cesar Chavez Street. Harrison Street is recommended for bike lanes between 11th Street and Cesar Chavez Street. A travel lane would need to be eliminated between 16th and 22nd Streets (Also see Route 25). From the Mission District and Bernal Heights, this route would connect directly to the proposed Treat Avenue/Division Street/Mission Creek Bike Path (described in the Recreation Element - Recommendations Section), leading to Mission Bay, the proposed baseball stadium, and The Embarcadero Promenade.

Route 45: Steiner Street/Webster Street/Octavia Street/Valencia Street/

Chenery Street/Cayuga Avenue

This route provides the least steep southbound ascent of Pacific Heights and crosses San Francisco to connect the Marina with San Mateo County and the Daly City BART Station. It also connects several east-west routes. It begins at Greenwich Street (Route 6) as a signed route on Steiner Street and continues south through Pacific Heights and the Western Addition, merging with Route 20 (the Turk Street/Golden Gate Avenue one-way couplet). Using Steiner Street avoids the steep hills between Sutter and Clay Streets. It continues south via Webster Street (also see Route 345 description). To connect to Valencia Street avoiding the hill to the south, the route continues via Fulton and Octavia Streets to Market Street. Fulton Street was chosen over Grove Street, since it is wider and qualifies as a street with wide curb lanes. Differing northbound and southbound routes are recommended to connect Octavia and Valencia Streets. The northbound route is Valencia, McCoppin, and Octavia Streets, as the left turn from Valencia Street to Market Street is prohibited. The southbound route is Octavia, Market, and Valencia Streets, since the high volume of left turning traffic from McCoppin to Market Streets makes it difficult for cyclists to travel straight through this intersection and relatively easy for them to turn left onto Market Street.

Continuing on Valencia Street, it provides a connection to the heart of the Mission District. Valencia Street is recommended to connect the Mission and Bernal Heights Districts, as it is the first flat street east of Twin Peaks and is therefore preferable to adjacent parallel streets. Funds have been obtained to remove the existing five-foot median in order to stripe wider curb lanes to increase bicycle safety. However, to improve this facility for bicyclists even more, particularly to casual cyclists, consideration should be given to restriping it from four to three travel lanes and bike lanes in both directions. There are numerous other north-south arterials to accommodate any potential diversion of traffic from Valencia Street: Mission Street, Guerrero Street, Dolores Street, South Van Ness Avenue, etc. However, as with other recommended travel lane eliminations, additional detailed analysis, including the effects of diversion of traffic to parallel streets, especially Guerrero Street, will be needed before this recommendation can be implemented. Additionally, the potential increase in double parking resulting from bike lanes and its effect on traffic flow needs to be considered. Valencia Street could be restriped to have one northbound lane, one southbound lane and a left-turn lane at each intersection. Alternatively, it could be striped to have one northbound and two southbound lanes, or one southbound and two northbound lanes.

South of Route 60 (Cesar Chavez Street), access to the southwest part of the City is recommended via low traffic volume streets that should be redesigned as Bicycle Priority Streets (Tiffany Avenue and 29th, Dolores, 30th, Chenery and Diamond Streets). From Diamond Street cyclists can connect with westbound Route 70 (Circular Avenue/Monterey Boulevard) to Saint Francis Woods, Stern Grove, and San Francisco State University, eastbound Route 70 (Silver Avenue) to the Bay View District, or continue on Route 45 to San Mateo County and the Daly City BART Station via Cayuga Avenue, Ottawa Avenue, Alemany Boulevard, and San Jose Avenue. Cayuga Avenue is recommended as a calmer, lower traffic volume street and thus a safer alternative to Alemany Boulevard. Traffic calming may be feasible for the Cayuga Avenue portion of this route.

Route 345: Webster Street

Webster Street provides a connection between Route 16 (Sutter Street/Post Street one-way couplet) and Route 30 (Duboce Avenue). By restriping to narrow the inside travel lanes on Webster Street between Sutter and Grove Streets, 6-foot bike lanes can be provided. The route then jogs via Hermann and Church Streets to merge with Route 30 at Duboce Avenue. Connections can also be made here with Route 50 (Market Street)

Route 545: McCoppin Street/Valencia Street

McCoppin Street between Market and Valencia Streets provides a connection between eastbound Route 50 (Market Street) and southbound Route 45 (Valencia Street). Valencia Street between McCoppin and Market Streets provides a connection between northbound Route 45 (Valencia Street) and eastbound Route 50 (Market Street).

Route 47: Scott Street/Sanchez Street

Route 47 connects the Western Addition and Eureka Valley neighborhoods. It begins at Route 20 (the Turk Street/Golden Gate Avenue couplet) and continues via Scott, Waller, and Sanchez Streets. The portion of Route 47 south of Oak Street and north of Duboce Avenue is coincident with Route 30 (the "Wiggle"). Route 47 also provides connections to Route 32 (Page Street), Golden Gate Park, and Route 50 (Market Street) to Downtown and the Castro. It ends at Route 40 (17th Street), which provides a connection to the Mission District and Potrero Hill.

Route 49: Eureka Street/Jersey Street/Sanchez Street

To connect the Castro, Noe Valley and Bernal Heights neighborhoods, this route uses Eureka, 23rd, Diamond, Jersey, Sanchez, and 30th Streets, is recommended. In the northbound direction, cyclists are routed from Eureka Street to Corbett Avenue via Market and Douglass Streets because the northernmost block of Eureka Street is one-way southbound. Bicycle Priority Street treatment from Eureka and 17th Streets to Sanchez and Jersey Streets would improve its attractiveness to bicyclists. A short Bicycle Priority Street spur on Diamond Street (Route 749), connects this route to Route 60 (Clipper Street). (Note that Route 49 is coincident with Route 44 (22nd Street/Chattanooga Street/Jersey Street/Diamond Street/ Eureka Street/Romain Street) between Sanchez Street /Jersey Street intersection and the Eureka Street/21st Street intersection).

Route 749: Diamond Street

This signed route on Diamond Street connects Route 49 (Jersey Street/Diamond Street) with Route 60 (Clipper Street) and provides a connection from Noe Valley to the Twin Peaks area.

Route 55: Presidio Boulevard & Avenue/Masonic Avenue/Downey Street/

Ashbury Street/Corbett Avenue/Portola Drive/

O'Shaughnessy Boulevard

This route provides a connection between the Presidio, the Geary Boulevard shopping district, the Panhandle, Upper Market and Glen Park. Beginning at the intersection of Presidio Boulevard and Lombard Street (Route 4), the route traverses the Presidio, runs between Pacific Heights and Laurel Heights to the Panhandle via Presidio and Masonic Avenues. It connects with Route 10 (Sutter Street/Post Street one-way couplet) to the Financial District and via Route 20 (Turk Street) to the University of San Francisco.

While southbound experienced cyclists may choose to divert to Masonic Avenue at Pine Street, the recommended route continues south on Presidio Avenue to and connects with Masonic Avenue at Geary Boulevard. This routing was selected because it avoids the heavily trafficked and channelized intersection of Geary at Masonic. In addition, there is an existing all-way STOP at Presidio Avenue and Geary Boulevard that helps bicyclists cross Geary Boulevard.

From the Panhandle, the route continues via Downey Street (southbound, which is recommended as a Bicycle Priority Street) and Ashbury Street (northbound), Clayton Street, and Corbett Avenue to Portola Drive. Cyclists destined for Stern Grove or Ocean Beach can connect with Route 50 on Portola Drive. Those bound for Saint Francis Woods or San Francisco State University can branch off on Route 65 (Santa Clara Avenue).

Route 55 continues on O'Shaughnessy Boulevard and Bosworth Street, past Glen Canyon Park to the Glen Canyon neighborhood, where access is provided to northbound Route 45 (Chenery Street), southbound Route 45 (Cayuga Avenue), and Route 70 (Hearst Avenue/Monterrey Boulevard).

O'Shaughnessy Boulevard should be restriped to provide bike lanes by narrowing the median from eight feet to four feet. Eight-foot-wide bike lanes are recommended in the downhill direction and six-foot-wide bike lanes are recommended in the uphill direction. If head-on collisions are a concern, a Jersey barrier can be placed in the median.

While O'Shaughnessy Boulevard is used by some, generally experienced, cyclists, its high volumes of fast traffic, steep grade, many sharp curves, and high accident history prompt many others to use the sidewalk bicycle path along its north side. O'Shaughnessy Boulevard is especially important to cyclists and was included in the route network because it is the only street directly connecting the Glen Park BART Station, the Glen Park shopping district, Mcateer High School, Glen Canyon Park, and the Glen Park and Mount Davidson/Twin Peaks neighborhoods.

The ten-foot asphalt sidewalk path, that includes shorter segments of eight-foot sidewalk path, should be retained as a bicycle route and be rehabilitated to correct asphalt cracking due to tree roots. Some narrow and obstructed segments should be widened and relocated. Approximately 250 feet of path should be rebuilt around and away from a large tree that has severely cracked and buckled the path. Narrow portions of the path should be widened and the entire length of the asphalt path should be slurry-sealed. The path could be striped to improved safety. Vegetation along the path should be significantly pruned back to provide improved visibility as well as a safety shoulder. Obstacles in the path, such as a MUNI bus shelter and signs should be relocated to widen the clear space on this facility for all users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and the disabled.

Route 61: Arguello Boulevard/Sheridan Avenue (in the Presidio)

Arguello Boulevard and Sheridan Avenue are recommended in the Presidio to provide a connector route between Route 4 (Lincoln Boulevard) and Route 65 (Washington Boulevard).

Route 65: Washington Boulevard/Arguello Boulevard/7th Avenue/

Laguna Honda Boulevard/Dewey Boulevard/Santa Clara Avenue

Route 65 will provide a route parallel to and east of Route 75 (23rd Avenue/20th Avenue) to SF State University. From Lincoln Boulevard (Routes 2 and 95) in the Presidio, the southbound route is via Ralston, Greenough, and Kobbe Avenues, Harrison Boulevard to Washington Boulevard. The northbound route remains on Washington Boulevard to Lincoln Boulevard. Detailed recommendations within the Presidio are beyond the scope of this study, but the most popular northbound bicycle route, which has been followed by Routes 65 and 95, appears to be Arguello, Washington, and Lincoln Boulevards, Merchant Road and through the toll plaza undercrossing. The Golden Gate Bridge District should consider opening the entrance to the bicycle path from the west side approach off Merchant Road so bicyclists could avoid the pedestrian traffic around the visitor center.

Route 65 continues via Washington and Arguello Boulevards, then Conservatory Drive (in Golden Gate Park), connecting the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. It is recommended to reduce the number of lanes on Arguello from four to three between Lake Street and Fulton Street in order to stripe bike lanes. The revised lane striping can either be two lanes in one direction and one in the opposite, or one lane in each direction with a left-turn at each intersection.

In the park, the route continues via Bowling Green Drive and exits via a short path to Lincoln Way at 5th Avenue. The route continues on Hugo Street to 7th Avenue. At Parnassus Avenue, Route 40 will take bicyclists east to the UC Medical Center, the Castro, Mission, and Potrero Hill. The route continues via Laguna Honda Boulevard, which should be restriped to reduce the existing 8-foot painted median to 4 feet and to enable the striping of bike lanes. As a possible alternative to the section of Laguna Honda Boulevard adjacent to the reservoir north of Clarendon Avenue, the feasibility of building a separate bicycle path along the reservoir should be explored.

The route continues on Dewey Boulevard (which should be striped with bike lanes), Claremont Boulevard, jogs on Portola Drive to Santa Clara Avenue, jogs on Monterey Boulevard to San Benito Way, jogs on Ocean Avenue to Cedro Avenue, and ends at Route 75 (Lunado Way) at Mercedes and Lunado Ways. It provides access to San Francisco State University from the Haight, areas north of the Haight and the inner Richmond. There are two sets of three speed bumps on Cedro Avenue between Ocean Avenue and Mercedes Way and three sets of three speed bumps on Lunado Way (Route 75) between Mercedes Way and Estero Avenue. Speed humps and/or the establishment of Bicycle Priority Streets on Cedro Avenue and Lunado Way would be a better alternative to the existing speed bumps. The removal of the STOP sign on Claremont Boulevard at Ulloa Street is also recommended, if possible.

Route 165: Jackson Street/Cherry Street

Route 165 provides southbound cyclists on Route 65 (Presidio Avenue) a short-cut to the Pacific Heights and Marina Districts. The route begins off of Route 65 on to Jackson Street and then on to Cherry Street, where a connection is established to Route 10 (Clay Street).

Route 365: Kezar Drive Multi-Use Path

The Kezar Drive Multi-use Path (between John F. Kennedy Drive and Lincoln Way) provides a very important connection from Market Street and the Haight (via Route 30 (the Panhandle Multi-use Path) or Route 32 (Page Street)) to Route 65 (5th Avenue, Hugo Street and 7th Avenue). Route 65 will provide access to West Portal, SFSU, and via connection with Route 40 (Kirkham Street and Parnassus Avenue) to the Sunset and UC Medical Center.

Currently there is a gap in the Kezar Drive Path between Haight Street and John F. Kennedy Drive. A new path should be built on the east side of Kezar Drive to fill in this gap and the existing path should be upgraded where necessary. This two-way path would not cross any streets due to the proposed closure of Waller Street and Arguello Boulevard on the east side of Kezar Drive. At Lincoln Way, a traffic signal should be installed.

Route 565: Martin Luther King Jr. Drive

In order to provide a spur between Route 65 (Bowling Green Drive) and Route 365 (Kezar Drive Multi-use Path) within Golden Gate Park, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive is recommended.

Route 765: Golden Gate Park Bicycle Path

To provide direct access to St. Mary's Hospital, University of San Francisco and Golden Gate Park, the existing bicycle path at the North-East outlet of the park is recommended. This will provide access to Route 65 (West Conservatory Drive) and Route 30 (Panhandle Multi-use Path/John F. Kennedy Drive).

Route 965: Conservatory Drive East

This signed route in Golden Gate Park connects John F. Kennedy Drive (Route 30) with Arguello Boulevard (Route 65) via Conservatory Drive East.

Route 69: Battery Caulfield Road/15th Avenue/Funston Avenue

This route provides a connection between Route 65 (Washington Boulevard) in the Presidio and Route 30 (John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park). From Washington Boulevard in the Presidio, this route follows Battery Caulfield Road, Wedemeyer Street, 15th Avenue, Cabrillo Street, Funston Avenue, and the existing path in Golden Gate Park. Traffic Calming techniques should be explored along 15th Avenue, a residential street. This route will serve the Inner Richmond District by providing access to both San Francisco State University via Route 75 (20th Avenue) and to the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin County via Route 65.

Route 75: 25th Avenue/23rd Avenue/Transverse Drive/20th Avenue/

Lunado Way/Beverly Street/Daly City BART Station

This route serves the Richmond District, Golden Gate Park, Inner Sunset, Parkside, Stern Grove, San Francisco State University (SFSU), Ingleside, and the Daly City BART Station. A spur, Route 775 (San Francisco State University), provides a connection to SFSU.

Beginning with the existing bike lanes on 25th Avenue between El Camino del Mar and Lake Street, cyclists can connect to 23rd Avenue via the Lake Street bike lanes. Traffic Calming/Bicycle Priority Street treatment is recommended for 23rd Avenue. The route continues via Transverse Drive in Golden Gate Park. A new Class I bicycle path will need to be constructed to connect Transverse Drive to 23rd Avenue at Fulton Street. The existing multi-use path connecting Transverse Drive and 20th Avenue at Lincoln Way should be improved.

A traffic signal is recommended at Lincoln Way and 20th Avenue to improve safety at the Lincoln Way crossing. Twentieth Avenue is recommended since 23rd Avenue is not a through street south of Sloat Boulevard. Twentieth Avenue is preferred to 19th Avenue since it has much less traffic but is just as direct. However, 20th Avenue has many two-way STOP signs. Traffic calming techniques should be pursued to reduce the number of stops along 20th Avenue. Of course, those bicyclists wishing to travel on 19th Avenue may still do so.

For travel south through Stern Grove, a new Class I bicycle path is recommended along its eastern perimeter, jogging around existing trees as necessary. To improve safety and to eliminate any time restrictions (when the park is closed), the path or fencing should be relocated such that the path is outside the fencing around Stern Grove. As an alternate, the existing Stern Grove paths (along with lighting) could be improved. The path should continue on the south side of Stern Grove between 19th and 21st Avenues. A traffic signal at 21st Avenue and Sloat Boulevard is recommended to enable bicycles in both directions to safely cross Sloat Boulevard and continue on 21st Avenue. As is the case for the previous recommendation for signals at 20th Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard, bicycle funding will be sought if the signals are installed to improve conditions for bicyclists. Until a new path is built along the east side of Stern Grove, the existing path can be best accessed via Wawona Street at 21st Avenue. Until a new path is built along the south side of Stern Grove and a traffic signal installed, southbound cyclists can travel west on Sloat Boulevard from the existing Stern Grove path and turn left at 21st Avenue (either from the left lane or using the crosswalk), then left on Ocean Avenue to 20th Avenue. Northbound cyclists can turn right on Sloat Boulevard from 20th Avenue and access the Stern Grove path by crossing Sloat Boulevard at 19th Avenue using the west crosswalk.

Route 775: San Francisco State University

South of Eucalyptus Drive, an attractive route to SF State University (SFSU) is made impossible by Stonestown Shopping Center and 19th Avenue. It is recommended that bicycle traffic be routed via 20th Avenue and then directed to the Stonestown Shopping Center parking lot's access road to the southerly part of Buckingham Way. While this is not ideal, it is currently used by many SFSU students and is preferred to 19th Avenue due to the fast and heavy traffic volumes on 19th Avenue.

Although many southbound bicyclists from Route 75 (20th Avenue) ride on the roadway of 19th Avenue as opposed to the sidewalk, northbound bicyclists from SFSU whose destination is west of 19th Avenue tend to ride on the sidewalk on the west side of 19th Avenue alongside the campus. If these cyclists used the east side of 19th Avenue, they would have to cross 19th Avenue twice in order to reach 20th Avenue north of Buckingham Way.

Thus, to facilitate and legitimize the current practice, it is recommended that the route continue as a two-way sidewalk bicycle path on the west side of 19th Avenue from Buckingham Way south for about 1,000 feet, as this is the only possible connection to SFSU. For this one block between Buckingham Way and the first fire road to SFSU to the south, a two-way bicycle path should be created using a 54" high fence or some other means of separation to divide the bicycle path from traffic. Access from Holloway Avenue to this path or SFSU would be via existing SFSU paths. The bicycle path would need to be two-way to compensate for the inability for cyclists to turn left on 19th Avenue when exiting SFSU. At Buckingham Way, motorists should be warned of northbound bicycles turning left into Buckingham Way. Parking along the west side of 19th Avenue will need to be prohibited for this short section. A conceptual design of this recommenda

Route 85: Legion of Honor Drive/34th Avenue/Lake Merced Boulevard

This route connects Sea Cliff, Lincoln Park, outer Richmond, Golden Gate Park, Sunset, Parkside, Lake Merced neighborhoods, and San Mateo County, via 34th Avenue and Lake Merced Boulevard. It begins as a signed route along Legion of Honor Drive at Route 95 (El Camino del Mar) in Lincoln Park and continues on 34th Avenue. Thirty-fourth Avenue is recommended as a Bicycle Priority Street between Clement and Cabrillo Streets.

Route 75 jogs to 36th Avenue at Cabrillo Street (Route 20). From 36th Avenue it is a signed route to Route 30 (John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park). It continues south through the park via the north access road to the Polo Field, the Polo Field bicycle track, and a path to Lincoln Way and 34th Avenue. A traffic signal should be installed to provide cyclists with a safer crossing of Lincoln Way at 34th Avenue. Pending the future installation of this signal, a detour via a path to the Sunset Boulevard under crossing of Lincoln Way, the Sunset Boulevard Path, and Irving Street to 34th Avenue is recommended to avoid the uncontrolled crossing of Lincoln Way at 34th Avenue.

Thirty-fourth Avenue and Clearfield Drive should be designated as Bicycle Priority Streets between Lincoln Way and Lake Merced Boulevard. Sunset Boulevard was not chosen for this route because the widening of Sunset Boulevard to provide bike lanes would give cyclists more space on the road, but would not attract the casual or novice rider. Bike lanes would be considerably more expensive because the curb would need to be relocated the full length of Sunset Boulevard. The existing path on the west side of Sunset Boulevard was not chosen for this route because of the conflicts between through cyclists and right turning motorists at each intersection.

Between Vicente and Yorba Streets, 34th Avenue becomes one-way southbound. Therefore, the northbound route jogs on Yorba Street and travels on 35th Avenue to Vicente Street then rejoins 34th Avenue. The route continues via 34th Avenue and Clearfield Drive.

From the intersection of Clearfield Drive and Ocean Avenue to Lake Merced Boulevard at Middlefield Drive, the recommended southbound route is Ocean Avenue, the path just west of Sunset Boulevard, and Lake Merced Boulevard. The recommended northbound route is Middlefield Drive, Gellert Drive, and Clearfield Drive. The path west of Sunset Boulevard provides access to either Lake Merced Boulevard or the adjacent multi-use path around Lake Merced (Route 885).

This southbound routing was selected to avoid having southbound cyclists turn left onto Lake Merced Boulevard, which has very high traffic volumes. There are no traffic signals on Lake Merced Boulevard at either Sunset Boulevard or Clearfield Drive, but there is one where Ocean Avenue crosses Sunset Boulevard. The portion of the route on the Sunset Boulevard Path does not cross any streets. A possible alternative to the Sunset Boulevard Path would be to build a short Class I path from the north end of the striped crosswalk on Lake Merced Boulevard (west of Sunset Boulevard) to Lakeshore Drive. Then Lakeshore Drive could be used instead of the Sunset Boulevard Path. In either case, the crossing of Lake Merced Boulevard is at a marked and signed crosswalk. Traffic volumes on Lake Merced Boulevard east of Sunset Boulevard are much lower than those west of Sunset Boulevard. The northbound routing diverts cyclists from Lake Merced Boulevard, a major arterial, at Middlefield Drive and avoids the Lake Merced Boulevard/Sunset Boulevard intersection. Route 85 then continues south on Lake Merced Boulevard into San Mateo County. The City has an existing project to widen Lake Merced Boulevard to provide wide curb lanes between Sunset Boulevard and Winston Drive.

The Recreation and Park Department has completed a project to provide a 4-foot jogging path around Lake Merced, along the paved path. Combined with the existing 8-foot asphalt path, which has been resurfaced, a continuous 12-foot minimum width will be available for all users. This gives cyclists the option of riding on this path between Sunset Boulevard and the San Mateo County line as an alternative to on-street Route 85.

Route 785: Sunset Boulevard Path/Ocean Avenue

This route provides a connection from eastbound Lake Merced Boulevard (Routes 86 and 885) or the Lake Merced Path to northbound Route 85 (Clearfield Drive/34th Avenue). It crosses Lake Merced Boulevard at the marked and signed crosswalk just west of Sunset Boulevard and follows southbound Route 85, but in the opposite direction.

Route 885: Lake Merced Boulevard/John Muir Drive/Skyline Boulevard

Route 885 is an on-street loop route around Lake Merced. It consists of parts of Routes 85, 86, 91, and 95. The 885 designation provides a guide for cyclists who wish to circle the lake. In addition, there is a recently resurfaced asphalt path around Lake Merced that may be used as an alternative to Route 885. See Lake Merced in the Recreational Element of this chapter.

In the clockwise direction, Route 85 follows Lake Merced Boulevard, John Muir Drive, and Skyline Boulevard back to Lake Merced Boulevard. In the counter-clockwise direction, in order to avoid the narrow lanes of Lake Merced Boulevard and the busy intersection of Sunset and Lake Merced Boulevards, Route 885 deviates from the lake at the north end. It is routed via the streets that are used for both northbound and southbound Route 85: Middlefield Drive, Gellert Drive, Clearfield Drive, Ocean Avenue, and the path just west of Sunset Boulevard back to Lake Merced Boulevard.

Route 91: Skyline Boulevard/John Muir Drive

This route serves the south and west sides of Lake Merced. It connects Route 50 (Sloat Boulevard) with Route 85 (Lake Merced Boulevard) at the San Mateo County Line. It also provides a connection with Route 95 (Skyline Boulevard/The Great Highway).

Route 91 is a signed route on Skyline Boulevard and John Muir Drive. Between the Great Highway and the intersection of Skyline Boulevard with John Muir Drive, this route has the advantage of Highway 35's wide paved shoulders. As an alternative to this on-street route south of Lake Merced Boulevard, cyclists can use the paved path along Lake Merced. See Lake Merced in the Recreational Element of this chapter.

Route 95: Lincoln Boulevard/El Camino del Mar/Great Highway/

Skyline Boulevard

This major route crosses San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge to San Mateo County. It connects the Presidio, Sea Cliff, Outer Richmond, Golden Gate Park, Outer Sunset, Parkside, and Lake Merced. In addition it is also the San Francisco portion of the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route (a state marked route along the Pacific Coast from Oregon to Mexico), providing connections to Marin County and points north and San Mateo County and points south.

Beginning with a signed route on the Golden Gate Bridge walkways, this route continues via the undercrossing of the toll plaza, Merchant Road and Lincoln Boulevard, El Camino del Mar, and Point Lobos Avenue to the Great Highway.

To fill in this route's missing gap along the former alignment of El Camino del Mar (west of Legion of Honor Drive and north of Seal Rock Drive) a long-term future addition of a Class I spur route through Lincoln Park is proposed. It would follow El Camino del Mar's former alignment and connect with Route 10 at Seal Rock Drive. Implementation would require the concurrence of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the building of a path through an unstable major landslide area. Lacking this connecting path, Route 95 will be routed via Lincoln Boulevard, El Camino del Mar, and Route 10 (30th Avenue/Clement Street/Seal Rock Drive) to the western section of El Camino del Mar.

The Great Highway offers two routes for cyclists to choose from: an on-street route on the roadway of the Great Highway and a parallel multi-use path between the roadway and the beach. The on-street route is popular with many cyclists due to its location and wide shoulders. It carries high traffic volumes and fast traffic. Sand blown onto the roadway is frequently a problem, causing the road to be closed periodically. Sand build-up is a particular problem on the west side in the area provided for pedestrians (or bicyclists) to wait to cross at the signalized intersections. While experienced cyclists prefer the direct travel and infrequent stops of the Great Highway roadway, the highway feel of this route is intimidating to beginning cyclists. The adjacent multi-use path is slow and narrow, but is suitable for leisurely cyclists whose purpose is primarily to ride near the ocean. The Golden Gate Park Master Plan calls for this path to be extended north to Fulton Street. Destination-oriented cyclists will prefer to use the Great Highway roadway.

It is recommended that the Great Highway itself be part of this major route along the City. Many casual cyclists, especially with children, will prefer the adjacent multi-use path. Thus, it is also recommended that the adjacent path be widened, and that the crossings of the path with Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard receive the recommended treatment described in Chapter 5 for a bicycle path crossing a street.

The route continues to San Mateo County via Skyline Boulevard (State Highway 35). Highway 35 has wide paved shoulders. Given that the striping of bike lanes would require Caltrans approval, and that generally only experienced bicyclists use this road, wide shoulders are considered sufficient.

Route 195: Kobbe Avenue

This is a one block connector between Route 95 (Lincoln Boulevard) and Route 65 (Washington Boulevard).

Route 295: Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot Roadway

This route connects Route 2 (Lincoln Boulevard) and the Golden Gate Bridge walkways (Route 95) via the Golden Gate Bridge parking lot roadway.

Route 395 El Camino del Mar

As a scenic alternative to Route 95 between the intersection of El Camino del Mar/30th Avenue and the intersection of Clement Street/34th Avenue, cyclists may wish to continue along El Camino del Mar and Route 85 (Legion of Honor Drive). This route traverses Lincoln Park and passes the Palace of the Legion of Honor. From Legion of Honor Drive cyclists may continue to the Great Highway via Clement Street or continue on Route 85 to Golden Gate Park. If a Class I route through Lincoln Park is built, the portion of Route 395 west of 30th Avenue will become Route 95. See Route 95 (Lincoln Boulevard/El Camino del Mar/Great Highway/Skyline Boulevard).

Golden Gate Park

All bicycle routes and paths recommended in the Golden Gate Park Master Plan are also part of the Bicycle Plan's route network. These include routes for bicycle circulation within the park as well as spurs to connect the park with citywide bicycle routes and local streets. Both the Golden Gate Park Master Plan and the Bicycle Plan have been revised so that the bicycle routes in and surrounding Golden Gate Park are consistent.

RECREATIONAL ELEMENT

Introduction

San Francisco has been widely acclaimed as being one of the world's most beautiful cities with its picturesque, magnificent natural and urban setting. The recreational element attempts to enhance public access and enjoyment of this setting through the use of the City's recreational bikeways and facilities.

Recreational cycling is often a prelude to bicycle commuting. The more people who become interested in bicycling for fun and fitness, the more potential bicycle commuters there will be. Thus, efforts to promote recreational bicycling can be construed as efforts to promote bicycle commuting and its inherent environmental benefits such as reduced energy consumption, reduced hydrocarbon emissions, etc. People of all ages and all athletic abilities can enjoy bicycling, since it is a low impact aerobic activity. Although most of this report focuses on the bicycle as a transportation mode, we must not forget that bicycling is also just plain fun. The recreational element will make specific suggestions for routes and places to ride to address the recreational needs of all San Franciscans.

As discussed previously, the overall bikeway network can be used for utilitarian or recreational purposes. Improvements to bicycle routes that may primarily, but not exclusively, serve recreational bicyclists were addressed in the bikeway network recommendations. The focus of the recreational element, therefore, is not on routes per se, but on the following four areas:

Guidelines for Recreational Element

The following guidelines were used in developing the recreational routes:

* Utilize Planned Network Where Possible - The recreational element is part of the larger bikeway system. Combine, where appropriate, with other bicycle elements to maximize cost efficiency, implementation access and maintenance.

* Public Access - Identify and provide different recreational bicycling facilities for all parts of the City.

* Regional Recreation Facility Improvements - Expand and improve existing trails in established regional recreational areas.

Recreation Element - Recommendations

Youth and Family - Learning facilities for young children and the beginning rider are proposed at various locations throughout the City. Trails for group cyclists such as families who want to ride together are also identified.

Learning facilities are recommended in Golden Gate Park, Lake Merced Park, McLaren Park, 3Com Park/Candlestick State Recreation Area (on days when there are no games), the Presidio (one site off Lincoln Boulevard and a second on Crissy Field) and Mission Bay (at China Basin). Locations of recreation facilities are shown on the attached Map 3.

* Golden Gate Park - The Draft Golden Gate Park Master Plan recommends closing John F. Kennedy Drive during specific hours on Sundays and some holidays. The park is a regional attraction, and such action would significantly improve its attractiveness to family and general recreation riders. A learning facility is planned as a loop road in the interior of the park. This plan supports both recommendations.

* Lake Merced - When this plan was begun, the existing path around the lake (7 to 11 feet wide) was not ideal for adult bicycling, as it was shared by runners and walkers. Since that time the Recreation and Park Department has improved this path by widening and resurfacing. An adjacent soft-surface jogging path was also provided in some sections.

* City College, 3Com Park - Youth and family biking is envisioned for both areas during non-activity periods. Shared use of existing facilities for recreation/parking, etc. should in the future become more commonplace at other public and institutional land uses.

* Balboa Park, McLaren Park - It is recommended that the flat areas of these hilly parks be used for youth and family use. At McLaren, the top and perimeter are flat. Portions of loop road should be closed for bicycle learning area for small children.

* Mission Bay, The Embarcadero - A bicycle trail loop is proposed at the perimeter of Mission Bay as part of the Mission Bay Plan. Note that any recreational bicycle facilities for families and children would not be built or signed in industrial maritime areas. This proposal calls for recreational bicycle facilities if the Mission Bay Area is redeveloped. A bike path has also been proposed, following an abandoned railroad right-of-way along Treat Avenue and Division Street from Harrison Street in the Mission District to the north side of Mission Creek. It could connect with a multi-use path proposed along the north side of Mission Creek as part of Phase I of the Mission Bay Project and a proposed path to the east that is part of the proposed new baseball stadium project. With the continuity that these proposed paths provide, as well as a connection to The Embarcadero Promenade, they deserve serious consideration and study. A bicycle trail is also proposed along the northeast waterfront along The Embarcadero as part of The Embarcadero Waterfront Urban Design Plan.

* Lower Potrero Hill - Recreation bicycle routes are recommended along lower, flatter areas at the north edge of the district which connect the Embarcadero to Mission and Bernal Heights.

* Presidio - Lincoln Boulevard/Crissy Field - The Presidio Master Plan recommends a bicycle route on Lincoln and Washington Boulevards. In addition, it is recommended that Crissy Field be used as a bicycle learning facility for small children.

Scenic Bicycle Loop - An important component of the overall recreational element is the proposed scenic bicycle loop. The loop would have three purposes:

1. To encourage local bicyclists to do more recreational riding in the City.

A side benefit of a successful scenic loop would be a reduction in vehicle exhaust and traffic congestion at the more popular tourist destinations such as Fisherman's Wharf, Telegraph Hill, Golden Gate Park and Marina boulevard.

The idea behind the scenic bicycle loop is similar to the existing 49 mile scenic auto loop. It would be signed as a special bicycle route and could be promoted by the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) and possibly by retail bicycle shops in the City. Funding could come from the SFCVB and the advertising of bicycle shops and bicycle equipment on a map. It could also be combined with a map that shows recommended walking tours and could be sold in stores.

The proposed scenic loop will be attractive to tourists as well as City residents. It has several sub-routes and spurs to visit points of scenic or historical interest. It is envisioned that the route will be designed as a self-guided tour, so riders can choose the length of the route that suits their time frame and physical ability.

The attached Map 4 shows the proposed loop. It is certain that the exact alignment of the route will change as the route is developed with input from the bicycling community and the Convention and Visitors Bureau. When the exact route is finalized and implemented, the usefulness and success of the route will be extremely dependent on how well the route is signed.

The northern route concentrates on The Embarcadero, the Presidio and Golden Gate Park. For the more ambitious, an additional loop goes through the more southern neighborhoods, and visits Lake Merced, Mission Dolores and the Latino Cultural area along 24th Street. The route is chosen to maximize scenic potential, allow bicyclists to see as much of the City as possible, minimize conflicts with other vehicles, and to be as flat as possible. The latter, of course, limits the number of scenic high-elevation view points, so an attempt to balance both aspects was made.

It is recommended that, regardless of who publishes the map, it indicate:

Bicycle Rental Facilities - Bicycles should be available to rent for all residents and visitors of the City at convenient locations near the bicycle network. Around Golden Gate Park five stores offer bicycle rentals, due to the scenic beauty and relatively safe riding conditions of that area. As other areas of the City become safer for bicycle riding, bicycle rental facilities will follow. The City should encourage the location of these facilities to be near areas with high concentration of visitors such as Piers 33 and 35 where many cruise ships dock, Pier 41 and 43-1/2 where many excursion boats and ferries from Sausalito and Tiburon depart, and at The Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street In addition, select BART stations such as Glen Park, Civic Center, and The Embarcadero (although this could be combined with the Ferry Building facility) are recommended.

Mountain Biking - The increasing popularity of mountain bicycles has required many cities and parks to recognize and regulate their use in natural areas. In general, mountain biking does not impact trails any more than use by equestrians or hikers. However, some mountain bicyclists, like some hikers, choose to leave designated trails, which can cause erosion problems and damage to the vegetation. There also have been some problems with mountain bicycles sharing trails with equestrians and hikers, especially on narrow trails.

Multi-use off-road trails have been successfully implemented in many other parks. Hiker, equestrian, and bicyclist conflicts are less likely to occur on trails when all users know that the trail is designated for multiple uses. Any additional maintenance costs that are perceived to arise from bicycle use could be paid for by the City and/or mountain biking organizations. Additionally, restriction of bicyclists to paved surfaces only is likely to meet strong opposition from the increasingly organized mountain biking community.

Given the limited amount of natural areas within the City, it is important that off-trail riding and hiking be controlled and resources protected. However, in order to serve the large, and growing, number of mountain bicyclists in the City, multi-use trails need to be designated to discourage off-trail riding. While detailed recommendations regarding the expansion of mountain bicycle facilities are beyond the scope of this study, a suggestion regarding potential opportunities to expand or improve off-road biking is to use some of the many dirt roads throughout Golden Gate Park and the old railroad grade along the top of the bluffs in Lincoln Park. Many bicyclists already use these dirt roads, but with designation as a multi-use trail, their use could be recognized and regulated.

Recommendations for Future Planning Efforts

In new developments and re-development areas such as Mission Bay, The Embarcadero, etc. a dedicated bicycle recreational element should be required as part of their circulation/open space plan. These elements should also indicate connections with the total bikeway system.

It is recommended that the City work with the Port and the National Park Service to develop a waterfront bicycle path the full length of the waterfront from Hunters Point to the Golden Gate Bridge and along the ocean front to Fort Funston.

RECOMMENDED SIGN PROGRAM

A bicycle route signage program is critical to the successful implementation of the City's bicycle route network. Bicycle route signs, like highway signs, must be consistent throughout the system and easily recognizable to the bicyclist and motorist alike. Using a unique logo or other identifying symbol or to distinguish the bicycle route signs from highway signs is useful. At a minimum, the bicycle route signs should include the identifying logo, the route number (if a numbering system is being used) and the direction of travel. Signs for regional routes that coincide with City routes should accompany the City signage along the route segments that are shared.

The route designation programs in Denver, CO and Dallas, TX were reviewed in the process of developing a program for San Francisco. Both cities have adopted a route numbering system, a distinctive system logo and customized sign designs. The following program for San Francisco includes recommendations for route numbering, sign design, and sign placement.

Route Numbering System - The numbering systems adopted in Dallas and Denver are patterned after the established federal highway numbering system, using a system of odd number routes running north-south and even number routes running east-west. The proposed numbering program for San Francisco also uses the even-odd differentiation. Route numbers will be assigned in ascending order from one compass point to the other, i.e. from north to south and from west to east. Numbers will be skipped in the labeling process to allow for routes added in the future. It also might be appropriate to consider the use of an additional designation to identify special-use routes such as scenic or regional routes.

Sign Design - The bicycle route system signs should include, at a minimum, the identifying system logo, route number and a directional arrow. Incorporating the route destination, distance to destination, route endpoints, compass direction and identification of crossing bicycle routes into the sign design would be more useful to the route users. The City of Denver has adopted a "bike-way-finding" sign design which includes the system logo, route number, route endpoints, and a schematic route map showing major cross streets, crossing bicycle routes, and a "you-are-here" sticker.

Variations of possible sign designs are included in Figure 3-5. Signs "A" and "B" are simple route markers including the system logo, route number and direction of travel. As shown in these samples, destination or distance placards can be added to make the sign more informative. To keep costs low, routes numbers can be applied to the appropriate signs with self-adhesive stickers. Signs "C" and "D" are much more detailed, more informative and, unfortunately, more expensive to produce. However, they could be considered cost-effective to use along high volume routes or routes with many turns. Route intersection information is very important to the bicycle network users and, at minimum, should be provided on a placard attached to the basic route map, as illustrated with Sign "E".

Because of the costs associated with manufacturing the bicycle route signs, the City of Dallas uses small self-adhesive route markers placed on poles along the route. This route marker, Sign "F" in Figure 3-5, can be used between other bicycle route signs and whenever the route does not change direction. Stickers, like that shown by Sign "G", could also be used to identify bicycle route crossings on roads not part of the route network.

Special purpose bicycle route signs are designed to accommodate the needs of a specific bicycling group. A sample scenic bicycle loop sign is presented in Figure 3-6. This sign is aimed at the out-of-town recreational bicyclist and provides a great deal of information about sights, services and transit connections available along the route. Segment distances and bicycle parking facilities should also be included. Production and installation costs could be offset by charging bicycle shops or restaurants to have their names placed on the sign.

Sign Placement - Bicycle route system signs should be placed at intervals frequent enough to make it easy to follow the route. The Basic Route Sign should be placed at major intersections, whenever the route changes direction, and at intersections with other bicycle routes. The bicycle route stickers can be used between intersections and/or between route signs. Because installation of these specialty signs can be costly, they should be placed in conjunction with other signage where ever possible.

The Schematic Route Map Sign "D" would be most effective on routes that have many crossings and intersections such as in the West Portal and Glen Park districts. Because of the curvilinear road network in these areas, it is difficult to determine where certain routes will go. Small maps of the area with routes and destinations such as depicted in "D" would be informative. Another location suggested for these more detailed signs is adjacent to projected high bicycle traffic generators, such as San Francisco State University. Recreational area maps of the Presidio and Golden Gate Park showing the locations of points of interest, parking, and restrooms would be useful for users of these parks.

The detailed Scenic Bicycle Loop sign, shown in Figure 3-6, should be placed at 2-3 mile intervals along the loop, and at all turns or changes in direction. The Basic Route Sign should be placed at major intersections, whenever the route changes direction, and at intersections with other bicycle routes. Care should be taken when placing the signage for this loop, since it will likely be used by many bicyclists unfamiliar with San Francisco.

 

 

: 1. Negligent designation or design; and 2. De nsultant, Page 42. Bicycle Federation of America, April 1986.

. The City is being proactive in this regard via its SPOT improvement program to identify and implement safety improvements that will in turn reduce injury to bicyclists. This program demonstrates that the City does respond to reports of problematic situations, is sensitive to the needs of bicyclists, and is taking steps to improve their safety.

s that traffic levels of 3,000 - 4,000 vehicles per day for a 40-foot wide street with on-street parking do not require bike lane striping. Conversely, the heavier and faster the traffic, the wider the bike lanes should be. Criteria for bike lane widths are presented in Chapter 5. The street sweeping schedule was also reviewed before recommending bike lanes on a particular street.

. () Such treatment for bicyclists has been implemented in Marin County (the tunnel to Fort Cronkhite), Oregon and North Carolina.

s and San Francisco would require its own legitimizing. Before the bus-only lanes are converted to shared lanes, DPT will work with MUNI to assess its effects on MUNI vehicles. Pro-Bike Pro-Walk 94 Resource Book, Bicycle Federation of America.

, the Panhandle Multi-Use Path, and John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park. connect Upper Market to the Panhandle and avoid the major hills. The various routes use several of the following streets: Duboce, Steiner, Waller, Pierce, Haight and Scott.

t revealed 165 bicycles during the PM peak hour at the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue.) Being the northern-most street in San Francisco with a northeast-southwest orientation, it is essential to make Market Street as bicycle friendly as possible. The following are some options that could be further investigated to improve bicycle safety along Market Street:

s and to give bicycles a five-second advance green light with respect to motor vehicle traffic. Market Street is heavily used by cyclists. Giving bicycles a head start would be especially important due to the large number of buses on Market Street. The average travel speed of these buses is about 7 mph, which is less than a bicyclist's average travel speed along arterials (approximately 10 - 15 mph). With a head start

, cyclists could get permanently ahead of buses, instead of "playing leap frog" with them all the way down Market Street. Both the cyclists and the MUNI bus operators would benefit and the bicyclists' safety would dramatically increase. Additional detailed analysis would have to be conducted to evaluate the effects on MUNI, capacity, and level-of-service. In addition, this analysis would have to determine whether the new signal timing should reduce the green time for Market Street or the cross streets or both. It is recommended that a separate consultant study be undertaken to consider this five-second advance green bicycle signal head idea in much more detail to determine the best way to accommodate cyclists on Market Street.

. () These improvements also provide a safe, fully accessible connection for pedestrians and the disabled above and parallel to the stretch of Cesar Chavez Street that is a depressed, high-speed, four-lane arterial without sidewalks. The path is currently unusable by the disabled due to a lack of curb cuts, 15 percent grade at one location and poor pavement. Path rehabilitation is especially important because there is currently no disabled access across Hwy. 101 between 23rd Street and Cortland Avenue, a distance of 1.5 miles.

. () These path improvements would also provide a safer connection for pedestrians between Glen Park BART, Mcateer High School, Glen Canyon Park, and residential neighborhoods.

. In the interim, the southbound route to the Daly City BART Station continues from Beverly Street via 19th Avenue, Randolph Street, Arch Street, Alemany Boulevard, and Saint Charles Avenue. Since Arch Street is one-way southbound north of Brotherhood Way, the northbound route is via Saint Charles Avenue, Alemany Boulevard, Arch Street, the path along the north side of Brotherhood, the Saint Charles Avenue path, Saint Charles Avenue, and 19th Avenue. ble by the disabled.

. Access from Holloway Avenue to this path or SFSU would be via existing SFSU paths. The bicycle path would need to be two-way to compensate for the inability for cyclists to turn left on 19th Avenue when exiting SFSU. At Buckingham Way, motorists should be warned of northbound bicycles turning left into Buckingham Way. Parking along the west side of 19th Avenue will need to be prohibited for this short section. A conceptual design of this recommenda

. () The Presidio Plan has the following objectives: Promote public transit and pedestrian and bicycle travel to and within the park to improve recreational opportunities and enhance environmental quality. Connect the Presidio into a regional transit network to provide for the transportation needs of park visitors, employees, and residents. Make the Presidio easily accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists to encourage convenient, enjoyable, and safe use.

. Signs "A" and "B" are simple route markers including the system logo, route number and direction of travel. As shown in these samples, destination or distance placards can be added to make the sign more informative. To keep costs low, routes numbers can be applied to the appropriate signs with self-adhesive stickers. Signs "C" and "D" are much more detailed, more informative and, unfortunately, more expensive to produce. However, they could be considered cost-effective to use along high volume routes or routes with many turns. Route intersection information is very important to the bicycle network users and, at minimum, should be provided on a placard attached to the basic route map, as illustrated with Sign "E".



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