Something to Ride About: 45 of 46 New Bike Projects Approved

After a long morning of listening to Bike Plan supporters gush about their bicycles, the Municipal Transportation Authority Board unanimously approved the five-year plan and 45 of its 46 proposed projects early this afternoon. The one project that was put on hold would have added bike lanes on Second Street. Opponents who voiced concerns during public comment about this particular project said that adding lanes as proposed would cause gridlock around the neighborhood. A few also added that residents of the surrounding neighborhood had not been adequately informed about the proposed plans until late in the planning process.

Still, 45 out of 46 ain't bad, according to bike advocate Leah Shahum of the SF Bike Coalition. "This increases what the city normally does for bikes in a year by tenfold," said Shahum. She said that projects range from doubling the number of bike lanes around the city, to adding bike parking -- including street bike parking where parking spaces will be replaced by bike racks. In addition, lanes will be given a colorful makeover, plain white lines to be replaced with (duh) green.

Removal of the injunction that had delayed this play for years could take anywhere from 20 days to three months, according to the City Attorney's office. It's likely that there will be an appeal, which would mean the decision could soon fall in the hands of the supervisors. But Shahum is keeping her hopes high that opponents won't appeal: "After the litigants have already kept us for three years and cost the city over $1 million in city funds, it would be really rude to be appeal," she said. "To say it kindly."