Market Street and I have something of a love/hate relationship. I love how the city’s main artery cuts straight through all the neighborhoods that matter, from the peaks of Portola to Castro to Duboce Triangle—skimming the sides of the Mission, Hayes Valley and SoMa—and continuing right on downtown to the Bay. I love that it gets my bike and I from home to work in just under seven minutes flat. And then there’s the hate part. Despite my ride being only seven minutes long, I seem to have at least one near-death experience every day. Clueless drivers, massive potholes, insane cabbies, wheel-swallowing train tracks—did I mention clueless drivers?

And while I’ve been willing to brave the Mad Max-style commute for the past few years, I’ve heard dozens say that the only reason they aren’t jumping on a bike themselves is because of the treacherous conditions out there. Thankfully, there’s a plan in the works to create a fully separated bike lane up and down Market, from Octavia to Stuart Street. This will make it so much safer not only for experienced cyclists, but new bikers, children and even the oldies (you don’t know what cute is until you’ve seen grandma pedaling home with her groceries) to ride bikes in SF.

The SF Bike Coalition is doing a great job making sure this project stays high on the city’s priority list, and right now they are asking that local businesses, especially those who have employees who bike to work on Market, send a letter to the mayor supporting the new bike lane.

So if you’ve ever admired the chic cyclability of Paris, Amsterdam, Portland or even New York (even they are kicking our butts when it comes to being a more ride-able city!), ask your boss-folks to please take a second to send the letter below on your company letterhead and email to:

Gavin.Newsom@sfgov.org

CC:
Nathaniel.Ford@sfmta.com
John.Rahaim@sfgov.org
Ed.Reiskin@sfgov.org
Jose_Luis_Moscovich@sfcta.org
Neal@sfbike.org


Mayor Newsom
City Hall, Room 200
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102

Mayor Newsom:

I am writing on behalf of [Company name] to urge you to complete the separated, continuous bikeway on Lower Market Street. My company employs
numerous people who bicycle on Market Street to reach our office. We expect them to arrive on time, alert and ready to work. A fully separated,
continuous bikeway from Octavia Street to Steuart Street would provide a safe and reliable route for our valued employees.

[Company name] recognizes the benefit of our staff commuting by bike. We want to ensure that San Francisco is a sustainable city with affordable
mobility for our company’s people. Biking helps ensure that our employees arrive to work alert and energized for the day ahead and keeps them healthy, reducing their lost work time from sick days. An inviting bicycling route on Lower Market Street may attract more of our employees to bike, increasing these benefits to our company.

The newly separated bikeway west of 8th Street is a much-needed safety improvement for our staff. However, the conditions east of 8th Street are
still extremely confusing and dangerous for everyone on the street. Separating bicycle traffic will make the street less confusing for everyone,and will protect people on bicycles from cars, trucks and buses.

Please extend the separated, continuous bikeway on Lower Market Street from 8th Street to the Embarcadero.

Sincerely,
[Name]