Protected Upper Market Street Bike Lane

[Darrin Ward]

Supervisor Jeff Sheehy,

I hear from the sf bike coalition that you are threatening to delay the protected upper market street bike lane.  As a frequent bike rider especially of market street and resident of your district I must say that I am deeply disappointed in this news.  

I am honestly tired of the city delaying and watering down bike projects.  You are trading my safety and life for nothing.

I can not prevent you from doing what you are doing but I do vote and I do donate money to local politicians.  So do what you feel is necessary but just know if you block the construction I will do everything in my power to make sure you are not my supervisor.

Darrin Ward

[Jason Ally]

In case you didn't see it yet, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to deny the appeal.

Streetsblog: http://sf.streetsblog.org/2017/07/12/a-victory-for-bike-and-safety-activism-on-upper-market-protected-bike-lanes/

SF Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/win-cyclists-attempt-stall-upper-market-street-bike-lane-fails/

Sup. Sheehy also wrote back to me after I emailed him. His response:

Hi Jason,

 

Thanks for writing about the Upper Market Safety Project. I’m honored to serve District 8 and continue the important work that Senator Scott Wiener began to improve our community.

 

I also bring my personal experiences to this issue. My first job in San Francisco was a bike messenger downtown. Today, I have a daughter who I want to make sure can bike in our City safely.

 

I have publicly supported parking protected bike lanes since February. Anyone who says I’ve changed my position is simply misleading the public and doing San Francisco residents a disservice. I am pleased to report that my actions and those of my colleagues yesterday at the Board of Supervisors actually moved the project forward and prevented six weeks or more of delay.

 

Heading into the meeting, both the SFMTA and the appellant asked for a continuance until September 5th. Usually, the Board would go along with such a request. At my request, and through the leadership of Board President London Breed, we held the hearing and voted to deny the CEQA appeal. That means the project can move forward.

 

Please know that I continue to support bicycle safety throughout District 8—including improving the Valencia bikeway with parking protection and expanding safety improvements to the Castro near 17th Street where MUNI tracks interfere with bicycle travel. We are also working to stop open-air bicycle chop shops on our sidewalks and curb bike theft.

 

If I can ever be of assistance on bicycle safety or any other issue in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Best,

 

Jeff

 

Jeff Sheehy

Supervisor, District 8

San Francisco Board of Supervisors

If you take Sheehy at his word, his support for the project was never in doubt. In that case, where'd the rumor start? But regardless, I'm glad so many people emailed him and showed up at the hearing to oppose the appeal.

[Brian Kenneth Coyne]

I called Sheehy's office the other day when SFBC announced he was waffling.

The staff member I spoke to insisted that Sup. Sheehy had always supported the bike lane project. However, the staff member said that Sheehy was considering supporting a "continuance until September" in response to the CEQA challenge. This would have meant, essentially, that SFMTA would have delayed the project a few months to try to deal with the concerns brought by the appellant (ie by tweaking the design) rather than have the BoS vote immediately on whether to accept or reject the appeal.

Brian