Painting Green Bike Lanes in Oakland

Hopefully Oakland is heading toward a more just and sustainable transportation future...

Are green bike lanes the precursor of safer, better bike infrastructure?

Perhaps, yes.

These green painted portions of the bike lane are only in "conflict zones" in the Adam's Point/Lake Merritt area.  The image above is on Grand Avenue just past the Harrison Street intersection.  There is a wide right turn through lane, where cars barely have to slow down to veer right onto Grand Avenue. This type of cars-first infrastructure is common all over Oakland. This particular area here is a danger zone for both bicyclists and pedestrians. Even though there is a light, which apparently turns red on occasion for drivers, I rarely see it red. I both walk and ride my bike in this area on a daily basis. This can be a tricky area for bicyclists and pedestrians, and we often feel unsafe with cars barreling by us at unsafe (and illegal) speeds.  

Hopefully, this green bike lane paint will be one step (along with many others) to democratize our city streets. Everyone owns our streets. It's time that we all have access to our fair share of the street. People driving vehicles do not have any rights above those on foot or on bike. I hope that we will begin to see real design changes to our community infrastructure that make us ALL safer, happier and healthier. 

Polk Street - Community Forum

It was interesting to go back to another community forum for the Polk Street project.  It'll be interesting to see how they work with the issue of potentially decreasing on-street parking so that the bike lane can extend throughout Polk (and not just be sporadic).  Personally, I don't feel safe biking on Polk Street unless the bike lane is there.  Car drivers are just too careless, speedy, and unconcerned for the well-being of pedestrians and bicyclists.  I prefer defined spaces for different users.

I'm also still concerned about public safety, especially in Lower Polk.  While an array of transportation enhancements are great for the community, I still believe that there needs to be broader police involvement in the neighborhood.  I would like to see police walking or biking up and down Polk Street to assist with maintaining a calm, pleasant atmosphere.  Otherwise, some of the drunk, drug-induced, or mentally challenged people create an inhospitable environment.  I do not want my neighborhood reduced to such a place.

Polk Street Design Charrette

I went to this SFMTA design charrette regarding Polk Street last weekend.  It was really interesting to see the community involvement process in this project.  As an urban planner and a resident of the Polk Street community, I am very interested in both the process and the end result (i.e. how the street will be improved).  

I never would have known about this project, however, if I had not been so interested in this topic.  I never heard a word about this project from the SFMTA (even though I live in an apartment building on the corner of Geary and Polk), but rather through a Facebook post by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.  It seems to me that if the city has a community meeting, that everyone within 300 feet of the street which is undergoing changes, should have been notified.  That's just my little grumble about the lack of information on such an interesting project.  I'm sure that more people in the neighborhood would have attended the community meeting, had they known about it (it was a very poorly attended community meeting).  We live here, and safety with regard to pedestrian and bicycle transportation is important to us.  Furthermore, given the fact that we already have 2 parklets along Polk Street, and it is already a destination place for evening outings, and a great bicycle route, it is absolutely necessary for us to be involved in planning for a better pedestrian and bicycle environment.

Below are some photos I took at the event:

SFMTA folks in discussion with a community member

examples of playing around with street design: