Someone Didn't Like the Valencia Bike Lanes

Saw this flyer taped up in a Valencia Street shop window. The SF Small Business Coalition is pushing back against the Valencia bike lanes, and they’re not being subtle about it.

The SFSBC is fighting SFMTA’s Valencia Quick Build Project, which put a two-way protected bike lane down the center of the street instead of running it along the curb. Their argument: the center placement made deliveries harder, eliminated curbside parking spots merchants relied on, and pulled foot traffic away from storefronts. They want the project paused and reworked with more small business input before it becomes permanent.

I ride Valencia often enough to have an opinion here, and I’ve actually gotten used to the center lane. It keeps bikes out of the door zone where cars park, and once you know to look both ways before crossing it, it works. That said, I don’t run a shop on this block, and the merchants dealing with lost loading zones and fewer parking spots have a real complaint that’s worth taking seriously.

Valencia is still the main commercial strip in our Mission District guide.