Bike Lane, Bus Stop Switcheroo Debuts At 11th & Harrison

Bike Lane, Bus Stop Switcheroo Debuts At 11th & HarrisonRelocated bike lane at 11th and Harrison. | Photo: Elaine Gavin/Hoodline
Elaine Gavin
Published on January 25, 2017

Yesterday, the SFMTA unveiled a new bike lane configuration at 11th and Harrison, switching the bike lane and southbound bus stop on 11th Street so that the stop forms an island separating vehicle traffic from bike traffic. 

According to the agency's blog, "this improvement eliminates the tussle that occurs with the conventional arrangement: buses crossing the bike lane to get to the curb. This usually requires people on bikes to merge with vehicle traffic to while bus passengers board."

The new design, similar to one installed at the northern side of Duboce (at Church) off the N-Judah, has the bike lane painted green for visibility. "While this street design is common internationally, it’s still fairly novel for American cities," the SFMTA notes.

Rendering of 9-San Bruno lane improvement plan. Photo: SFMTA

The changes comes as part of Muni Forward upgrades for the 9-San Bruno, which include new transit bulbs at the following locations:

  • 11th Street at Harrison Street (northbound)
  • Bayshore Boulevard at Jerrold Avenue (northbound)
  • Bayshore Boulevard at Oakdale Avenue (southbound)
  • Bayshore Boulevard at Cortland Avenue (southbound)

The SFMTA is also working on an improvement project for 7th and 8th streets in SoMa, which includes the construction of additional bus boarding islands, protected bikeways, traffic signal upgrades, painted safety zones and improvement on intersection design.

According to the SFMTA's project page, the project is focusing on the area in part because it's considered part of "the City’s High Injury Network, which are the 12 percent of city streets that account for 70 percent of San Francisco’s traffic crashes." 

Photo: Elaine Gavin/Hoodline

The bike advocacy organization People for Bikes says that pedestrian islands such as the one newly installed 11th and Harrison are the safest way to go, despite the fact that pedestrians off-boarding from Muni buses must then cross an active bike path to get the sidewalk.

At Church and Duboce, transit riders can often be seen crossing the bike lane without first checking for oncoming bike traffic, and at least one driver has been flummoxed by the layout

Readers, what do you think of the new addition? Let us know in the comments.