{"id":2518,"date":"2013-07-03T16:58:23","date_gmt":"2013-07-03T04:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/willandrewsdesign.com\/?p=2518"},"modified":"2018-10-17T05:20:08","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T16:20:08","slug":"sf-cycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.willandrewsdesign.com\/?p=2518","title":{"rendered":"Cycling in San Francisco, United States compared to Dublin"},"content":{"rendered":"

How is it to cycle in San Francisco? \u00a0Are the size and resources of the SFBC reflected in an ordinary cyclist\u2019s experience on the ground!?<\/h2>\n

These are subjective impressions. \u00a0My experience of cycling in SF includes working as a courier in the downtown area over 20 years ago, brief cycling visits since, and anecdotes from many cycling friends. \u00a0During this June, 2013 visit I biked about 100km in most parts of the city by bike, on social, business, leisure\/exercise and household trip \u2013also using public transport, car and motorcycle.<\/p>\n

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Typical multi-lane one-way street. Manholes and tramtracks are lethal in rain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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SF infrastructure \u2013 the Sharrow. Motorists overtake anyway!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
  • San Francisco city itself measures about 11 km x 11 km so most trips are bikeable distances. \u00a0It is surrounded on three sides by sea so trips can offer pleasant views.The city has quite a few steep hills, up to a couple of hundred meters high, so a light bike and a broad spread of gears are a help. \u00a0Climate is dry and mild but certainly not desert-like. \u00a0Sea breezes prevail.<\/li>\n
  • SF has a highly-developed public transport service with heavy rail, buses and trams; these are bike-friendly as noted below, but buses on the street provide a hazard similar to Dublin.<\/li>\n
  • Average residential density is 6,803 persons per square kilometre, comparable to Dublin\u2019s 4,588 (wikipedia). \u00a0Both cities have an extensive low-density hinterland \u2013SF\u2019s has a population of around 5 million. \u00a0Somewhat like Dublin, SF contains several inner-urban neighbourhoods with mixed uses e.g. the Mission, Downtown, Chinatown so short intra-urban journeys are common.<\/li>\n
  • The entire city is laid out in a grid pattern. \u00a0One-way systems catering for high-volume, high-speed motor use predominate, with occasional two-way streets along retail stretches. \u00a0Cycling infrastructure has been overlaid onto this system. \u00a0See photos & captions for examples.<\/li>\n
  • Modal share is 3.5 % according to the Municipal Transport Authority, though some neighbourhoods have up to 15% modal share. \u00a00.46% of the City\u2019s transportation budget is spent on cycling. \u00a0City has a (familiar) official goal of 20% of all trips to be by bike by 2020.<\/li>\n
  • Cycling volumes have steadily increased from about 2.1% of all trips in 2005 to 3.5% of all trips in 2011 \u2013as dramatic a rise as Dublin\u2019s.<\/li>\n
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    Roadside cycle lanes suffer from the usual flaws.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Sharrows through junction on major cycling route, \u2018The Wiggle\u2019 which guides cyclists round steep local hills.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Newer infrastructure \u2013cyclists\u2019 priority straight-ahead with other traffic merging and turning left; \u2018bike box\u2019 ASL.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Signal timing on Valencia Street is set and promoted to encourage cycling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    My impression is that cycling in San Francisco has been greatly facilitated by infrastructure both of what I\u2019d term \u2018first generation\u2019 type e.g. discontinuous roadside cycle lanes, and of more advanced type i.e. separated or shared but carefully designed infrastructure. \u00a0See photos & captions for some examples.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Cyclists are frequently guided by the infrastructure to command a lane or use a shared surface, for example continuing straight where motor vehicles are changing lanes to turn.<\/li>\n
    • More importantly, motorist behaviour is noticeably better than Dublin\u2019s, and I am sure it has improved in recent years. \u00a0Motorists are very courteous to both pedestrians and cyclists. \u00a0My impression is that this results from both \u2018road-use culture\u2019 i.e. prevailing etiquette, and of a level and efficiency of enforcement unheard of in Ireland. \u00a0It is also the result of vastly increased cycling numbers, and obvious official support (more effective than the low budget allocation would imply) for cycling.<\/li>\n
    • Motorists consistently yield to pedestrians at junctions where a pedestrian, carrying straight across the side-road, has right of way. \u00a0(also law in Dublin but perennially ignored)<\/li>\n
    • Why behaviour is more friendly isn\u2019t apparent. \u00a0Comparison with behavioural changes in Dublin subsequent to the intensive use of the Dublin Bikes rental system might be useful. \u00a0If a bike-share scheme is to be introduced in SF, some measurement of road-use habits on before-and-after basis would be valuable.<\/li>\n
    • Turning right on a red light is permitted in California for both motorists and cyclists under certain circumstances. \u00a0I observed cyclists routinely breaking red lights in all directions, however; enforcement of rules around this practice seemed to be minimal \u2013a familiar story.<\/li>\n
    • The \u2018Four-way stop\u2019 junction type (cross-roads with stop signs at each arm) is common, and motorists will stay stopped and yield to a moving cyclist, even where strictly it\u2019s the cyclist who should wait; evidently non-observance by cyclists has created a de facto regime or etiquette to the benefit of cyclists. \u00a0Stop sign observance by motorists is rigidly and effectively enforced by police. \u00a0The need for eye contact or other communication at these junctions is interesting in the context of \u2018shared space\u2019 ideas.<\/li>\n
    • Passing clearance distances are not specified in law (a \u20183-foot\u2019 State bill was rejected by Governor Brown last autumn) but the vast majority of motorists tend to allow 1.5 m or more. \u00a0I wasn\u2019t aggressively \u2018swiped\u2019 during a month of regular cycling.<\/li>\n
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      Designated commuting\/tourism routes are extensive and have been in place for some time. Quality of service varies widely.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    • The SFBC seek separated bike lanes, but it\u2019s currently impossible to get around the City without mixing with motor traffic. \u00a0Certain routes (either provided with cycle lanes, or more lightly trafficked) must be picked to avoid hostile streets \u2013see below.<\/li>\n
    • No HGV limitations are enforced on city streets, and very large\/wide private vehicles especially pick-up trucks have proliferated.<\/li>\n
    • Footpath cycling is illegal for those aged over 13.<\/li>\n
    • No roundabouts!\u00a0 Returning to cycling in New Zealand it struck me how much stress these cause.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • Inter-modal travel is facilitated by significant investment in parking, signage, ticketing and bike space on buses and trains. \u00a0The inter-suburban \u2018Caltrain\u2019 has a car dedicated to bikes; intra-urban buses have racks at front, and the underground BART train accommodates bikes in passenger cars at off-peak times and provides secure parking for bikes.<\/li>\n
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        Caltrain longer-distance commuter train bike space<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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        \u2026and Caltrain parking structure in downtown SF (showers, WCs, bike service available)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      • There\u2019s a mix of bike types on the streets. \u00a0Dominant is a large-wheeled, simple \u2018town bike\u2019 style, like a messenger\u2019s bike made comfortable & practical, often with flat handlebars, mudguards and a front rack. \u00a0Dutch-style or High Nelly bikes, mountain bikes, and folding bikes are less common.<\/li>\n
      • Theft is a big problem \u2013everyone has a story of their stolen bike.<\/li>\n
      • Parking has been provided (steel Sheffield-type stands, though shorter) on a widespread basis by the City, generally on footpaths.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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        A sign the Luas authorities might consider.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        Summary note-<\/span><\/p>\n

        Much has been done in SF to adapt a car-centric environment to make it bikeable. \u00a0Though direct comparison\u2019s impossible, I feel the transportation cyclist gets perceptibly better \u2018level of service\u2019 in SF than Dublin; there has been a strong push through the 2000\u2019s to build lanes, convert public transport, and improve road use etiquette. A huge factor is the courtesy of motorists, which is not referred to very often in SFBC documents & needs further study. \u00a0Deliberately hostile motoring wasn’t encountered at all during my visit.<\/p>\n

        A significant difference is that navigating the city on a bike entails identifying which routes have been selected for cyclists by officialdom. \u00a0On-street experience rapidly reveals where these are. \u00a0A consistent strategy is apparent: the vision of a network of bikeable routes in a car-friendly city is being resolutely followed. \u00a0This vision may be comparable to the NTA\u2019s policy for Dublin. As a basic level of service for transportation cycling, it does work. \u00a0It reduces car dependence indirectly rather than confronting it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        How is it to cycle in San Francisco? \u00a0Are the size and resources of the SFBC reflected in an ordinary cyclist\u2019s experience on the ground!? These are subjective impressions. \u00a0My experience of cycling in SF includes working as a courier in the downtown area over 20 years ago, brief cycling visits since, and anecdotes from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,22,5,42,18,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.willandrewsdesign.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2518"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.willandrewsdesign.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.willandrewsdesign.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.willandrewsdesign.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.willandrewsdesign.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2518"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"http:\/\/www.willandrewsdesign.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5879,"href":"http:\/\/www.willandrewsdesign.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2518\/revisions\/5879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.willandrewsdesign.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.willandrewsdesign.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.willandrewsdesign.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}