Valencia Bikeway Improvements

Valencia Street is one of the longest stretches of independent businesses in the country, full of restaurants, shops, bars and services. It’s also the best way for people to bike between northern and southern neighborhoods, and for people to reach downtown from southern points. As Valencia became more popular over the years, the city heard concerns about traffic safety on the corridor, especially from double-parking (from ride-hailing services, commercial vehicles and food pick-up services) and from dooring (when someone opens a parked car door hitting an approaching person on a bike). Valencia is on San Francisco's High Injury Network, the 12% of streets that have 68% of the city's severe and fatal traffic injuries.

What is the Valencia Bikeway Pilot Project?

Valencia Street is one of San Francisco’s most vibrant commercial corridors, as well as a major north-south bike route for those who live, work and travel through the neighborhood. It was also one of San Francisco’s most dangerous streets, especially for people biking. Prior to the pilot, Valencia experienced an average of two serious collisions per month. About half the time, these collisions involved cyclists.

In August 2023, after outreach to the public and approval by the SFMTA board, we piloted a protected bike lane in the center of Valencia between 15th and 23rd streets, in the first design of its kind seen in San Francisco.

Since 2018, a number of changes have been made on Valencia Street to address these problems. You can read more about the history and phases of this project on our Valencia Street Project History page.

Status Update

We have heard feedback about the design of this center-running bike lane and the way it has affected traffic circulation on Valencia Street, as well as how it has made it harder for cyclists to visit mid-block locations. In response to these concerns, the SFMTA board directed us in February 2024 to explore a side-running design. During the first half of 2024, staff have focused on outreach to businesses, parklet owners, residents, visitors and cyclists on Valencia Street to hear their thoughts. We have also focused on understanding the details of a side running design which requires many trade-offs.  During the second half of 2024, pending approval from the SFMTA board and other city agencies, staff will focus on finalizing the project.