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THREAD: Traded in running shoes for a bike this weekend with a 30-mile ride around The City. Whenever I wasn't on a Slow Street, I felt pretty unsafe thanks to unprotected bike lanes, speeding drivers and the one guy who turned left after the light had been red for 30 seconds 1/
While riding on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, I encountered the aftermath of a cyclist having been hit by a car (thankfully, it ended up being minor, and the individual was talking to law enforcement), and it freaked me out. Full disclosure: I'm a super novice cyclist. But 2/
I'm probably the archetype of someone who could embrace the bike culture here in San Francisco. I'm fit, accustomed to running in urban environments and would much prefer to travel by alternative modes of transit instead of by car. After my experience Saturday, though, I'm 3/
less excited about the idea of getting my own bike and hitting the streets on wheels. I'm sure I'd learn the the rules of the road, find less congested routes and just generally feel more competent and comfortable. But I didn't feel safe and, to me, it's not worth it. 4/
Achieving safe streets for all is a steep climb, and I also witnessed some dangerous cyclist behavior such as running stop signs or failing to signal before a turn. But I think it's fair to say that if an able-bodied, young, fit person like myself didn't doesn't feel safe, 5/
there are many more people we are missing who might otherwise be eager to experience San Francisco's streets by bike, foot or whatever else, and are simply afraid to do so.
