The Arguello Quick Build Bicycle Safety Project can now move forward after Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) successfully secured $1.2 million in state funding to install protected bike lanes connecting Golden Gate Park and The Presidio. The announcement comes six months following the death of world champion cyclist, Ethan Boyes, who was killed after he was struck by a car on Arguello Boulevard on April 4 of this year. The fatal accident prompted the cycling community to ramp up its years-long demand for safety improvements along that often busy and popular stretch of road.
“Ethan’s passing is such a loss. I’m answering our community’s calls for better bike lanes and improved safety for cyclists in the Richmond. We honor him by making sure vehicles and cyclists can co-exist and safely travel on Arguello Boulevard, so that another tragedy doesn’t happen again. This funding brings the project across the finish line,” said Ting.
“Ethan was an incredible person who had a profound impact on the world and the people around him. His death was preventable with protected bike infrastructure, and our city needs to be taking immediate action to use the funding secured by Assemblymember Ting to build protected bike lanes and protected intersections on Arguello to make it safe for people to bike in San Francisco. Ethan’s death has left a huge hole in the community, and we need protected bike lanes on Arguello now,” said Boyes’ close friend, James Grady.
The bike lanes on Arguello between the two parks are currently unprotected with only paint designating the appropriate travel area for cyclists, who have repeatedly sounded the alarm for years about how unsafe this particular road is. Prompted by the Boyes tragedy, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is currently finalizing the design plans for protected bike lanes, which could include having parked cars, safe-hit posts or other barriers, to separate cyclists from moving traffic. The improvements will make the street safer for all cyclists.
“Since 2021, our team has made traffic safety improvements in the Richmond District our priority, including safety improvements on Fulton Street; fixing potholes and paving roadways throughout the District; completed bike lanes on Anza Street; funding the construction of a rapid flashing beacon on Geary Blvd at 38th Ave; funded the District 1 transportation study, and now funding for protected bike lanes on Arguello Blvd.," said Supervisor Connie Chan. “We were able accomplish all these improvements in just short two years because of our commitment to transit safety and working in partnership with transit advocates and transit agencies. But I'm especially grateful to Assemblymember Phil Ting's leadership as our State Assembly Budget Committee Chair fighting for funding for our community so together we can create a safer Richmond District for pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders."
The $1.2 million in state funds can only be used for work within the city limits, but the Presidio is already making similar safety improvements on Arguello Boulevard, as the street continues onto federal land where Boyes’ death occurred.
"Our thousands of supporters are grateful to Supervisor Chan for requesting this funding and to Assemblymember Ting for securing the funding for this critically needed infrastructure improvement. Arguello Boulevard is a critical corridor for families and other people who use active transportation to get around our city; we need protected bike lanes and protected intersections installed there immediately," said Luke Bornheimer, organizer and advocate for the Protected Arguello campaign.
SFMTA estimates construction phase of the Arguello Quick Build Bicycle Safety Project will begin this winter.