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Q&A Transcript
Hana Baba: Thanks again for being here, Zain.
Zain Iqbal: Thanks for having me, Hana.
Hana: Ok, so last month we did a round-up on what was happening for drivers on the roads. Before that it was public transit. So, where are we going this month?
Zain: Sure, we are going to spin through a couple of stories having to do with getting off the road, kind of, so we’re talking about cycling and walking.
And there’s some pretty strong cycling and pedestrian advocacy in the Bay Area—and San Francisco, in particular—so there’s always something to talk about.
Hana: So what’s out there that you’ve been keeping your eye on?
Zain: The biggest concern out on the roads for cyclists and pedestrians and people who roll—so think scooters and people in wheelchairs—is safety. Of course, this is a big concern for city officials too.
So transportation agencies in San Francisco and Oakland and in other cities have something in their toolkit. And that’s called a “quick-build.”
Hana: Quick-build. Yeah, I’ve seen these, so are you talking about a bike lane then?
Zain: Quick-builds are basically road improvements that focus on safety. And they are usually built on specific streets or intersections that are more dangerous for non-vehicular traffic.
So it could be new bike lanes, but it might include roadway improvements that slow traffic or painted safety zones for pedestrians and rollers making them more visible.
Hana: So what do they look like?
Zain: Quick-builds might just use some paint or semi-permanent cones and signage to modify a street or intersection. These aren’t meant to be huge infrastructure projects that might take decades to plan and cost a lot of money.
The green bike lanes and pedestrian islands outside the Ferry Building along the Embarcadero? That’s a great example of what quick-build materials look like.
Hana: And so when you say quick, how long are we talking about?
Zain: Of course, the caveat of these projects being “quick” is that they are supposed to be reviewed within 24 months of when the construction begins. And that is key because in the past the actual planning and approval and evaluation took a long time.
But once these projects go up, if they aren’t working out a city can just as easily remove them. So that’s another reason why they are “quick.”
The most famous (or maybe infamous) example was the Valencia bikeway pilot that ran down the center of the street. It felt like this quick-build irritated everyone equally, but for different reasons. So the SFMTA reverted it back to the bike lane that ran curbside within a few months.
Hana: So what kind of quick-builds are going up around the city right now?
Zain: There are a few that are in various stages of progress.
One of the most notable is going up along the Panhandle beside Oak Street. I was at the SFMTA meeting when this was finally approved back in April. This quick-build is supposed to solve a few things:
It gives cyclists their own lane along Oak; this will create a new connection between Golden Gate Park near Kezar Stadium to the Lower Haight.
Pedestrians and rollers will have a safer crossing at Oak and Masonic. And it will also reduce traffic on that kind-of-chaotic mixed-use path in the Panhandle.
And it is also supposed to benefit drivers, too, with some turning lane improvements.
Hana: Alright, seems like everyone should be happy, but what have you heard?
Zain: A couple of things: so one issue with these quick-builds is they invariably cut a few parking spaces. And if you’re a resident in a part of the city where parking is already a challenge, this might be a problem.
The Oak Street quick-build project will remove some 50 parking spaces. But about half of those spaces are already illegal anyway, under the state’s new “daylighting” law, which says people can’t park within 20 feet of a crosswalk.
The project will also eliminate an entire car lane down Oak, but the SFMTA says it really shouldn’t impact the flow of traffic. In fact, they want to encourage safer speeds and use signals to help traffic flow more easily.
Hana: Ok, so the drivers will not be so happy. Where are we now with this project?
Zain: The SFMTA is in the “implementation” phase, so cyclists and pedestrians could see a revamped Oak Street corridor in mid 2026.
There is also a whole list of upcoming and completed quick-builds along with other infrastructure projects on the SFMTA website. And that includes a big one I want to give an update on next—the Better Market Street project.
Hana: Right, and it’s not without recent controversy right?
Zain: It actually started with a quick-build on Market before the city made it car free in early 2020.
Hana: Right, and up until this past August, Market Street had only been open to transit, delivery trucks, and bikes. And then the mayor allowed some Ubers and Lyfts and Waymos at certain hours. So what is new now?
Zain: Yes, so allowing those cars back on Market was criticized by a lot of street safety and public transportation advocates. And since then, they have been pretty vocal about their displeasure with the change.
Hana: What have they been saying?
Zain: Last month a transit advisory group made up of citizens from various districts throughout the city presented at an SFMTA board meeting. I should add this group is also made up of advocates picked from the Mayor’s office.
And they strongly recommended the SFMTA vote to end this Uber/Lyft/Waymo pilot program. What they want is simply for the SFMTA Board of Directors to take charge and vote to reverse the mayor’s decision.
So after the advisory group spoke, there was a chorus of public comment from local street safety and cycling advocates. And their goal, among others, includes getting signatures for a petition that they will send to Mayor Lurie. There are two more SFMTA meetings where this could come up again, so it’s something to pay attention to in the new year.
Hana: Alright, so we will just have to wait and see for the moment. Zain, what about other parts of the Bay Area, what are you hearing?
Zain: So something interesting in Oakland is that they launched a pilot program that would let people borrow e-bikes at the Fruitvale BART Station.
Hana: Is different from the Lyft bikes you can rent around San Francisco and Oakland?
Zain: Yes, so this program is for Oaklanders only aged 18 and up. And they can rent an electric bicycle for four weeks for just $120, and unlike Lyft bikes which are meant to be short term rentals based on the hour. And if you are someone who meets certain low-income requirements, you only need to pay $20 to rent one.
Now of course, there are a few rules. Renters have to pay a damage deposit of $500 using a credit or debit card. And they have to have a place to store and charge the bike indoors. In other words, you just can’t lock it on the street.
Hana: So this program is basically designed to get people familiar with e-bikes, using e-bikes more?
Zain: Yeah, so it’s part of an almost $2 million dollar grant from a California Air Resources Board program to introduce people to how e-bikes can help them get around. And the program is supposed to run for about four years.
Even though the pilot just launched at the end of September, I wanted to see how it was going so far. So I spoke to someone from the City of Oakland to find out what’s happening.
And they said just over half of the 50 available bikes have been checked out during various periods of those two months—and half of those rentals have been by low-income residents. All bikes have been returned safely.
And based on how this program goes, the city would like to introduce adaptive vehicle rentals for persons with disabilities. And so the city is working on getting a vendor, so that program could roll out next year.
Hana: Ok, so this all sounds promising.
Zain: I should also note that this rental program starts up on the heels of a very popular rebate program for Californians with low-income. And it offered $2000 toward the purchase of an e-bike. But that program was scrapped last month.
Instead the California Air Resources Board, which oversaw the program, they diverted the money from the e-bike rebate program to one that would help people purchase an EV or hybrid vehicle.
It’s possible this e-bike program could return in the future, but the California Air Resources Board isn’t sure when and if they can’t get the funding.
Hana: Alright, thank you, Zain.
Zain: Thanks, Hana.