The construction crews have finished re-paving the street and have commenced painting the new boundaries for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. At first glance, it might look a lot like the old Valencia. However, the discerning viewer can appreciate the myriad improvements here.
First of all, that wide, unnecessary, center-dividing “parking lot” has been eliminated in favor a simple, sensible yellow line that widens only at intersections to allow for left turns. Sorry bros, no more parking in the center divider just so you can pop into Puerto Alegre for a quick marg. Gonna have to stick with the party bus from now on.
As a result, this creates significantly more space for vehicles in the middle of the road, which consequently allows the bicycle lanes to not only be wider but also further away from the rogue suddenly-swinging-open parked car doors that have a nasty habit of clotheslining unsuspecting cyclists.
Vehicles still have enough space to park (as before), while pedestrians also manage to come out ahead since they get a few extra feet of sidewalk space. So if I see you and 4 of your friends all walking towards me on the sidewalk in a horizontal line so you can all pleasantly chat together, I’ll still think you’re an asshole, but at least I’ll be able to get by you.
So, what’s the final equation, Prof?
[Valencia] – [center divider] = [more fucking space for everybody]
Of course, I’m all for the “greening” of San Francisco, but I think the city planners might have taken things a little too far in this case . . .
Previously:
Coming Soon: Valencia Streetscape Improvements
Valencia Doing Work
Getting A Feel For The New Valencia