Safer 17th
Portraits & interviews in support of Safer 17th initiative to make 17th Street a safer place to bike
“We live in Mission Bay, and we’d use 17th more if it was protected. It’s an issue with the kids being not very safe”
I use 17th because it’s the most flat. But there’s a lot of 18 wheelers parked in bike lanes, and lots of double parking cars.
“I know a lot of people who would like to bike more in San Francisco but they don’t feel safe or comfortable enough. If we’re really going to make a transformation, we need to make it safe and comfortable for everybody”
“I’d love to see the green painted portions here. The most dangerous part is when cars are turning and come into the bike lane”
“I live in the Mission. I use 17th street for staying healthy. I go from the Mission to the ballpark and do calisthenics there”
“What keeps many folks from making their short trips by bike is a real concern about getting hit by a car. We want a 17th Street that is safe for biking for people ages eight to eighty”
“I try and schedule things pretty far away from home, and I go by bike everywhere. I have two bad hips and riding a bike is the best way to get exercise. I love riding bikes. It’s a freedom like no other. It’s just fun”
“We live in the Outer Sunset and we use 17th Street every day. We do park, Wiggle, 17th”
“A lot of people ride on this street to go to the Mission or Golden Gate Park. This is the best bike route through here and it can be even better”
“I live in Bayview. I ride on 17th coming from work. I like to keep my legs loose and keep energy”
“We’re hoping for a truly protected bike lane to stay at the right speed but not feel so worried about getting clipped or going around cars into traffic”
“I live here in the neighborhood. I commute, but not everyday on bike because I don’t think it’s that safe”
“There’s definitely places that are unprotected and narrow stretches that feel unsafe. You can tell there’s a lot more traffic coming through”
“We live in the neighborhood. We have a triathlon club called The Shark Bites and we use 17th to train for our bike portion”
“We feel nervous biking on 17th because cars go really fast and it gets congested. It would be great if there was protected bike lanes here”
“A green lane would be nice to reinforce the separation of the lanes. Everything on 17th gets messy because of people parking in the bike lane. I’d like to have stretches with more barriers”
“Doors opening, people on their phones and not paying attention, rolling stops are things I always have to look out for. I try to stay on bike lanes but end up in the road most of the time”
“I don’t see any downside to having a dedicated bike corridor, there are so many other streets better for cars”