Division Street is a wide, high-volume, multi-lane arterial that runs under Highway 101 in central San Francisco. It connects two bike routes (along 14th St. and 11th St.) with Townsend Street, a street with a bike lane used by many cyclists to reach the Caltrain (commuter rail) station. Prior to implementation of the buffered bike lane, this stretch of Division Street had shared roadway markings, or “sharrows.”
In November of 2010, the SFMTA striped a buffered bicycle lane and added channelizers, or “safe-hit posts,” on Division Street between 9th Street and 11th Street. The physical separation from vehicular traffic fills an important gap in the route to and from the Caltrain (commuter rail) station.
This stretch of Division Street, partially covered by Highway 101, had on-street parking and a several driveways to commuter parking lots or industrial facilities. Removal of parking elicited some opposition. Additionally, while the driveways along Division Street receive relatively infrequent use, access must be maintained. Maintaining access to these driveways created some difficulties for barrier placement and staff will monitor potential vehicle/bicycle conflicts in the future.