More bikes than anything else on Market during rush hour
In San Francisco, a traffic count by the Municipal Transportation Authority in July found that during a one-hour stretch of the morning commute, there were more bicycles than cars, taxis, buses and streetcars heading eastbound on Market Street. According to Judson True, an authority spokesman, 509 bike riders were tallied compared with 400 cars, 43 taxis and 30 transit vehicles.
Eastbound is heading into downtown.
I think we’re gonna take this place over once this Republican judge’s injunction gets stayed. 
And from my limited experience, I can state unequivocally that riding (or racing) down Market during rush hour is an absolutely terrifying experience. Regular riding in San Francisco can be, and often is, terrifying, but Market Street is particularly crazy - there are just so many big and small-ish objects moving in every different directions, with varying pace, and just all manner of things to break your concentration. If you want to train to be a bike messenger, Market Street is the place you need to be.
Every time a bus pulls over to stop on the right, cars cut over to the left trying not to get stuck behind the bus while it loads and unloads people, and part of the folks making that left cut are us bikers - and we have the added worry of trying not to lodge our tires in the trolley tracks running down Market. Pedestrians are shooting out from every different direction against all the lights, and they don’t often look for bikers - especially the tourists. Cars are running red lights left and right and moving at lightning speeds. Even buses can get moving pretty quickly. All this madness and noise, and there are still lots of bikers out there. I think it goes to show just how much people are willing to risk to avoid driving a private car.
No cars on Market? I’m with that.
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August 26th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Seriously, how could someone manage to get their tires caught in the tracks? Sorry, fellow readers, inside joke…