Workers were busy closing off Howard Street on Thursday afternoon between 3rd and 4th Street in anticipation of this year’s Dreamforce Conference, which starts Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Moscone Center. They have already blocked the street’s protected bike lane—a major commute corridor for cyclists heading to and through SoMa.
When Streetsblog asked SFMTA about the lack of a safe detour for the Howard Street bike lane during the Config Conference at Moscone in June, agency spokesperson Madhu Unnikrishnan sent the following: “We support conferences and other city events that require bicycle and vehicle reroutes … We’ll look into what happened here and get back to you.”
They did, and the “plan” is unchanged. Streetsblog has confirmed that Dreamforce, which runs through Sept. 17th, will again close Howard Street without a safe bike detour. With conference preparations still underway, the sidewalk is still open, but that will be closed too. Cyclists will have to use a bus-only lane to get to Mission, mixing with heavy traffic to continue west. Or they can dismount and walk their bikes up and around the conference through Yerba Buena Gardens.
A cyclist follows the detour sign on the bus lane on 3rd. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick
Of course, neither of these are legit “detours.” They’re just what a cyclist would have to do anyway with Howard Street’s protected bike lane closed off.
But “the city can’t afford concrete protection”
And once again, the city has installed concrete barriers to protect the conference from automobile-based terrorism. These are the same kinds of quick-build barriers used by New York, Paris, and other cities to protect cyclists from getting mashed by errant drivers.
Concrete barriers on the wrong side of the Howard bike lane. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick
And, almost as if out of spite, San Francisco once again placed the concrete barriers without protecting the bike lane. They will be removed after the conference.
It’s no mystery why San Francisco continues to fail at Vision Zero.