{"id":418580,"date":"2026-07-30T22:12:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T22:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/418580\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T22:12:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T22:12:13","slug":"commentary-the-muni-bike-ban-is-even-more-absurd-than-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/418580\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary: The Muni Bike Ban is Even More Absurd than You Think"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barack Obama was starting his first term as President. Gavin Newsom was mayor. The Giants had yet to win a World Series in San Francisco. <\/p>\n

And Streetsblog San Francisco first launched. <\/p>\n

It was 2009. It was also the year the San Francisco Municipal Railway was charged with establishing a policy for allowing bicycles on its LRV trains.<\/p>\n

From that year\u2019s San Francisco Bicycle Plan<\/a>, which is nearly 200 pages long:<\/p>\n

Off-peak commute hours should first be explored in a trial allowing bicycles on LRVs, with possible exceptions for allowing bicycles on LRVs at all times between the Castro Street and West Portal Stations<\/p>\n

Action 3.4 Create an SFMTA policy that allows bicyclists with disabled bicycles to bring them aboard SFMTA transit vehicles, interior space permitting and at the vehicle operator\u2019s discretion.<\/p>\n

And it recommended that:<\/p>\n

Muni establish a policy providing for the accommodation of bicycles on the Third Street light rail vehicles.<\/p>\n

There are more details in the plan, but it\u2019s crystal clear Muni rail should be allowing bicycles at this point on the T Third train and other lines depending on location and crowding. Otherwise, why does San Francisco do these studies in the first place?<\/p>\n

Last Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle\u2018s Rachel Swan<\/a> wrote a piece inspired by a Streetsblog SF video<\/a> and a post about efforts by advocates to get Muni to lift its bike ban<\/a>. In it, the San Francisco Transit Rider\u2019s Dylan Fabris said that \u201cWe\u2019re in the information-gathering stage\u2026 We want to talk to SFMTA and understand why the policy is the way it is now.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the answer to \u201cwhy the policy is the way it is now\u201d seems simple: Muni is managed by transportation troglodytes who resist change.<\/p>\n

\"\"Putting bike-ban stickers on trains was the best use of taxpayer dollars? Photo: Streetsblog\/Rudick<\/p>\n

17 years have passed since that 2009 bike plan, but no pilot was ever done. In fairness, at least folding bikes were permitted starting in 2011 (hallelujah!)<\/a>. But there\u2019s been no movement on regular bikes, which is what the vast majority of cyclists ride. In fact, the agency spent money to put bike-ban stickers on its new fleet of light-rail vehicles, even though they have spaces by the door intended for bikes, wheelchairs, strollers and large luggage.<\/p>\n

What SFMTA management really needs is a good swift kick in the ass: about its bike ban<\/a>, about signal priority<\/a>, about ignoring its \u201ctransit first\u201d mandate<\/a> for half a century now, and a whole lot of other things. And it needs governance reform because clearly its structure, with a supposedly independent board<\/a>, *just* *doesn\u2019t* *work.*<\/p>\n

\"\"A scofflaw cyclist on a Muni train. The bike fits just fine and the train did not spontaneously explode as a result. Photo: Streetsblog\/Rudick<\/p>\n

For now, the mayor needs to ask SFMTA director Julie Kirschbaum<\/a> to send a memo out to all personnel to stop enforcing the bike ban unless the train is truly too crowded. Kirschbaum includes a line about bike-transit synergy in her speeches; it\u2019s time for her to make good on that. And, Mayor Lurie, please don\u2019t insult our intelligence by claiming such policy changes have to originate from the agency<\/a>. In practice, you know very well that\u2019s not how it works<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Muni needs to be fully funded<\/a>. It\u2019s essential to the economic well-being of San Francisco. But it\u2019s just as important that Muni management demonstrates it puts the rider first. Lifting its retrograde bike ban is the place to start.<\/p>\n

Special thanks to advocate Bruce Halperin, who tracked down the 2009 study.<\/p>\n