I bike to work on my fantastic Gazelle Arroyo C5 ebike, which I love, and my commute involves riding the length of Valencia Street. Unlike a lot of people, I actually like the center bike lane, primarily because it makes it much easier to co-exist with acoustic bikes. Side-running bike lanes are often too narrow to feel like I can pass safely, but with the wider center lane, there are plenty of breaks in traffic from the other direction to allow me to pass.

But I digress. The people who disliked the center bike lane have succeeded in getting the city to switch to side-running, parking-protected bike lanes. Which is fine! But right now, SFMTA has completely BLOCKED the center lane, preventing bikes from using it, before creating the side lanes.

This creates a fun phenomenon I call “Every Day is Critical Mass!” The bikes are mixed right in with the cars, which feels like it should be more dangerous, but which I actually prefer. Because the acoustic bikes max out at 12-13mph (and the lights are timed anyway), and the cars can’t pass them, the entire flow of traffic is limited to that speed.

This has sufficiently annoyed drivers that I’ve noticed there are fewer and fewer cars on Valencia. It’s mostly just bikes, and I’ve noticed pedestrians even wandering out into the street more. I took this on my morning commute:

Which brings me around to the title: This is great! We could have this forever, a beautiful, vibrant, car-free Valencia. It would be wonderful. We could add benches and other features. Food trucks in the middle. It could become a hub of activity, like the ones in Montreal. The merchants will of course whine and complain, even though it will increase their business, but if they live in San Francisco they can take it up with their elected representatives, and if they don’t live in San Francisco they can STFU because it’s actual residents who should guide city planning.

I know it will never happen. But it’s so obvious that it should. Take a ride on Valencia in the next couple weeks and experience it for yourself!