[Images courtesy of SFMTA] The chances of getting new bike lanes on Polk Street just became slimmer. In the wake of a prolonged clash between cyclists and car-parkers, the SFMTA went back to the drawing board for its Polk Street Corridor Improvement Project and re-emerged this week with a new set of parking-friendly design alternatives that take new bike lanes off the table in favor of a "Shared Roadway" (marked with adorably-named "sharrows") and add the option of diverting bus traffic off Polk. Hundreds of attendees at MTA-hosted open houses weighed in on the proposals—three each for Middle Polk (Union to Geary) and Lower Polk (Geary to McAllister)—which represent a dramatic departure from December's proposal [pdf] for a single, separated bike lane along the whole corridor and an 18% reduction in parking. SFMTA won't say when it will release the final design, but it needs to be ready this summer in order to sync construction to Polk's repaving, scheduled for Summer 2015. Have something to say about it? Check the MTA's project site for an online survey and hurry: the public comment period ends in May. - Laura Tepper
· Polk Street Improvement Project [SFMTA]
· Potential Polk Street Changes Enrage, Delight Community [Curbed SF]