Transit Riders Show Love for Mission Street's Vital Red Lanes

With the influx of new people moving to San Francisco, as well as the advent of Lyft and Uber — helping turn city streets into gold for rookie drivers unfamiliar with San Francisco's wacky road setup — city streets have become even more hectic. Especially in the Mission. Which is why San Francisco implemented dramatic new transit-only red lanes on Mission Street between 30th to 14th streets. But not everyone is thrilled about the red-carpet treatment.

Some drivers and business owners have ballyhooed the lanes, saying that Mission Street that is now more congested and that area businesses are seeing a downtick. And now, inexplicably, the new lanes could be altered to appease said businesses and drivers. Even the district's progressive supervisor expressed concern over the red lanes.

"Most people working by, living on and driving down Mission Street will tell you that the new transit-only red carpet lanes are anything but glamorous," Campos said on his Facebook page, adding, "While I understand the intention was to enhance the commute of transit riders, the changes look better on paper than in practice."

Some people are even ignoring red-lane rules altogether:

For Muni riders, however, the red lanes are a beacon of transportation relief. The 14-Mission and 49-Van Ness, the two main arteries along Mission Street, have already seen improved times.

Andy Bosselman, a spokesman for advocacy group San Francisco Transit Riders, tells SF Examiner, "The streets we have need to move more people ... That means prioritizing transit and bikes. Unfortunately, these changes affect drivers and we know without doubt that drivers are going to scream and holler."

This mild brouhaha sparked a delightful #KeepMissionRed on Twitter over the weekend. A few highlights:

And finally, whether pro or con, a sentiment upon which we can all agree:

Along with #KeepMissionRed let's also remember to #KeepMissionAffordable !

— LolaLolaLola (@Lola_Casanova) April 18, 2016

No word yet on future meetings about redoing the project. We'll update as soon as we know more.

• Muni riders defend Mission ‘red carpet’ lanes [SF Examiner]
• Transit-only Lane Causing Grief on San Francisco Streets [ABC 7]
• Mission Street redo has community on road to rebellion [Chronicle]
• Why We Can’t Have A Nice Muni: Every Time We Get Upgrades, The Crazies Shout It Down [N Judah]