S.F. wants to extend Embarcadero bike lane — and remove parking and trees

San Francisco Chronicle​

12-07-2025

San Francisco officials want to extend the protected bikeway along the Embarcadero by removing up to 30 metered parking spaces in an effort to improve safety.
Officials from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the public works department and the Port of San Francisco proposed the changes during a Port Commission meeting on Tuesday. The proposal, called the Central Embarcadero Safety Project, aims to improve transportation and pedestrian safety between the half-mile stretch between Broadway and Brannan streets, a busy corridor with a mix of commercial buildings, parks and landmarks, including the Ferry Building and Rincon Park.
The proposed project would be an extension of the protected pike bath that was implemented from Broadway to Folsom Street in 2022, officials said. If approved, the project is estimated to cost $8 million to $12 million, depending on the final design plan, officials said. The city has already secured $8.3 million in grants and local bond funding for the project, officials said.
Casey Hildreth, a planner with SFMTA, said during the Tuesday meeting that construction could start next year. The project still needs approvals from Caltrans, the city's fire department, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.
The project proposes removing up to 30 metered parking spaces on the north side of the Embarcadero, from Folsom Street to Brannan Street, to make way for the bikeway extension, according to city documents. Officials also want to narrow the center median from 15 feet wide to about 5 feet, which means removing 15 palm trees and planting new ones on a divider between the bike and car lanes because they 'cannot be relocated due to their susceptibility to disease,' officials said.
Approximately one-third of the parking spaces would be used for new passenger and commercial loading zones near Piers 26 and 28, and 12 motorcycle parking spots would be replaced with a commercial loading zone in front of the Waterbar and Epic Steak restaurants, city officials said. According to officials, the vehicle and motorcycle parking spaces were rarely used.
Northbound left turns and U-turns would be restricted, including converting the Folsom Street left-turn lane into a through lane 'to maintain loading access' for the restaurants and improve Muni light rail service.
Port Commissioner Steven Lee expressed concern during the meeting about the potential impacts to the two restaurants, where he said many tourists and locals are dropped off in vehicles or taxis.
Hildreth said officials plan to shift the existing passenger loading zone to double the amount of commercial loading in front of the restaurants. Hildreth said he expects there not to be much of an impact because the restaurants stopped providing valet service since many customers were arriving via Uber or other modes of transportation.
'The amount of loading will be plentiful for those that want to drop off,' he said.
Officials said the project has been met by support from advocates for cyclist and pedestrian safety in particular, while some businesses and residents expressed concern about the removal of parking spaces and trees, as well as customer access.
Alice Rogers, president of the South Beach/Rincon/Mission Bay Neighborhood Association and the only person to speak during the meeting's public comment, applauded SFMTA's public outreach efforts but said some residents were concerned about the potential removal of the Brannan Street left-turn lane, especially during the baseball season, and urged officials to monitor heavy-traffic days.
'It gets to be a very complicated driving situation,' she said.