PRESS RELEASE - SF Rolls Out New Trucks to Clean Protected Bike Lanes - 6/13/2018
For Immediate Release: June 13, 2018
Contact: Rachel Gordon, 415-554-6045
SAN FRANCISCO ROLLS OUT NEW TRUCKS TO CLEAN PROTECTED BIKE LANES
San Francisco, CA – Public Works bolstered its fleet of street cleaning trucks with three new mechanical sweepers specially designed to remove debris from protected bike lane.
“As we build more of these separated bike lanes to better protect cyclists from cars and trucks, we needed to make sure that we have an efficient and effective way to keep them clean and safe,” said Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru. “These new trucks will get the job done.”
Nuru joined representatives from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition on Wednesday for a demonstration run of the new trucks on Market Street.
San Francisco now has more than 15 miles of protected bike lanes along more than two dozen corridors, including Market Street, The Embarcadero, Cesar Chavez Street, Folsom Street and John Muir Drive. The SFMTA purchased the new mechanical sweepers and Public Works operates them.
“This equipment represents an important investment in our goal to provide safe, sustainable and clean transportation around our city,” said Ed Reiskin, Director of Transportation for the SFMTA. “Protected bike paths are essential to making San Francisco streets safer, and keeping them free of debris will ensure they provide a good and safe experience for people that use them.”
Previously, Public Works crews had to manually sweep the separated bike lanes because the regular mechanical sweeper trucks were too wide to access them. The work was time consuming and the bike lanes were not cleaned as frequently as was needed. Now, the new narrower compact trucks can cover a lot more ground during their seven-day-a-week operation.
"The growing number of protected bike lanes in San Francisco is great news for everyone who shares our streets, but they need to be maintained to ensure they are free of debris,” said Brian Wiedenmeier, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “It's very encouraging to see the City invest in the proper equipment to keep our bike network riding smoothly."
About San Francisco Public Works (http://www.sfpublicworks.org): The 24/7 City agency cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and nurtures City-maintained street trees; designs, constructs and maintains City-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; builds curb ramps; eradicates graffiti; partners with neighborhoods; trains people for jobs; greens the right of way; and educates our communities.
Press Releases
Release Date
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Mission
San Francisco Public Works is one of the largest and most complex municipal operations in the City, with a 1,600-member workforce and a $384 million annual operating budget. The department's active capital project portfolio exceeds $3 billion. As one of San Francisco oldest City departments, it is also one of the most forward-thinking. Keeping San Francisco beautiful, safe and sustainable.
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