A high-speed police chase that reportedly originated in the Tenderloin tore through the Folsom Street corridor recently, with the fleeing vehicle blasting straight through the protected bike lane — you know, the one with those flimsy plastic dividers that were supposed to keep cyclists safe.
One local cyclist described it as the worst experience in 15 years of daily bike commuting on the same route, saying they were nearly run over by the speeding car as it barreled between the bollards. Multiple undercover and marked police vehicles followed from all directions. The cyclist called SFPD to offer a witness account.
Let's talk about what's actually going on here.
First, the fact that a chase like this can originate in the Tenderloin surprises exactly no one. The neighborhood remains the epicenter of open-air crime in San Francisco, and whatever enforcement is happening clearly isn't enough to prevent suspects from leading police on runs through SoMa's busiest corridors.
Second, let's have an honest conversation about those "protected" bike lanes. San Francisco has spent millions installing plastic posts and reconfiguring streets in the name of Vision Zero — the city's pledge to eliminate traffic deaths. But a plastic divider doesn't stop a two-ton vehicle doing 60. It barely stops someone parallel parking. The infrastructure looks great in press releases and ribbon-cutting photos, but when it matters most, it's cosmetic safety theater.
None of this is to say we shouldn't have bike infrastructure or that police shouldn't pursue dangerous suspects. But the gap between what the city promises and what it actually delivers keeps widening. We get the expensive redesigns, the self-congratulatory tweets from supervisors, and the Vision Zero branding — and then a car rips through all of it at highway speed on a Tuesday evening.
The cyclist's advice is worth repeating: don't ride with headphones. Situational awareness is, unfortunately, still your best protection in San Francisco — because the city's infrastructure sure isn't.
