A San Francisco business owner said his businesses along Valencia Boulevard have been negatively impacted since a protected bike lane was opened in the middle of the street. Now he has launched a hunger strike to draw attention to the consequences he says are happening in the hallways.
“I'm on a 30-day hunger strike. So water and sometimes juice,” said Eid Eltawill. “The main issue is the bike lanes.”
Eltawill and his family own Yasmine Restaurant and Rossi Mission SF.
The bike lanes are part of a pilot project to protect cyclists.
“We were against it from the beginning. They took away 79 parking spaces. [spots,] They created a commercial zone,” Eltawill said.
Eltawil added that bikes are not the only problem, and so far outreach to the city has not been very effective.
“We don't have customers who want to come here because we don't have parking. It's very frustrating because customers sit outside and ask me what to do. I mean, this bike lane has cost me a lot of business. There are huge losses,” he said.
Eltawill said changes can be seen along the corridor.
“Five stores closed last week,” he said.
Bike lanes run in the middle of the road, and cars use the outside lanes.
NBC Bay Area spoke with several bike enthusiasts Saturday to share their experiences.
“I use it about twice a week,'' said San Francisco resident Christian Bombin. “It's working really well for me. There's only one lane per car, so there's less traffic.'' I feel it,” he said. But overall I feel safe. ”
“I like the lane. I take it to work and commute in this lane. I think it's very useful,” said John Savage of San Francisco.
Another cyclist told NBC Bay Area Off Camera on Saturday that he doesn't like bike lanes and doesn't use them.
It's hard to know how much the bike lanes have contributed to changes along the corridor. But David Quimby told NBC Bay Area on Saturday that the venue will have to close in November.
Eltawil said he will continue to make requests to the city of San Francisco.
“Get rid of the bike lanes. Tighten them up, find something better, and let's all decide,” he said.
SFMTA said in a statement that it has been in discussions with businesses on Valencia Street and plans to continue working together to “work on solutions that best protect both businesses and bicyclists.”
