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Planning Commission hears update, months of public comment on Bicycle Plan EIR and injunction
Summary
The Planning Commission heard a department update and wide public comment on the Bicycle Plan EIR after a court ordered an environmental review and issued an injunction blocking construction of new bike facilities. Staff outlined an accelerated schedule for a draft EIR and said lifting the injunction depends on certification of the final EIR.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on Aug. 14 heard a detailed update from department staff on the citywide Bicycle Plan environmental impact report and an injunction the courts have placed on implementing bicycle facilities.
Director (planning department) told the commission the superior court had ordered an EIR for the Bicycle Plan and issued an injunction preventing construction of any bicycle facilities until the city completes that review. Staff said the department has added personnel and contractor time, is coordinating with the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) to act as overall project overseer, and is targeting an administrative draft in September, a DEIR for public release by Thanksgiving, and final certification in spring with the goal of lifting the injunction by mid‑summer next year.
The update outlined why the EIR is complex: the plan covers the entire city and encompasses roughly 60 individual projects, including transportation analyses and program‑level reviews required under CEQA. Director said staff had received hundreds of public comments and postcards and that the department is preparing for an expected heavy comment period.
Public commenters urged speed and attention to safety. Leah Schaham, identified in the record as Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, told commissioners: “It’s been two years of zero work to improve bicycle infrastructure in this city… We ask you to keep this a priority, meet the schedule and the deadlines agreed upon by the main stakeholders.” Other speakers from the Bicycle Coalition, national pedestrian and bicycle professionals and neighborhood residents emphasized safety, equity and the risk that repeated schedule slips will stall the city’s bike network.
Commissioners pressed staff about benchmarks, additional funding, and whether some projects could be exempted from the injunction; staff said requests to the court seeking exemptions had been denied and that certification of the EIR remains the path to request the injunction be lifted. Staff also said the department will return monthly with updates and that additional CEQA and sustainability briefings are being scheduled for commissioners.
The commission did not take formal action on the plan at the meeting; staff committed to provide monthly updates and to deliver an administrative draft for internal review in September.
