Board OKs all but one item of bike plan SAN FRANCISCO

Monika Collins and Stephen Osadetz, both of San Francisco, chat as they pedal their bikes on 17th street near Dolores street on Tuesday June 23, 2009 in San Francisco, Calif. Monika Collins and Stephen Osadetz, both of San Francisco, chat as they pedal their bikes on 17th street near Dolores street on Tuesday June 23, 2009 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Board OKs all but one item of bike plan 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board unanimously approved the city's long-stalled bike plan Friday, giving the go-ahead to 45 of the 46 individual projects under consideration.

"Today is an historic day for the future of bicycling in San Francisco," Mayor Gavin Newsom said. "These bike lanes will improve our environment, enhance bike safety and help people lead healthier lives."

Leah Shahum, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, also applauded the decision.

"It really is a historic decision by the city to invest in sustainable transportation," she said after the plan was approved at a packed meeting at City Hall.

The plan calls for 34 miles of new bike lanes on city streets, among them Fifth Street, Alemany Boulevard, Ocean Avenue, Clipper Street and Portola Drive. It also includes proposals for new bike racks, special traffic signals for bikers and other initiatives intended to make cycling safer and more convenient.

The only proposed project to be held up was the planned bike lane on Second Street in the South of Market, which ran into opposition from neighbors upset over the prospect of losing traffic lanes and the ability to make left-hand turns at several intersections. The transportation board asked for more study of the proposed Second Street bike lanes.

The bike plan had been held up for three years by court order. Two groups and blogger Rob Anderson sued to block implementation, successfully arguing that a thorough environmental analysis was needed before the plan could be implemented.

The city conducted the study, and the Planning Commission certified the document Thursday night. Anderson said he intends to appeal that decision to the Board of Supervisors. Once that process is exhausted, the city attorney will petition the Superior Court to have the injunction lifted.

If and when that is done, the transportation agency can move forward with the bike-improvement projects. In all, about 60 projects are planned to be completed in the next few years at a cost of about $14 million. Officials hope to get started by late summer or fall.