Despite continuing unhappiness about the center bike lane from businesses along the Valencia Street corridor, that eight-block stretch appears to be doing more business than anywhere else in the Mission District, according to data from the San Francisco Controller’s Office.
When asked about the discrepancy between merchants’ experience and the sales tax data, Sean Quigley, the owner of Paxton Gate, said the shop did not see a measurable change in sales before or after the introduction of the bike lane, but sales for the entire year dropped by 13 to 15 percent, month over month.
“At Paxton Gate we did not experience a measurable dip in sales before or after the introduction of the center-running bike lane. But, our sales were down for the entire year by 13 to 15% month over month which, to me, means something else is going on alongside the bike lane. Personally, I’d point to the “doom loop” scenario the national press fell victim to, describing San Francisco like some post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Existing merchants and commercial property owners: collectively fund cleanup crews and frequently power-wash the sidewalks. Blast SF311 with requests for poop cleanup and sidewalk repairs. Most of the photos on ML show storefronts with graffiti.