Across the US, bike lanes are popping up everywhere and San Francisco is no different. While many cyclists are pleased with this news – they’re also equally confused about how these function. Recently for instance, the bike lane pictured below was implemented in the Valencia neighborhood in San Francisco.

In fairness, it does look pretty confusing and looks similar to a game of Tetris as opposed to a road layout. Here, there are a number of arrows, boxes, green painted floor parts, and various other aspects that make this what it is. However, does anyone actually know how to use it?

As well as this, large parts of the bike lane remain unprotected, which means those using them won’t exactly be protected from cars in the area. Speaking online, one resident said this regarding the confusing nature of the bike lanes: “It’s just an attempt to please everyone (drivers, bikers, businesses with parklets, the fire department) which led to a design which does nothing particularly well.” while others claimed that older bike systems were much easier to follow.

Now, just when you thought it couldn’t get any more confusing – there are also parts where the cycle lanes meet pedestrian crossings. The less said on this, the better.

Elsewhere, resident car drivers weren’t too impressed either. This is because the cyclists were awarded the middle lane, which was ironically larger than the outside car lanes. It seems in this case, no one is happy with the way this design has finished and we can’t blame them!