A San Francisco restaurant owner is in the middle of a month-long hunger strike, protesting the city’s new bike lane experiment he claims is driving his customers away.
Eiad Eltawil, 41, will spend the next month in a parklet outside his storefront, not eating food, to show his hatred for the problematic new bikeway built outside his business.
Eltawil’s family runs the Syrian restaurant Yasmin and artworks store Rossi Mission SF out of the same building on Valencia Street in the city’s Mission District.
In August, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency unveiled its new two-way protected center bike lane designed to be safer for the city’s most important north-south bike route, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The bike lane project has reduced the number of vehicle lanes down to one side each way between 15th Street and 23rd Street on Valencia.
San Francisco restaurant owner Eiad Eltawil is in the middle of a 30-day hunger strike protesting a bike lane driving his customers away. ABC7 News Bay Area/YouTube
The project also removed 71 metered parking spots, which the local business owners claim reduced their clientele.
During his 30-day protest, Eltawil says he will sleep outside his art store, consuming only water while passing out fliers supporting his hunger strike.
Eltawil also wrote out his grievances on the exterior of the makeshift structure he will call home for the next month.
“Eiad, the owner of Rossi and Yasmin, is committing to a 30-day hunger strike starting April 7 to protest the unfair, racist and Islamaphobic policies enacted on his business by the mayor’s office, the MTA, and the Valencia Street Merchants Association.
In August, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency unveiled its new two-way protected center bike lane designed to be safer for the city’s most important north-south bike route. ABC7 News Bay Area/YouTube
During his month-long hunger strike, Eltawil will sleep outside of his businesses in a parklet along the street. ABC7 News Bay Area/YouTube
After being repeatedly shot down by multiple departments and kicked out of by the mayor’s office, Eltawil hopes his fasting will get the attention of the city leaders who could change the bike lanes or he will be forced to close down his beloved restaurant.
“I’ve already suffered so much,” Eltawil told the outlet. “At least this way, maybe someone in power will see my struggle and make some changes. It’s a last resort for me.”
“I don’t want the bike lanes to be responsible for so many people losing their business,” said Eltawil.
“If I was in New York, I’d have lines around the block,” Tunisian restaurant owner Rafik Bouzidi told the San Francisco Chronicle. “But San Francisco is killing businesses, and it’s as simple as that.”
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Bouzidi claims he’s noticed some people have canceled their reservations with the city’s only Tunisian restaurant after searching for a parking spot for 30 minutes.
Eight months after the launch of the 6-month long trial, the SFMTA says the experiment is a work in progress, according to KTVU.
Twelve crashes were reported between pedestrians and vehicles in the bike path’s first three months of operation, a higher accident rate than before the bike lane opened, according to the Chronicle.
Eltawil isn’t too worried about the hunger strike because he and his business have suffered so much since the new bike lane was installed. ABC7 News Bay Area/YouTube
Eltawil’s family runs the Syrian restaurant Yasmin and artworks store Rossi Mission SF out of the same building on Valencia Street in the city’s Mission District. ABC7 News Bay Area/YouTube
In September 80-year-old pedestiran Jian Huang, who was crossing the street, was struck and killed by an SUV driver turning left onto Valencia, according to SFGate.
Eltawil’s complaints about the bike lanes were met with mixed emotions from locals with some agreeing with the business owner, while others sided with the city’s program for more bike lanes.
Eltawil’s complaints about the bike lanes were met with mixed emotions from locals with some agreeing with the business owner, while others sided with the city’s program for more bike lanes. ABC7 News Bay Area/YouTube
Eight months after the launch of the 6-month long trial, the SFMTA says the experiment is a work in progress. ABC7 News Bay Area/YouTube
The SFMTA said it is working has heard the business owners and is tweaking the design to benefit everyone.
“We have talked to the parklet operators in Valencia and received their feedback about their loading needs to inform the design process,” the agency told the outlet. “Our outreach and collaboration will continue through the spring, as we work on solutions that best protect both businesses and bicyclists on the corridor.”
Source link: https://nypost.com/2024/04/13/us-news/san-francisco-restaurant-owner-eiad-eltawil-on-hunger-strike-protesting-bike-lanes/