Niamh Shackleton
A restaurant owner has made his feelings about new bike lanes in his city very clear as he undergoes a month-long hunger strike.
Eiad Eltawil has a family owned Syrian restaurant in San Francisco, California, named Yasmin.
He also has an artworks store, Rossi Mission SF, out of the same building as his eatery, and is spending the next month outside of his businesses to protest San Francisco's new bike lanes.
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The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency unveiled its new two-way protected center bike lane in summer 2023; something which Eiad claims has negatively affected his business.
In the process of adding in the new bike lanes, the number of vehicle lanes have been dropped down to one on each way between 15th Street and 23rd Street on Valencia, the New York Post reports.
The city has also removed 71 parking metered spots, and many local business owners say that this has impacted the amount of people coming into their stores.
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During Eiad's almost month-long strike, he will sleep outside his art store, consuming only water while passing out fliers supporting his hunger strike.
Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, Eiad said it was a 'last resort'.
"I’ve already suffered so much," the 41-year-old told the newspaper. "At least this way, maybe someone in power will see my struggle and make some changes. It’s a last resort for me."
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Elsewhere, he claims that 'at least 20 business' have are 'gone' as a result of the newly installed bike lanes.
"Complete destruction; just a hundred percent destruction," Eiad further explained KTVU Fox 2. "Five businesses went out last week. At least thirty more businesses [are] about to go out."
He added: "I don't want the bike lanes to be responsible for so many people losing their business."
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As well as with business owners, the bike lanes have received mixed reviews from other locals.
"I don't love it," on San Fran cyclist told ABC 7 last summer.
Explaining why, she went on: "I think it's a mild improvement from just being in the roads with cars, but I think it's still pretty unsafe and it's going to lead to more injuries for people getting caught in the side."
Meanwhile, Janelle Wong, executive director for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, said the project roll out was 'sloppy at best'.
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Others were more in favor of the new lanes though, describing them as 'pretty cool'.
A spokesperson for San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency told ABC News: "Our outreach and collaboration will continue through the spring, as we work on solutions that best protect both businesses and bicyclists on the corridor."
UNILAD has contacted San Francisco City Council for comment.