Today marks San Francisco’s 22nd annual Bike to Work Day, and it has been SO much fun! All across the city, people riding their bikes to work received fanfare and tote bags filled with goodies as we celebrated the biggest and best biking day of the year. Riders flocked to City Hall, joining City leaders for a rally in support of San Francisco’s fastest growing form of transportation.
SF continues to lead by example. Recently, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) released their annual bike count report, indicating that people made over 200,000 more trips by bike than in the previous year – an 8.5 percent increase in just one year. In the past decade, biking in SF is up by 184 percent!
Biking’s skyrocketing popularity is a testament to our 10,000-plus members who tirelessly advocate for safer, more liveable streets for all San Francisco residents. As a result of this advocacy, SF bikes more and more.
These numbers don’t just appear out of thin air. Bike counters like the one on Market Street proudly display the number of riders each day, and two more of these counters are now up and running: one on Valencia Street between 16th and 17th, and another on Market between 9th and 10th Streets, opposite San Francisco’s first bike counter. These counters not only show off how much SF loves biking; they underscore our commitment to making strong, data-driven choices for a healthier, better city.
In addition to the new bike counters, throughout 2016 the SFMTA is expected to roll out 1,200 new signs marking bike routes more clearly . The new signs, similar to those found in Oakland, will not only be three times bigger than current signs, but will list the destination name, distance in miles and estimated travel time, (instead of simply noting hard-to-remember bike route numbers,) making it easier for riders to get around. This new bicycle wayfinding will show how all of San Francisco, from Sutro Heights to Hunters Point, is covered with bike routes to make it easier for everyone to get around by bike.
SF has transformed by leaps and bounds into the gorgeous, bike-friendly city that it is today. While there is still more to be done, we couldn’t have made it this far without the support of our members and allies every step of the way.
This year’s wondrous Bike to Work Day celebration was made possible by generous help from our local sponsors and amazing member-volunteers, who continue to amaze us time and time again with their passion and dedication. Thank you for making this year’s Bike to Work Day one for the books, and showing the rest of the nation that SF bikes!
If you missed this morning’s Energizer Stations, or those planned for 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm tonight, you can still join or renew your membership and be a part of the community of people who bike and advocate for more livable streets.
