In our Member Survey, we asked people to tell us which issues they care most about. Educating drivers topped the list. In the last few years, the SF Bicycle Coalition has been expanding our professional driver education work to include taxi drivers, Muni operators and Recology drivers. We’ve recently begun teaching tech shuttle drivers as well.
This month we partnered with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition to train 200 Google shuttle drivers at their Mountain View office. In an auditorium with chairs colored in branded Google red, yellow, green and blue, staff from the SF Bicycle Coalition and the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition addressed drivers from several of Google’s shuttle operator companies.
The hour-long training covered the most common bike/shuttle concerns: How to turn across a bike lane, safely loading and unloading on a street with a bike lane, and using mirrors to look for people biking. We also covered bicyclists’ rights, including the new Three-Foot Passing Law.
Our shuttle driver course teaches drivers how to turn across a bike lane and safely load and unload on a street with a bike lane.
While teaching this course to shuttle operators is an important step toward street safety, we know there is more that can be done to ensure our streets are safe and comfortable for people biking. The SFMTA has launched a Commuter Shuttle Pilot program and the Agency will be analyzing what works and doesn’t. As someone who bikes on our streets, we encourage you to let the SFMTA know if you have suggestions or concerns about shuttle/bike interactions.
We have heard regular concerns from our members about tech shuttles on Valencia Street, one of our city’s busiest bike routes. The SF Bicycle Coalition is urging the City to move the shuttles off of Valencia Street and onto a street without so many people biking. If you bike on Valencia and have concerns or unsafe interactions with shuttles on this street, please report it to the SFMTA.
Want to help spread the safety message? Here’s how you can help:
- Tell your company about our Driver Education program and encourage them to get involved.
- Share our driver education resources, including the Right Turn graphic and video for Muni operators.
- Become a member of the SF Bicycle Coalition and support our ongoing education programs.
