Bike to Work Day is always the most fun day of the year as thousands of people celebrate by biking and enjoying the day’s festivities. The joy and energy is palpable, and this year was more exciting than ever. At our rally this morning at City Hall, Mayor London Breed announced two big commitments that will advance bike safety and make San Francisco a better place for everyone to bike.
We know this would not have been possible without the tireless advocacy and support of our 10,000 members. Join our movement today to make sure these commitments are realized.
Today, Mayor London Breed directed the City to quickly close the gaps in our citywide protected bike lane network and build 20 miles of protected bike lanes in two years. This doubles the pace at which we’ve been building protected bike lanes in recent years.
We have long pressured the City to build street infrastructure that protects people who bike. We know that one of the biggest reasons that people don’t bike to work every day is that they don’t feel safe. We thank and commend Mayor Breed for hearing our calls and streamlining the process to deliver safety projects.
Mayor Breed also directed the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to step up enforcement to protect the safety of people on bikes, by issuing more citations for people who block bike lanes. Using 311 data, they will increase citations by 10% over the next six months.
While we urge our members to use 311 to report blocked bike lanes, we also know that the response has not been at the level we need. With the proliferation of delivery services and transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft, cars and trucks are often pulling into the bike lane, putting their convenience over the safety of others.
Building protected bike lanes is one way to keep people safe from this illegal behavior, but enforcement is also crucial.
We thank Mayor London Breed for issuing these bold challenges. We need more of this kind of leadership moving forward if we want to grow the number of people biking, achieve Vision Zero by 2024 and meet our ambitious climate goals.
This is a banner year for Bike to Work Day! Make sure to stop by one of our Energizer Stations this afternoon and join or renew your membership today.