When people driving in San Francisco receive a ticket for running a red light or stop sign, they may have the option of attending driver safety training in lieu of paying the fine. The City has not made that option available to people ticketed while biking, but we’re working on fixing that.
What should that Bicycle Ticket Diversion program look like, though? We are thinking through that with our partners and would love for you to be part of the conversation.
Bike Equity Network Convening
Thursday, May 24 — 6:00 – 7:30 pm
SF Bicycle Coalition, 1720 Market St.
Two key principles that must guide San Francisco’s creation of a Bicycle Ticket Diversion program are that it should improve safety, and it should be equitable and fair. That’s why we’re inviting our partners in the Bike Equity Network and our members to a joint meeting on May 24.
The Bike Equity Network is a coalition of community partners who distribute bicycles at little to no cost to folks in San Francisco who may otherwise have no access to bikes. Especially during the present affordability crisis racking our region, biking can make a huge difference in people’s abilities to to make ends meet. After all, transportation is the second-highest household expense in our city after housing itself.
While we continue to offer free bicycle education classes emphasizing the rules of the road, we know that we haven’t reached everyone who bikes. A Bicycle Ticket Diversion program could be a valuable way to reach even more people with our classes, improve safety for everyone on our streets and ensure that people already struggling to make ends meet do not experience a financial crisis resulting from traffic enforcement.
For this meeting of the Bike Equity Network, we want to update you and our partners about meetings already underway with City agencies about a Bicycle Ticket Diversion program. We also want to solicit feedback about how to craft such a program to improve safety for everyone while ensuring that that program is truly equitable.
Anyone who works on bicycle programs in low-income communities is especially welcome at this exciting convening of SF’s Bicycle Equity Network. We’re excited to hear about your work and welcome your insights into how to develop and launch San Francisco’s Bicycle Ticket Diversion program. Please RSVP today.