Signs, meters, posts — SFMTA installs these everyday with little fanfare. Somehow, though, having a bike rack installed in San Francisco is still a confusing and frustrating process that can take up to a year or be canceled at a moment’s notice.

We’re out to change that and we need your help. See our open letter to the SF Municipal Transportation Agency demanding they install 2,000 bicycle racks in 2019. To push them to meet our ask, we need to flood them with rack requests.

Anywhere you could use a rack — demand it!

I want a bike rack

*****

Dear Director Reiskin,

On behalf of our 10,000-plus members, I am writing this letter to urge the SF Municipal Transportation Agency to deliver on-street bike racks at an expedited pace and with urgency.

The proliferation of stationless shared mobility trips in recent years paired with the slow and sometimes dead-end process for getting a rack in the ground has led to a severe shortage of publicly accessible bicycle parking. As we fight for protected bicycle lanes and bike-friendly policies, it is unacceptable that simple bicycle racks are one of the limiting factors for someone looking to get out of their car.

The existing siting, outreach and notification processes for on-street and sidewalk bicycle racks are outdated and obstructive to the timely delivery and adequate concentration of this crucial piece of infrastructure. To be responsive to the growing demand for bike racks we believe the following changes are necessary to the SFMTA’s bicycle parking program:

• Install 2000 bike racks in 2019;
• Deliver all new bicycle rack requests within three months;
• Expand and proactively site bicycle racks and corrals in residential neighborhoods, especially throughout service areas of stationless bike share and scooter share systems; and
• Streamline the online request portal including integration into the 311 app.

Bicycle parking is a citywide issue. If we are to reach our Vision Zero, Transit First and mode share goals, we can no longer let outlier voices derail the availability of safe, accessible bike racks. Properly placed bicycle racks are unobtrusive street furniture on public property and should be treated as any other sign or meter. We believe the above changes will bring the bicycle parking program in line with San Francisco’s current needs and infrastructure practices.

Thank you for your attention to this pressing issue. We look forward to your timely response to this letter.

Sincerely,

Charles Deffarges
Senior Community Organizer