Thank You, San Francisco!

Posted on by Janice Li

SF bikes when we get a chance to bike alongside our City leaders!

From the Outer Sunset to Bayview to SoMa, we biked with our neighbors and City leaders to celebrate Bike to Work Day with a rally in front of City Hall.

Supervisor Eric Mar took a spin out to Ocean Beach before riding in with his District 1 neighbors from a parklet on Clement Street.

BTWD 2016 D1 convoy

As a beginner who learned through an SF Bicycle Coalition learn-to-ride class, Supervisor Jane Kim had the shortest ride, albeit through some of the city’s busiest streets in SoMa.

BTWD 2016 D6 convoy

We were joined by both Supervisor Malia Cohen and Mohammed Nuru, the head of Public Works, on our District 10 ride starting from the Bayview. The ride took the waterfront route along Illinois Street before cutting through Mission Bay toward City Hall.

BTWD 2016 D10 convoy

Starting from Washington Square Park, Supervisor Aaron Peskin experienced biking on Columbus Avenue as this historic North Beach corridor gets ready to be repaved later this year.

BTWD 2016 D3 convoy

The most popular ride goes to District 5 with Supervisor London Breed, who tried out the new Page Street bike lane en route to City Hall with a large Commuter Convoy with her residents.

BTWD 2016 D5 convoy

In total, we had 8 of 11 Supervisors join in a Commuter Convoy with representatives from every Supervisor’s office present at our City Hall rally. In addition to those above, we were joined by Supervisors Mark Farrell, Katy Tang, Norman Yee, Scott Wiener and staff from the offices of Supervisor David Campos and John Avalos (who gets a special thanks for helping us reserve the space in front of City Hall!). Thank you to our elected officials for showing how popular it is to bike and leading our city towards an even more bike-friendly future.

This day wouldn’t be possible without the support of our City agency leaders. Thanks to Ed Reiskin at the SF Municipal Transportation Agency, Tilly Chang at the SF County Transportation Authority, Debbie Raphael at SF Environment and Steve Heminger at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for biking with us this morning!

Ed Reiskin BTWD 2016

Thanks again to everyone who celebrated the day with us. If you missed the chance on Bike to Work Day, please keep the momentum rolling join or renew your membership today. It takes all of us pulling together to deliver the safe, welcoming streets that every San Franciscans deserves.

Soaring Popularity of Biking Palpable on Bike to Work Day 2016

Posted on by Mara Mabugat

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.

Last Chance to Support Golden Gate Avenue Bike Lanes

Posted on by Janice Li

Keep the bike lanes coming! Next up: Golden Gate Avenue.

We’re one approval away from making Tenderloin’s first east-west bike lane a reality. After months of outreach and a great response from our members and community groups in the Tenderloin, Golden Gate Avenue bike lanes will go before the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors next week. Write a letter of support today to help make this happen.

Write a letter of support today

To: MTABoard@sfmta.com
CC: janice@sfbike.org, Dan.Provence@sfmta.com
Subject: I Support Bike Lanes on Golden Gate Avenue!

As we shared back in March, the Tenderloin is criss-crossed by some of the city’s most dangerous streets. We hear time and time again how these streets are difficult to cross for the many seniors living here or for people with disabilities. This project recognizes this as a problem and addresses it by calming traffic to make the street safer whether you bike, walk, live or work here.

Thanks to the advocacy of Central City SRO Collaborative, St. Francis Living Room and other allies through the Vision Zero Coalition, this proposal to connect Polk to Market with bike lanes on Golden Gate Avenue takes a significant step forward for safer streets in the Tenderloin. This project also wouldn’t have been possible without additional funding thanks to Supervisor Jane Kim, who has continued to push for more walkable and bikeable streets throughout District 6.

The response so far has been extremely positive. With your letters of support, we look to get this project approved by the SFMTA Board and striping as soon as this summer. Better yet, come to the SFMTA Board meeting and speak up in person on Tuesday, May 17.

Have questions or comments? Email janice@sfbike.org today.

Top Reasons to Stop by an Energizer Station

Posted on by Anna Gore

There will be 26 Energizer Stations all around San Francisco on May 12, 2016 for Bike to Work Day. Make sure to stop at one on your way to or from work! Why?

  • FREEBIES and COLLECTABLES! Energizer Stations are where you pick up your free, collectable Bike to Work Day canvas tote bag. Each year there’s a new design, and it’s filled with all kinds of bike-y goodies. You can fuel up with coffee and snacks, and even get free basic bike maintenance from our Bike Doctors while you’re there.
  • Celebration and Festivities! We have hundreds of member-volunteers pitching-in at Energizer Stations all around the city. They’re excited to give high fives (also free!) and cheer you on. Our Energizer Stations are like mini, street-side parties, celebrating our city’s biggest bicycling day of the year. Don’t miss out on the fun.
  • It’s the best time and place to get your SF Bicycle Coalition membership. If you join or renew at an Energizer Station, you also get a special, large canvas tote bag on top of the other Bike to Work Day goodies — this year, including a 10 percent off coupon at Rainbow Grocery! Plus, there’s no better way to support bicycling in SF all year long. As a member, you’ll have a team of advocates working on bicycling improvements citywide and we’ll help you to keep up your momentum for riding with all kinds of member discounts, resources and free events.

Map your route by an Energizer Station, and pedal by this Thursday!

Our Advocacy Team Needs You

Posted on by Janice Li

Here at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, we are incredibly fortunate to have talented and passionate people who have been on staff throughout our long history as an organization. While we continue to grow, we’ve also had to say farewell to see key contributors in some big campaigns.

For nearly four years, Chema has served as staff organizer, winning campaigns like Polk Street and building community through biking in Bayview-Hunters Point, the Tenderloin and beyond. He will be missed when he moves on from our organization later this month to lead the political work at San Francisco Rising, and we know we have big shoes to fill.

Chema also led our political endorsements process for every election. We know we have plenty of exciting races ahead of us in November, and we’re looking to hire a part-time Campaign Coordinator to support our endorsements process and continue advocating for more bikeable, safer streets throughout the city.

This part-time position fills an immediate need on our Advocacy Team. If you are passionate about biking and looking to enter the world of bike advocacy, take a look at the job description today. People of color and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

We’re Hiring: Campaign Coordinator

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is seeking a skilled and motivated Campaign Coordinator to join our Advocacy Team. This part-time, interim position will help us win critical street campaigns to improve biking and support our endorsements process leading up to the November 2016 elections.

Hours: Part-time. Hours may vary but are expected to be 20 hours per week. Position will entail some work on weeknights in order to attend community meetings and events. This contract position is expected to last until November 11, 2016.

Reports to: Advocacy Director

About the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

Through day-to-day advocacy, education and working partnerships with government and community agencies, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is dedicated to creating safer streets and more livable communities for all San Franciscans by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation.

Our active membership of over 10,000 represents San Franciscans of all ages and backgrounds from all neighborhoods who are working towards safer, greener and more efficient ways to move around our city. The SF Bicycle Coalition is the largest city-based bicycle advocacy group in the nation and one of the largest member-driven groups in San Francisco. Our members donate over 10,000 volunteer hours per year.

Position description

You will work on the Advocacy Team to win support for key bicycling infrastructure improvements. You will be responsible for tracking existing street campaigns, communicating progress with our members, attending relevant meetings and organizing members to win key approvals.

Responsibilities may include, but will not be limited to:

  • Supporting the SF Bicycle Coalition political endorsements process and leading “Bike the Vote” outreach leading up to November elections;
  • Working directly with City staff to track progress and meet deadlines for City-led bike projects;
  • Engaging and communicating with members about our work at all steps in the campaign process;
  • Ensuring high turnout and support at public meetings for bike projects;
  • Representing the organization at meetings; and
  • Assisting in outreach opportunities and SF Bicycle Coalition events to build interest and public support for bike projects.

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

  • Two years of experience participating in, managing or organizing campaigns;
  • Strong interpersonal and relational skills;
  • Strong organizational, multi-tasking and time management skills;
  • A demonstrated track record of successful project management;
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a wide variety of audiences;
  • Experience working in a team environment and task completion; and
  • Fluency in Spanish and/or Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin).

Salary and Benefits: Contract rate is $20/hour.

How to Apply

Draft a compelling cover letter and resume, and submit them by clicking “Apply for Position” below.  Be sure to mention where you saw the job advertised. Applications will be reviewed starting Monday, May 16 on a rolling basis until the position is filled.  Ideal start date is in June.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political orientation. People of color and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

UPDATE: We are no longer accepting applications for the Campaign Coordinator position. If you have questions, please contact Janice.

The 2016 Team Bike Challenge

Posted on by Christopher Budz

The Team Bike Challenge is a competition during Bike Month (pssst: That’s today through May 31!) for people who bike. Throughout this month, count how many miles you pedal and you just might win.

The Team Bike Challenge is a great opportunity to band together with friends and coworkers to experience the joys of biking. Last year, 1,648 teams and over 3,000 people in San Francisco participated by logging almost 500,000 miles. Sign up as a team of five or as an entire company. The competition begins on May 1 and ends on May 31.

Here’s how it works:

  • Sign up in teams of up to five or as a company
  • Bike to work, play, errands and more all May long
  • Log your May miles – commuting and otherwise – at TeamBikeChallenge.com
  • The team with the most points at the end of the month wins prizes!

Last year, Golden Gate National Parks won the company division by riding a combined 12,615 miles over 2,536 trips. Team Partycar.com has been the winning regional team consecutively for years, logging a whopping 9,273.5 miles last year alone, and averaging over 20 miles per trip. That’s some serious competition! Will you dare to take them on?

Challenge Yourself

We’re Hiring: Technology Coordinator

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is seeking a skilled and motivated Technology Coordinator to support the technical needs of a growing team. You will work with all parts of the organization — staff, interns, volunteers and members-at-large in their use of the database and other technologies.

Hours: Full-time
Reports to: Operations Director

About the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

Through day-to-day advocacy, education and working partnerships with government and community agencies, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is dedicated to creating safer streets and more livable communities for all San Franciscans by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation.

Our active membership of over 10,000 represents San Franciscans of all ages and backgrounds from all neighborhoods who are working towards safer, greener and more efficient ways to move around our city. The SF Bicycle Coalition is the largest city-based bicycle advocacy group in the nation and one of the largest member-driven groups in San Francisco. Our members donate over 10,000 volunteer hours a year.

Position description

We are seeking a skilled, motivated individual to support the organization’s database and other systems of growing complexity. If you are passionate about bicycling, this is your chance to help improve the lives of huge numbers of San Franciscans by understanding and supporting the technical needs of a committed program, membership and development staff.

Primary responsibilities include, but not are limited to, the following:

  • Provide technical support to staff, interns and volunteers on use of computers, web-based services, the copier, printers, and other office and building equipment. All-weekday morning in-office presence is required.
  • Support the organization’s use of the Salesforce database in data entry, managing campaigns, sending emails, and creating reports and dashboards.
  • Support existing Salesforce AppExchange nonprofit add-ons. Assist the Operations Director in researching and testing alternatives of other Salesforce apps that might serve the organization’s needs.
  • Support, help administer and monitor the performance of SF Bicycle Coalition’s WordPress-based websites.
  • Train end-users and document technical procedures. Present technical concepts to a diverse pool of staff, interns and volunteers.
  • Set and maintain team standards of data quality, cleansing database and consolidating duplicate records as necessary.
  • Convey and drive best practice in email marketing, online advocacy and online fundraising to your colleagues.
  • Troubleshoot network, hardware, software, web-based service, and mobile issues calmly and confidently in fast-paced, open, team-oriented office.

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

  • Have a deep commitment to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition mission.
  • Have at least 2 years of experience in a technical support, help desk, software development, quality assurance and/or technical training environment.
  • Demonstrated track record of Salesforce use to support an organization’s mission. Configuration, customization or system administration is strongly valued.
  • Able to pick up desktop software and web-based services quickly. Have extensive experience in using Microsoft Office, the Google Apps suite, and Macintosh and Windows computers.
  • As a plus, have experience with basic web design, WordPress, HTML, CSS and/or PHP.
  • Have had primary responsibility managing a computer lab, an organization or company’s office equipment, or similar environment.
  • Be extremely well-organized. Maintain several projects of equal priority on varying timelines at once and sustain productivity under pressure.
  • Be punctual, reliable and accountable. Must be able to juggle multiple requests with good grace, and prioritize tasks and requests to make best use of time.
  • Have attention to accuracy and standardization in individual tasks while also having the ability to grasp the context of and implications for advocacy, membership and fundraising goals of the organization.
  • Has the ability to move from place to place; use a computer terminal and telephone; able to lift and carry up to 25 pounds short distances; can bend, twist, reach and grasp.

Salary and Benefits

The annual salary for this exempt position is upper-$40Ks or higher, depending upon relevancy of experience. Full-time benefits include medical, vision and dental insurance.

How to Apply

Draft a compelling cover letter and resume, and submit them by clicking “Apply for Position” below.  Be sure to mention where you saw the job advertised. Applications will be reviewed starting Monday, May 16 on a rolling basis until the position is filled.  Ideal start date is in June.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political orientation. People of color and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

UPDATE: We are no longer accepting applications for the Technology Coordinator position. If you have questions, please contact Frank.

Women Bike SF Leads In: Workshop Recap

Posted on by Erin Durkee

In the past year and a half since we started Women Bike SF, we’ve had over 700 women, trans* and femme (WTF) riders join us for events and coffee hours, sharing their stories and leadership. In San Francisco, where only 30 percent of people biking identify as WTF, we’ve found a ton of enthusiasm for reaching new riders, especially among WTF folks who already ride.

On April 21, we held our second leadership workshop and had twice the number of people join us over last year. Every person in the workshop had a different story and interest in joining us, and honestly, that’s what Women Bike SF is all about!

The workshop was in a new format this year, using a ‘zine we made about “Leading In” (you can download here) that has plenty of space for self-assessment and action planning, encouraging WTF riders to locate themselves as leaders in the bike lanes. We also used an interactive activity method to think about what else we can do to get more WTF people riding.

WBSwhiteboard1000

Many of the participants had taken our pledge to get another WTF rider rolling this Bike Month. One participant even brought the friend she entered the raffle with to the workshop. If you want to get someone riding in May, sign our Pledge. You and your friend will be entered into a raffle for amazing t-shirts donated by Keirin Cut Jeans or bike gear donated by Wilderness Trail Bicycles (WTB). Not sure how to get them riding? We have lots of events and resources to help you out.

Commuter Convoys: Start #BTWD With Neighbors & Community Leaders

Posted on by Janice Li

The best way to celebrate Bike to Work Day this May 12 is by biking with others. Eight out of 11 Supervisors are riding with us in Commuter Convoys that morning, and you’re invited to join the celebration.

Every year, your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition organizes and leads rides from each of the supervisorial districts on the morning of Bike to Work Day, ending in a rally on the steps of City Hall to celebrate the fun and freedom of biking.

This is a perfect opportunity to get to know your elected officials and meet other community leaders. Better yet, invite your friends and neighbors to join — let’s see which district can boast the largest peloton! Each ride will be led by a staff or board member at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and will be a beginner-friendly route at a moderate pace heading to City Hall.

Last year's Commuter Convoy from District 1 was led by Supervisor Eric Mar!

Last year’s Commuter Convoy from District 1 was led by Supervisor Eric Mar!

There, you’ll be joined by over a hundred others to show the power of biking in San Francisco. You’ll have a chance to join or renew your membership at our Energizer Station in front of City Hall, where we’ll have plenty of Bike to Work Day bags to give away. (The biggest bags with special goodies go to new and renewing members.)

Help us continue pedaling our ever-growing momentum for biking and RSVP for one of our Commuter Convoys today!