Delivery by e-bike? E-xciting!

Posted on by Cecilia Vega-Mayer

Photo credit: San Francisco Examiner

In a follow up to the San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission’s Emerging Mobility Labor Study, we’re working with the SF Department of the Environment on a 1-year pilot program to transition delivery workers’ mode of transportation to e-bikes. Anyone who participates in the program will get free access to an Aventon commuter e-bike and two safety education and on-bike training classes to prepare for a 4-month data collection period. At the end of the program, if participants successfully pass the safety requirements and complete the data collection, they will get to keep the new Aventon e-bike and use it for their personal and delivery work.

As the delivery industry continues to grow in San Francisco, we’re so excited to be a part of a program that provides free e-bikes and education to people that might otherwise be driving. We know that biking is better for the climate and often faster than driving, and programs like this break down barriers to getting more people on bikes in SF. We are providing safety training and education for the program’s two cohorts to help program participants feel confident riding on the streets of SF with their new e-bike. We’ll work with participants to understand California Vehicle Code and how the rules of the road apply to e-bikes. We’ll also get on our bikes together to practice navigating tricky traffic situations, handling skills and safety maneuvers, and city-route planning. 

Other important players in this pilot program include GRID Alternative, who are co-leading the project with SFE, and Driver’s Seat Cooperative, who are “driving” the  data collection. We’re thrilled to be working with these partners to understand the sustainability of e-bikes as transportation for gig workers. 

Learn more about the program here, and about our other free bike education classes for all experience levels here.

SF Youth Riding for the Climate

Posted on by Patrick Perez

Jake Ramrayka Rogers, Jack Biggar, and Armond Azocar are San Francisco 9th graders training hard for the Climate Ride to fundraise for your SF Bicycle Coalition during this event. We sat down together to learn more about their passions for safer streets and fighting climate change.

How did you all meet?

Jack: We all went to the same middle school and have known each other for a decade — since kindergarten. We started baseball in middle school and played sports together. 

Do you remember the first time you rode your bike? Where were you and how did it make you feel?

Armand: One of my first memories of riding a bike was probably in San Francisco. I was attempting to bike to Golden Gate Park, but I had to get carried some of the way. It wasn’t very fun. I remember being annoyed, but I kept doing it and eventually I fell in love with it

Jack: The first time I remember riding a bike was on a family trip. I have family in Texas. We were biking around these farms. I was probably in first grade and I just remember biking around with my family and extended family. I would race my cousins a little and then enjoy things by going a little faster. 

Jake: I’ve seen a lot of photos of me before this, but the first memory I have is when I was about six or seven and I was at this camp in Muir Woods. I was just doing it with a couple of friends and I felt this feeling of independence. I could just ride around the campsite and see everyone and I could have fun going downhills. So, that just opened me up to the world of biking.

What Climate Ride are you doing? and what organizations are you raising money for?

Jack: Northern California Green Fondo. 

Jake: We’re raising money for the SF Bicycle Coalition and Walk SF. We will be riding for two days, 100 miles on the first day and then 60 miles on the second.

Can you tell me why you want to do this ride and why these organizations?

Jack: One of the reasons I’m interested in raising money for walking and biking is because as a runner during track and cross country, I’m always running through Golden Gate Park. So I notice what Walk SF and the SF Bicycle Coalition have done with the JFK Promenade every day. That’s been really important to me. 

Jake: Having the JFK Promenade open to more people biking means that more people are going to start biking. It means young people like me can get into it and join a team to do the Green Fondo. I think it’s getting more people biking on the road which leads to more biking infrastructure, which is always good. 

Armand: I think helping with fundraising for these organizations will make San Francisco a safer place to bike, which ultimately as Jake said, will allow more people biking to want to go on the roads and to help reduce climate change.

Jack: Also for the safer bike lanes. That’s one of the really important parts. Obviously it’s a lot more than just the Golden Gate Park. Golden Gate Park feels like the heart of it because we always start our rides there so it always reminds me how important good bike infrastructure is for our city.

Why do you think fighting climate change is so important for many people your age?

Armand: We’re the generation that’s really gonna have to deal with climate change and I think that’s starting early at our age. Getting the word out to people who are also our age is very important as well and also getting the word out to adults who also aren’t aware or super educated about climate change is important to make the changes our generation wants to see.

Jack: It’s also important for our generation to have the same experience as past generations and experience  being outside the way our parents did as kids. So it’s almost more than climate change. It’s preserving the environment. Encouraging biking more is really important because you’re interacting with nature and you’re outside with fresh air, instead of being trapped inside. I feel it’s important to be able to have the opportunity to run, walk, or bike outside. I feel like a lot of our generation is detached just from just being outside. 

Jake: It’s so easy to just sit at home and play video games now. You have so many other options than to go outside. Going outside and biking up Hawk Hill — that’s an effort. You have to push yourself to do that. It’s just so much easier to just sit and watch TikTok. That’s definitely a big part of why our generation doesn’t have as much outdoor experience.

We’re so grateful for Jake, Jack, and Armond’s fundraising efforts for our organization on their upcoming Climate Ride. Check out their pages and support their rides. 

Valencia: Future studies and a placemaking pilot

Posted on by Claire Amable

Last Tuesday, the SF County Transportation Authority commissioners (also known as the Board of Supervisors) allocated funding from the Neighborhood Transportation Improvement Project (NTIP) to various infrastructure improvements and studies in every supervisorial district. 

In District 9, $210,000 of NTIP funds were put towards studying long-term design options for the entire Valencia Street corridor and implementing a placemaking pilot by the end of 2024. The NTIP studies will look at a two-way cycle track on one side of the corridor, pedestrianization along certain blocks, and reintroducing curbside protected bike lanes.   

As we’ve recently written, safety improvements on Valencia Street cannot wait any longer. We have hesitation about the center-running design up for approval by the SFMTA, but we firmly believe that this design as a whole — with the included double parking restrictions, left-turn restrictions, and robust delineation materials — will be safer than what we have now. Implementing this design will allow us to try something while the NTIP studies take place for more design options in the future. 

The center-running bike lane has been vetted and approved internally by all departments and is ready to be put into the ground. Any other design would stall implementation of any improvements along the corridor and would be disingenuous to the numerous conversations with merchants and community organizations that got us to this compromise. We have acutely been working for years to close the gaps on Valencia that put our city’s most vulnerable road users at risk and we are so close to finally getting physical improvements on this stretch of Valencia.

We also firmly believe that any placemaking on Valencia Street must center the voices of Mission community organizations, local residents, and merchants. We are committed to ensuring that the needs and wants of Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color (BIPOC) communities are prioritized in the efforts to create safer streets for everyone. We believe that we can create safety for people biking and work in collaboration with community organizations — and that for far too long, previous bike and safe street advocates have created racial harm by not working together. 

So, what’s that mean for our current stance on Valencia?

  • We need to see the current pilot approved asap at the SFMTA board meeting on April 4th. 
  • We firmly support the NTIP studies to come on Valencia and are grateful to see Supervisor Ronen’s office financially supporting the exploration of a better long-term design for Valencia Street.
  • Any future pilots, designs, and placemaking MUST center the voices of Mission community organizations, local residents, and merchants to meet their safety needs as well as improving safety for people biking and walking along Valencia. 

Sign up to give public comment at the April 4 Valencia hearing. 

Meet our new Membership Engagement Manager!

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

We’re so excited to introduce you all to our new Membership Engagement Manager, Patrick Perez (he/her/them). As Membership Engagement Manager, Patch will be overseeing the member experience, including member events, communications, benefits, and affinity groups, and more! 

What are you most excited about in getting to know our SFBIKE community?

I’m most excited to get out to all of our events and be able to engage with our community through rides.

Where are your favorite places to bike?

I love to bike through Golden Gate Park and ride down Valencia, but it’s that morning climb up to Twin Peaks that really makes things special!

Why is biking important to you?

Biking helps with the mind, body, spirit and Mother Nature! On a personal level, it’s my main transportation source. It also helps me get to work and help others through the Burrito Project and AIDS/LifeCycle. 

Connect with Patrick at Bike to Wherever Day on May 18!

Safety on Valencia can’t wait any longer

Posted on by Claire Amable

In April 2023, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors will be voting to approve a center-running bike lane pilot on Valencia Street between 15th to 23rd Streets for 18-months. 

Your SF Bicycle Coalition supports the approval of this pilot because we need to improve safety along 15th and 23rd Streets now. This pilot is ready to be implemented and studied, then adapted as we learn its effectiveness. We can’t risk losing another life when we have an opportunity to make things safer for our most vulnerable road users — people walking, biking, and rolling. 

Valencia Street is one of the most critical north and south bike routes that connect people from the southeast to the Mission to downtown. Making this street safer for our city’s most vulnerable users has been a longstanding issue since the ‘90’s when our then-Membership Manager, Mary Brown, led the initial campaign for bike lanes along the corridor. For over a decade, we have been working on safety improvements to Valencia with the city, our members, and the larger community. From successfully advocating for parking protected bike lanes between Market to 15th, to almost piloting protected bike lanes between 19th to Cesar Chavez in 2020, we now have an opportunity to close the gap. Creating immediate safety for people walking, biking, and rolling on Valencia is our priority.

While we have unresolved concerns about the ultimate effectiveness of the center-running bike lane, we are excited about some elements of this project, including the restrictions on double parking, the left-turn restrictions, and more robust delineation materials like K71 bollards and 4-inch high rubber curbs that are stronger than typical soft-hit posts. Leaving the existing conditions on Valencia as they are would be dangerous for all users. With limited design options and immediate urgency to improve safety now, piloting this design and studying what works and what doesn’t is a reasonable step forward.

Caption: Example of K71 Bollards

40% of all collisions in the project area are between vehicles and bicycles — most commonly as the result of unsafe turns, lane changes, and dooring by vehicles. 22% of all collisions in the project area are between vehicles and people walking, the most common reason being a vehicle failing to yield at a crosswalk.

There is an urgent need for Valencia to receive immediate safety improvements. In 2020, we were advocating to improve street conditions between 19th and Cesar Chavez. Due to local opposition and lack of community engagement, the project could not move forward, thus leaving zero protection for those walking, biking, and rolling along this stretch for the last three years. 

If approved, during the 18-month pilot SFMTA will be evaluating the metrics below and will present them to the SFMTA Board of Directors at a hearing in December to decide how to move forward if the pilot is not improving safety. 

  • Behavior:
    • User compliance with new traffic restrictions and traffic control devices, such as corridor-wide left-turn restrictions and new bicycle signals.
    • Vehicle speeds
    • Bicycle and pedestrian conflicts at intersections
  • Effective Design:
    • Traffic collisions
    • Vehicle loading behavior
    • Bicycle positioning along the street
    • Bikeway ease of access
    • Emergency vehicle interaction with the bikeway
  • Mobility
    • Bicycle and vehicle volumes both pre-and post-implementation to determine significant changes in mode shift. Mode-shift, especially changes in bicycle volumes, are an indicator to assess comfort of use with transportation facilities.
    • Impacts of left turn restrictions on neighborhood circulation

In addition to the pilot, the SFMTA has committed to using Neighborhood Transportation Improvement Program (NTIP) funding to study and compare three long-term design options for the entire corridor, including curbside protected bike lanes (studies of which are already completed), a two-way cycle track on one side of the street, and future pedestrianization of particular blocks. If approved, the center-running bike lane evaluation and the NTIP studies will be completed by the end of 2024, giving us more design options to choose from for long-term Valencia Street. 

As part of our recommendation for this plan to be approved, we need the SFMTA to provide additional messaging and collateral to educate the public on how to use this new type of street design for people biking and driving along the corridor. Additionally, we urge SFMTA to conduct a more inclusive outreach process to Mission communities while the pilot is in the ground and the NTIP studies take place.

Last year was our deadliest year of traffic fatalities in over a decade. With our 2024 Vision Zero deadline quickly approaching, safety cannot wait any longer. With an average of 26 collisions annually along this stretch, we believe a center-running bike lane is a step towards safety and is better than leaving the corridor the way it is now. We look forward to the completion of the NTIP studies in 2024 and to work with SFMTA, merchants, advocates, and residents to design the future of Valencia Street.

Sign up for campaign updates

 Meet Charlie, Bike and Roll to School Week Parent Champion!

Posted on by David Gajer

Throughout my work as one of SF Bicycle Coalition’s Youth and Families Program Coordinators, I have had the opportunity to help facilitate incredible community programs, including our annual SF Bike and Roll to School Week. I have seen firsthand how SF Bike and Roll to School Week provides parents, teachers, and students the opportunity to experience an increased sense of freedom and connection to our city.

Our goal in all of our programming is to provide sustainable and joyful ways of getting around our city, particularly for those who have been historically left out of the conversation.

I have heard so many inspiring stories of families commuting to school and parents learning to ride because of their children’s participation. One of these parents is Charlie, a mom who has twins.

I reached out to Charlie to hear more about their experiences as a Bike and Roll to School Week Parent Champion:

Dave: What’s your favorite part of Bike and Roll to School Week?

Charlie: I am super motivated to get people on bikes, and seeing our strong kids bike and roll to school (up some crazy hills!!) is awe inspiring. How amazing is our city for having the ability to roll together.

Dave: How did you get involved as an organizer for Bike and Roll to School Week?

Charlie: I’m always on the lookout for a way to find more friends for my kids to bike with. I found it on Facebook and reached out the moment I saw it.

Dave: Why do you think it’s important for other parents/teachers to organize their students for Bike and Roll to School Week?

Charlie: I’ve been car-free for more than half my life. I lived in San Francisco for more than 13 years. I bike and transit both in and away from the city. When I had twins, it was super fascinating to me to shift gears into family cycling. We started with trailers and car seats on cargo bikes and got our kids on balance bikes almost before they could walk. When the boys started school, we got a Tern GSD to help with the hill that was on our route. 

City kids can find freedom and independence on bikes too, and the more people see kids on bikes the more confident they themselves may become in trying bikes. We dream of a future with more Slow Streets and Vision Zero support, and we’re glad to work towards that future. Bike rides for and with kids feels like that future. 

Our work is supported by hundreds of parents like Charlie and their strong participation in the SF Safe Routes to School partnership. The partnership comprises four SF city agencies and four SF nonprofits that help make taking sustainable transportation to school safer and more accessible for families like Charlie’s. Community members like Charlie know their family’s transportation needs the best, and we work side by side with them to support safe, sustainable, affordable, and joyous ways to get around for all.

How to get involved in Bike and Roll to School Week (4.24-4.28 2023)

  1. REGISTER HERE: Interested in becoming a Bike & Roll champion for your students’ school?  Are you or your students in an SF school and want to get more from biking, walking, and rolling to school?
    1. Note: Each school community will receive outreach materials like posters, bike lights, and more to help organize their school for a successful Bike & Roll to School Week! Plus, thank you gifts for our Bike & Roll Champions from sponsors like Mike’s Bikes, SFMTA, and Timbuk2.

  2. PLEDGE TO PARTICIPATE HERE: Even if you’re not ready to organize your school or your school is already registered, you can still pledge to participate in your school or community’s Bike & Roll to School Week events on the week of April 24th-28th.
    1. Note: Everyone who pledges to participate in Bike & Roll to School Week is entered into a drawing, and three winners will win a Cleary bike of their choice!

Evans Avenue Quick-Build is complete

Posted on by Rachel Clyde

Photo credit SFMTA

The SFMTA’s quick-build project for Evans Avenue between Cesar Chavez and 3rd streets finished construction in January of this year. This corridor in the Bayview, while mostly commercial and industrial, is a crucial connection for people in the Bayview, Portola, Visitacion Valley and Hunters Point to access downtown and other parts of the city.

Evans Avenue is also part of San Francisco’s Vision Zero High Injury Network, which means it is one of the most dangerous streets in the city. In October of 2020 a pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on Cesar Chavez and Evans Avenue. Evans has desperately needed safety improvements for people biking and walking to improve safety and slow down speeds.

After advocating for this project and working with SFMTA staff, we are thrilled to see a completed quick-build including new protected bike lanes, a road diet, improved crosswalks, pedestrian bulb outs, and daylighting.  

Throughout the approval and construction process of this quick-build on Evans, we learned that the SFMTA did not do enough outreach to several families living in RV’s along this corridor that would be forced to relocate due to the construction and the new design. Once we found out about this, we let the SFMTA know they need to do more thorough outreach and communication and to include the perspective of unhoused folks in their street designs.

The new quick-build on Evans is an excellent step forward. We will continue to advocate for better and safer infrastructure that is community-driven, more community spaces, and improved access in the Southeast. We look forward to other project completions such as the Hairball and Bayshore quick-builds coming up later this year.

Support our work to secure more bike and safety infrastructure like this by becoming a member. Join today!

WE’RE HIRING: VALET BICYCLE PARKING ATTENDANTS

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is seeking energetic and organized individuals interested in providing first-class service to come be a part of our famous Valet Bicycle Parking team as Bicycle Valet Attendants. Candidates must have a flexible schedule, with availability on days, nights, and/or weekends. If you want to further the mission of the SF Bicycle Coalition by helping provide safe and secure bike parking at events all over San Francisco, we’d love to hear from you!

Hours: Flexible, part-time to full time, seasonal work. Includes days, nights, and/or weekends.

Reports to: Valet Bicycle Parking Program Coordinator

Bicycle Valet Attendants oversee site-specific valet bike parking operations for events citywide. Bicycle Valet Attendants are responsible for representing the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, as well as our mission and policies, to event organizers, volunteers, and the general public. Bicycle Valet Attendants are also responsible for on-site volunteer training, care and management.

Job Components

A Bicycle Valet Attendant:

  • Arranges drop-off/pick-up of supplies at event site
  • Sets up and breaks down events
  • Ensures appropriate location signage and banners are displayed, all parked bikes are tagged, outreach materials and signage is displayed on table, when available
  • Troubleshoots issues and resolves problems facing the Valet Bicycle Parking Program and SF Bicycle Coalition Volunteers
  • Is sensitive to opportunities to improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of San Francisco Bicycle Coalition work
  • Maintains an effective manner and demeanor and sets an example for others
  • Is a proactive problem solver dedicated to ensuring a high-quality experience for all
  • Keeps track of the membership envelope, any membership forms and any donations and arranges their secure return to the SF Bicycle Coalition
  • Attends SF Bicycle Coalition’s Bicycle Ambassador Training at least one time per calendar year and is effective in explaining current SF Bicycle Coalition policies, goals, objectives, programs and activities.

Qualifications:

  • Commitment to providing a top-quality Valet Bicycle Parking experience for all guests
  • Ability to train and manage volunteers
  • Ability to work individually and as part of a team
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills
  • Strong organizational skills
  • Comfortable working outdoors
  • Ability to lift 25-60 pounds required
  • Ability to lift bikes and gently place them about 4 feet off the ground
  • Ability to use bike to pull trailer of supplies weighing approx. 70+ pounds (trailer provided by SF Bicycle Coalition)
  • Must have your own bike and be comfortable biking in San Francisco.

Volunteer experience with our Valet Bicycle Parking program is a plus.

Pay is $21/hour for all events.

How to Apply:

To apply, please use the form to submit a resume and a PDF with your answers to the below three questions. A formal cover letter is not required. Please make your answers roughly one paragraph each:

  • What makes you excited to work at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition?
  • What does transportation justice mean to you and how do you see it fitting into your career?
  • What skills and/or experiences do you have that would make you a good fit for this role?

Commitment to Equity and Justice

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is an equal opportunity employer and acknowledges the harm biking culture and inequitable access to transportation have inflicted upon marginalized communities — including people of color, people with disabilities, people from working-class backgrounds, women, and people with LGBTQ+ identities. We believe that these communities must be centered as leaders in the work we do; therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with relevant lived experience. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. 

Meet our New Director of Advocacy, Claire Amable

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

We’re so excited to announce that Claire Amable is our new Director of Advocacy. Claire has been at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition for three years, as our Downtown Community Organizer, our Movement Building Manager, and now as the leader of our advocacy team. 

Q&A

How did you become interested and passionate about biking and transportation justice?

I grew up in downtown San Francisco where my father and uncles were bicycle messengers in the 80’s. I learned how to ride a bike at a really young age on Tenderloin streets and have taken Muni my whole life. I’ve never needed or wanted a drivers license because growing up in downtown meant that I could get anywhere in the city in 20 minutes or less on a bus or bike. However, that isn’t true for working class people living outside the downtown core. My passion for this work is rooted in my upbringing as a queer, first-generation, low-income San Franciscan and how those identities have limited my access to certain spaces, processes, and decision making.

My introduction to transportation justice began in high school when the school district cut yellow bus services from the budget. I stood alongside other teenagers on the City Hall steps to advocate for Free Muni for Youth and we won. Fresh out of high school, I became a community organizer at South of Market Community Action Network where I worked on the Folsom and Howard Streetscape Project and started a campaign to stop Muni fares from increasing. 

Transportation justice has always been about working with communities to make public transportation and active modes of transportation more accessible to the masses, especially in neighborhoods that have been historically underserved.   

What have been your favorite projects to work on as part of our advocacy team?

Gosh, there have been so many! As the downtown community organizer, it was rewarding to do work in the neighborhoods I grew up in. Some of my favorite projects include all the Tenderloin Quick-Builds, the 20mph and no turn on red pilot in the Tenderloin, and winning SoMa Slow Streets the first time around. Additionally, some of my favorite events have actually been in partnership with programs like Freedom From Training Wheels on the Golden Gate Greenway in the Tenderloin and our Bike It Forward Bicycle Repair at SoMa Sunday Streets. 

What are you excited about to come for biking in San Francisco?

There is so much appetite for car-free and car-light spaces, from Car-Free JFK to Slow Streets. However, the distribution of these spaces is inequitable and the communities who could really benefit from them are oftentimes left out of the conversation. I’m excited about the organization’s commitment to equity and justice and the shift to slow down to prioritize relationship building, trust building, and repair in these same communities. 

Riding a bicycle is such a joyful, freeing experience to me and I believe everyone deserves access to that kind of experience. From the children who ride Big Rippers in groups of 50 down Valencia Street to the gig-worker who makes deliveries on an e-bike, I am excited to demystify the generalizations about who bikes in this city and to make the act accessible to all through safe street infrastructure and policies. 

THE RESULTS ARE IN: OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS WINNERS

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

The staff administrators of the recent SF Bicycle Coalition board elections congratulate the winners:

Raynell Cooper, Ernesto Cuellar, Victoria Norman, Roan Kattouw, William
Walker, Meaghan Mitchell, Joanna Gubman, and Juli Uota.

Members in good standing cast a total of 311 tallied online ballots. Nine abstentions were also submitted.

Voting and tabulation was administered using third-party vendor ElectionBuddy to meet the ranked-choice voting rules added to our bylaws by the board in 2017. Most members were able to vote without any assistance from the election administrators. However, as expected with any vendor that provides ranked-choice voting services, a small subset of members required assistance to vote due to issues with email deliverability into their inbox. With significantly increased support from election administrators and other staff, all members who sent an email to boardvoting@sfbike.org were assisted and able to vote.

Details on the entire 2023 Board of Directors election process are available here. And details on this election’s round-by-round results are here. For more information about multi-winner ranked-choice voting, click here. This election was conducted using Meek’s Single Transferable Vote method.

We are delighted that every declared candidate was able to be seated on the board. 

The first board meeting with the newly elected members will be held on February 21, 2023. We look forward to working with the winners, who will serve terms of two years on our board of directors alongside the seven existing board members whose terms have not expired. And we thank you, our wonderful members, for participating in this election.

Not yet a member or need to renew? Join or renew today to support our work for better biking all year long.