On April 4, 2023, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors unanimously approved the Valencia center running bike lane pilot from 15th Street to 23rd Street. 

The bike community and local Mission community turned out strong during public comment. Though some of us wanted to see a different outcome, we were all on the same page about the existing conditions along Valencia being disastrous and needing improvements now. 

After hours of public comment and one of the most comprehensive discussions we’ve seen between the SFMTA Board of Directors, the unprotected stretch of Valencia is finally getting improvements. 

Here’s what was passed:

1. A 12-month pilot with an evaluation presentation to the SFMTA Board of Directors 6 months in;
2. K71 post every 20ft, with bus lane curbs in-between
3. After every 90ft of materials, a 10ft gap will be included for bikes to enter and exit the bike lane 
4. Long-term studies for the entire Valencia corridor and a placemaking pilot

Construction officially began last week and will take six to eight weeks to complete. We knew a center-running bike lane could only work if we had robust materials in the ground like K71 posts. That is why we were so disappointed to find out through public news channels that SFMTA doesn’t have enough K71 posts for the new spacing of 20ft and will be using soft-hit posts in the place of them where we run out. We understand that the new spacing of 20ft means double the amount of K71’s than what was originally planned, and the supply chain isn’t keeping up with demand. We have communicated to SFMTA they should be proactively communicating updates to the public when things go awry and when they are unable to deliver projects in the manner or timeline laid out. We call on the SFMTA to do everything in its power, including reaching out to additional vendors, to implement the complete number of K71 posts indicated in the approved design. We also demand proactive updates from the agency about any other barriers or slowdowns, to repair trust with the biking community.

While under construction, there will be signs on every block reinforcing that bikes and other active modes of transportation are expected to share the lane with vehicles. The 12-month pilot officially starts once construction is complete. 

We agree with the SFMTA Board Directors that this is not the end but the beginning of conversations on Valencia Street.

Bike to Wherever Day is just around the corner, and every year we highlight a member of our community that embodies the joy of biking and inspires others to ride a bike. Meet Hansel Palarca-Reiva, our 2023 Bike Champion of the Year. Read more about how Hansel got into biking and why it’s so special in his life, and get inspired to bike to wherever on May 18!

Tell us about yourself and how biking is part of your life here in the Bay.
I actually learned to ride a bike as an adult, and I have the SF Bicycle Coalition’s Adult-Learn-To-Ride class to thank for helping me get started. I still consider myself pretty new to biking as it’s been just about a year now that I’ve been able to actually ride a bike. I’m enjoying seeing how my skills have grown over the past 12 months, and car-free spaces like JFK Promenade have been crucial to my growth as a cyclist. Having grown up in San Francisco, I thought I already knew a lot about the city, but riding a bike around town is a totally different experience that has helped me discover new layers of an already vibrant and complex urban landscape. I took the SF Bicycle Coalition class in May of 2018, and although I could not ride a bike after one lesson, I felt so inspired that I immediately bought a bike to commit myself to learning. However, I lived on Church and Market at that time, and there was really nowhere for someone at my skill level to practice easily and safely. It was not until the pandemic and the advent of Slow Streets/car-free streets that my skill level really took off. 

Where’s your favorite place to bike in the city?
I have a personal affinity for Ocean Beach and Golden Gate Park because I grew up in the Outer Sunset and have many memories attached to that part of town, so the Great Walkway is basically my cycling church. However, San Francisco itself is such an exhilarating place to ride that I can’t just pick one favorite place to bike in the city. Aside from leisure/therapy rides, I love doing simple things by bike that I used to rely on a car for, such as picking up groceries or performing my job as a Social Worker, conducting home visits all over the city. 

I just wish there was connected, safe, protective infrastructure throughout the city so that I could reach all parts of town at my skill level without fear. I am so thankful for things like Slow Streets because they have been instrumental in my ability to expand on my cycling map. Without Slow Streets and car-free streets, I would probably not be riding a bike as often as I do now, which is nearly daily.  

How do you bring the joy of biking to your community?
When I was a public school teacher, one of the strategies I learned and employed often is “modeling,” which basically just means showing by doing. One of the challenges I faced when I was first learning to ride a bike, which I still struggle with now at times, is feeling embarrassed or feeling like an impostor, because my idea of a “cyclist” growing up did not necessarily match what I saw when I looked in the mirror. I’d like to think that I try to spread the joy of biking in my own small way by doing it often and having a lot of fun while doing it, so that someone like me may be inspired to give it a shot despite their trepidation and fear. I now have two bikes (which still shocks me), both of which are step-through, because when I first went to shop for a bike, I was told that “step-throughs are for women” so I said, “f*** that patriarchal bullshit” and got a step-through. Cycling for sport/competition is amazing and inspiring, and I’m not trying to knock that, but bike joy is not limited to Strava segments or timed trials. Riding an upright steel bike around town is truly a spiritual experience. I’ve said to people before that my bike is the best therapist I’ve ever met, and riding my bike has produced a lot of positive outcomes for my physical/mental health. Riding my bike innately brings me a lot of joy just from the act of doing it, and I hope that the joy I emit can help spread some light in some teeny tiny way in my little corner of the universe. 

I also try to stay engaged with local activism as much as my time and energy will allow so that we as a city can continue to make progress towards becoming a more bikeable place to live for all types of people. 

Any words of encouragement to folks that want to start riding a bike in our city?

I know that the idea of learning to ride as an adult is terrifying, embarrassing, and intimidating. The joy that awaits you is truly worth the struggle, and I say all this from personal experience. You are not alone. 

---

Get ready for Bike to Wherever Day with us, and stay tuned for more info on where to find us and other fun stuff we have in store!

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.

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. 

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!