We need to end biased police stops now

Posted on by Lindsey Chung

Research has repeatedly shown that Black and brown people are highly overpoliced in San Francisco. Many of these interactions with the police are caused by pretextual stops, where officers cite non-safety violations as a coverup for racial bias against everyday people riding bikes, walking, or driving on city streets. These stops harm community relationships and waste resources without decreasing criminal activity. Join us today to call for the San Francisco Police Department to prioritize community safety by banning pretext stops.

Virtually everyone who navigates San Francisco on a bike, on foot, or in a car commits traffic infractions that can be used as pretexts for police stops. Infractions can be as minor as biking without pedal reflectors, jaywalking across an empty street, or hanging items from a rearview mirror. SFPD claims that police focus on behaviors, not race, but in reality they make biased choices on who to stop for these infractions and who to disregard. The consequences of biased stops are severe: in the last quarter of 2021, San Francisco police stopped Black people at five times the rate of white people, searched Black people at eight times as much as white people, and used force against Black people thirteen times as often as against white people. Banning pretextual stops is a simple reform that would greatly reduce these persistent racial disparities in policing.

Police justify pretextual stops by saying that they lead to seizures of prohibited items. However, research shows that these stops do not increase public safety or decrease criminal activity. In fact, Stanford’s Open Policing Project found that Black people are actually less likely to be found with contraband than white people.

In addition to wasting resources, pretextual stops cause incalculable psychological and physical harm, especially to Black and brown community members. Daunte Wright, Cristian Cobian, Sandra Bland, and Philando Castile were all killed by police following pretextual stops. Even when they do not lead to usage of force, unnecessary stops contribute to intergenerational trauma experienced by communities of color. Banning pretextual stops will increase public safety by limiting state violence that has historically harmed Black and brown communities.

As a part of the Coalition to End Biased Stops, the SF Bicycle Coalition has urged the San Francisco Police Commission to follow the lead of other cities, such as Berkeley, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and Washington DC, to move toward banning pretextual stops.

Our call to ban pretext stops was heard by SF Police Commissioner Max Carter-Oberstone, who on May 11 introduced a general order to ban certain stops. Commissioner Carter-Oberstone’s proposal is far from optimal, as it fails to consider key pretexts such as biking without a helmet or reflectors, meaning that biased stops can still occur based on these infractions. However, it marks a substantial first step toward eliminating biased stops. 

We need your support to ensure that all pretextual stops are banned as soon as possible. The Police Commission is accepting public comment from now until the general order goes to hearing, likely in late summer. Join us in showing the commissioners the urgency of this issue, and submit a comment calling for a ban on all pretextual stops today.

SUBMIT A COMMENT TODAY!

We’re Hiring: Adult Bicycle Education Manager

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

UPDATE: This position has now been filled. Thank you for your interest!

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s Adult Bicycle Education Manager leads and shapes our Adult Bicycle Education program, reflecting our core values of Transportation Justice, Sustainability, People Power and Joy.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition partners with government agencies and private companies to provide free, multilingual bicycle education for San Franciscans of all experience levels. Our bicycle education programming lives out our core values of Transportation Justice, Sustainability, People Power and Joy through breaking down barriers that folks may face to bicycling. We offer around 50 adult classes annually, and teach nearly 1,000 adults each year; learn more about the classes we offer here. The Bicycle Education Manager oversees fulfillment of education contracts with the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and micro-mobility companies, as well as seeking additional opportunities to present high-quality, culturally competent, multilingual bike education throughout the city. This position collaborates with a dynamic Programs Team of six individuals focused on youth and family biking, our Bike It Forward program, and valet bicycle parking, and will be the direct supervisor for the Bicycle Education Program Assistant. 

The Bicycle Education Manager also manages and grows our work educating drivers, especially professional drivers, about safety around people on bikes and bike infrastructure. This work includes fulfilling existing contracts and seeking new opportunities with transportation agencies, private companies, and the general public.

Primary responsibilities include:

  • Act as organizational lead and content expert on all matters of mobility education, providing vision to the Adult Bicycle Education programming and ensuring that the program’s work aligns with the organization’s mission and strategic plan, especially regarding equity, accessibility, and cultural competency and responsiveness;
  • Manage multiple education contracts (with the SFMTA, bike share companies, Golden Gate Transit and others) to ensure deliverables are met on time and within budget;
  • Craft curriculum to ensure high-quality bicycle safety education classes are available for adult bike riders and professional drivers, emphasizing equity and cultural competency. Update curricula regularly to conform to the California Vehicle Code, local regulations, emerging infrastructure and mobility trends, and matters of cultural competency and responsiveness;
  • Manage a team of 17+ part-time, multilingual bicycle educators, including scheduling instructors and providing training and feedback; 
  • Directly manage the Bicycle Education Program Assistant;
  • Solicit and secure contracts with private companies and public agencies to expand bicycle education training and professional driver training, including renewal and extension of existing bicycle education contracts;
  • Generate revenue for the organization through a variety of fee-for-service educational opportunities (such as in-office trainings), including lead generation, prospecting, and proposal writing, in collaboration with the Membership and Development team and others;
  • Work with the Bicycle Education Program Assistant to build relationships with community-based organizations that serve low-income, non-English speaking, and BIPOC communities;
  • Collaborate within the Programs team and across departments to augment the work of each department and best serve community needs, and to effectively market classes communicate the stories of success that emerge from our education programs.

We recognize that this position encompasses a number of different responsibility areas. We are committed to train and support our staff to strengthen their abilities in each area and we encourage applications from people who may not have all of the qualifications listed below.

    • Three or more years of experience in program management or education work (bicycle education a plus); 
    • Experience fulfilling contracts in either the private or public sector, including meeting deliverables and reporting on successes and areas for growth;
    • Direct experience building strong partnerships with public agencies and community-based organizations, particularly those serving underserved communities;
    • Experience as a people manager;
    • Successful project planning and strategy implementation;
    • Excellent communication skills;
    • Ability to both operate independently and collaborate internally with other programs and other departments;
    • Experience with databases or client relationship management (CRM) systems (experience in Salesforce a plus);
    • A commitment to and passion for the SF Bicycle Coalition’s mission and core values;
    • League Cycling Instructor certification;
    • Bilingual in English and another language, especially Spanish, Cantonese or Filipino/Tagalog.

Reports to: Director of Programs
Direct reports: Bicycle Education Program Assistant, Bicycle Education Instructors
Salary and Benefits: The annual salary for this exempt position is $70,000-$75,000 depending on depth of experience. Full-time benefits include excellent medical, vision and dental insurance with no employee contribution, as well as three weeks of paid time off, two weeks of sick leave, commuter benefits, a 3% 401k employer match, and a flexible work arrangement policy.
Hours: Full-time, exempt.
Location: Hybrid — San Francisco Bay Area. Staff and their supervisors will work together to determine the appropriate work arrangement based on the nature of the individual’s role, and in alignment with organizational policies and departmental needs and activities. We strive to be as flexible and fair as possible while ensuring in-person accessibility when needed to interface with our volunteers, membership, community, and each other.

Commitment to Equity and Justice

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition acknowledges the harm biking culture and unequal access to transportation have inflicted upon underserved communities — especially 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 these identities.

To apply, please 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?

Bayshore Bike Lanes are getting a Boost

Posted on by Malcolm Jaramillo

Exciting updates are coming to Bayshore Boulevard that will bring much needed improvements to its existing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and we need your input on the proposed plans!

Bayshore Boulevard is a busy mix of heavy industry, small businesses, and big box stores, while also serving as a critical bike connection route for southeastern neighborhoods that leads to major links such as the Hairball and the Alemany Maze. Though there have been improvements to its existing bike paths in the past, many gaps remain, leaving people who bike, walk, and roll especially vulnerable to high speed traffic.

The project aims to address the gaps from past improvement efforts, while also building out new segments that provide separate and protected space for people on bikes. The design and construction of the project will be split in two phases, and cover Bayshore Boulevard from Jerrold to Silver Avenues. Phase one will start at Silver Avenue and extend north to Oakdale Avenue with the following proposed biking improvements: a fully protected bike lane separated from traffic by floating parking, a concrete median stretching from Cortland Ave to Oakdale Ave, and a protected right turn at the intersection of Industrial and Bayshore. This phase will also include improvements to pedestrian crossing visibility at key intersections. In order to make these changes, these improvements could remove up to 34 parking spaces.

Phase two continues north from Oakdale to Jerrold Avenue, with a couple of design options for a two-way bike lane being put forth by the SFMTA. The first option separates the bike lane from the adjacent three travel lanes by bollards. The second option removes a traffic lane, leaving two northbound vehicle travel lanes while adding a floating parking lane that would separate the bike path from traffic. However, there are some lingering questions on how SFMTA plans to smoothly transition the two way bike path to the single bike lane in the southbound direction.

Your input on this project will help ensure the proposed designs can have the most impact on the safety of people using Bayshore Boulevard to travel between neighborhoods such as the Mission, Bernal Heights, the Bayview, and the Portola district. There are a few ways you can provide feedback on the project proposal: fill out this brief survey by May 31, and come out to Bayview Sunday Streets on Sunday, May 22, where the project team will be tabling and taking input in-person.

If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to mjaramillo@sfbike.org. 

Say Yes to Muni, Say Yes to Safe Streets!

Posted on by Claire Amable

On June 7, San Franciscans have an opportunity to vote on a $400 million dollar bond that will drastically transform the public transportation system we have in our city today.

Proposition A will allocate $400 million dollars to drastically improve Muni and support biking and pedestrian safety improvements, all without raising taxes. As part of the City’s capital plan, old bonds retire and  new bonds take their place without changing taxes. This bond allocates funding to two key components in our public transportation system. $286 million dollars would go towards making Muni fast and reliable, while $114 million dollars would go towards improving street infrastructure so that buses, trains, and people walking and rolling have the infrastructure to get around safely.

We believe that a transit-friendly city is a bike-friendly city, and Prop A will upgrade our Muni facilities and equipment to be the top-knotch system we know it can be. San Francisco is a transit-first city that has made the commitment to 80% sustainable modes of transportation by 2030, and Muni is an environmentally-friendly and accessible mode of transportation that our most vulnerable communities rely on. Muni produces less than one percent of our greenhouse gas emissions every year! 

Biking may not be possible for everyone, which is why we supported efforts to bring back key Muni lines in the Tenderloin during the pandemic. Expanding Muni to neighborhoods that don’t currently have reliable access would transform the way people get around this city and Prop A is how we make this a reality. 

In addition to extremely necessary updates to Muni, Proposition A will allow our streets to support a world-class transit system and redesign streets in a way to prioritize sustainable mobility options like biking and walking. More specifically, $42 million of the $400 million bond will go directly to quick-build improvements for biking and pedestrian improvements. 

We envision a future where people have multiple sustainable transportation options and believe Prop A is an essential first step to creating a holistic system of getting around San Francisco. Bike the Vote with us, spread the word, and vote yes on Prop A!

Our endorsement: June 7, 2022 elections

Posted on by SF Bicycle Coalition Board

The Board of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has made the following endorsements for the June 7, 2022 primary election:

Yes on Proposition A
State Assembly, District 17: Matt Haney
State Assembly, District 19: Phil Ting
City Attorney: David Chiu

Yes on Proposition A: Proposition A is a $400 million bond measure for Muni and street safety. We support investments in Muni because we believe that a transit-friendly city is a bike-friendly city. In addition to the transit improvements, Proposition A would invest $114 million in street safety projects to protect people biking and walking.. This includes traffic calming, signal upgrades, and making quick-build bike lanes permanent. Proposition A is a crucial opportunity for us to upgrade decades-old infrastructure and make Muni faster, more reliable, and seamless.The Bicycle Coalition helped craft this measure, and we urge everyone who bikes, walks, or rolls in San Francisco to vote Yes on A.

State Assembly, District 17: Matt Haney has proven himself to be a champion for biking and active transportation during his time on the Board of Supervisors. We previously endorsed Matt in the February 15 special election and the April 19 runoff for this seat, and we are proud to endorse him again.

State Assembly, District 19: Phil Ting won our Golden Wheel award in 2016, and has continued to work to make our streets safer to bike on. He has authored a bill that would decriminalize jaywalking, and has co-authored bills to lower speed limits, legalize automated speed enforcement, and allow bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs.

City Attorney: David Chiu was a strong supporter of biking and transportation improvements during his time in the Assembly, and before that on the Board of Supervisors. We look forward to him bringing a pro-bike perspective to the City Attorney’s office.

You can read the candidate questionnaires here.

How we won a permanent Car-Free JFK Drive and what’s to come

Posted on by Rachel Clyde

Last week was an exciting and historic week for our city. The Board of Supervisors, in a special joint meeting with the SFCTA, voted 7-4 to approve Mayor Breed’s legislation to make John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park a permanent car-free promenade.

The meeting started at 9am and the final vote didn’t take place until 9pm after over 9 hours of public comment. Out of 506 commenters, 350 people shared their love and support for JFK Drive. Supervisors Mar, Preston, Haney, Mandelman, Ronen, Stefani and Melgar all voted to approve the Mayor’s plan.

The Mayor’s legislation stipulates that JFK Drive may remain closed to private vehicle traffic as long as accessibility improvements are made under the supervision of SFMTA and Rec and Park. This was a major point of contention and discussion last Tuesday. Supervisors Stefani and Mar introduced amendments that will require city officials to provide quarterly reports for two years, beginning in July, about their progress improving Golden Gate Park parking options, access for disabled people and other related initiatives. 

This win is the result of decades of work from previous and current SF Bicycle Coalition staff, volunteers, community members, and advocates. It took the passion of many people to achieve this monumental milestone in San Francisco history. And this is just the beginning.

We will continue our efforts to create a network of sustainable transportation throughout the city that will transform how San Franciscans get around. We envision a network of connected car-free and car-lite spaces all over the city. 

Let’s take this energy and momentum and continue to take strides for our safety and health. With your support today, we can make this vision a reality. Donate now

Evans Avenue Improvements are Coming

Posted on by Malcolm Jaramillo

After much anticipation, on March 18 final designs for the Evans Avenue corridor were brought before the SFMTA Board of Directors. After a presentation from the project team and heated debate, a final design has passed to bring safety improvements to Evans Avenue as soon as possible.

Evans is a wide industrial road used by many large vehicles that also serves as an important bike connection from the 3rd Street corridor to Cesar Chavez. This is a crucial link that provides access into the Hairball, which is the crossroads of many neighborhoods including the Mission and Potrero Hill. These conflicting uses have been difficult to reconcile, leaving concerns due to gaps in the protected bike lane. Because of this, many stakeholders came away wanting more protections from the quick-build safety improvements. With this being said, as the project gets implemented, we will work with SFMTA and community members to ensure that the project provides the most robust protections possible for people biking and walking. Thanks to your support, Evans Avenue will be getting vastly upgraded bike and pedestrian facilities, including a road diet which will reduce vehicle travel lanes from two to one in each direction. This will allow for a westbound bike lane that boasts parking protection as well as bollards to separate riders from vehicles. Eastbound, a painted lane will be implemented that gives riders a dedicated space to use as well.

Along with this, we acknowledge the impact this quick-build will have on the dozen or so vehicularly housed residents who reside on Evans Ave. Putting safety improvements for those biking on Evans Avenue is crucial, as well as ensuring that folks living on this corridor are given the tools and information they need. Thanks to the advocacy of unhoused residents and activists, the SFMTA committed to provide resources to those living here to aid in finding safe parking sites nearby. We stand with those who will be affected by the project and will work with them and other stakeholders to ensure that we get the necessary traffic safety improvements without further displacement, that their needs are met, and that more outreach is done in the future. As advocates for a safer and more bikeable city for everyone, we must ensure that the voices of unhoused people are also included in these conversations.  

With the designs now approved, construction is set to commence this spring, with full implementation within the next couple of months. During this process we will continue to track the progress of the project and provide further updates. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to mjaramillo@sfbike.org. 

13th Street Safety Project Needs Your Input

Posted on by Lindsey Chung

The SF Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA) is preparing to break ground on its exciting project to upgrade 13th Street between Valencia Street and Folsom Street. Currently, people on bikes have to dodge fast-moving car traffic, and pedestrians have to navigate long and confusing intersections. To ensure that the City makes the best possible changes to prioritize bike and pedestrian safety, we need you to give SFMTA feedback today.

All three blocks of the 13th Street Safety Project are a part of the SF High Injury Network, the 13% of streets that account for 75% of severe or fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco. Due to its location beneath the Central Freeway and its numerous freeway ramps, 13th Street has one greatest number of collisions per block, even within the High Injury Network.

This is why we are so excited that SFMTA has prioritized adding a protected bike lane on each side of this corridor. These new lanes will connect to existing bike lanes on Valencia, Folsom, and the segment of 13th Street to the east of the designs. The proposed plans also include pedestrian bulb-outs to shorten crosswalk distances and traffic signal timing changes to give bikes and pedestrians more protected time to cross intersections.

These designs are a huge upgrade from the current layout on 13th Street, but we still have concerns about a couple of areas. The bike path to cross Mission Street in the westward direction is quite unconventional and may not be the best design to increase safety. At South Van Ness, bikes will also have to cross slip lanes, or lanes that allow cars to turn without entering the intersection. Slip lanes allow for high-speed turns and increase the time pedestrians spend crossing streets, so they can be dangerous to navigate on bike or foot.

The 13th Street Safety Project is currently in its Open House phase, and the SFMTA wants your feedback before final plans are approved. In addition to online comments, the project will be holding virtual Office Hours this Thursday from 12pm to 1pm. The Open House is only until this Saturday, April 30, so share your thoughts today!

 

GIVE FEEDBACK NOW

What we’ve learned and where we’re going with our Adult Bicycle Education Program

Posted on by Eliana Marcus-Tyler

Our programs are central to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s mission of promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation, and are essential in breaking down barriers to bicycling. We know that a major barrier for people newer to biking is a lack of knowledge and confidence, which is why, through our Adult Bicycle Education Program, we offer free, multilingual classes for all experience levels. We teach about 800 adults annually, in classes for those who’ve never been on a bike before to regular commuters who’re looking to sharpen their skills. 

We survey class participants before and after they take the class to ensure our classes reach communities who we’ve historically underserved, and that our content is useful in giving people the tools to safely and confidently bike.

Anecdotally, we know our classes have a strong impact. One student wrote about their experience, “The course was a great intro and touched on some topics that, even though I used to ride every day to/from college, I didn’t know.” While that input is important, we also strive to take a data-driven approach to measuring the program’s success. To do so, we analyze pre- and post-class surveys to gain an understanding of who we’re serving and the impact of our classes.

In 2021, just over half of our students were between the ages of 21-40; a significant majority were female or non-binary; and people of East Asian descent comprised a plurality of our students. We feel excited that our classes largely serve women of color, as women, non-binary folks, and people of color have historically been underserved in our work. We look forward to growing in our ability to serve these groups by continuing to deepen our non-English programming in 2022.  

We also use the survey to assess behavior change post-class. Six-weeks after taking a class, 1/3 of respondents report biking more frequently, and we also see increases in student confidence and perceptions of safety, both when biking in traffic and in car-free space. 

Furthermore, the data show that students have really positive experiences at our classes. 88% of respondents rated their class experience as either “good” (27%) or “excellent” (61%). 69% of respondents shared that they would be “very likely” to recommend this course. One student wrote, “From someone who doesn’t know how to ride to now being able to, that’s pretty amazing. If someone like me who had no confidence to ride can do it, anyone can!”

Our 2021 classes had a big impact in getting more people biking more often, and we’re looking forward to continuing to build on this work in 2022. Could you or someone in your life benefit from our free classes? Let them know that they can sign up for an upcoming class here! Hope to see you or one of your loved ones at a class soon.  

2022 BIKE CHAMPION OF THE YEAR!

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

To get us in the Bike to Wherever Day spirit, we wanted to highlight someone who inspires folks to ride a bike and promotes the joy and fun of riding a bike in their community. Meet Paul Valdez, our Bike Champion of the Year. We hope his story encourages you to ride to wherever is special to you on May 20 for Bike to Wherever Day and get others out there with you!

Tell us about yourself and how biking is part of your life here in the Bay.

I am a native of the Bay Area, born in Oakland, and have lived in San Francisco for the last 32 years. For the last 15 years, I have been a proud resident of the Mission District. The bicycle has allowed the peaceful freedom to navigate our incredible city. Biking is my “everyday,” as it is my means to get to work, do shopping, run errands, be with friends, and visit and support our local small businesses in the different neighborhoods that characterize our remarkable city. 

 Where’s your favorite place to bike in the city? 

There are so many special places in San Francisco. However, my favorite place to bike to is historic Sutro Heights Park. It’s a place where not only are you at an elevation for bird flight, but you have a stunning view of a lovely vista of Golden Gate Park with the Murphy and Dutch Windmills peeking up from a canopy of trees. It is married to Ocean Beach and the most outstanding “teacher” of them all, Mother Pacific. For me, it’s a place that sparks a historical imagination of what used to be there, and a meditative place of contemplation. Ending a bike ride there is epic and brings me to a centered space of calm. I have a tradition of riding there on the first day of the year, January 1. 

 How do you bring the joy of biking to your community?

I like bringing the joy of biking to our shared streets throughout San Francisco. One example is that if a MUNI bus stops behind me at a stoplight on Market (or any other) street, I always turn around and wave to the operator. Doing so acknowledges we have an equal level of sharing the streets, and most operators then drive safely behind me. It also brings a big smile to their faces! Additionally, I always say hello to fellow folks who are riding bikes beside me, and “road-waving” friends that I see riding on the opposite side of the street or walking on the sidewalk. Also, a good friend of mine and I make it a point to visit the different neighborhoods in San Francisco, sometimes calling them “zig-zag rides”. Of course, we would use a bike route, but tend to veer onto side streets and explore a neighborhood or an area we’ve never explored before. Also, I share my bike stories and adventures with those who do not ride a bike. Three of my friends witnessed my heightened well-being during the heart of the pandemic, and at different times, each one of them bought a new bike and started riding throughout San Francisco! Finally, I believe in biking to and supporting our local small businesses (with my faves being The Royal Cuckoo Market and Stable Cafe). Be sure to tell these businesses that you biked to their shop. Also, if a small business that I frequent needs a bicycle rack, I will request one for them. It is a great joy to see their businesses thrive, and the image of bicycles parked in front of their stores is glorious! 

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

There’s no rush; take your time, bike safely, steer clear from MUNI tracks, ride by example, and advocate for more protected bike lanes and slow and car-free streets for our communities. Make your biking experience a positive one. Finally, wear a smile while biking. If biking brings you joy, a smile will happen naturally!

Get ready for Bike to Wherever Day with us!