The End of an Era: Bike It Forward Leaves Calvary, Seeks New Home

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Jo-Anne Burgess

In 2014, thanks to advocacy from the SF Bicycle Coalition, PODER, and other partners, San Francisco enacted an ordinance that encouraged partnership between city agencies and organizations like ours to find ways to redistribute abandoned bicycles to folks in the city who might need them. Since then, the Bike It Forward (formerly Community Bike Builds) program has worked with countless organizations and over 1000 individuals to get more people biking around the city, while at the same time reducing the bicycle-related waste heading to recycling centers and landfills.

By 2017, the program grew out of our office and into its own workspace. Bike It Forward found its new home in a workshop space at Calvary Hill Community Church in Bayview with the help of PODER and its program Bicis del Pueblo. After hours of volunteer work, we had a fully-functioning bicycle repair shop, storage space for all our bicycles, and most importantly proximity to the populations we were serving. Moving into Calvary enabled us to expand our program and include volunteers in the work regularly with new events like Community Repair Night. The space became a resource for other organizations doing the same kind of work, and we were able to partner and work closely with organizations like Yellow Bike, Y Bike, Campmobility and The Bike Kitchen over the years. This space has truly been for the community and we are so grateful to have been a part of it.

Over the past two years, the program has continued to grow, and we’ve recognized the need for a bigger and more accessible space. Now, Calvary Hill Community Church is expanding their own Community Hub programming and continuing their commitment to serving the community. As a consequence, we must vacate our shop space by the end of March. We fully support their decision to expand their work and wish them the best of luck on this new endeavour.

As we more urgently seek a new space for our Bike It Forward program, we are asking you, our members, for help in this search.

We are looking for:

Warehouse-style or flexible commercial space with high ceilings
Garage door access
At least 2,000 square feet
Built-in bathroom for staff and volunteer use
24 hours/7 days a week access for staff
Located in the southeast part of the city

Our goal is to both continue to work with southeastern SF communities to bring affordable transportation to those who need it most and to expand. We have big dreams of expanding our current work to include more youth-focused initiatives and to provide a space that is welcoming to all, especially folks in the surrounding communities.

We are open to renting something temporarily but would prefer a new home for at least the next few years. If you know of a space that might work for our needs, please email Jo-Anne at jburgess@sfbike.org

The Results Are In: Our 2021 Board Election Winners

Posted on February 4, 2021 by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

The staff administrators of the recent SF Bicycle Coalition board elections congratulate the winners: Meaghan Mitchell, Juli Uota, Joanna Gubman, Kat Chen, Danny Sauter, Roan Kattouw, Lucas Lux, and David Alexander.

We thank the additional candidate: John Lisovsky.

Members cast a total of 595 tallied ballots: 100 percent were cast online with zero members voting in-person at the SF Bicycle Coalition office through the vendor website. This represents 7 percent of the members entitled to vote in the election. There were also 7 abstentions.

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. All who were members in good standing by Jan. 15, 2021 were eligible to vote.

Details on the entire 2021 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.

The first board meeting with the newly elected members will be held on Feb. 23, 2021. We look forward to working with the winners, who will serve terms of two years on our board of directors alongside the existing board members whose terms have not expired. And we thank you, our wonderful members, for making your voices heard in this election.

We also want to express our gratitude to outgoing board members who chose not to run for re-election: Nicholas Aulston, Sarah Bindman, Preston Rhea, and Kelli Shields. Thanks for your years of service.

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

SoMa Quick-Builds Near Completion

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Claire Amable

When the SF Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) Board of Directors passed a resolution in June 2019 to streamline street safety projects through a new “quick-build” process, they also named the first seven streets that they would deliver. Now, less than two years later, nearly all of those projects are in the ground, with many more quick-builds implemented throughout the South of Market.

The quick-build projects in SoMa have brought much-needed safety improvements to the neighborhood by closing major gaps on dangerous corridors, bringing near-term improvements to long-term capital projects, and upgrading bike infrastructure on streets that previously had none. Our members often call out how slowly the City makes change, and quick-builds are a tool that finally brings urgency to fixing our streets that need improvements the most.

Right now, the City has multiple quick-build projects currently under construction, including: Fifth Street, Seventh Street, Eighth Street, and Folsom Street. We’re excited that Folsom Street, the first quick-build process that went through a virtual outreach process, will be constructed by the end of March. This quick-build fills the gap between Second and Fifth streets so that you have a fully protected bike lane on all of Folsom Street in SoMa. Bike signals, transit boarding islands and pedestrian safety improvements add even more to ensure these three blocks are safe for people who bike and walk.

We know that quick-build projects are only successful because community stakeholders, local residents and advocates are pushing in unison. With more and more quick-build projects wrapping up construction, that means more are on the way. If you want to be part of the campaign to keep building out SoMa’s bike network, sign up below to stay in touch.

Turn out for the Better Market Street hearing

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Janice Li

City planners are making changes to Better Market Street, the transformative project that was approved in October 2019. The City’s initial revisions to the project last fall did not reflect the imperative to make Market Street safer for people walking and biking.

This Tuesday, join us at the SFMTA virtual Board Meeting to hear new potential revisions. Write a letter to the SF Municipal Transportation Agency Board meeting and tune in for yourself.

Write a letter to your decision makers

SFMTA Board Meeting (online)
Tuesday, January 18, 2021
Starts at 1:00pm

A few months ago, City planners unveiled a revised proposal for the first phase of the project (between Fifth and Eighth streets) that would keep people on bikes where they are today, sharing the curbside lanes with taxis and delivery trucks. We, like many of our members, were outraged about the changes, and we turned out our members for the online outreach and public meetings the City held.

The main question we kept hearing from our members was simple: Why? It was hard to stomach these changes and that this process felt rushed after a lengthy, decade-long planning process.

That’s why we invited SFMTA board directors Cheryl Brinkman and Amanda Eaken to speak with our members and hear from them how they felt about the revised proposal. You can watch the Better Market Street Town Hall here:

Directors Brinkman and Eaken previewed changes that respond to concerns that people who bike have raised around sharing lanes again with large vehicles. We now know that City planners are exploring required right turns to force vehicles off of Market Street, a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit, and programmatic ways to uphold the ban of private vehicles.

Now it’s time for our decision makers to hear from you. Write an email to the SFMTA Board today to weigh in on these changes, and tune in for yourself to hear the presentation and give public comment. And on our end, we won’t stop fighting for a truly Better Market Street.

What’s on the horizon for Twin Peaks?

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Cassidy McIntyre

In March, the City opened up Twin Peaks to people as a much-needed respite during current public health orders. As a beloved SF park, Twin Peaks provides residents and tourists alike with gorgeous views of the San Francisco Bay area and an expansive open space in the center of the city. Since Twin Peaks was closed to cars, it has been a major success, garnering over 800 visitors per day and 1,100 on weekends.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) conducted a survey this past November to determine the future of Twin Peaks and the results made it clear: people overwhelmingly prefer to keep the open space. If you want to help advocate to keep this open space, sign up for Twin Peaks updates!

Stay up to date!

Over 1,700 SF residents who either live near, or bike, walk, or drive to Twin Peaks responded to the survey last November. The survey provided a better understanding of their needs and any concerns they have surrounding the Twin Peaks closure.

Here are some of the highlights from the survey results:

Of the 10,000 comments given by neighbors, a significant portion advocated for a full or partial closure of Twin Peaks.
52% of respondents favored the Burnett Avenue option which keeps a section of Twin Peaks open for cars including Christmas Tree Point but opens up the majority of road space for people.
Keeping Twin Peaks fully open to cars was the least preferred option among respondents.

Photo of Twin Peaks with Portola gate closed and Burnett Ave gate open

The Burnett Avenue option favored by 52% of survey respondents.

Alongside the SFMTA’s survey, we also reached out to see how people felt about the current situation atop Twin Peaks. We heard from our members, neighbors, and those visiting the space that they felt safer and and the space was more enjoyable with fewer cars on the road. One Twin Peaks neighbor shared: “We have a 1 ½-year-old son who I take hiking at [Twin Peaks] all the time. It’s been a real lifeline during this difficult time, but more than that, it has been a massive improvement to the area.” The highest percentage of survey respondents live near Twin Peaks and most residents from the neighborhood favor closing a portion of Twin Peaks to cars permanently despite calls from a few neighbors to open this space back up to cars.

Access to this open space has not only become a way to connect to neighbors, friends, and family in the pandemic — it has allowed us to reimagine the spaces we live, work and play in. Twin Peaks should be a place for all of us and we’ll need your help to keep this open space year round. Stay involved and join this people-first campaign.

We’re Hiring: Community Organizer

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Janice Li

UPDATE: Thank you for your interest in working for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. This hiring process is closed and we are no longer accepting applications for the community organizer position. If you have questions, please contact info@sfbike.org.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is transforming our streets and neighborhoods into safe, just, and livable places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation. We’re seeking a passionate, highly motivated community organizer to power our advocacy work in San Francisco, with a focus on the eastern and southern neighborhoods of our city.

This position reports to the Advocacy Director and works collaboratively on a team of four to win grassroots, member-driven campaigns and policies that make San Francisco neighborhoods a better, more fun and more safe places to ride a bicycle. Our community organizers regularly facilitate and attend meetings with SF Bicycle Coalition members, community leaders, City staff and elected officials to win visionary improvements that redesign streets for people and connect the city with high-quality bicycle and pedestrian street safety infrastructure.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is an equal opportunity employer and acknowledges the role biking culture and transportation has played in disproportionate access and resources to underserved communities — including people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women, and LGBTQ+ people. We believe that these communities must be centered as leaders in the work we do. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities.

Primary responsibilities:

Developing and implementing campaign strategy and community engagement to build more, better bike infrastructure throughout the city, with a focus on eastern and southern neighborhoods including the Mission, Bayview-Hunters Point and the Excelsior;
Leading grassroots and field outreach for street campaigns, including 1-on-1 meetings, phone banking, and on-street outreach;
Working with City agencies and elected officials to advance campaigns;
Using our multiple communications channels (including emails, blogs and social media) to keep members and allies engaged in and knowledgeable about our work;
Representing the organization at public meetings, including City Hall hearings;
Collaborating across the organization, especially with our Program Team, which leads our bicycle education, Bike It Forward, and youth and family biking programs;
Working with our membership team to develop and implement a strategy to build a stronger membership base in outer neighborhoods.

Strong candidates will possess as many of the following qualifications as possible:

A deep commitment to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s mission;
Interest in and passion for transportation equity, justice, and antiracism;
Written and/or conversational fluency in Spanish, Cantonese or Tagalog;
Two or more years of experience as an organizer;
Strong interpersonal and relational skills with a desire to do people-centered work;
An ability to take initiative and lead advocacy efforts within the organization;
A demonstrated track record of successful project planning, project management, base-building and strategy implementation;
An ability to work individually and as part of a team;
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a wide variety of audiences;
A strong record of online organizing;
Experience sourcing and managing a diverse cohort of interns and volunteers; and
The desire and ability to implement systems that will allow your work to scale quickly and significantly to maximize your impact.

Salary and Benefits: The annual salary for this exempt position is $50,000-$56,000 range 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, a telecommuting stipend and a flexible work arrangement policy.

Hours: Full-time. Hours may be flexible. Position will entail some work on weeknights and weekends in order to attend community meetings and events.

Reports to: Janice Li, Advocacy Director

About the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition works to transform San Francisco’s streets and neighborhoods into safe, just and livable places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation. Our work is guided by our five-year strategic plan and the core values of Transportation Justice, Sustainability, People Power and Joy. The organization’s culture reflects its grassroots origins and professional advocacy in equal measures. Our active membership of over 10,000 represents San Franciscans of all ages and backgrounds from all neighborhoods who are working towards safe, sustainable and more affordable 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.

What will happen to the Great Highway in 2021?

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Kristen Leckie

In November, over 450 people attended the Great Highway virtual community meeting hosted by Supervisor Gordon Mar alongside City staff to talk about the future of this open space. This was by far the most well-attended meeting with an amazing show of local neighbors. At the meeting, the City gave an in-depth background on the history of the Great Highway along with current data to show how the waterfront could transform into an amazing open space in the years to come.

The Upper Great Highway, from Lincoln Way to Sloat Boulevard, has been closed to cars since April and loved by all kinds of neighbors — from those walking and biking to those creating art for this new community space. The City plans on keeping Great Highway an open street during the current health orders, but we’ve heard from neighbors that there are serious traffic concerns on nearby streets especially on the Lower Great Highway, the parallel residential street that is one block east of the Great Highway. At the meeting, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) promised to conduct more data collection, install more traffic calming devices in the neighborhood, increase outreach to neighbors, and begin neighborhood meetings in the new year so all neighbors are able to give their feedback on future changes with the Great Highway and Outer Sunset Traffic Management Project.

The SFMTA expects to host neighborhood meetings in the new year so we can figure out the near-term future of this beloved park space. With our members, neighbors and City planners at the ready, it’s time for us to get to work. Can you help us advocate for the near-term and long-term future of the Great Highway in the new year? Sign up today to stay informed on the campaign and how you can plug in.

Let’s transform the Great Highway!

Let’s keep the momentum for the Great Highway going so we can create a better Great Highway together.

Quick-Builds Are Coming to the Tenderloin

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Janice Li

All throughout San Francisco, we’ve seen how quick-build projects bring urgent change on streets that are unsafe and unwelcome for people who bike and walk. And for the first time, quick-build projects are coming to the Tenderloin, a neighborhood where we’ve been pushing for urgency for years.

The SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has just launched the virtual open house for two street safety projects on Leavenworth Street (from McAllister to Post) and on Golden Gate Avenue (from Van Ness to Market), and you’re invited to participate.

Weigh In on Golden Gate Avenue

Weigh In on Leavenworth Street

Leavenworth is a one-way street running northbound from McAllister (just north of Market), with three lanes of fast-moving traffic cutting through the neighborhood, including the bike lanes on Golden Gate Avenue and Turk Street. After implementing a successful redesign on Taylor Street a few blocks over, the Tenderloin Traffic Safety Task Force wants to implement similar safety measures on this street to slow drivers down and make Leavenworth safer for people walking and biking.

Three years ago, City planners striped a bike lane on Golden Gate Avenue, making it the first bike lane cutting through the heart of the Tenderloin. Unfortunately, the buffered bike lane design on Golden Gate Avenue was insufficient — people on bikes often have to deal with people driving or parking in the bike lane.

Throughout the pandemic, one block of Golden Gate, between Leavenworth and Jones, has been closed to drivers for most of the day to help accommodate St. Anthony Foundation’s operations as they provide resources to unhoused neighbors and some of our city’s most vulnerable residents. A couple blocks over, the Tenderloin Community Benefits District opened up one block between Hyde and Larkin for Shared Spaces, repurposing roadway to support local business. These changes to the street show us what’s possible for Golden Gate Avenue when we really prioritize people over cars.

That’s why we’re excited to go back and do it right on Golden Gate Avenue, and this time, City planners are turning this street into a quick-build project, which we know has helped immediately upgrade so many other bike lanes, including Howard Street, 7th Street, and the Embarcadero.

City planners have just unveiled their plans, and now it’s time for you to weigh in to make sure what they implement next year truly prioritizes biking and walking through the Tenderloin.

Watch the Recording: How we’re reimagining our streets

Posted on December 10, 2020 by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

Transportation will be essential to the recovery of San Francisco. On December 9, we gathered online to talk about how we have had to reimagine our streets this year out of necessity.

This year has proven that San Francisco can take quick action to encourage more people to bike and walk. The expansion of Slow Streets and car-free spaces has been truly transformative. These spaces are well-used and well-loved by people needing to travel and exercise in a safe manner.

But bike lanes and Slow Streets mean nothing without people riding on them. Through our Bike Match and Bike It Forward programs, we’ve given away over 150 bikes to essential workers and people needing a way to get around during the pandemic. We’ve also expanded our bicycle education program, which has seen a nearly 300% increase in attendance.

In 2021, we have a new project in the works. We are researching and piloting community-based alternatives to police issuing vehicle traffic citations for things like speeding or running red lights. Across our country, we have seen countless incidents of Black and brown people being harmed or even killed by police while issuing traffic citations. Although the total number of vehicle traffic citations is down from its peak in 2014, we are no closer to achieving Vision Zero, the goal of having zero traffic deaths and serious injuries in San Francisco by 2024. We are working with residents and community-based organizations in the Tenderloin to find better ways to enforce harmful vehicle infractions while prioritizing the safety of our most marginalized populations.

Watch the recording here:

We want to win big projects in 2021 to transform San Francisco into a better place to bike and live — but we need your support to get there. If you have the ability to give, every dollar counts. Make a donation today.

That’s Right: Bike Lanes Are Coming to Anza

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Kristen Leckie

Photo: SFMTA

In 2019, as part of the Central Richmond Traffic Safety Project, neighbors created a street safety project wish list alongside the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer. One of the most popular ideas to come out of the process were bike lanes on Anza Street.

Now, your SF Bicycle Coalition is excited to announce that the Anza Street Bike Lanes Project has officially launched and we need your input! On December 7, the SFMTA will kick off a two-week virtual open house for the proposed changes. Can you attend and help us build out the bike network in the Richmond District?

I’m in!

The SFMTA’s project will improve the safety and connectivity of those biking on Anza Street between Arguello Boulevard and 30th Avenue, with the potential for a future extension to Masonic Boulevard. Anza Street provides a key east-west connection in the Richmond District and beyond, connecting those biking to destinations like Golden Gate Park, schools, and universities. With the easy potential given the wide street and neighborhood interest, Supervisor Fewer secured funding for the planning, design, and construction of the bike lanes earlier this year. While this project does not include protected bike lanes, this is a step in the right direction as we continue to build out the neighborhood bike network.

Proposed bike lanes for Anza Street are shown

The virtual open house will be an interactive online event that you can access throughout the two weeks. Proposed changes will be presented and you can ask questions and provide your feedback at any point. There will also be a collection process for potential pedestrian improvements for the corridor to complement this project. If you want to see the bike network expanded in the Richmond, give your thoughts starting Monday.

Anza Street Bike Lane Virtual Open House
Monday, Dec. 7 thru Friday, Dec. 18
Click here to access the virtual open house