The Tenderloin Needs Slow Streets Now

Posted on by Claire Amable

Imagine experiencing the current shelter-in-place order when your living situation is a 450 square-foot unit with a kitchen and bathroom shared by your entire floor, or living in a studio apartment with two families piled on top of each other, or a tent being held up by a telephone pole on the sidewalk. On top of all of these challenges, you also live in a neighborhood with almost no public open space or access to healthy and affordable food options.  

As you can imagine, these factors make it extremely difficult to practice social distancing and stay healthy during this pandemic. What I’ve just described is not only a public health crisis, it’s the harsh reality impacting our housed and unhoused neighbors who live and work in the Tenderloin.

As of today, Ellis Street between Polk and Leavenworth Street is the only corridor included in the Slow Streets program for the entire neighborhood. When discussing the program at the monthly Tenderloin Traffic Safety Task Force meeting, community partners like St. Anthony’s and Tenderloin Community Benefit District (TLCBD) shared positive feedback on how they’ve successfully opened up the 100th block of Golden Gate Avenue to people through their own advocacy. They’ve moved hand-washing stations and seats into the street for people to continue receiving services while giving everyone more space. TLCBD, in partnership with SFMTA traffic engineers, were also able to remove parking from the 300th block of Ellis to accommodate the long line for the food pantry operating out of the Tenderloin Recreation Center. The Tenderloin community should not have to fight block-by-block for what other less-dense neighborhoods are automatically receiving under the Slow Streets program.

Tenderloin task force member Curtis Bradford from Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), said it best: “We understand there is a need for Slow Streets to be a solution for transit loss across the city. But in the Tenderloin, we need Slow Streets to be a solution for the overcrowding on our sidewalks, in our homes, and the lack of open space in our neighborhood.”

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition couldn’t agree more. In our letter to Mayor Breed in response to the Slow Streets program, we made opening up streets in the Tenderloin our top priority and we asked the City to immediately develop and implement a strategy for the Tenderloin. We must create space to allow for social distancing in order to comply with public health orders. 

Will you join us and show your support for expanding Slow Streets in the Tenderloin? Sign our letter today. 

Our Top Biking Wins

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

Our goal as an organization is big and bold: to promote the bicycle for everyday transportation. Since last May’s Bike to Work Day, we have had so many moments worth celebrating that have helped us grow closer to achieving our mission. In honor of May being Bike Month, we’re leaning into our nostalgia (and pride) and looking back on what our staff, members, volunteers and city partnerships have been able to make possible. 

  • We can celebrate car-free streets in Golden Gate Park, McLaren Park, the Presidio, the Great Highway, Twin Peaks and in neighborhoods citywide thanks to San Francisco’s Slow Streets and our advocacy work with City staff.
  • We made sure bike shops could remain open during public health order, put together resources for how to bike amidst the pandemic and are working to match free bikes to frontline workers through Bike Match.
  • With Mayor London Breed’s announcement of building 20 new miles of protected bike lanes between May 2019 – May 2021, we partnered with the City to create the quick-build policy to accelerate the process of bike lane installation. As a result, we saw a record-breaking 6.4 miles of protected bike lanes go in the ground!
  • Over the course of eight bike distribution events as part of our Bike it Forward program, 164 bikes were distributed to folks who otherwise wouldn’t have access to biking. Volunteers at 36 Community Repair Nights gave over 1,000 volunteer hours to fix up bikes so that we could distribute them for free to those who need them. 
  • The Better Market Street project was approved in October 2019. Market Street became car-free on January 29, 2020. Banning private vehicles, restricting turns for vehicles and adding bike connections to and onto Market Street were the first steps in Market Street’s long-term transformation. 
  • 800 people attended one or more of our free Adult Bike Education classes empowering more people to experience the joy and freedom of biking.
  • Lastly, we connected with San Franciscans like never before. We spoke with 9,000+ people at our outreach efforts, distributed thousands of free front and rear lights at our Light Up the Night events, and taught 335 bus drivers how to share the road and drive safely around people biking.

We want to celebrate Bike Month with you (virtually, of course.) Get involved by attending one of our online events inspired by our top wins of the year, using #ibikesf on social media to share what biking means to you and making May the month to renew your membership.

Our wins would not have been possible without our members. Help us continue our work to make biking an accessible, safe, affordable and sustainable form of transportation for all San Franciscans. 

Join or renew your membership today!

A Win for People-First Parks

Posted on by Kristen Leckie

You’ve probably heard the exciting news from earlier this week: Starting Tuesday, car-free spaces have been expanded in both Golden Gate Park and McLaren Park to help San Franciscans stay safe and follow the current public health orders.

These road closures have now been approved by our city’s public health officials and create much-needed space in our beautiful parks where people can adhere to social distancing rules. In Golden Gate Park, JFK Drive will be closed to drivers between Kezar to Transverse and in McLaren Park, the entirety of the Shelley Drive Loop will be closed to drivers every day at all hours until the shelter-in-place order is lifted. We want to thank our public health officials, the Recreation and Parks Department, Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for listening to the needs of our members.

Map of current and planned road closures and Slow Streets during shelter-in-place.

The push for car-free spaces in our parks is not a new one. Our members have worked for decades to see JFK Drive opened up, and this announcement comes on the tails of a recent Parks Commission meeting where we pushed them to expand car-free spaces in Golden Gate Park year-round beyond just weekend closures. Over 400 people sent in letters and over 40 people called in to the meeting demanding the Parks Commission to put people first in our parks.

As Olivia Gamboa, a mom and Richmond resident, noted, “JFK being car-free means I can let my kids run relatively free while maintaining appropriate social distancing without having to constantly worry about their safety.” Olivia is a healthcare provider and is relying on her bike to get to work throughout this crisis. “The closure of JFK Drive to auto traffic has meant that my commute is substantially safer and less stressful than it was before,” she added. “Instead of choosing between taking my chances in the car lane or cramming too close to other people in the bike lane, I can now ride comfortably at an appropriate distance from others.”

Another member and neighborhood bike advocate Robin Kutner rode through the park the other day and shared her experience of seeing ”happy kids spending time in the safe environment they deserve, parents relaxing as their kids play, adults zoning out as they run or walk, and folks on motorized accessibility devices in the roadway.” Most importantly, she says, “All San Franciscans deserve this sacred 1.5 miles of safe space to play.”

We know this announcement by Mayor London Breed comes just a week after she introduced the Slow Streets program, which will close streets to through-traffic throughout the city to give more space for people biking and walking while we shelter in place. In response to Slow Streets, your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition issued a response letter that called for streets in parks to be included. Clearly, our member-driven advocacy is being heard by our City leaders.

Take a look at all the asks we make in our letter, and sign on today so that we can keep pushing City leaders to make sure the Slow Streets program responds to our city’s needs.

Bike Match: Continuing our work of getting bikes to those in need

Posted on by Jo-Anne Burgess
*We have ended the Bike Match program to refocus on our Bike It Forward program.  Learn more about Bike It Forward, how to request a bike through our Individual Distribution Program, and get in touch with us as a Community Partner by heading to our Bike It Forward homepage.*

For the past five years we’ve connected people with biking through our Bike It Forward program (formerly Community Bike Builds), and in that time we’ve distributed over 1,000 bikes. Right now, we’re figuring out how to continue our work during this pandemic, promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation and making sure people have access to bikes ⁠— and we’re excited about a new partnership that will help us do just that.

We’ve partnered with SF Bicycle Coalition board member Stephen Braitsch to bring Bike Match to San Francisco. Bike Match, first created by Transportation Alternatives in New York City, is a platform that connects people who need bikes with people who have a bike they are no longer using and can part with permanently. This tool will give essential workers and those needing to make necessary trips the freedom to move around the city autonomously, without relying on public transportation and avoiding the impact of reduced transit services around the city. 

Through our connections with community based organizations, we’ll be working to spread the word about Bike Match in the most impacted and underserved communities. We’re also working with bike shops around the city to ensure that people who are matched with a bike can have their bike inspected and be given recommendations for preventative maintenance necessary to keep their bike working for a long time. 

For people considering donating a bike to a person in need, we ask that your bike be in ready-to-ride condition. If it needs more than some air in the tires, then it is not considered ready to ride. If you’re uncertain about the condition, you can do the “ABC Quick Check” to test some key safety functions. But for me, a good benchmark I like to go by is: “Would I give this to my or someone else’s mom or grandma to ride?” If you can enthusiastically say yes, then we highly encourage you to donate your bike. This selfless act is a great way to benefit the city during this time! 

Rachel submitted a request for a bike recently, writing, “I’m a medical student working at SF General Hospital, and with the reductions in MUNI lines and UCSF shuttles, it would be great to have a bike to commute from my house in the Inner Sunset to the Mission…It would be really great to have a reliable mode of transportation to the hospital (and also make room for exercise too, which I often struggle to find daylight hours to do).” And the bike that Annie put up for donation was the right fit for her. Once they were connected through the program, they were able to meet up in a public place and hand off the sanitized bike while maintaining physical distance.

We hope this program has a positive impact on San Franciscans even after we’re no longer social distancing. And we hope to see an increase in people choosing to get around by bike long after this period is over.

Learn more about our Bike Match program and how to get involved.

Our Take on Slow Streets

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

UPDATE (April 28, 2020): Mayor London Breed announced yesterday that portions of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park and Shelley Drive in McLaren Park would become car-free starting today after receiving approval from the SF Department of Public Health. We are grateful for the responsiveness to our ask in the letter below. Read the Mayor’s press release here.

San Francisco has led the way nationally in taking measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and it remains vitally important that all San Franciscans follow public health orders in order to stay healthy and protect our most vulnerable populations.

However, it’s not always easy to maintain adequate distance while making essential trips on San Francisco’s streets. That’s where the recently announced “Slow Streets” program comes into play. The Slow Streets program closes neighborhood streets to automobile through-traffic but keeps them open to people walking and biking, local residents with cars, and emergency vehicles.

Your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition believes the Slow Streets program is an important, new tool that will keep our residents safe and directly supports our public health orders. In order for this program to be effective and meet the stated goals to help people follow the public health orders, Slow Streets must be expanded to our densest neighborhoods and parks, where sidewalks are dangerously crowded. We wrote Mayor London Breed and our City leadership with a list of asks in order to make that a reality. Will you show your support for expanding Slow Streets to more of SF by signing our letter today?

Sign Our Letter

Click to view our letter as a PDF.

By complying with the public health order and giving each other lots of space on San Francisco’s streets, we can help flatten the curve and respond to the deadly threat of COVID-19.

Eastern Twin Peaks Goes Car-Free Forever

Posted on by Kristen Leckie

Photo: Keisuke Omi

After a successful four-year pilot, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) Board decided unanimously to permanently close the eastern half of Twin Peaks Boulevard to cars. This open space will now be enjoyed by those walking and biking without the fear of sharing space with speeding cars.

Thank you to the over 150 of you who wrote letters and to those who called in to the meeting to give public comment on how important this space is, especially during the current shelter in place order. This pilot demonstrates what can happen when we consider people first over cars in our park spaces — speeding decreases and more people are able to celebrate the beautiful views our city has to offer.

This advocacy effort was spearheaded by neighbors and community advocates like Walk SF, the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, SF Urban Riders and your SF Bicycle Coalition. With approvals now in place, we can start the important work alongside the Recreation and Parks Department to make this space an inviting, accessible park for all ages and abilities to enjoy.

Want to see more exciting projects like this become a reality? Join or renew today to help support our advocacy efforts.

P.S. We hope you all are getting a chance to ride around SF these days. With the shelter-in-place order still in effect, remember to practice social distancing (pass with a 6′ clearance), wash your hands and read our FAQ for more info.

Round of applause for our volunteers 👏

Posted on by Chris Bannister

Top row; left to right: Jasmine Gee, Henry Lam, Fabrice Corminboeuf. Bottom row; left to right: Stefania Siragusa, Graham Greving

This week is national Volunteer Appreciation Week and while many of our volunteer events have been rescheduled or moved to a virtual format, we wanted to give a shout-out to all the volunteers who helped make 2019 a memorable year. It takes nearly 900 volunteers, with over 8,000 collective hours, to help make San Francisco a better place to bike and live. Our work wouldn’t be possible without our volunteers.

 

To commemorate all the work our volunteers have done, we’ve highlighted the award winners from this year’s winter volunteer appreciation party. A big thanks to our five awardees who went above and beyond in supporting our work: 

Bike It Forward: Graham Greving

Graham is a bike mechanic extraordinaire and a regular fixture at our Bike It Forward and Community Repair Night events. Graham joined the SF Bicycle Coalition in the spring of 2019 and has since completed a total of 110 hours of volunteering; 99 of those hours were completed with our Bike It Forward and Community Repair Night Program alone! Graham has been instrumental in helping to ensure that the reclaimed bicycles we distribute to communities across San Francisco are safe and in good working order. Thank you, Graham, for all of your dedication and support.

Advocacy All-Star: Stefanie Siragusa 

In addition to being a daily commuter, Stefania has been an astounding voice of support for better biking in SF and has given much of her time to improve the safety of our streets. Stefania was a vocal supporter for the Better Market Street project, often spending her free time meeting with several of our community organizers and consistently showing up to talk to people on the ground about our work. Her presence in the community continues to this day as she works with businesses and storefronts on Valencia Street, pushing for a complete network of protected bike lanes. We’re incredibly proud of all the work Stefania has done and continues to do. 

Barter: Jasmine Gee 

Jasmine has been an SF Bicycle Coalition member for well over a decade and is one of our Volunteer Night regulars. In addition to her in-office help, Jasmine has been a strong advocate for our Barter Membership program, which allows anyone to volunteer for a total of 10 hours within a three-month period in exchange for a membership. Jasmine, to this day, holds the record for the highest amount of Barter Memberships, with a total of 90 hours dedicated to the org. Whenever Jasmine signs up for one of our Phone Banking events, she always does an amazing job letting lapsed members know about our Barter program. Jasmine, thank you so much for your enthusiasm and hard work; you truly are the face of our Barter Membership program.

Light Up the Night: Henry Lam

Henry’s involvement with the SF Bicycle Coalition began in May of 2019. Henry was hired as a Valet Bike Parking Attendee. Since then, Henry has extended his involvement with the SF Bicycle Coalition by frequently volunteering at events such as Volunteer Night, Community Repair Night, and Sunday Streets. But where Henry has really shone is during our Light Up the Night campaign. Henry attended more than half of our Light Up the Night events in the 2019 – 2020 season and has become someone that all the volunteers could go to for help and assistance. Henry, thank you for all that you do, both on the clock as an SF Bicycle Coalition Valet Attendee and off the clock as a volunteer. 

Rookie of the Year: Fabrice Corminboeuf

Fabrice began his involvement with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition as a barter member and has quickly become one of our most reliant and active volunteers in 2019. Fabrice joined the SF Bicycle Coalition in the summer of 2019 and has since been willing to pitch in at numerous events including Winterfest, Community Repair Night, Valet Bicycle Parking, Bike It Forward, Volunteer Night, Light Up the Night and much more. His continuous involvement with the SF Bicycle Coalition showcases his passion for the organization while going above and beyond the traditional role of a volunteer. Fabrice, it’s been a pleasure having you as one of our newest superstar volunteers. We can’t wait to see what the next year holds for you!

Looking to get involved with some more SF Bicycle Coalition opportunities? Check out our upcoming events.

Make Twin Peaks Car-Free Forever

Posted on by Kristen Leckie

Photo: Keisuke Omi

Since 2016, the eastern half of Twin Peaks Boulevard has been open to those walking and biking to take in the gorgeous views atop one of our city’s most popular landmarks. Now we have a chance to make this park space car-free forever at the April 21 SF Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) Board meeting. Will you help us keep Twin Peaks car-free?

Write a letter of support today!

Over the last four years, we have seen a dramatic decrease in speeding cars on Twin Peaks, creating safer open spaces for residents and tourists alike. This is a huge win for people and with its success, the SFMTA is looking to make this permanent. If made permanent, we can get to the important work with the Recreation and Parks Department to construct an inviting, accessible park for all ages and abilities to enjoy.

Thanks to our work with groups like Walk SF, the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council and SF Urban Riders, those who enjoy the scenic views have been able to do so without mingling with cars along the entire eastern span of Twin Peaks Boulevard. Join us in the push to put people first atop Twin Peaks and write a letter of support today.

Five Things You Need to Know to Get Back Into Biking

Posted on by Eliana Marcus-Tyler

Note: the shelter-in-place public health order limits travel, no matter the mode, to essential trips.

The question of how to move around San Francisco safely is one we’ve been asking ourselves since the shelter-in-place order was established. San Franciscans rely on public transportation to access essential services, and with service cuts being made to both BART and Muni, we’re having to adjust how we get from point to A to point B.

My name is Eliana and I run our Adult Bicycle Education Program here at the SF Bicycle Coalition. Biking remains an affordable, sustainable, and fun transportation option, and is a great way to get around during this pandemic (and beyond)! I taught an Intro to Urban Biking Webinar this past Tuesday (check out more of our free online classes here) and got to engage with many people who are beginning to ride for the first time or thinking about riding their bikes after a hiatus. 

Whether you are using bikeshare, borrowing a bike, or using your own, here are five things you should know before hitting the road. I hope you find this list helpful — and be sure to practice social distancing while biking and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds once you’re home!

1. Complete your ABC Quick Check before riding.

  • Do this one minute pre-ride check every time you ride to ensure that your bike is ride-ready: 
    • A = Air. Squeeze your tires. They should feel hard, like a potato. If they need air, you can find the recommended PSI (pounds per square inch) on the sidewall of your tire. If you have a pump with a gauge, pump up your tire to within the recommended range. If you don’t, no worries, just fill them up until they are potato-hard. If it’s been a while since you rode, your tires may be brittle and have cracks. If this is the case, they should be replaced. 
    • B = Brakes. The easiest way to check your brakes is to squeeze down on each brake one at a time (Right = Rear, Left = Front) and try to roll your bike forward. If there is significant forward movement, your brakes should be adjusted. If you don’t feel confident that your brakes are working well, take your bike to a bike shop before riding it! 
    • C = Chain and Cranks. Check your chain for any visible rust, and clean and lube if needed. The cranks connect your pedals to the bike frame. Pull them away from the frame; if they move, they should be tightened. 
    • Quick = Quick Releases. Most bikes have quick release levers on the wheels and seat. Make sure these are tight, the levers are locked and curving toward the frame. The levers on your wheels should be pointing towards the rear of your bike (not pointing forward, as they could get caught on something). 
    • Check = Final check. Finally, shake your bike, bounce your bike, and make sure nothing falls off or sounds weird. Ride around the block before heading out on your ride to make sure everything is in working order.

2. Ensure proper helmet fit.

  • You should replace your helmet every three years, or after any significant impact – whether a crash or dropping it down the stairs. 
  • If you have a knob on the back of your helmet, loosen the knob and place the helmet on your head. Then tighten it as much as is comfortable. Once your helmet is tightened on your head, there are three things you want to check:
    • Eyes: When you look up (only moving your eyes, not your head) you should be able to see the rim of your helmet. If you can’t, lower the front of your helmet until you can see the rim. 
    • Ears: Most helmets have adjustable Y straps. If you can adjust the Y straps, make sure the fork of the Y is at your ear lobes.
    • Chin: Adjust your chin strap so that you can’t fit more than two fingers (stacked one on top of the other) between your chin and the chin strap. 

3. Avoid the door zone

  • Whether riding in a bike lane or on a shared street, you should always be sure to stay 3-5 feet away from parked cars to avoid any opening doors. Some standard bike lanes are not painted outside of the door zone, so ride on the left side of the lane to be outside of the door zone. If you are opening a car door, remember to check for people biking before opening your door. 

4. Practice social distancing in our bike lanes and on our streets.

  • Scan, signal, and scan again before leaving the bike lane to pass someone with six feet of clearance.

5. Biking is great for the whole family! If under 13, children are allowed to bike on the sidewalk.

  • Their parents should still be biking on the street.
  • Remember to remind children to still stay 6 feet away from others.

For more resources on biking confidently in the city, check out all of our virtual classes.

Let’s Expand Car-Free Spaces

Posted on by Kristen Leckie

UPDATE: Thank you to the over 300 members and neighbors who have sent in letters thus far. Your advocacy is important now more than ever in these last 48 hours. We need your help to send the message home by providing public comment over the phone during this Thursday’s meeting. Email kristen@sfbike.org to join the list as we put people first in Golden Gate Park.

If there’s one thing that the current shelter-in-place order has made clear, it’s that San Francisco needs more car-free spaces in Golden Gate Park and across our city. With a Parks Commission meeting coming up on April 16, it’s time to let our City’s leaders know how important car-free spaces are for you, and for San Franciscans.

Write to City Leaders Today

For years, your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has been working with key stakeholders including the Mayor’s Office on Disability, Recreation and Parks Department (RPD) and the SF Municipal Transportation Agency to dedicate more space in Golden Gate Park for people. We respect the determination of San Francisco’s public health experts that making John F. Kennedy Drive permanently car-free for the duration of the shelter in place order is inadvisable. We also feel that we must start planning for safe, sustainable and resilient streets now so that when the order is lifted, we as a city are better prepared.

As of now, residents across the city are left with few options of car-free spaces for exercise. If San Francisco had a network of permanent, car-free streets before this pandemic, it would make it easier to follow these orders, especially in our largest and most utilized park. 

We’ve heard from our members loud and clear on the need for more car-free streets for families with children as well as individuals, and now is the time to come together and push for change. Let’s work together to expand car-free spaces for all ages and abilities in Golden Gate Park and parks across SF as soon as possible. Use the template above and write an email today!

Want to hear more about this project? Join us at one of our Q&A sessions on Golden Gate Park on April 9 and April 14.