Board of Directors: 2020 Director Elections

Posted on by SF Bicycle Coalition Board

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is proud to have a very active and professional all-volunteer Board of Directors as stewards of our organization and work.

Directors are elected by members to serve a two-year term, and this year members will be voting to elect seven directors during the winter 2020 election. San Francisco Bicycle Coalition members may nominate themselves or another member as a candidate for the Board of Directors. Interested candidates should review the following:

Here’s the schedule for the 2020 San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Board elections:

Fall 2019: Board promotes the election amongst members and encourages members to declare their interest.

Oct 25, 2019: Candidates who wish to be considered for Board Recommendation* need to do the following before this deadline:

Nov – Dec, 2019: Current Board Directors interview candidates who wish to be considered for Board Recommendations.*

Jan 3-6, 2020: Board Recommendations are communicated to each candidate.*

Jan 8, 2020: Membership eligibility deadline: January 8, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST. You must be a member (join or renew) by this date to vote or run in the elections.

Jan 8, 2020: Candidates must officially declare their intent to run by submitting the following to boardnomination@sfbike.org before this deadline:

  • photo
  • 150-word statement

Jan 9, 2020: Staff meets with candidates to review the election process.

Jan 14, 2020: Candidate’s 150-word statements are published in the weekly Biker Bulletin email.

Jan 22, 2020: Voting starts. Members will have a chance to vote online or in-person at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition office throughout the election period.

Jan 22, 2020:Candidates have the opportunity to give a short speech at the annual member meeting and meet with interested members.

Jan 28, 2020: Candidates who wish to submit a 100-word supplemental statement must send them to boardnomination@sfbike.org by this deadline. All supplemental statements will be emailed to members on February 1, 2020.

Feb 4, 2020: Voting ends at 9:59 pm PST.

Feb 6-8, 2020: Election results are communicated to each candidate.

Feb 18, 2020: Election results are announced in the weekly Biker Bulletin email.

Feb 22, 2020: Board of Directors participate in an all-day retreat.

Feb 25, 2020: Board of Directors meeting is held.

*As of September 2019, the board has not yet finalized a recommendations process for the 2020 election.

We’ll continue to update this page with more information as the elections move forward. Questions? Email boardnomination@sfbike.org.

Getting Cars Off of Market Street this Year: Stefania Siragusa

Posted on by Darren Newell

Stefania Siragusa sees Market Street 2020 as the first step toward modernizing Market Street. She recently became a member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and has wasted no time jumping into our advocacy to make Market Street 2020 happen.

As a regular rider on Market Street, she is working with us to see private auto restrictions in place on the street before the end of this year. Stefania couldn’t be more excited, and we asked her what about the future of Market Street she is most looking forward to.

If you too are excited about Market Street’s future, sign the petition and join us in our efforts for Market Street 2020!

Count Me In!

How often you use Market Street?

For the last 7 years, I have ridden my bicycle down Market Street every day for work.  I ride it 5-6 times back and forth on a daily basis. Growing up in Italy, I belonged to a road bicycle team, so using a bike to move around is natural and takes me back to my roots.

What is your vision for Market street? 

I visualize more children and families riding this street. I want parents to feel safe enough to ride this street with their kids. I think the Better Market project can make my dream a reality. When it becomes safe enough for kids, more people will feel excited to ride a bicycle. 

I’m also really excited about the environmental benefit as well. With more people riding bicycles, fewer people will choose to use their cars. Fewer car trips will create less pollution and benefit the whole planet.  Reducing greenhouse emissions is something I really care about; I don’t own a car, avoid using private automobiles, and I even became vegan 14 years ago to reduce my carbon footprint.

If you could change one thing about Market Street right now, what would it be? 

For me, Market and Van Ness is one of the most frustrating intersections. Drivers turning right from Market onto Van Ness conflict with pedestrians crossing the street and as a result, bicyclists coming from Embarcadero are stuck behind the waiting cars. It gets really dangerous when drivers get frustrated and try to force their way through. Taking private cars off Market Street would really help solve this.

Join our push to get cars off of Market Street this year. Add your voice by signing our petition.

POSTPONED – Join our Page Committee

Posted on by Kristen Leckie

POSTPONED: This meeting has been postponed, we’ll update with a new date soon. You can contact kristen@sfbike.org with any questions.

Let’s get Page Street across the finish line. We’re close, but we need you to take action as we prepare for approvals next month.

Join our Page Street Committee

After years of collecting data, interviewing stakeholders, and hosting open houses, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency, with the leadership of Supervisor Vallie Brown, have come up with a plan to address the chronic congestion along Page Street. Supervisor Brown has pushed this project forward and continued to ask the SFMTA “to make bold moves” for the safety of those walking and biking.

We’ve waited long enough for change and the supervisor agrees: “To date, SFMTA’s proposals have not gone far enough and [they] must seriously consider adding a protected bike lane on Page St. and a prohibition against automobiles traveling eastbound between Octavia and Buchanan streets.” This is our chance to see this become a reality.

It’s time Page Street is no longer used as an extended freeway onramp. Now, we need your help to demand this change and make sure this project is approved.

Join us at our next member committee meeting to meet like-minded advocates and create the game plan we need to see this through.

POSTPONED – Page Street Committee
DATE TBA – 5:30 to 7:00 PM
SF Bicycle Coalition Office, 1720 Market St.

Will you be our winner?

Posted on by Kelsey Roeder

All month long, there’s an extra-special reason to support our work for safe streets: join or renew your membership this September and you could win a prize package worth over $700!

This prize package includes these amazing goodies from some of our Discount Partners:

  • Bike fitting with P-Fits ($175 value)
  • 60-minute massage from Body Awakening ($110 value)
  • $100 Monk’s Kettle gift card
  • Four tickets to Winterfest ($60 value)
  • $50 Outerlands gift card
  • $50 Sports Basement gift card
  • SF Bicycle Coalition hoodie ($50 value)
  • SF Bicycle Coalition t-shirt ($25 value)
  • Two rounds of golf at Urban Putt ($25 value)
  • $20 Green Apple Books gift card
  • Mike’s Bikes gift card

Ways to enter:

  1. Join or renew at $35 for ONE entry.
  2. Join or renew for $50 or more and receive TWO entries.
  3. Become a Monthly Giving member and receive THREE entries. (Current members: this is the best way for you to increase your impact and enter the giveaway!)

Each and every person who joins or renews their membership at the standard rate of $35 will have a chance to win. Want to double your odds? Include your roommate, partner or whomever you live with on your membership for an additional $15 and you’ll receive two entries. Better yet, if you sign up as a Monthly Giver for just $10 per month, you’ll receive three entries.

Join/Renew Today

Already a current member? Give a gift membership to a friend, family member or loved one, and you’ll be entered in the giveaway. Better yet, if it’s not already, switch your membership to a monthly one and you’ll get three entries!

The best part of our September Membership Drive is that everyone wins. By becoming a member, you’ll make bicycling improvements possible all across San Francisco. Each and every member strengthens our voice in City Hall, and this year we need our voice to be louder than ever as we advocate for landmark improvements across our city. 

Plus, as a member of the SF Bicycle Coalition, you’ll enjoy discounts at over 70 local businesses, a subscription to our Tube Times magazine, and access to fantastic parties, rides, social events and more. What could be better?

Join/Renew Today

View our terms and conditions here.

We Can Transform Fifth Street this Year

Posted on by Charles Deffarges

When it comes to dangerous streets on our bicycle network, Fifth Street is one of the most glaring examples. We’ve been working on getting quick changes made to Fifth Street, and now is the time to act to make changes happen this year.

I’m There on 9/17

Right now, Fifth Street consists of four lanes of fast-moving traffic sandwiched between freeway on-ramps and off-ramps — a high injury corridor. It is also one of the most direct bicycle routes to Caltrain, forcing people riding to and from the station to either risk their lives, or take a significant detour. 

At public open houses, workshops and rallies, SF Bicycle Coalition members have pushed for the highest quality protected bike lanes for Fifth Street, and with support from Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Matt Haney, proposed designs for the corridor include exactly that. 

On Tuesday, September 17, new protected bike lanes on Fifth Street (from Market to Townsend) will be up for approval before the SF Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors. This is a huge project and we’ll need our members there to ensure this project gets approved along with an aggressive timeline.

Not only are we demanding the highest quality of infrastructure, but we want it in the ground by the end of 2019. Join us in our demands on September 17. 

SFMTA Board of Directors
Tuesday, September 17, 1:00 PM
City Hall, Room 400

Building Momentum for Market Street 2020

Posted on by Charles Deffarges

The momentum from SF Bicycle Coalition members towards rapid improvements on Market Street is growing. We want the best possible design for Market Street approved this year and we’ll need your help.

Join Our Design Workshop

Last week, our Market St. Member Committee met to discuss what needs to happen in the next few months to make sure our vision for Market Street 2020 stays on track. Many of the questions and concerns brought up during the meeting were related to the design of the City’s Better Market Street Project: 

  • What do the protected bike lanes look like? 
  • How will intersections work? 
  • Where will the private automobile restrictions go into effect?

To answer those questions and gather feedback, we’re hosting a design workshop next week dedicated to our vision for Market Street. 

Now is the time to nail down all of the elements we want to see for the future of Market Street. Join us and make sure this project is all it can be.

Our New Youth and Families Program Coordinator: David Gajer

Posted on by Christopher White

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition welcomes David Gajer as our new Youth and Family Program Coordinator!

Tell us about your role at the SF Bicycle Coalition.

I am thrilled to be joining the growing Program team. My primary role is to create community-driven spaces that connect San Francisco students, parents, and educators around culturally appropriate projects that develop a school-wide culture of walking and biking. In particular, I am working closely with the San Francisco Safe Routes to School partnership as a part of the community engagement team, reaching all 103 SFUSD public schools. We’re building out our work in high schools and middle schools, which is a newer aspect of our work that I’m excited about.  

What about our work excites you?

Coming from an anti-oppressive lens of working with youth and families, I strongly connect with the SF Bicycle Coalition’s thoughtful approach to building a culture of compassion and connection for the communities I will be serving. Also, simply put, I am a big kid at heart! I love playing games and spending quality time with and in support of young people. I love the organization’s approach to recognizing the critical role youth and their loving caregivers can play in their own communities and the world at large. 

When did you first start biking? Do you have a favorite biking memory?

As a younger brother, I was always chasing after my older brother Josh, whether on roller skates, in sneakers, or by bike!  As a result, I began (attempting) to bike earlier than I can truly remember. In those very early years, my brother and I biked while our poppy (Polish for grandfather) ran alongside us, spinning around Eisenhower Park. 

When you’re not working or biking, what fills your time?

I spend time active in various social justice movements, spending time with my cultural Jewish communities, dancing to funk music, and finding green nooks and crannies (inside or outside) to spend time in. Another big piece of my life is living in a housing cooperative. Intentionally sharing resources with friends in a home is an exercise and experiment in living out the values I want to see in the world (not to mention the major bonus of how well fed I am living with seven amazing cooks).  

As a recent transplant from New York City, what do you like about the Bay Area?

The trees! In all seriousness, the Bay Area’s well-known access to nature has captivated me for years and drew me to move west. Since arriving last January, I have made a point to be in nature as much as possible. 

What were you doing when you lived in New York City?

My life in New York centered around high school education and youth advocacy. I spent the previous decade as a human rights educator and experiential trip leader. I spent the last five years working with Global Kids, an educational organization focused on youth leadership development and global learning.  I served as a senior educator, working primarily with first generation and immigrant student populations. I’ve had the opportunity to travel with some of my students including a memorable 10-day trip centered on environmental justice to a global climate change conference held in Morocco. I am excited to stay connected to young people and schools throughout SFUSD in my role as the new Youth and Family Program Coordinator.

Interested in promoting more biking and other sustainable transportation options at your school? Register your school for Walk & Roll to School Day, October 2!

Daily Market Street Commuter: Paul Valdez

Posted on by Darren Newell

San Francisco Bicycle Coalition member and tireless advocate, Paul Valdez has been pushing for improvements on Market Street for a decade. With improvements on Market Street up for approval this year, we caught up with Paul to get his vision for a Market Street that is safe and accessible for all.

(In the next few weeks, we’ll be hosting design workshops to get other members feedback on the upcoming plans for Market Street. Get involved and share your thoughts for what the future of Market should be by attending our next meeting on September 12.)

I’ll Be There on Sept. 12

Paul, how did you get involved in the fight for Market Street?

I was tired of complaining about the condition of the streets and the lack of safe infrastructure on Market Street, so I became a member of the SF Bicycle Coalition. 

As a member, I was able to voice my concerns at hearings and community workshops. I shared my daily cycling experiences at various working groups aimed at transforming the different Market street events and projects over the years. I also participated in a focus group for the Raised Bikeway Demonstration Project on Upper Market back in 2015.

With changes made so far, the commute I’ve had for nearly a decade has noticeably improved. The turn restrictions that were part of the 2015 Safer Market Street Project were a great win — but more is needed. 

What is your vision for Market street? 

My vision is the Better Market Street Project. Plain and simple. I think the plan will make Market Street an enjoyable street for all to use — whether you’re walking, biking, or taking transit. My vision is to ban private vehicles altogether from Octavia Blvd. to the Embarcadero to achieve this.

If you could change one thing about Market Street right now, what would it be? 

I’ve been advocating for near-term solutions ahead of the Better Market Street Project breaking ground, specifically at Market/Sansome/Sutter. I used Twitter to bring attention to this deadly intersection and Streetsblog SF featured it in an article:  A Jug-handle for Sansome/Market Intersection?

What is your favorite thing about/part of Market Street today? 

For me, it’s the protected bike infrastructure. We need more of it!

You too can make your voice be heard by joining the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Market Street committee at our our upcoming design workshop. RSVP today:

Partnering with BMAGIC for Our Biggest Bike it Forward Event of the Year

Posted on by Jo-Anne Burgess

We were so excited to be a part of BMAGIC’s annual back-to-school backpack giveaway for a second year in a row. The SF Bicycle Coalition’s Bike it Forward program gave away 51 bikes this year, along with helmets, locks and lights.

Thanks to a very generous donation from Thumbtack, 36 of the 51 bikes given away were to children between the ages of 5-10 — something we have never been able to do before.

31 volunteers, SF Bicycle Coalition staff, and board members pitched in to make the day a success. Some taught recipients and their parents or guardians how to correctly fit and wear their new helmets. Others helped out in our learn-to-ride and practice courses designed specifically to teach young people how to bike safely. 

One recipient got in touch with us after the event to express a little gratitude: “I just recently moved here with my mother and [we] had one bike for her to get to work,” she wrote. “Now you have given me the opportunity to be able to bike with my mother other places.” 

Would you like to help us provide more families with a free and healthy way to get around the city? Volunteer with us at Community Repair Night where we repair the bicycles that are given away at events like this. Find out more information about the program and volunteering here.

We Need Your Feedback for Page Street

Posted on by Kristen Leckie

With a packed room Tuesday night, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) revealed designs for a people-first Page Street. Those in attendance got a first glimpse of what a pilot that prioritizes those walking and biking could look like. This open house was possible thanks to Supervisor Vallie Brown, who attended the event to talk through the project with neighbors.

If you were unable to attend, there’s still time to give your feedback on the proposed designs. Click on the button below to write a letter to the SFMTA project team today with your thoughts.

Share Your Thoughts

We know that Page Street is long overdue for changes that benefit the large number of people walking and biking everyday to and from school, work, or other destinations. But the street is overwhelmed by cars who use this neighborhood street for access to the freeway.

Tuesday’s Open House was the first step, and now, we have the chance to fix key safety issues along the street that have plagued the neighborhood for 16 years since the Central Freeway first came down. It’s time we put the safety of those walking and biking first on Page Street.

The SFMTA collected comment cards at the Open House which provided feedback on the various proposals, but we still need more input. If you would like your thoughts considered before the project has the chance to be approved at the SFMTA Board, write a letter today.

Share Your Thoughts