Time to Rally for the Embarcadero

Posted on by Kristen Leckie

At last month’s Port Commission meeting, we caught our first glimpses of the people-friendly future of the Embarcadero. We need your help in making sure we turn this vision into reality. Join our Embarcadero Committee meeting next week as we plan for the October open house.

Join Our Embarcadero Committee

After the meeting last month, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) committed to starting the environmental review phase of the project this year and installing near-term safety improvements to the corridor. This will include replacing the “floating” part-time curbside bike lane on Southbound Embarcadero with an all-day green bike lane with soft-hit posts, upgrading all crosswalks to high-visibility crosswalks, and creating bike lanes on Battery and Sansome to provide an alternate route for bicyclists. The project now has a path forward, but we need to rally support in order to see these near-term improvements delivered by the end of this year.

We all know there’s overcrowding and far too many collisions along the Embarcadero. It’s time to come together and dream big to make sure it becomes a welcoming and safe street for all people.

Embarcadero Committee Meeting
Thursday, Oct. 4, 5:30 to 7:00 PM
Philz Coffee, 5 Embarcadero Center

At our Embarcadero Committee meeting, we will develop our strategy for turning out supporters to pack the rooms at the upcoming October open house. We will also discuss how we can engage a broad community along the way to make sure this project fits the needs of all those enjoying the City’s iconic waterfront. Join other like-minded advocates who are ready to see the Embarcadero put people first.

Take Action for Howard St

Posted on by Charles Deffarges

Almost one year ago, Folsom got protected bike lanes while Howard, its equally dangerous sister street, got nothing. Just this month, the unsafe conditions on Howard have claimed two lives.

Finally, safety improvements for Howard, including protected bike lanes, are up for approval next month.

Join us at City Hall

We need to rally together on October 16 and make sure the City approves and builds protected bike lanes on Howard by the end of this year. No one should have to die due to unsafe street design. We need to push the SFMTA to do more for our safety.

Howard is one of our busiest bike corridors, with thousands of daily riders. For the past year, the lack of protected facilities has made it a glaring gap in our bicycle network. On October 16, the SFMTA has an opportunity to end the delays and approve construction of protected bike lanes from 6th to 11th streets.

SFMTA Board of Directors
Oct. 16, 1:00 PM
City Hall, Room 400

Join us as we push the SFMTA Board of Directors to approve protected bike lanes for Howard and fast-track construction so that it is in the ground by the end of 2018.

Intern Alina Nguyen Kicked Off Her Design Career

Posted on by Veronica Newell

After spending the summer as the SF Bicycle Coalition’s graphic design intern, Alina Nguyen is now a full-time visual designer at BayAlarm Medical. We’re so appreciative of Alina’s creativity and contributions! Our graphic design interns get to work on some pretty exciting projects, which provides a solid foundation for moving ahead with a graphic design career.

We spoke with Alina to get insight on her internship experience and how it helped her develop crucial design skills and land a full-time design position. If you want to be our next graphic design intern, apply here!

SF Bicycle Coalition: What are some of things you liked most about interning at the SF Bicycle coalition?

Alina Nguyen: I really enjoyed getting to work with everyone at the SF Bicycle Coalition. Everyone is really friendly and passionate about their work! Biking is not only part of their work but also part of their lives. When there is an opportunity to bike somewhere, they will do it. It really encouraged me to continue biking because I knew I had this community to support me. Interning also gave me the opportunity to learn about bike culture and how nonprofit organizations function. I also got to know the other interns and the community that keeps the SF Bicycle Coalition going.

A sample of some amazing print projects graphic design interns get to work on.

How did this internship set you up for the future?

It helped me develop the skills to work in a professional environment as a designer. The biggest thing I learned was handling design feedback. Learning how to take critical feedback helped me find a common ground with colleagues and taught me how to communicate with people. Now I incorporate these skills both in and out of my professional life.

What projects from your internship are you most proud of?

I am grateful and proud of all the projects I’ve worked on. I had the opportunity to work on many projects that helped me grow as a designer and person. Working on Bike to Work Day helped me practice my photography and was a great way to engage with the community. I got to design a lot of the visuals for the Golden Wheel Awards and seeing the result was amazing. It was also fun to work on creating infographics, the 2018 Pride Parade spoke cards, and many other projects.

Want to work on cool projects like this? Apply to be an intern now!

Bike the Vote with Matt Haney

Posted on by Janice Li

Are you ready to continue the momentum for better biking through SoMa, Tenderloin and beyond? We believe Matt Haney has what it takes, which is why we’re excited to endorse him for District 6 Supervisor this November. Join us on Sunday with special guest Supervisor Jane Kim in an all-out mobilization for Matt.

Mobilize with Matt

We’ve been fortunate to have the leadership of Supervisor Kim over the last eight years, as more high-quality bike infrastructure has been built in District 6 than any other district. But we know there are critical projects in the works, from Fifth Street to Market Street, and we’re going to need another leader to pedal us forward.

In his role on the School Board, Matt Haney co-authored the resolution that committed the SF Unified School District to Vision Zero. He remains committed to meeting that citywide goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries due to traffic crashes. “It is unacceptable that District 6 has the highest rate of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities,” Matt says. His ambitious platform includes expediting protected bike lanes by streamlining policy, bringing stakeholders to tackle transportation needs block by block, and collaborating with the school district to ensure families and students can get to school safely.

This Sunday, Sep. 23, we are hosting a special mobilization for Matt’s campaign. We’ll be joined by Supervisor Kim for a brief rally at the SF Bicycle Coalition office before we hit the streets to get the word out. Everyone is welcome!

Mobilize for Matt Haney
Sunday, Sep. 23 starting at 4:00pm
SF Bicycle Coalition HQ at 1720 Market St.

We Endorse Janice Li for BART Board

Posted on by Rachel Dearborn

It’s an exciting time for us at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, as we get to support our own advocacy director in her candidacy for the BART Board of Directors. After receiving questionnaires from four candidates and polling our members, the SF Bicycle Coalition Board of Directors voted on Tuesday evening to endorse Janice Li for BART Board District 8.

(Note: The SF Bicycle Coalition Board of Directors handled this endorsement separately from our other endorsements for November’s election in order to ensure a fair process for all candidates.)

We believe that a transit-friendly city is a bike-friendly city. When we improve our transit systems and make them more bike-accessible, we increase access to sustainable, affordable, and healthy transportation for all people. This is why we endorse for the BART Board, and why Janice is the best candidate for the job.

We sat down with Janice to ask her more about her background and her vision for BART.

You’ve been at the SF Bicycle Coalition for a while now. What motivates you?

I started as a community organizer in October 2013. My first week on staff was a roller coaster. On Day 2, I led my first-ever member committee meeting. On Day 4, 78-year-old Cheng Jin Lai was hit and killed while biking on 11th Street at Division. I regularly think back to Mr. Lai, especially after I met his children who were in grief after losing their father. I kept asking myself: Are we doing enough? Are we fighting hard enough for people like Mr. Lai to have space on our streets? And who has a seat at the table when decisions are made?

Those continue to be my guiding questions as I’ve grown into my role here and now serve as advocacy director, supporting our team of community organizers and leading our policy and legislative work. I’m honored to work for such a powerful organization that has such a rich and complex history, and I see my role here as being part of a social justice movement to redefine our streets and our city to be more beautiful, welcome and equitable spaces.

Transportation equity is a top priority for the SF Bicycle Coalition. How will you prioritize equity as a BART Director?

For a long time, BART had seen itself as an agency that runs trains; that was all they did and thought they needed to do.

Avoiding the human element has its costs, especially as a public agency. We’re seeing people experiencing homelessness take refuge at stations and BART has little to no resources to do anything — because they just run trains and don’t deal with homelessness, right? (By the way, let’s pass Prop C and get the resources we need, because the homeless crisis hurts all of us.)

And I’ve talked to so many people, particularly transit-dependent folks, who don’t use BART because it’s not affordable for them. Why isn’t there a monthly pass for BART beyond San Francisco? Why don’t they have discount programs like Free Muni for Youth?

Establishing an equitable fare policy and bringing more human services like social workers to BART will take funding, and I’m ready to continue my advocacy in coalition with others to urgently identify appropriate revenue sources to fund the needs that BART has so it can truly be the equitable and accessible system that our communities deserve.

What are your top priorities for making BART a great experience for those who bike?

There’s a huge overlap in access needs for people with disabilities and people who bike. For the most part, stations aren’t designed for people like us; we’ve got questionably functional elevators, terrible street infrastructure adjacent to stations, and fare gates that we can’t fit through. I’m proud to have won $350 million in station access improvements as part of the successful 2016 BART Bond measure, a measure that had 81% voter approval among SF voters. We need to see those funds delivered effectively so that improvements are made urgently, whether that’s brand new elevators and escalators or more high-quality bike parking at stations.

When it comes to access, we all know that bicycle and pedestrian connections to BART stations are terrible, but we’re not seeing the street safety improvements we need and BART is rarely at the table. BART should be the #1 advocate for Better Market Street, to overhaul our downtown corridor and put in protected bike lanes from the Embarcadero to Octavia. BART should be the #1 advocate for street safety improvements along Ocean Avenue, because Balboa Park Station continues to be incredibly inaccessible, being surrounded by some of the city’s most dangerous streets. And I’m ready to bring leadership and make sure BART is at the table for these conversations.

I know our members are eager to know – if elected, will you continue your important work to fight for infrastructure and policy improvements for people who bike in SF?

Absolutely. I’m maintaining my full-time role as Advocacy Director during this campaign and would certainly continue on even if elected to the BART Board.

Want to support a bike- and transit-friendly SF? Volunteer for Janice’s campaign today.

Learn More About Janice

Volunteer With Janice

Getting Uber and Lyft to Pay Their Fair Share

Posted on by Janice Li

What do our San Francisco state legislators and Supervisor Aaron Peskin have in common with Uber and Lyft?

They’re all supporting a state bill that’s now waiting to be signed by Governor Jerry Brown to make sure transportation network companies (TNCs), such as Uber and Lyft, are paying their fair share back into our city’s transportation systems. Now, we need your help to make sure Gov. Brown hears from local San Francisco residents about why we need this bill signed.

Tell Gov. Brown to Sign AB 1184

For the past several months, Supervisor Aaron Peskin pressed for a TNC tax in order to hold Uber and Lyft accountable to the impact their vehicles have on congestion, roads and safety. Once Uber and Lyft recognized that the public overwhelmingly supported such a tax, they opted to come to the table. As a result, Assembly Bill 1184 was introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting and sponsored by Assemblymember David Chiu and Senator Scott Wiener. Once signed by Gov. Brown, this bill will allow San Francisco to seek a local, voter-approved measure to tax every rideshare trip that originates within the city. These revenues would be dedicated to a wide range of local transportation needs, from bicycle infrastructure to increased transit service.

Our three state legislators worked together alongside Uber and Lyft to develop and pass this bill through the legislature. Now, it’s time for Gov. Brown to sign AB 1184. Given this is a local, San Francisco-only bill, it’s important that he hears from us. Use this online system to contact the Governor and make sure to include “AB 1184” in the subject of your message.

Here are some suggested talking points for your email:

  • San Francisco is a changing city and we need all the tools in the toolbox to manage our congestion and ensure everyone is supporting a healthy, sustainable transportation system.
  • As someone who bikes, I see the impact that Uber and Lyft have on San Francisco streets.
  • Please support this bill so that San Francisco has clear authority to move forward, and that we can begin working locally on a TNC tax measure to be approved by voters here.

We want to thank all of our elected leaders who made this possible, and to Uber and Lyft for coming to the table. Now, it’s time for Gov. Brown to sign the bill and give San Francisco the tools to manage our emerging transportation needs.

Show up to the Howard Ride Through

Posted on by Charles Deffarges

You heard it here first: Near-term protected bike lanes on Howard are on track to be in the ground by the end of the year! To make sure the City is keeping up with their timeline we’re hosting a ride with the SFMTA project team so that they can hear from you, our members.

Join the Ride

At two open houses last month, dozens of SF Bicycle Coalition members, City staff and Supervisor Jane Kim pored over large drawings of the near-term Howard Street bike lanes. Parking-protected bike lanes stretching from 6th to 11th Street promise to make this busy stretch of road way safer for the thousands of daily bicycle commuters.

The most exciting news from the open houses, though, was the aggressive timeline for these near-term protected bike lanes. The designs are to be approved and implemented before the end of 2018.

Still, many of our members had questions about the designs. Can we replace the mixing zones with something better? How will special passenger loading impact the bike lane? What will Howard look like in the long term?

Rather than pass these questions on to City staff, we want to provide you with the opportunity to ask them directly. Join us and the SFMTA Howard project team on October 3 for a ride through of Howard where we’ll talk in depth about the designs and the next steps to getting them in the ground.

Wheel Talk: Heavy Breathing

Posted on by Christopher White

Wheel Talk for Wheel People is a monthly advice column written by Christopher White, our adult education program coordinator. Though bikes, biking and getting around SF are our areas of expertise, feel free to ask anything! To submit your questions, please click here.

Wheel Talk, I worry sometimes about negative health effects of breathing so much motor exhaust while I’m riding around SF. You almost never see bikers wearing masks in the USA, but you do see them all over Asia. Do you have an opinion about the wearing of masks, and is there a mask brand that you recommend? Or, do you think putting a bandana around one’s nose and mouth provides enough filtration? I have seen that on a few bike messengers. —Breath of Fire

Does wearing a face mask when biking protect your lungs?

Dear Breath of Fire: This is a pertinent question, given all the fires we experience near our city. As a year-round practice, I don’t think that it’s all that important to wear a face mask while riding in SF — outside of fire season, our air quality is generally pretty good (and much better than many Asian cities where masks predominate and diesel engines propel most vehicles). The one exception I’d make is if your ride or commute is on a route with a lot of motor vehicle traffic (along our highways, for example). Sucking on all that car exhaust is surely unhealthy, especially when you’re breathing hard.

However, during fire season, when smoky particulate matter makes our air quality much worse, it’s probably a good idea to wear a mask when riding. Before leaving the house, I’d check an air quality website like this one to see what the forecast is. If it’s anything other than the green “good” zone, think about wearing a mask when riding. Be sure that you buy a mask that is rated at N95 or higher (meaning it filters out 95% of particulate matter). It should fit snugly all around your mouth and nose; the California Department of Public Health (DPH) recommends masks with two straps that go around the head, above and below the ears (not straps that hook around the ears). Disposable masks are commonly available, but I recommend a sturdy reusable one. Many are available online, and a few review articles float around the web as well.

To your final question, according to the CA DPH, a bandana around the mouth — even a wet one, like I’ve seen used in movies — is ineffective at blocking out small particulate matter. Use a mask, or else consider staying indoors or taking public transportation.

Wheel Talk, I was curious if you can clarify the rules for adults regarding helmets when operating an electric bike? I know that there are three different classes of e-bike, and I’ve heard they have different helmet rules. Also, are all classes of electric bikes still considered bikes or are they classified as something else now? —Class-E-Bike

Dear Class-E-Bike: Seems rather byzantine, doesn’t it, to have so many classes of e-bike? Here are the differences: Class 1 electric bikes are low-speed pedal-assisted bikes, in which the motor automatically assists while pedaling and cuts out when a top speed of 20 mph is reached. Class 2 are low-speed throttle-assisted bikes; they still have a top speed of 20 mph, but the person riding doesn’t need to pedal for the motor to work. Class 3 bikes are “speed pedal-assisted,” meaning they again require pedaling for the motor to work, but they can reach top speeds of 28 mph and must have a speedometer.

In the eyes of California law, Classes 1 and 2 remain governed by the same laws as unelectrified bikes. For instance, they are allowed in all bike lanes and bike paths, and, to your question, riders are not required to wear helmets (though we certainly recommend them!). Jump Bikes’ stationless shared bikes, for instance, are Class 1. When riding them, you can feel the motor cut out at a certain point, which tells you you’ve reached the maximum of 20 mph. Therefore, those red bikes are allowed in bike lanes and the people speeding along on them may do so without their heads protected (but did I mention we strongly recommend that you protect yours?).

When riding a Class 3, on the other hand, California law requires a helmet. They also are prohibited from bike paths or bikeways, unless they’re within or adjacent to a roadway — which means that they can be on regular bike lanes (painted or protected), but not on shared-use paths (like those leading up to the Golden Gate Bridge). Still, these bikes are much faster than “acoustic” bicycles, so if you’re riding one, be thoughtful and considerate of your fellow folks on bikes!

Kicking off the New School Year with International Walk and Roll to School Day

Posted on by Nancy Buffum

San Francisco launches the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program with International Walk & Roll to School Day October 10. Thousands of families will celebrate by heading to school on foot and by bike–and also scooter, bus, wheelchair, stroller, and little red wagon. Your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition supports Walk & Roll to School Day as a proud member of the SRTS partnership. Make this day special for your family and your school by choosing one of the four fun ways to get to school: walk, bike, take transit or carpool.

“On Walk and Roll to School Day, you can start a healthy habit for a lifetime,” says Vernon Haney, the event organizer at Walk SF, our SRTS partner. “Studies find that walking to school provides health and academic benefits, as students arrive energized and ready to learn. Plan beforehand to meet up with other parents and start a Walking School Bus — then keep it going all year!”

Safe Routes to School is Citywide

The SF Bicycle Coalition’s family and school programs staff promote walking as well as biking in every neighborhood. Every school has its unique barriers to walking and biking, which may include inadequate infrastructure, high traffic volume nearby and other safety issues.

In Chinatown, for example, families face many barriers on their way to school such as narrow sidewalks, hilly streets, and most importantly, dense traffic along the city’s High Injury Network, the 12% of streets where 70% of severe and fatal traffic injuries occur. Our multilingual staff engage with monolingual Chinese families to host “walking school buses” where a large group of children and caregivers gather at a common start point and walk to school together.

Elsewhere in San Francisco, the challenge may be longer commutes to school. We teach families to ride together in “bike trains” and promote park-and-walk groups, public transit, and carpooling. All Safe Routes to School resources are free and available to any interested parent or school staff member. Celebrate, build community at your school, and help raise awareness of the benefits of biking and walking. Check out all the SRTS program options when you sign up your school for Walk & Roll to School Day. For information in Chinese about our walking school buses, please contact Janelle Phung at 415/431-2453 x 324. We’re looking forward to celebrating International Walk and Roll to School Day with you in October!

Sign Me Up

Have an Impact in the Tenderloin

Posted on by Charles Deffarges

Three weeks ago, Gregory Blackman was hit and killed while riding his bike at the intersection of Turk and Taylor streets. Turk and Taylor are two of San Francisco’s high-injury corridors and Mr. Blackman was a senior, a group five times more at risk of dying from their injuries than those under the age of 65.

As we push for near-term infrastructure improvements on Turk and Taylor, more needs to be done to keep vulnerable populations, especially seniors, safe in the Tenderloin.

Volunteer for the TL

There are many amazing community-led efforts to increase street safety for vulnerable populations in the Tenderloin. One that is having a huge impact is Tenderloin Safe Passage, a program that places volunteer corner captains at every corner along a predetermined route of high-injury corridors so that children, seniors, and people with disabilities can cross the street and get around safely.

We are continuing to push for near and long term solutions for Taylor Street and hope to get commitments for a near term project with an accelerated timeline. Though even a near-term effort takes months to go in the ground. As we demand more for our streets, we can spend some time in the neighborhood and have an impact today.

I will be standing on Turk the week of September 17. Will you join me?

I’ll be there