Win a New Ride

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 new Public bike!

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.

The prize? A brand new Public V-Lite bike! This sleek green bike is a high-quality, low-maintenance single-speed bike with a drive train that’s built to withstand the daily grind. Puncture-resistant commuter bike tires deliver Public’s signature smooth ride, even on rough city streets, and strong dual-pivot caliper brakes help you stop on a dime.

Looking for a simple yet elegant bike? Join or renew your membership for a chance to win this one! Each and every member 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 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 into the drawing.

The best part of our September member drive is that everyone wins. By becoming a member, you’ll help to win bicycling improvements all over town. 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.

Join/Renew Today

Note that entries are per membership, so if you have more than one person in your household, the entries will go to whoever’s name the membership is in. View Terms and Conditions here.

Huge thanks to Mike’s Bikes for providing this wonderful prize.

Bike to Work Day Event Planning Intern

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition works to promote bicycling for everyday transportation. Our member-based grassroots organization is considered one of the largest, most active and effective advocacy groups in the country. For more than 47 years, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has a proven track record of winning better bicycling improvements.

Position description

Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 9, 2019 is San Francisco’s largest biking event of the year. Tens of thousands of people will join the masses to hop on a bike and pedal to the office. The SF Bicycle Coalition hosts the most robust Bike to Work Day event in the Bay Area with 26 Energizer Stations, urban bike safety classes and workshops, parties, raffles and giveaways leading up to the event to celebrate biking in San Francisco.

What you’ll learn:

  • The Bike to Work Day Event Planning Intern will gain valuable skills vital for anyone looking for a career in events. You will learn firsthand what it takes to organize one of the largest events in the city! We will challenge you with a fast-paced, quick-turnaround experience on a hard-working team.

Responsibilities and duties include (but are not limited to):

  • Assist in planning and executing logistics for Bike to Work Day including 26 satellite “Energizer Stations”
  • Securing in-kind donations for participant incentives using SF Bicycle Coalition relationships
  • Coordinating delivery and pick-ups of Energizer Station supplies, donations and equipment
  • Outreach to local businesses to distribute Employer Toolkits and get employees involved
  • Marketing and promoting the event to maximize engagement

Required skills or abilities:

  • Be highly organized, have excellent attention to detail, and be able to meet deadlines
  • Be a creative and motivated self-starter
  • Be computer-literate and Internet savvy, with direct experience in using MS Office (Excel, Word), Google apps (Docs, Calendar, Gmail).

Desired skills or abilities:

  • Have some event planning, logistics or production experience
  • Be able to ride a bicycle, haul a bicycle trailer, and lift at least 25lbs

Required dates for this internship include:

  • May 2 (Bag Stuffing Party)
  • May 8 (Day before Bike to Work Day)
  • May 9 (Bike to Work Day)

Benefits:

  • The position is unpaid but we are happy to work with any academic requirements the intern may have to help them earn college credit for their efforts
  • One year’s free membership to the SF Bicycle Coalition
  • First hand experience in one of the country’s oldest and largest bicycle advocacy organizations
  • A behind-the-scenes view of a bustling nonprofit organization
  • Ongoing professional development opportunities, including:
    • Networking with SF Bicycle Coalition staff and professionals in a variety of fields, including but not limited to urban planning, transportation and nonprofits
    • Training on and experience with nonprofit industry standard software (Salesforce, Basecamp, WordPress, Google Suite, etc.)
    • Presentations and trainings aimed at development of professional workforce skills
  • Indoor bike parking provided

This unpaid internship offers a flexible schedule with a 8-16 hour/week minimum commitment. This is chiefly a Monday through Friday internship, with occasional evenings and weekends. Interns are expected to make a three-month commitment, which may be extended. While the position is not paid, we are happy to work with any academic requirements the intern may have to help them earn course credit for their efforts.

WE ARE NO LONGER HIRING FOR THIS POSITION

Youth Programs Intern

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition works to promote bicycling for everyday transportation. Our member-based grassroots organization is considered one of the largest, most active and effective advocacy groups in the country. For more than 45 years, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has a proven track record of winning better bicycling improvements.

Position description

The SF Bicycle Coalition is a partner agency of the sponsor, the SF Safe Routes to School (SRTS) project, working to make it safer, easier, and more fun to walk and bike to school. Bike & Roll to School Week is the SF Bicycle Coalition’s annual celebration for families and schools throughout San Francisco, taking place April 15-19 2019.  We expect over 90 schools and thousands of students, parents and school staff to bike to school, with thousands more walking or rolling by scooter, skateboard, or public transit.

The Events Intern will have an inside view of the SF Bicycle Coalition, a vibrant growing nonprofit/advocacy organization, and gain first-hand experience in communications and organizing, working with parents, school communities, partner agencies and the general public to promote and produce this event. Tasks will be tailored to match the intern’s individual interests and our mission: to promote the bicycle for everyday transportation.

Roles and Responsibilities (will vary):

  • Help coordinate outreach and online communications to engage families, schools and volunteers
  • Develop logistics of the big event and work with volunteers and staff on pre-events
  • Assist with marketing and planning, including social media
  • Assist with database management, mass emails, other communications
  • Data collection and evaluation pre- and post-event
  • Represent SF Bicycle Coalition at school and community meetings and events

Required skills or abilities:

  • Strong written, online, oral communication skills.    
  • Comfort and proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google tools
  • Passion for making San Francisco a better city for biking and living
  • Experience in (or willingness to learn) event planning and community outreach
  • Ability to get around the city to attend meetings and do outreach
  • Ability to work on tasks independently
  • A few early mornings and weekends

Desired skills or abilities:

  • Graphic design experience
  • Photo or video documentation experience 
  • Willingness to bike in San Francisco
  • Bilingual English/Spanish or English Cantonese) a BIG plus

Benefits:

  • One year’s free membership to the SF Bicycle Coalition
  • First hand experience in one of the country’s oldest and largest bicycle advocacy organizations
  • Ongoing professional development opportunities
  • A behind-the-scenes view of a nonprofit agency and citywide partnership

This unpaid internship offers a flexible schedule with a 10-15 hour/week minimum commitment. This is chiefly weekday internship, with a few specific weekend evening dates. Interns are expected to make a three-month commitment, which may be extended. While the position is not paid, we are happy to work with any academic requirements the intern may have to help them earn course credit for their efforts.

WE ARE NO LONGER HIRING FOR THIS POSITION

Our Endorsements: November 6, 2018 Elections

Posted on by SF Bicycle Coalition Board

As we studied the November 6, 2018 ballot, we continue to face a key challenge we identified in the June election: transportation is overshadowed by other important issues like housing and homelessness. But we also understand that this is a critical election for all San Franciscans who bike. In considering these endorsements, we checked our broader opinions at the door and focused on what is best for advancing our mission of promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation.

We are fortunate to see so many new candidates who are SF Bicycle Coalition members or have been long-standing supporters of our mission. While our member vote showed a diversity of opinions, it also showed strong support for the endorsements we have ratified as your SF Bicycle Coalition’s board of directors. We believe the candidates we’ve endorsed will elevate biking in our city and be the leaders for smart, accessible and affordable transportation that San Franciscans deserve. These candidates represent a diverse set of approaches and ideas for our city, but they all share a common belief that San Francisco needs to invest in infrastructure and safety for people who bike.

Note: This post was updated September 19 to reflect the endorsement for BART Board District 8.

For the 2018 San Francisco elections on Nov. 6, our official endorsements are:

  • Board of Supervisors, District 2: Nick Josefowitz
  • Board of Supervisors, District 4: #1: Gordon Mar; #2: Trevor McNeil
  • Board of Supervisors, District 6: #1: Matt Haney; #2: Christine Johnson
  • Board of Supervisors, District 8: Rafael Mandelman
  • Board of Supervisors, District 10: Shamann Walton and Theo Ellington (dual endorsement)
  • BART Board of Directors, District 8: Janice Li
  • No on Proposition 6
  • Yes on Proposition A
  • Yes on Proposition C

Board of Supervisors, District 2: Among a field of four candidates, members overwhelmingly favored Nick Josefowitz. Nick has had a long history with our organization and is the only candidate in District 2 who is a current SF Bicycle Coalition member. He also received our endorsement in 2014 when he ran and won the BART Board race. He was instrumental in passing the BART bond in 2016, which will keep our transit infrastructure strong and help increase bike accessibility to BART stations. We believe he will be the change needed to make District 2 more bike-friendly.

Board of Supervisors, District 4: This is the first open race in District 4 in a long time and it represents an opportunity to elect a pro-biking Supervisor. Among the eight candidates running, members favored Gordon Mar. He has been a member in the past and is also committed to holding transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft accountable, recognizing the negative impact they’ve had on our streets in terms of congestion and safety.

Trevor McNeil ranked the second highest in favorability amongst our membership and is a committed street safety advocate, having served as the District 4 representative on the city’s Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee.

Board of Supervisors, District 6: Having received the sole endorsement of current District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim, we believe Matt Haney will continue the strong leadership that Sup. Kim has brought to championing bike and pedestrian safety projects through SoMa, Tenderloin and beyond. Matt’s broad list of individual and organizational endorsements show that he is a coalition builder who we hope will build the support we need to make streets safer across the diverse communities of District 6. He has also committed to holding transportation network companies accountable to making our streets safer. As a member of the School Board, Matt co-authored the resolution to make Vision Zero official policy at the school district, expanded the Safe Routes to School Program, and worked with us to develop the district’s first comprehensive transportation plan.

Christine Johnson has lived and biked in District 6 longer than any other candidate. Given her time on the Planning Commission and her detailed answers to our questionnaire, we believe that she understands the changing needs of our city and would be a strong advocate for street safety.

Board of Supervisors, District 8: We are proud to endorse Rafael Mandelman once again, who received the highest favorability rating from our members out of all candidates in all the Supervisor races. We look forward to continuing our work with Sup. Mandelman in pushing for protected bike lanes on Valencia Street and expanding bike share throughout his district.

Board of Supervisors, District 10: We’re proud to support two candidates with strong ties to the community to represent District 10, which includes historically black neighborhoods like Bayview-Hunters Point. We have worked with Theo Ellington in his previous role at the Warriors in ensuring the new Chase Center will have safe bike connections to their site in Mission Bay and will also have the best bike parking solutions of any arena in the country. Last year, we partnered with Shamann Walton in his role as the executive director of Young Community Developers through our Bike It Forward program, where we distributed 22 bikes to local youth in the Bayview to increase access to safe, healthy and affordable transportation choices.

We believe both would be strong partners to the SF Bicycle Coalition and would look forward to either Theo or Shamann as the next District 10 supervisor.

BART Board of Directors, District 8: We are proud to endorse Janice Li for BART Director. Janice has been an employee at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition since 2013 and has been Advocacy Director since 2015. She is a true champion for integrating bikes and transit, with deep experience working with communities and the City to improve safety and access for all people. We believe that no one is better qualified to represent the interests of people who bike on the BART board.

Yes on Proposition A – Seawall Bond: The SF Bicycle Coalition has had a long history of pushing for better bike infrastructure to bring a world-class biking experience along our waterfront. Passing Prop A would generate $425 million for critical seismic strengthening and repair of the Embarcadero Seawall, our city’s first line of defense against an eventual large earthquake, while also supporting better bike infrastructure there. Additionally, one of our organization’s core values is sustainability, which calls on us to fight climate change, while also protecting against the inevitable sea-level rise that is coming. That’s why we are in strong support of Prop A to maintain and upgrade our Embarcadero Seawall for decades to come to prepare our city for whatever the future holds.

Yes on Proposition C – Our City, Our Home: Passing Prop C would bring in hundreds of millions of dollars per year to tackle the homelessness crisis and make our streets more safe and accessible for all San Franciscans. We know that street safety isn’t just about bike lanes; it’s about creating welcoming and safe spaces on our streets for all of us. In recent years, we have seen how the homelessness crisis has intersected with biking at places like the Hairball or the Duboce bikeway, and we support Prop C to bring compassionate solutions to make San Francisco a better place to live, work and bike.

We also believe Prop C will help us in the long-term to accomplish our Strategic Plan’s objective of “securing significant, new funding sources for bicycle infrastructure.” We advocated with the Transportation Justice Coalition for transportation funding ballot measures for both the June and November ballots this year. However both times, elected officials decided that housing and homelessness were higher priorities. We believe Prop C’s solutions to homelessness will better position us to win new transportation funding in 2019 and beyond.

No on Proposition 6 – Gas Tax Repeal: The stakes for our climate and transportation infrastructure have never been higher, and we are resoundingly opposing state Proposition 6, which would repeal the gasoline tax that state legislature passed last year. The SF Bicycle Coalition has always supported sustainable modes of transportation, and we believe that drivers should be paying their fair share back into the system to fund road repaving, bike lanes and transit improvements. This measure has been critical in investing in our state’s transportation needs, especially at a time when federal funds are limited. It’s critical that we fight back against this repeal effort. If the gas tax is repealed, we will see an immediate threat to bicycle and pedestrian safety projects locally and our ability to fund these projects in the future will be strongly curtailed, requiring a 2/3 threshold in the future, making it difficult to meet our transportation needs.

Evan’s Dream Came True

Posted on by Miles Stepto

If you ride a bike often, chances are you have a spare part or two lying around. What if we told you those parts could help someone’s dreams come true?

Evan’s story begins at one of our Bike It Forward events with the Chinese Newcomers Service Center. Evan, a young high school student, attended with the hopes of receiving his very own bike. Although there wasn’t a bike available for him at that event, Evan did leave with the determination to make his dream to own a bike a reality and the promise that we’d build it with him.

That determination spurred Evan to arrive early at the next two Community Repair Nights, events where volunteers and bike enthusiasts come together to fix donated bikes and prepare them for Community Bike Builds. Evan’s excitement about his bike grew as he worked alongside fellow amateur mechanics and community members and learned about fixing bikes.

With the help of our volunteer community and staff, Evan put together his own custom bike. Many of the parts he used to finish his bike came from the local community, donated through a citywide Parts Round-up held last summer. Thanks to your donations, our wonderful volunteers, and Evan’s hard work, he was able to make his biking dreams come true.

If you would like to make more bicycle dreams come true, please consider donating to our 2018 Parts Round-up during the week of September 3rd through 9th. Any bike part in useable condition is appreciated, but shifters, brakes, cables and cassettes and grips are greatly appreciated. Donations may be dropped off at the following locations during normal business hours:

American Cyclery
Upper Haight, Stanyan & Frederick
Huckleberry Bicycles
Mid Market, Market & 7th
Rapha San Francisco Clubhouse
Marina, Filmore & Filbert
Spoke Easy SF
Outer Richmond, Clement & 20th

Many thanks to our wonderful community partners who have teamed up with us to make this year’s parts drive a success.

Join the Rise for Climate on 9/8

Posted on by Janice Li

Since we were founded in 1971, your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has consistently fought against climate change and have always seen the bicycle as what would pedal us forward in that fight.

Now, we are proud to join San Francisco’s largest climate march ever. Rise for Climate, Jobs & Justice is a global day of action that recognizes that local action and grassroots leadership will lead the way in ending the era of fossil fuels.

Join the Rise for Climate on 9/8

Rise for Climate March
Saturday, Sep. 8 at 10:00 am
Starts at Embarcadero Plaza

We know we are stronger, louder and more powerful when we work together. Last December, we released our new strategic plan, which will guide our organization for the next five years. Enshrined in the plan were four key values: transportation justice, sustainability, people power, and joy.

We are joining the Rise for Climate because we are fighting climate change by enabling and encouraging more people to bike (sustainability) and we create this positive change through coalition building and collective action (people power).

Let’s work together and be part of the solution. Join us and a broad coalition of local organizations as we hold our leaders accountable and demand action against climate change.

Closing the gap at the Alemany Maze

Posted on by Andy Gonzalez Cabrera

Similar to the Hairball, the “Alemany Maze” is a knot of streets that merge where Highways 101 and 280 meet on the borders of Bernal Heights and Portola. Soon, we will be seeing improvements to bicycle and pedestrian safety, particularly for those visiting the popular Alemany Farmers Market.

Last year, City planners wrapped up a study to identify ways to improve connectivity at this location. After outreach with local stakeholders, the first phase of the project was approved last Tuesday at the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board. By the end of this year, construction will begin to install protected bike lanes along the stretch of Alemany Boulevard that is adjacent to the large parking lot that hosts the farmers market every Saturday.

Image from SFMTA Board meeting presentation (Source: SFMTA)

A bike lane will also be added to San Bruno Avenue to create a southbound connection from Alemany, and pedestrian crosswalks will be re-striped so drivers can see them better.

This project was originally funded by former Supervisor David Campos, and we thank Supervisor Hillary Ronen for continuing to see this project through to construction.

Closing gaps in the bike network across the city is critical so that residents in every neighborhood have safe access to their local destinations by bike. We were excited to see attention brought here so we showed up to voice our support when it went before the SFMTA Board.

If you want to be part of bike advocacy across town, there is no better time than now to join or renew your membership with the SF Bicycle Coalition. Our members power our bike advocacy as we push for better biking, block by block.

Change is Coming to the Embarcadero

Posted on by Kristen Leckie

Over 30 members of the pedicab community and your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition showed up at the Port Commission meeting last week to put an end to the irresponsible delays to bring safety improvements to the Embarcadero. Finally, the City is listening to your demands and has made a commitment to implement safety measures by the end of this year.

Join Our Embarcadero Committee

As each person went to give public comment, it was clear that the Port Commissioners heard that urgency was needed. Commissioner Doreen Woo Ho assured those in attendance that this project was a priority and “a huge issue that needs to be addressed,” while Commissioner Victor Makras asserted that the City needs to “speed it up, and we should get it done.”

Commissioner Woo Ho announcing the Port Commission commitment to work with the SFMTA on the Embarcadero Project

 

We thank the Port Commission for their strong words and leadership. The success of this project depends on close coordination and a joint vision between the Port and the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), and we are encouraged that they’ve committed to working together. Open houses are now scheduled for October to finally unveil the preferred design for a protected bike lane on the Embarcadero.

The outcome of this Port Commission meeting shows the power of our community and the change we can bring to the City. Now that the Port and SFMTA are on the same page, the next step for us is ensuring that this protected bike lane moves rapidly into approvals and then construction.

Embarcadero Committee Meeting
Tuesday, Sept. 11, 5:30 to 7:00 PM
Hi Dive Bar, Pier 28

We’ll begin to strategize at our next Embarcadero Committee Meeting for how we can turn out and engage a broad community in advance of the October public meetings. Join other like-minded advocates as we continue this momentum and hold the City accountable to their commitments.

Cutting a Ribbon on Masonic, and Gearing Up for More

Posted on by Rachel Dearborn

If you’ve ridden down Masonic in the last ten-plus years you know it was a terror. Cars swerving around parked vehicles, a road filled with cracks and dangerous bumps, and people driving as if they were on a cross town freeway, not a short thoroughfare that connects many of San Francisco’s storied neighborhoods.

As of this month, much of that has changed, and the avenue has become a much friendlier place for people on bikes. But the work isn’t done.

We were glad to stand alongside City officials last week to celebrate long-awaited improvements like raised bike lanes, a new median with landscaping that doubles the number of trees along Masonic, transit boarding islands, and a new plaza at Geary and Masonic. These changed happened because of our members, neighborhood advocates behind the Fix Masonic group, and City leaders – notably Mayor London Breed, who, as a supervisor, championed this project from the beginning.

Brian Weidenmeier and Supervisor Vallie Brown

Brian Wiedenmeier and Supervisor Vallie Brown

But Masonic is still not as safe as it can be. Our Executive Director, Brian Wiedenmeier, made it clear in his remarks that Masonic can and should be a place for people, not cars. The designs we put forward ten years ago were cutting edge at their time, but we have learned a lot since then.

It is also important we honor the people who have been injured or worse on this street. In particular, we must honor Nils Yannick Linke, who was hit and killed by a drunk driver while biking on Masonic Avenue in 2010. Yannick was just 22 when he was killed. We can’t wait another ten years to make improvements that will prevent the loss of more lives.

As SFMTA board chair Ed Reiskin noted in his comments at the podium, projects like this need to happen faster, and we agree. Ten years is way too long.

Supervisor Vallie Brown remarked, “We are going to change this boulevard, not only for the people who live here but for those who walk and bike here as well.” And Mohammed Nuru, Director of Public Works, said “we will make those fixes and continue making improvements to this city.”

We heard from you that there are still many improvements to be made, in particular the southbound approach to Fell, which poses a challenge to all but the most confident riders. We’re already working with Supervisor Brown on our next steps, which will kick off soon with a walkthrough of Masonic.

Stay tuned for more information on how we’ll make Masonic even better. Become a member today or make a gift to ensure our advocacy for Masonic keeps on rolling.

A Life Lost on Taylor Street

Posted on by Charles Deffarges

On Tuesday afternoon this week, Gregory Blackman, a 65-year-old resident of San Francisco, was hit and killed while riding his bike in the Tenderloin at Turk and Taylor. As we pause to mourn another person lost on our streets to traffic violence, our thoughts inevitably shift towards what could have prevented Gregory’s death.

The Safer Taylor Street Project, which has come out of an extensive community-led planning process, will make Taylor Street more safe for all vulnerable road users, including people walking and biking. A major road diet will cut down travel lanes from the existing three to just one. The travel lanes will be repurposed to make for a far more welcoming pedestrian experience by doubling sidewalk space and creating dedicated loading for the local residents and community services. While the project prioritizes pedestrian safety and passenger loading for people with disabilities, people biking will also be significantly safer with this new design.

The design for this project has gone through multiple iterations, each informed, vetted and decided upon by the everyday users of Taylor. Thirty unique events and meetings gave more than 1,000 Tenderloin residents, workers and community leaders the opportunity to decide what they wanted for their street. These events prioritized giving the most vulnerable Tenderloin residents a voice and self-determination for their street.

We will continue to work with the community to ensure that the Safer Taylor Street Project best serves the Tenderloin to reduce vehicle speeds and prioritize residents. As the Safer Taylor Project approaches final approvals, we hope that you will join us in pushing the City to approve and implement the project with haste.

Sign our petition and add your comments to our petition for Safer Taylor to add your voice to our call for safe streets and be kept in the loop about the next steps for Taylor Street.