How Can We Make Our Parks Better?

Posted on by Janice Li

Parks are for people, which is why the SF Recreation and Park Department wants to hear from you about what you love (and don’t love) about our city’s parks.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Some of our most gorgeous bike trails and most inclusive spaces to bike are in our plentiful open spaces. From car-free spaces at Twin Peaks and on Sundays in Golden Gate Park to mountain bike trails in McLaren Park and Mount Sutro, there are so many ways to enjoy our park spaces by bike.

Still, we know there is always room for improvement, especially to make our park spaces more welcoming and accessible for all users. This is why the SF Recreation and Park Department is soliciting feedback broadly about why you visit their parks, how you feel about the park spaces in your neighborhood and what you think are opportunities to improve them.

Especially if you visit a park by bike, we’ve heard the need for more secure bike parking and more safe and inviting entrances. All feedback is welcome, so make sure to take the survey today.

Chinatown Family Bike Fair Brings It All Together

Posted on by Nancy Buffum

Over 200 children and 130 families joined our second annual Chinatown Family Biking Fair last month, as we continue working to welcome more neighbors in every corner of SF to the fun and freedom of biking.

At Joe DiMaggio Playground last month, we were so heartened to see such incredible, multigenerational turnout. Our friends from YBike distributed free helmets to children and helped teach them how to bike. Meanwhile, we worked with Ford GoBike to offer adult bicycle education tips and best practices. Our biggest Chinatown Family Biking Fair yet was a great success thanks to our co-organizers at Chinese Newcomers Service Center, with support from SF Recreation and Park.

Many attendees noted that apartments in Chinatown often do not offer sufficient space for residents to bring bikes inside. So it was particularly valuable to have GoBike staff on hand signing attendees up for $5 annual Bike Share for All memberships, available to anyone who qualifies for Calfresh, SFMTA Lifeline Passes or the PG&E CARE utility discount.

Our partnership with Safe Routes to School made possible the outstanding involvement of families from the four schools we serve in Chinatown. One of those schools is John Yehall Chin Elementary, where teacher Matt Young has proven a stellar partner. Matt helped plan and publicize this year’s Family Biking Fair and was on site to support attending families. In addition to the school communities, we also had plenty of multilingual staff from our partners Chinese Newcomers Service Center and SF Department of the Environment, ensuring that all attendees were welcomed and that their questions were answered.

We’re excited for the opportunity to welcome more families to biking from every neighborhood of San Francisco. To keep up abreast of all of our related events and resources, sign up for our quarterly Youth and Family Biking Newsletter today.

Congratulations to the 2018 Bicycle Friendly Business Awardees!

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
By Nadia Benafghoul

 

Every year on Bike to Work Day, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition recognizes those outstanding organizations making their workplaces more bicycle-friendly for the growing number of people biking to work. We’re honored that so many people from our community nominated their workplaces, and we are impressed by the efforts of each organization to encourage, support and promote bicycling to work.

This year we congratulate the following 2018 Bicycle-Friendly Business Award Winners:

  • Patreon
  • California Pacific Medical Company (CPMC)
  • The Presidio Trust

Patreon is a company based in SoMA that builds software to power membership businesses for creators. To support their employees who bike to work, they offer secure bike storage, bicycle commuter benefits, fun group rides, bike tools and pumps in the office, and reimbursements for bike share programs. Patreon also boasts an active and supportive community of people who bike and foster discussion about their love for bikes and most recent adventures. As Patreon expands to a new office to support its growing team, they’re building even better bike storage and facilities.

CPMC Sutter is proud to have and support employees and physicians who bike in to work every workday across the Sutter system with enough bike racks to accommodate over 100 bikes. Three of their campus locations are in the final stages to receive secure bicycles cages with video surveillance. Two new hospitals and one medical office building will also have secured bike storage with lockers and showers for staff. Sutter promotes biking on their e-newsletter and on the Team Sutter app.

The Presidio Trust preserves the Presidio National Park as an enduring resource and a must-see SF destination near the Golden Gate Bridge. To support a growing culture of bicycling, their organization provides indoor secure bike parking, offers bicycle commuter check benefits to employees, and provides online resources for bike maps and further bike-related information. Furthermore, the Presidio Trust is in the process of installing 27 new bike racks this spring, increasing the park inventory by approximately 25 percent. The 1,500-acre Presidio park itself offers 25 miles of bikeways and free PresidiGo Shuttles that are equipped with bike racks.

The SF Bicycle Coalition is working hard to help, encourage and inspire even more people to get rolling in our city. Our work wouldn’t be possible without each and every one of our members as well as the leadership in the business community. Congratulations again to our award winners. Join the movement and become an SF Bicycle Coalition Business Member and power our advocacy for more livable, bikeable streets throughout the year.

Using 311 to Report Blocked Bike Lanes

Posted on by Janice Li

If you’re frustrated by the constant double parking, passenger drop-offs, and deliveries that occur in the bike lane, we have news for you.

Last month, the City’s 311 system added a new feature on their mobile app for reporting vehicles that are illegally parked or blocking driveways. This allows individuals to share a photo along with details about the illegally parked vehicle directly with the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) parking enforcement team.

For non-app users, violations can also be reported by calling (415) 553-1200, then pressing 1 for English and 7 for reporting double parking.

How to navigate the 311 app to report illegal double parking in bike lanes.

According to the SFMTA, these reports will allow for the “collection of data on bike lane violations that can be used to help target future enforcement efforts.” SFMTA has also confirmed that resolved cases marked as “advised of violation” does not mean that the driver was advised, but rather that City staff are made aware of the violation and that the violation was added to a database which will guide future enforcement deployments. Given popular confusion about the “advised of violation” wording, we’re urging the SFMTA to make the language clearer in the 311 system when cases are resolved.

We know that this reporting feature will only be meaningful if it helps guide parking enforcement efforts and, where appropriate, changes to curb access and street design. Driven by our strategic plan, we are committed to eliminating double parking in bike lanes and will closely watch the progress now that the SFMTA is equipped with more data. Join us in holding our City accountable to keeping our bike lanes safe and accessible.

Send Me Campaign Updates

Eighth Street Protected Bike Lane Extended

Posted on by Charles Deffarges

Don’t blink; construction is already over. A new protected bike lane has gone in on Eighth Street and is open for all to ride.

Back in March, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the extension of protected bike lanes on Eighth Street from Howard all the way to Townsend. Hundreds of people bike on Eighth Street daily despite it being on our high-injury network. After a couple of months of construction, this new bike lane is ready to ride, making for a completely protected ride for the entirety of Eighth Street from Market to the traffic circle at Townsend.

The extension features new boarding island protection.

The new physically separated bike lane keeps people riding curbside, away from moving vehicles, and protects them through a mix of concrete transit boarding islands and parked vehicles. Another exciting feature of this project is the bike-first intersection at Brannan Street. This new design protects people riding where it matters most — as they cross the intersection. This feature is a great addition to this project, and we hope to see more like it along the rest of Eighth Street and other SoMa corridors.

This new protected bike lane would not have been possible without our members, who organized and spoke in support time and time again. With more projects cropping up citywide, we need more champions to push them forward. Join us at our Organizing 103 Workshop to learn the skills and tools you need to have an impact in your community.

Organizing 103: Driving Home the Victory
1720 Market St.
Tuesday, May 29 — 6:00 – 7:30 PM

Bike the Vote with Jane Kim

Posted on by Janice Li

Jane Kim gets it done.

On Friday, May 26, 2017, Supervisor Jane Kim was flanked by over a dozen Fire Department officials and a handful of Tenderloin community leaders for a walkthrough of Turk Street.

The project was at an impasse; a couple months earlier, Supervisor Kim had joined the SF Bicycle Coalition in opposing an unprotected bike lane proposal, recognizing it as inadequate and not responding to the needs of Tenderloin residents. But the Fire Department and the SF Municipal Transportation Agency weren’t cooperating to move a protected bike lane design forward with urgency.

Supervisor Kim is surrounded by Fire Department officials, including Chief Joanne Hayes-White.

There were no cameras and no write-up about this walkthrough. There was no photo op. This was just the nuts and bolts of what it means to be an elected official, bring leadership to make projects happen and propel policies like Vision Zero forward. And this month, we saw those efforts pay off as we celebrated a ribbon-cutting for the new protected bike lane on Turk Street, connecting Market to Polk.

This is one of many examples of why the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is proud to endorse Supervisor Jane Kim for mayor.

Supervisor Kim joined our Women Bike SF Coffee Club earlier this month for a hard-hitting, unscripted Q&A session. Our member Kristin Tieche helped film and produce a short video highlighting Supervisor Kim’s thoughts on biking, transit and safe streets.

With less than a month until the June 5 election, sign up today with Jane Kim’s campaign to elect a mayor who is policy-minded about transportation and has the passion for making San Francisco a world-class city for biking.

Bike the Vote with Jane Kim

Bike Equity Network Convening

Posted on by Ana Vasudeo

When people driving in San Francisco receive a ticket for running a red light or stop sign, they may have the option of attending driver safety training in lieu of paying the fine. The City has not made that option available to people ticketed while biking, but we’re working on fixing that.

What should that Bicycle Ticket Diversion program look like, though? We are thinking through that with our partners and would love for you to be part of the conversation.

Bike Equity Network Convening
Thursday, May 24 — 6:00 – 7:30 pm
SF Bicycle Coalition, 1720 Market St.

Two key principles that must guide San Francisco’s creation of a Bicycle Ticket Diversion program are that it should improve safety, and it should be equitable and fair. That’s why we’re inviting our partners in the Bike Equity Network and our members to a joint meeting on May 24.

The Bike Equity Network is a coalition of community partners who distribute bicycles at little to no cost to folks in San Francisco who may otherwise have no access to bikes. Especially during the present affordability crisis racking our region, biking can make a huge difference in people’s abilities to to make ends meet. After all, transportation is the second-highest household expense in our city after housing itself.

While we continue to offer free bicycle education classes emphasizing the rules of the road, we know that we haven’t reached everyone who bikes. A Bicycle Ticket Diversion program could be a valuable way to reach even more people with our classes, improve safety for everyone on our streets and ensure that people already struggling to make ends meet do not experience a financial crisis resulting from traffic enforcement.

For this meeting of the Bike Equity Network, we want to update you and our partners about meetings already underway with City agencies about a Bicycle Ticket Diversion program. We also want to solicit feedback about how to craft such a program to improve safety for everyone while ensuring that that program is truly equitable.

Anyone who works on bicycle programs in low-income communities is especially welcome at this exciting convening of SF’s Bicycle Equity Network. We’re excited to hear about your work and welcome your insights into how to develop and launch San Francisco’s Bicycle Ticket Diversion program. Please RSVP today.

Our Vision for Valencia, Block by Block

Posted on by Kristen Leckie

With over 500 responses on our Valencia Street survey, it’s time to turn your ideas into real changes on the street. Join us next week to survey one of our city’s most popular bike routes to look at how Valencia can be improved, block by block.

Let’s Fix Valencia

The bike lane that was striped nearly twenty years ago on Valencia was a significant milestone at the time, but now it’s time to work towards a better and more welcoming design to fit today’s needs. Our members dream of a future where Valencia is free from Uber and Lyft drop-offs, and this walking tour will be our chance to talk about how to make that a reality.

After our happy hour last month, our members wanted a chance to connect with City planners before public workshops began later this summer. That’s why we’ve teamed up our friends at Walk San Francisco along with the project team at the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) for a walking tour to survey current conditions and begin brainstorming ideas for Valencia.

We’ll be taking a look at the feedback we received from the survey responses and looking block by block at opportunities to implement changes both in the near-term and long-term. If you’ve dreamt of a better bike ride on Valencia, come to this event and we’ll make it happen together.

Valencia Walking Tour

May 21, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM

Mission Playground, Valencia St. & Cunningham Pl

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You Guys: Kels Earned a Promotion!

Posted on by Tiffany Recede

After two years on staff, we’re excited to congratulate Kelsey Roeder on her promotion to the role of Membership Manager. An SF Bicycle Coalition member since 2015, Kelsey was previously our Volunteer and Membership Coordinator. (We are currently looking for a new Volunteer and Membership Coordinator to fill her prior position. Wanna join the team?) Amid the excitement, we checked in with Kels regarding this wonderful transition.

San Francisco Bicycle Coalition: What are you most excited about in your new role?

Kels: It’s been such a pleasure these last two years to get to know our members. I’m so excited to continue to get to know our members better, grow our movement and work toward the goals in our Strategic Plan.

What do you enjoy most about working with the volunteers and members?

We have the BEST members and volunteers. I’m consistently blown away by their passion, drive and dedication. If I’m ever feeling discouraged or weighed down, nothing brightens my day like working an Outreach Station with some of our amazing member-volunteers.

How has working with the SF Bicycle Coalition impacted your passion for social justice and biking?

I initially joined as a member and then as a staff person because to me, the work of the SF Bicycle Coalition is right at the intersection of environmentalism, social justice, health and joy — all things I care deeply about. Truly knowing what it takes to accomplish what we’ve done gives me so much appreciation for the work of our volunteers and staff, and all the folks who built this organization. My experience biking in the city has changed so much with truly knowing just how much time, effort and collaboration it takes to win each block of street improvement.

In your new role, what do you think will be different about how you work with members in connecting them with our work?

I expect that my relationship with members will continue to deepen through shared goals and collaboration. Our work is very much guided by our members, so I’m excited to find out more about what our members want and need, and how best to expand our reach. At the end of the day, it’s all about making our streets safe for everyone.

What about the directions our city and the SF Bicycle Coalition are going in are you most excited about?

I was so happy to see transportation justice become a central aspect of our new Strategic Plan, due in large part to the overwhelming feedback from our members. I’m excited to see us step more into that role as an organization while we continue to promote the bicycle for everyday transportation. As more and more people bike in our city, I think it will be more important than ever to ensure that biking is an equitable and accessible option for everyone, regardless of income or ability. It’s up to all of us to make that happen.

Looking for a job that connects you with other people who are passionate about safe streets? Join Kels and the Membership team as our next Membership and Volunteer Coordinator! Apply here.

San Francisco Celebrates Biking Like No Other

Posted on by Janice Li

With gorgeous weather, San Francisco is filled with the spirit of biking today to celebrate our biggest event of the year: Bike to Work Day. Thank you to all of our members powering our organization and our 300-plus volunteers making today possible.

Twelve bike rides departing from all over the city, from deep in the Outer Sunset with Supervisor Katy Tang to Mendell Plaza in the Bayview with Supervisor Malia Cohen, arrived at City Hall where we were joined by a large crowd of people excited to come together and kick Bike to Work Day off at our rally. Many of our rides featured Ford GoBike and Jump bikes as bike share and electric-assist bikes have opened up access and encouraged thousands of new people to try biking.

The bike rides prominently featured our city’s newest protected bike lanes. Mayor Mark Farrell was joined by several City agency leaders on a ride down Market Street before turning onto Turk Street, where the Tenderloin’s first protected bike lane was just installed. This project was successful thanks to collaboration between City agencies and strong support from Supervisor Jane Kim, who had the shortest ride to work but rode with one of the largest contingents starting in SoMa.

From the west, President of the Board of Supervisors London Breed rode in from Buchanan Mall in the Western Addition and toured Upper Market Street, where beautiful, new curb-protected bike lanes recently wrapped up construction.

Source: @LondonBreed on Twitter

One of the morning’s longest rides was led by Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, who pedaled off from Persia Triangle in the Excelsior and shared with rally attendees that today was his first time ever biking to work! We were also thrilled to welcome Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who joined in her first Bike to Work Day as supervisor and rode in from the Marina.

A two-person tandem bicycle was featured on our bike ride from the Castro, with Rafael Mandelman steering the way for Mark Leno.

At City Hall, the excitement was palpable as our elected officials gathered to celebrate the ever-growing bike movement in San Francisco. Mayor Farrell remarked upon the need for more protected bike lanes and said, “Every day can be just like today in San Francisco.” We’re with you, Mister Mayor!

We are also proud to award the Presidio Trust, California Pacific Medical Center and Patreon with this year’s Bicycle-Friendly Business awards. Our 2018 Bike Commuter of the Year is Maggie Chestney was recognized for her inspiring story, reminding us of the fun and freedom that biking brings.

As always, Bike to Work Day would not be possible without our generous sponsors.

The day’s not over just yet, so make sure to pedal by one of our evening Energizer Stations. As our Executive Director Brian Wiedenmeier said at our rally this morning, “It’s a beautiful day to bike in San Francisco!”