Meet the Fresh Faces Behind the Scenes

Posted on by Kelsey Roeder

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s work is fueled by our amazing volunteers and interns. Our most recent Membership Support Interns Adamari and Yajayra are great examples of how two young people can help support our entire organization. If you’ve received a membership packet or piece of merchandise from us in the last six months, there’s a good chance that it came to you courtesy of these two. We caught up with them to see what they’ve experienced and learned during their internship.

SF Bicycle Coalition: What is your favorite part of your internship so far?

Adamari: My favorite part of the internship so far is learning how to put returned mail in the system, so that we can get everyone’s membership packets to their correct address.

Yajayra: My favorite part of my internship is the moment when I step into the office, because I always feel fresh, active, and ready to start working.

What aspect of your internship has surprised you the most?

Adamari: The aspect that has surprised me the most was when I realized that I actually looked forward to coming to work each week! I’m never bored here.

Yajayra: I didn’t realize how much data there would be to enter. Luckily, I enjoy inputting data on the computer, so it works for me.

Is there a skill you’ve learned here that you think you’ll be able to use again?

Adamari: I’ve learned so many different skills in every part of this job that I’ll be able to use in the future, and for that I’m thankful.

Yajayra: I would say that the most important skills I’ve gained here are learning to stay focused and carefully following step-by-step instructions.

What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about interning here?

Adamari: I would tell anyone thinking of interning here to do it! It’s a great experience and will totally lift your spirits. Just maintain a good attitude and you’ll get a lot out of your time here.

Yajayra: I’d echo that, and also add that you should know everyone on staff wants you to succeed and learn a lot here, so don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Want to intern like Adamari and Yajayra? We’re still hiring for spring internships! Even if you can’t intern with us this spring, we have plenty of fun volunteer opportunities and we’d love your help.

Uber Pulls Autonomous Vehicles From SF in Victory for Safe Streets

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

Uber informed us this evening that they are halting their unpermitted testing of autonomous vehicles on San Francisco streets effective immediately. This development comes after your SF Bicycle Coalition pointed out the dangers of illegal right hook turns that these vehicles made in self-driving mode. Today, our streets are safer than they were yesterday.

Thank you to the hundreds of San Francisco Bicycle Coalition members who spoke up to tell Uber to stop its irresponsible pilot. State and local officials heard you loud and clear, as the California DMV and Attorney General’s office took action tonight to revoke the registration of Uber’s autonomous vehicles.

Autonomous vehicles will be a part of San Francisco’s future, and they have the potential to reduce collisions and revolutionize the way we use and see our streets. Now we have a chance to do things the right way. We know 2017 will be the year to create the regulatory framework to realize this technology’s potential. It’s important that as the State of California considers revisions to those regulations, they are written such that the safety of people walking and biking is a top priority.

We look forward to continuing to work with Uber and other companies developing autonomous vehicles, along with state and local officials to make sure that this technology delivers on its promise of safer streets. This step forward, ensuring that autonomous vehicles improve safety rather than threaten it, gives us all the time and space to do that important work.

San Francisco’s First Protected Intersection Elevates Street Design for Biking and Walking

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

San Franciscans may now enjoy the city’s first protected intersection, navigating curb-protected bike lanes, raised crosswalks and new sidewalks to overhaul a confusing intersection with a history of crashes.

These improvements at Ninth and Division Streets are part of new design standards being adopted around the country to elevate street infrastructure for people who bike and walk. Protected intersections clearly designate where people cross when two streets meet through paint, curbs and raised surfaces, offering dedicated, protected spaces for people biking and walking to wait when stopped at a light. This sort of smart street design also calms traffic at intersections, slowing speeds by requiring wider turns by people driving. Speeding is by far the number-one cause of collisions resulting in severe injuries and fatalities.

“We need to see more complete protected intersections designed and built along high-injury corridors throughout San Francisco for the health and safety of everyone who walks, bikes and drives,” said Brian Wiedenmeier, executive director of the SF Bicycle Coalition. “With streets like Geneva Avenue and Folsom Street undergoing major redesigns, protected intersections should be considered there and wherever possible in the City’s ongoing efforts to deliver safe streets.”

New curbs help separate all modes and calm traffic at Ninth and Division Streets.

New curbs help separate all modes and calm traffic at Ninth and Division Streets.

Already popular in the Netherlands, the design approach taken for this new protected intersection at Division and Ninth is one of less than 10 such intersections in all of North America. In California alone there are three protected intersections, including the first in the United States built in Davis in 2014 and another just completed in Berkeley this month, thanks to the advocacy of Bike East Bay members and staff.

Members of the SF Bicycle Coalition make it possible for San Franciscans to enjoy innovative approaches to the City’s delivery of safe streets. If you bike here, but are not yet a member, today is an excellent time to join and ensure that our advocacy for you rolls strong into 2017.

Already a member? Gift memberships are a terrific way to show loved ones you care.

Tell the DMV: No Safety Shortcuts for Autonomous Vehicles

Posted on by Janice Li

The future of San Francisco’s streets will include autonomous vehicles. They will likely revolutionize how people move around our city, regardless of the mode they choose. They also have the potential to reduce traffic collisions that result in serious injuries and fatalities, which devastate too many families and cost SF taxpayers millions in trauma care costs. As of today, however, that potential remains unrealized.

In order to realize the potential of autonomous vehicles, we need to make sure that companies who manufacture and operate them do so safely and responsibly. That’s why we’re speaking up for comprehensive regulations that prioritize the wellbeing of the most vulnerable road-users. And we need your help to make sure state officials hear that message.

As directed by the California State Legislature and Gov. Brown, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) adopted regulations in 2014 for the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles. With technology moving forward aggressively, those regulations are up for wholesale revisions.

Your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has closely read through the regulations and we are working to draft a letter to the DMV with the following recommendations:

  1. Autonomous vehicle technology must protect the most vulnerable road-users: people who bike and walk.
  2. Local governments need support as this technology develops.
  3. Data must be openly shared and analyzed to understand the impact of autonomous vehicles on our city’s streets and our communities.
  4. Autonomous vehicle test-drivers must be educated with training about how to operate safely around people walking and biking.
  5. Loopholes in the current regulations should be closed so that there is a clear determination of the autonomous vehicles to which regulations apply.

Now is the time to speak up and let the California DMV know that the safety of people who bike and walk is important to you when considering the development of autonomous vehicle technology.

Will you join us in pushing our state regulatory agencies to hold companies like Uber accountable?

Identifying Solutions in Golden Gate Park

Posted on by Julia Raskin

We hear from our members that Golden Gate Park needs to be designed for people first, not fast-moving vehicles. How can we make that happen?

Take the Survey

Earlier this month our members arrived in full force at an open house hosted by the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and the SF Recreation and Park Department. As a part of the Golden Gate Park Traffic Safety Study, City staff asked the community to share their experiences to better understand how vehicle circulation impacts park-users. The goal of the study is to identify long-term measures to prioritize the experience of people biking and walking in Golden Gate Park.

With more than 13 million people who visit the park each year, this treasured open space is beloved by families all over the city and beyond. Parents who walk and bike with their children expressed that they would feel more comfortable taking their families to the park if it were car-free. Most attendees arrived by biking, walking and taking public transit.

ggp-tim-hickey-and-child_cropped1000px

Bike advocate Tim Hickey with his son speaking to SFMTA project manager Patrick Golier

Couldn’t make it to the open house? You can still provide feedback to inform future plans for vehicle circulation in the park. Take this opportunity to let the City know how people walking and biking can be prioritized in Golden Gate Park. Share this survey with your friends and neighbors so that we can make the message clear: Golden Gate Park is for people.

A Warning to People Who Bike: Self-Driving Ubers and Right Hook Turns

Posted on by Brian Wiedenmeier

Before the surprise launch of Uber’s autonomous vehicles on San Francisco streets this week, I rode in one. I can tell you firsthand: Those vehicles are not yet ready for our streets.

I was at one of the demonstrations covered in the SF Examiner, along with others who Uber hoped to impress with their new technology. None of us were told that just two days later, Uber would be releasing this technology on our streets on a large scale. I did tell Uber some things about the shortcomings of that technology, however.

In the ride I took through the streets of SoMa on Monday, the autonomous vehicle in “self-driving” mode as well as the one in front of it took an unsafe right-hook-style turn through a bike lane. Twice. This kind of turn is one featured in a 2013 blog post that is known to be one of the primary causes of collisions between cars and people who bike resulting in serious injury or fatality. It’s also an unsafe practice that we address in all of the safety curriculum we offer to professional drivers, including the videos we consulted on for Uber as recently as this fall.

I told staff from Uber’s policy and engineering teams about the safety hazards of their autonomous vehicle technology. They told me they would work on it. Then, two days later, they unleashed that technology on San Francisco’s streets. Your streets.

Since yesterday, we have been told that “safety drivers” in these vehicles have been instructed to disengage from self-driving mode when approaching right turns on a street with a bike lane and that engineers are continuing to work on the problem. In the meantime, Uber is continuing to operate autonomous vehicles for passenger service in San Francisco.

There’s no other way to put it: Launching autonomous vehicle technology before it’s regulated and safe for our streets is unacceptable. If you support safe streets, please sign the petition to tell Uber to address this dangerous and illegal turning behavior immediately.

Folsom and Howard Project Kickoff Draws Crowds

Posted on by Charles Deffarges

From big dreams to near-term improvements, the Folsom and Howard Open Houses had it all. The SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) held two sessions to look at the future of Folsom and Howard Streets. Undeterred by the rain, plenty of local residents and daily bike commuters turned out to weigh in.

These open houses mark the beginning of public planning for the Folsom and Howard Streetscape Project. This large-scale project will redesign the two major SoMa corridors by 2020 and make them more bike-, transit- and pedestrian-friendly.

The open houses come at a time when street safety is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. The Mayor’s Executive Directive in response to the June 22 fatalities of two people biking, including one on Howard Street, requires the “highest achievable quality” of bicycle infrastructure along the City’s high-injury network. Folsom and Howard are both part of the high-injury network for people riding and walking.

The need for better bicycle infrastructure and safe streets resonated amongst attendants, including long-time SoMa resident and mother Teresa Dulalas. “With all of the new people moving into the neighborhood I worry about the state of the streets, especially for my children who bike here and seniors who walk slowly” said Dulalas.

folsomhoward-open-house-2-1000px

Different boards around the room presented potential street improvements and the different areas of the focus for the SFMTA. One board highlighted near-term improvements to the streets which will likely include parking-protected bike lanes. Community members provided feedback either to SFMTA staff or through a written survey. Many of the attendants were fellow SF Bicycle Coalition members who shared their thoughts and concerns.

“I want to see protected bike lanes and fewer traffic lanes,” said SF Bicycle Coalition member Katie Brenzo. “I’m a competent rider but I see trucks and cars in the bike lane all the time. It could be a lot safer.”

From these open houses, the message to the SFMTA is clear: People want better bicycle infrastructure and they want it now. Your SF Bicycle Coalition will work towards making this a reality. Join our SoMa Member Committee to be part of the action.

Join SoMa Committee

2016 Board of Directors Election Results

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

The staff who administered the recent election for the eight SF Bicycle Coalition’s Board of Directors seats are pleased to congratulate the winners:

  • Nicholas Aulston, 776 votes
  • Lindy Kae Patterson, 742
  • Adam Keats, 740
  • Jeremy Pollock, 592
  • Amandeep Jawa, 490
  • Chema Hernández Gil, 467
  • Rocky Beach, 461
  • Jiro Yamamoto, 435

We thank the additional eight candidates who ran for the Board but were not elected:

  • Risa Blumlein, 408
  • Marnie (Mars) Regen, 404
  • Abigail Tinker, 392
  • Lauren Sailor, 369
  • Marie Jonas, 332
  • John Beckmann, 325
  • Brad McManus, 81
  • Yogi Hendlin, 46

There were also eleven valid votes cast for write-in candidates, none of whom drew more than one vote each.

Members cast a total of 987 valid ballots: 100 percent were cast online, and 0 percent were cast using paper ballots in person at the SF Bicycle Coalition’s office or via mail. This represents 10.0 percent of the members entitled to vote in the election. (Only members current as of the end of Nov. 4, 2016 were eligible to vote.)

Details on the entire 2016 Board of Directors election process are available here. And details on how the staff’s Election Administration team counted votes and ensured the integrity of this election are available here.

The first board meeting with the newly-elected members will be held in January 2017. We look forward to working with the winners, who will serve terms of two years on our Board of Directors alongside the existing Board members whose terms have not expired. And we thank you, our wonderful members, for making your voices heard in this election.

Not yet a member or need to renew? Join or renew today to support our work for better biking all year long.

Last Call to Order Your Holiday Gifts

Posted on by Paloma Rezende

Exciting new shirts recently arrived at our store, making it a perfect holiday gift for your friends and family. Hurry, though, because you only have until this Sunday, Dec. 11 to order and in time for delivery by the holidays.

kidsbalancebikeshirt2_1000px

New kid’s balance bike shirt

 

charles-crest-hoodie_1000px

New SF Crest Hoodie

 

We have new designs on hoodies and kids’ shirt, an updated hoodie, and old standbys to share your love of biking and community with folks on your gift list. Pedal over to our store and find the best merch for you. Happy Holidays.

A Big Picture view of the Richmond

Posted on by Julia Raskin

Thanks to Supervisor Eric Mar, the City is paying extra attention to streets in the Richmond. Will you join the conversation to make the neighborhood more comfortable for people biking and walking?

Join the Conversation

Over the last few years the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and SF Planning Department have collaborated with Supervisor Mar to set the groundwork for improvements that make it more enjoyable for people walking and biking to local stores, schools and parks.

With the changes coming to Arguello Boulevard, the public outreach for bicycle boulevards on Eighth and 23rd Avenues, rethinking through-traffic in Golden Gate Park, and better transit on the horizon with Geary Bus Rapid Transit, the Richmond is bustling with new opportunities to get involved. SF Planning is creating a Richmond District Strategy to tie these opportunities together and take a big-picture view of the District’s current and future needs, including housing, parks and transportation.

Come out and help us build momentum for a Richmond that prioritizes sustainable, active transportation.

Community Conversation for the Richmond District Strategy
Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016, 1:30 – 3:00 pm
Richmond Branch Library
351 Ninth Ave.