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Judge Delays Decision to Lift Injunction
SF Superior Court Judge Peter J. Busch heard arguments on Nov. 2 at the City's request to dissolve the Bike Plan injunction that has prevented San Francisco from implementing any physical improvements for bicycle transportation since June 2006. No decision was taken; instead, Judge Busch has asked for both sides to bring him written arguments by Nov. 12 on the notion of lifting the injunction conditionally and obliging the City to take out any improvements it makes in the (very unlikely) event that the EIR is found to be flawed when that larger ultimate question (a full legal examination of the EIR and process that produced it) is taken up in the spring. Judge Busch also asked the City to present a list of bike-positive work it could implement in the months between now and the Spring hearing on the Bike Plan and its EIR. Read more at Streetsblog and at the NY Times.
SF's growing number of bicyclists and others who support more sustainable transportation choices are eagerly awaiting a lifting of the injunction. Despite the 3-year freeze on physical improvements for bicycling, SF has seen a 53% increase in the number of people biking for transportation.
Give the City Feedback on Market St.
It's been more than a month now since the trial traffic changes began on Market St., and our Great Streets Project is pleased to see that feedback on this trial is very positive. We encourage everyone who travels down Market to send feedback to the city. What components are working well? How can the city manage the street even better in the coming weeks? Let the City know what you think.
The latest improvement, the Art in Storefronts project (by the San Francisco Arts Commission), opened October 23rd. Empty storefronts all along Market St. have been temporarily transformed with art installations, bringing more vitality to the area. Check it out.
The SF Bicycle Coalition's Great Streets Project is working working with the Municipal Transportation Agency to find quick solutions to the intersections need a bit more direction of traffic. If you have suggestions or concerns about Market St., let the City know!
These trials are a huge opportunity to test and keep good ideas in anticipation of a full repaving of Market Street in 2013. Read all about the full project details here.
Speak Up for Extended Parking Meter Hours
Are you a business owner or other San Franciscan who sees the value in managing on-street parking better? Are you a regular Muni rider who's sick of footing the bill for someone else's cheap parking? Time to speak up for the SF Municipal Transportation Agency's Extended Parking Meter Hours Study. It was commissioned by the SFMTA Board last spring during their budget deliberations — as Muni service was cut and fares were raised, parking rates were untouched, but at least the board called for a study. Donald Shoup, the foremost expert on parking, calls the Study's recommendation to extend parking meter hours 'pathbreaking' and we couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, pro-cheap parking forces and Mayor Newsom are already lining up to block this smart plan.
If the SFMTA hopes to acheive their ambitious goal of cutting auto usage in half in 20 years, this is a key first step. If you are a business owner or other concerned citizen who couldn't make the MTA Board meeting, here's how to voice your opinion to the decisionmakers via email).
A Day of Family Bike Fun
The SF Bicycle Coalition's third annual Family Day was Sun., Oct. 11. Join other families like yours as we enjoy a car-free Sunday in Golden Gate Park. We hosted special bike-y activities like a bike scavenger hunt, a family biking showcase and a family bike parade, as well as our popular Freedom From Training Wheels effort to get the little ones on two wheels and the mini-city Bike Road-eo to teach safe riding and rules of the road.
Check out the photos!
Walk to School Day at schools all over SF
The SF Bicycle Coalition held a special rally and celebration in honor of Walk to School Day and the official launch of SF's new Safe Routes to School Program on Wed., Oct. 7th at Longfellow Elementary (755 Morse St.).
The SF Bicycle Coalition is thrilled to be partnering with the SF Dept. of Public Health, SF Unified School District, SF Police Department, and SF Municipal Transportation Agency to launch the Safe Routes to School Program at five elementary schools: Bryant (Mission District), George Washington Carver (Bayview), Longfellow (Excelsior), Sunnyside (Sunnyside), Sunset (Outer Sunset). 68% of the students at these schools live within one mile, so there's an amazing opportunity to increase the number of kids who get to school by bike and foot.
Walk to School Day was Wed., Oct. 7th at various San Francisco Schools. More at: sfwalktoschool.com. Read coverage on Streetsblog and SFGate.
Tour de Fat Raises $38,000
Tour de Fat rolled through town and was the ballyhoo of bikes and beer it promised to be. Thousands of
people came out enjoyed the day celebrating bikes, listening to an amazing line-up of entertainment and enjoying New Belgium Brewery's
tasty portfolio of beer. A big FAT thank you to our dear friends at New Belgium Brewery for making the whole kit and caboodle possible -- together we raised over $38,000 for the SF Bicycle Coalition
and the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council! See photos of the day
at sfgate.com and on flickr.com.
Innovative Ideas Showcased on PARK(ing) Day
The SFBC and our Great Streets Project hit the streets on PARK(ing) Day to showcase two cool innovations, on-street bike parking and flexible parking spots. On-street bike parking, a component of the recently approved 2009 SF Bike Plan, transforms a single car parking space into 12 bicycle parking spaces. It's a benefit for bicyclists and pedestrians alike as it opens up the sidewalk space where bicycles would normally be locked to sign posts and parking meters. See photos here. And flexible parking spots are equally exciting as they literally widen the sidewalk and offers up more room for outdoor dining. See photos here.
Sunday Streets is Now a Permanent Program
This year, San Franciscans enjoyed over 18 miles of car-free streets on six Sundays, in four San Francisco neighborhoods, from East to West! Upwards of 20,000 adults and kids came out for each event enjoying healthy activities from bicycling to dancing, rollerskating to yoga and hula hooping.
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) was proud to play a big part in the success of Sunday Streets by coordinating and training more than 600 volunteers.
Mayor Gavin Newsom announced that Sunday Streets is now a permanent program in San Francisco. With the enormous success of Sunday Streets in 2009, organizers would like to see more Sunday Streets events in 2010. If you would like to see more Sunday Streets events, extended hours or want it to come to your neighborhood, email Mayor Gavin Newsom and your City Supervisor.
Improvements Coming To Valencia Street
Exciting street changes are coming to popular Valencia Street. Construction has begun on four blocks of Valencia Street (between 15th and 19th Streets) to create wider bike lanes and sidewalks, and other enhancements like cafe style seating and new tree plantings. The Valencia Street we all know today is the product of years of SFBC advocacy. In the 1990's we pushed city leaders to do a "road diet", which transformed four travel lanes into two travel lanes with bike lanes and a center turn lane. And it is SFBC advocacy that is creating the Valencia Street of tomorrow.
The SFBC is partnering with the City and the project's contractors to make sure that cyclists and pedestrians retain a safe path of travel. With the encouragement of the SFBC, the city has temporarily re-striped Valencia Street to its future configuration to make sure there are fewer closures of the bicycles lanes during construction and to show what the street will look like with the increased space for bikes and pedestrians already marked on the street. The bike lane will be maintained whenever possible, and signage will be in place to direct traffic. The City is committed to keeping bike travel safe on Valencia. If you experience any unsafe conditions, call or email 311 with a report of the incident, and email Neal to keep the SFBC aware of the situation.
We did it! City Approves 45 Bike Lane Projects
The SFMTA Board voted yes on an ambitious Bike Plan and gave the green light to 45 new bike lanes on streets such as 5th, 17th, Townsend, Kirkham, Alemany, San Jose, and Portola (see the full list of victories here).
This victory is the result of years of SFBC advocacy and means that the City is on track to overturn the 3-year-old bike plan injunction and nearly double the number of bike lanes on our streets. These improvements will also push San Francisco towards being one of North America’s most bicycle-friendly cities and encourage hundreds of thousands of people to bicycle more often.
Free Urban Cycling Workshops
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition hosts two part bike education classes for adults to teach safe and confident urban cycling. Pre-register today to save your place in one of these free urban cycling workshops! See the full schedule of classes.
Announcing new learn to ride a bike workshops for adults. You're never too old to learn to ride a bike! With personal attention from certified instructors, this 2-hour course will get you on your way to pedaling around the city in no time. Register online.
Read more about these classes in the SF Chronicle Safe streets: Workshops help cyclists trim risk
