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On Friday June 26, 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 more than three years of SFBC advocacy, including an unprecedented turnout of more than 200 SFBC members at Friday's hearing, thousands of you sending letters and emails of support to the city, and countless hours of grassroots organizing by committed SFBC volunteers and staff. Together, we did it! See photos of the victorious day here.
This historic decision means that the City is on track to overturn the 3-year-old bike plan injunction and nearly double -- yes 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 tens of thousands of people to bicycle more often.
Help the SFBC build on this win and give a special gift to our organization today. Your contribution will ensure these 45 projects are implemented swiftly.
Download our Press Release. Read more about the Bike Plan, the approved projects and next steps to lifting the injunction.
Gearing up for Mission Sunday Streets
Come be a part of the car-free fun on Sunday, July 19 (10am-2pm) for Sunday Streets in the Mission District. Thousands of people are expected to come out and enjoy miles of streets that will be opened up for people powered activities. See photos of the June's Sunday Streets here.
SFBC is proud to play a big part in the success of the event by recruiting and training volunteers. Sign up to volunteer at Sunday Steets here.
SFBC Pedals Pride
Nearly 50 SFBC members showed their Byke Pride at San Francisco's LGBT Pride parade and made the SFBC's Pride Contingent so festive. Along for the ride was the Purple Pedals bike that took photos from the parade every 60 seconds. Check out the photos at flickr.com/photos/swerple. Want to test ride a photo bike? The SFBC will have two Purple Pedals at the upcoming Sunday Streets in the Mission on Sunday, July 19, 10am-2pm. Stop by the SFBC's orange tent on Valencia Street to take one of them for a spin..
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.
Read more about these classes in the SF Chronicle Safe streets: Workshops help cyclists trim risk
Bike to School Day a Success
Hundreds of students biked to school for San Francisco’s first Bike to School Day on Thursday, May 28. Parents, students and teachers joined commuter convoys from various neighborhoods to more than 20 San Francisco schools. Biking students were rewarded with healthy snacks and special Bike to School Day bags filled with all kinds of goodies. This day was also an opportunity to celebrate a new $500,000 federal Safe Routes to School grant that will be in place this Fall in San Francisco schools, encouraging more and safer riding among the city’s youth. News accounts at SF Streetsblog and at ABS-CBN News.
Record Breaking Bike to Work Day
More than 200,000 people chose a healthy, green and affordable way to get to work for San Francisco's 15th annual Bike to Work Day. There were twice as many bikes as cars on Market Street during the morning commute. Advocates, city leaders and hundreds of bicyclists rallied on City Hall steps to show support for 50+ projects that will double the number of bike lanes on city streets—a proposal headed to city decision-makers next month. Download our Bike to Work Day press release
Bike to Work Day Coverage at: SF Streetsblog, SF Examiner and SF Bay Guardian.
The SFMTA officially released the 2008 State of Cycling Report. Read up on the 43% increase in bike ridership since 2006 and how 6% of all trips are done on a bike—a truly impressive statistic for a US city.
See photos of Bike to Work Day: Press Conference and Commuter Convoys and Bike to Work Day Fun here and here.
Sunday Streets wins Golden Wheel Award
250 people gathered for the 17th annual Golden Wheel Awards on Tuesday, May 5th to honor Sunday Streets for their work opening streets to healthy activity. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Golden Wheel Awards ceremony and fundraiser raised $55,000 for the SFBC's work and brought together city leaders like David Chiu, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, Tom Nolan, Chairman of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Ed Reiskin, Department of Public Works Director along with various community leaders, decision-makers and bicyclists to celebrate Sunday Streets and the Year of The Bicycle. More on the Golden Wheel Awards.
Shore to Shore Bay Bridge Pathway: A Step Closer Towards Completion
Good news for people who would like to walk or ride a bicycle from San Francisco to Oakland and back again: the Bay Area Toll Authority (the toll-bridge-overseeing personality of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission) has approved the preparation of a Project Study Report (PSR) for a bike-pedestrian-maintenance pathway on the West Span (Treasure Island to San Francisco) of the Bay Bridge. This PSR, when it is completed in about 18 months, will move the West Span Pathway onto the big list of regional transportation projects eligible for funding. This West Span Pathway is critical to bridge the gap in sustainable transportation.
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has worked hard for more than a decade to encourage the MTC to build this important shore to shore pathway. This latest development is the result of advocacy led by the SFBC, East Bay Bicycle Coalition and Bay Area Bicycle Coalition.
Read more at the SF Chronicle and SF Streetsblog, and see our Bay Bridge pages for more information on the West Span Pathway.
