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SFBC Biker Bulletin

June 13, 2006

Britain is in the grip of a cycling revolution as clogged roads, concern at global warming caused by air pollution and the quest for improved fitness persuade millions to opt for pedal power. After a decade of stagnation in the number of bicycle journeys, new figures show there has been a dramatic leap in commuters and leisure cyclists focused on Britain's cities and the burgeoning network of cycle routes.

— Cahal Milmo, "Revolution! Britain embraces the bicycle", The Independent, June 7, 2006

Table of Contents

  1. Cesar Chavez Committee Meets Tonight
  2. Valencia St — Fix It Now and Build It Better
  3. SFBC Volunteer Night This Wednesday!
  4. Ask the Mayor: What's Next for Healthy Saturdays?
  5. Bicyclists Wanted for Camp Mather Outreach
  6. Congratulations to the Critical Macs of San Francisco!
  7. Love Our City? Join Livable City
  8. TALC is Hiring A Transportation Program Director
  9. Upcoming Events

The fun never ends! Check out the SFBC's Chain of Events for the parties, rides and more!

Cesar Chavez Committee Meets Tonight

Cesar Chavez St Army Street to Army Pier, Cesar Chavez Street to the Bay — this important street has gone through some changes in its time, many of them for the worse (the poor thing was widened about 30 feet, back in the '50s for urban freeway purposes), but a growing chorus of community voices is calling for improvements to make it more livable, walkable, and bikable (it's been official Bike Route 60 since 1997). Join the C.C. Puede committee for tonight's meeting (Tuesday), 6:30 pm, Bernal Gateway Apartments, 3101 Mission at Cesar Chavez and help us complete the street for all its users.

Valencia St — Fix It Now and Build It Better

Valencia Street is the north-south bicycle route through the Mission, but these days it's blown to bits, potholes and bad patches and trench-cover plates. We're pushing for general pothole repair up and down the street, and even though PG&E has patched up a lot of their work we'll still keep after them to keep the lanes safe while they work (to report careless and dangerous construction practices on Valencia or anywhere in the city, call DPW's Street Construction Center at 554-7222 and ask for Blue Book enforcement, for safety's sake).

On to the future: Valencia Street is due to be repaved about a year from now — let's put it back better for everyone and build a better Valencia Street. Join citizens and city planners for a Valencia Street Streetscape Workshop tonight (Tuesday) at 6:30, at the Mission Police Station, Valencia at 17th Street. Wider sidewalks and better bike lanes are part of the mix, along with street trees and appropriate lighting. If you love Valencia Street, come out and be part of the conversation! Contact Deep at deep@bettervalencia.org for more information.

SFBC Volunteer Night This Wednesday!

Come snack on tasty treats, talk bikes with fellow cyclists, and help the SFBC keep our administrative gears turning. We provide the yummy dinner and the fine conversation is FREE. Bring your bike upstairs! Questions? Email rachel@sfbike.org or just show up. Wednesday, June 14, 5-8 pm; SFBC Headquarters, 995 Market St, Suite 1550, 15th floor

Ask the Mayor: What's Next for Healthy Saturdays?

family enjoying GG Park A month has passed since the Mayor vetoed the popular Healthy Saturdays proposal for Golden Gate Park. In his veto message, the Mayor insisted that the legislation's intent was "well meaning and aligns with my administration's goals of increasing health and fitness opportunities for local residents." He also told a reporter on Bike to Work Day that he will have a report out about the next steps for Healthy Saturdays by June 28th, claiming he does not "want momentum to wane" on this initiative. But what have we heard publicly from the Mayor since his veto? Nothing.

Please show your support for Healthy Saturdays and your expectation that the Mayor will stand by his word to move this initiative forward. Contact the Mayor directly this week and remind him that a month has passed since his veto, and we're waiting for him to take some leadership on this issue.

Bicyclists Wanted for Camp Mather Outreach

Are you going to Camp Mather this summer? Every year, hundreds of kids get the opportunity to ride their bikes around San Francisco's summer camp in the mountains. This is our chance to promote bicycle safety and fun! We need one or two cyclists each week to spend a couple of hours helping parents and kids understand how to use and fit their helmets. You'll be passing out bike goodies and information on bicycling at camp and in the city — as well as recruiting new members for the SFBC! If you can help, send your name and the duration of your Camp Mather stay to Peggy da Silva at peggyda@earthlink.net or call 759-6702.

Congratulations to the Critical Macs of San Francisco!

Bike to Work May is officially over and we are thrilled to announce the Winners of the San Francisco Bay Area's Team Bike Challenge. Congratulations to the Critical Macs of San Francisco County! Edward Pais, Riyad Ghannam, Stephanie Van Dyke, Andrew Keller, and Andy Hill are the Grand Prize winners! This team, from MacDonald Architects, wins a bike rack from Peak Racks to be installed in San Francisco at the public site of their choice. Each team member also wins a Timbuk2 messenger bag filled with bike related goodies. Thanks all for doing San Francisco proud!

Love Our City? Join Livable City

Livable City Many of you recently received a letter from our sister organization Livable City, sharing the exciting news about their great work and their new name (they were formerly Transportation for a Livable City), with a note from the SFBC asking for your support. Livable City is doing great work transforming our streets and neighborhoods into bicycle-friendly places with less traffic, better public transit, and housing within cycling distance from work. Livable City works closely with us to make this city better for cyclists and non-cyclists alike, and they deserve your generous support. You can join securely on Livable City's website, or sign up for Livable City's news and alerts.

TALC is Hiring A Transportation Program Director

The regional voice for sane transit policy, the Transportation and Land Use Coalition, is hiring a Transportation Program Director. The Transportation Program Director is responsible for coordinating campaigns and programs outlined in TALC's World Class Transportation Initiatives as well as the Transportation Equity and Community Health Initiative. Given the breadth of TALC's advocacy and project implementation efforts, the specific workplan will be tailored to fit the skills and experience of the new Transportation Program Director. For more information visit TALC's website.

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Join the SFBC and add your voice to thousands demanding a city-wide network of bike lanes, traffic calmed streets, better access to transit and secure bike parking. Together we can make San Francisco the most bicycle friendly city in the country!

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