August 21, 2006

"The Bike Coalition is at the cutting edge of urban environmentalism. It reduces our reliance on foreign oil, cuts down on pollution, helps ease traffic congestion and makes the city more livable."

— Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, SF Chronicle, August 21, 2006

SFBC Makes Front-Page News!
City Defends Bike Plan
Winterfest Bike & Art Auction — It's Time to Get Involved
Volunteer (and Shop for Cheap Bike Gear on Your Breaks)
PARK(ing) Day! Reclaim the Streets for People
Now Hiring — City Bike Program Manager
Almost Four Times as Many Bikes as Cars
Upcoming Events

Don't be left behind — Jump on the bike movement TODAY!
Now is the perfect time to join the SFBC and be heard:

http://www.sfbike.org/?membership

SFBC Makes Front-Page News!

SF Chronicle front page Congratulations SFBC members: We are considered "one of the most potent political forces in the city," according to today's front-page SF Chronicle story. We're proud of the Coalition's growing "two-wheeled clout" and want to thank our 5,800 members for making us the most effective advocacy group in the city. And support for better biking continues to grow: A July 2006 David Binder Research poll shows that 73% of S.F. voters support the City's encouragement of biking by creating more bike lanes and designated space for bicycling. And one-third of voters say they would bicycle more if these improvements are made. The poll also shows that an impressive (for U.S. cities) 5% of San Franciscans use bicycles as their primary mode of transportation. That's more than 40,000 bike trips in the city each day! Also, please take a minute to chime into the Chronicle's online poll (bottom right) about whether the SFBC is "too powerful" — we wish. Congratulations SFBC members and keep up the great work — we are making progress.

City Defends Bike Plan

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera today filed the opposition brief in his office's legal defense of the policy framework for the S.F. Bicycle Plan. The brief argues that the City was correct in finding that the Bicycle Plan Update would not negatively impact the environment and states that the Plan "demonstrably protects public safety" and is "a wholly worthy policy imperative." Herrera states: "Bicycles are an environmentally friendly form of transportation, and City policymakers are entitled to do what they can to make San Francisco a more bicycle-friendly city." To read the press release or the full 30+ page legal brief, see our Bicycle Network page. We appreciate the work of the City Attorney and his staff on this important case which is scheduled to be heard in court on September 13. Stay tuned for more.

Winterfest Bike & Art Auction — It's Time to Get Involved

Mark your calendar for Sunday, December 3rd for Winterfest, the SFBC's annual member party bike and art auction. The SFBC is in full swing in planning Winterfest, and NOW is your chance to pitch in to shape the greatest bike-bash event of the year. We're looking for ideas on an array of event components from hot bike items to fun local-quirky entertainment. Send us your thoughts — and contacts. Do you know a tasty (yet reasonable) caterer? Want to be part of the decorations committee? Have you always wanted to be Vanna White? There is absolutely something for everyone. Send your helpful creative ideas and contacts to Jodie. Don't miss our first Winterfest Planning Committee meeting, on Wednesday, September 20. If you are eager to plan, plan, plan, we need the help! Winterfest is truly a member party — we can't do it without you!

Want to shape the look of Winterfest? The SFBC is looking for a pro-bono Winterfest 2006 designer (from concept to production). Winterfest exposure is enormous (600,000 views wide) so if you are looking to get noticed or build a portfolio, this is a great boost for you. Please send all concepts and samples of your work to Jodie by Thursday, August 31st.

Relive Winterfest 2005 and check out the current action at sfbike.org/winterfest.

Volunteer (and Shop for Cheap Bike Gear on Your Breaks)

REI's used gear sales are a great place to spread the word about our campaigns for better biking and to recruit new SFBC members. Can you come out and speak to the sports-minded about getting involved in our biking community? The first step is signing up! Saturday, September 2nd, 9:45am-2pm (two shifts), 840 Brannan Street between 7th and 8th Streets. Email Rachel to volunteer.

PARK(ing) Day! Reclaim the Streets for People

REBAR's original PARK(ing) Transform a parking spot into a PARK(ing) space! REBAR, a collaborative group of SF designers and activists, is at it again! This September 21st, they'll be working to transform metered parking spots into a temporary parks throughout the city. And they want to do it all by bicycle! They are looking for folks/groups to join in these city-scape reclamations/transformations, and they also need bike trailers and Xtracycles to make it happen — if you can't join be there, lend your wheels! Check out REBAR's project page or contact them by e-mail to help.

The SFBC has some ideas up our sleeve for a PARK on PARKing Day and would love to hear from members who have far-out schemes or want to be involved in reclaiming our urban open space. Come to our brainstorming session on August 28th from 6-7pm to share ideas and hatch a plan. RSVP to Jodie.

Now Hiring — City Bike Program Manager

The MTA Bike Program, the city sub-department charged with planning and implementing bicycle facilities (bike lanes, sharrows, etc.) throughout San Francisco, as well as encouraging and extending bike parking, bike safety, and bike education programs in the city, has an open position at the head of the team. The Bike Program Manager is an important role and a tremendous opportunity for qualified individuals, and the person who fills the spot will have a huge impact on the future of the Bike Program and bicycling in San Francisco. To learn more, please see the job posting and spread the word to friends, colleagues, and mailing lists far and wide.

Almost Four Times as Many Bikes as Cars

Princeton INA info-graphic Princeton's International Networks Archive has produced a fascinating info-graphic about transportation in the world today, and of course bicycles are at the heart of it all — according to their research, there are 1.4 billion bicycles and 400 million cars in the world today, making the bike the most popular vehicle in the world. Ding ding!

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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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