Promoting the Bicycle for Everyday Transportation
mediaactionsrides_eventsresourcesaboutmembershipvolunteerdonatestoresearch
SFBC Biker Bulletin

April 5, 2011

"I'm seeing more and more women with kids on their bikes. Multiple kids, even."
- Adrienne Johnson, Biking to School, Starring Declan, Una and Cameron, March 31, 2011

Biker Bulletin News

  1. Huge Turnout Expected for Thursday's Bike to School Day
  2. Sunday Streets Heads to the Park and the Beach on April 10
  3. New Bike Lanes and Bike Boxes Link the City!
  4. Speak Up for Better Biking in the Yerba Buena Area
  5. Four Ways You Can Help Connect the City
  6. Pedal and Win for Bike to Work Day
  7. The Biggest Bike Event of the Year Needs Volunteers
  8. Video: Bike to School Day SF-Style
  9. Upcoming Events

Have you voiced your support for a safer JFK Drive?
We've made it easy for you, visit:
  connectingthecity.org/2011/jfk

Huge Turnout Expected for Thursday's Bike to School Day

Thousands of students at nearly 40 San Francisco schools will bike to school this Thursday, April 7, for San Francisco's third annual Bike to School Day. Record turnout is expected, thanks in part to a tripling in size of the citywide San Francisco Safe Routes to School program, which organizes the event.

San Franciscans love biking and the next generation is especially eager to bike more. The Safe Routes to Schools program, a partnership of city departments and community groups, including the SF Bicycle Coalition and led by the SF Department of Public Health, is making a difference for more families. The program is helping more students and parents bike and walk to school through education and encouragement and by improving the safety of streets. Bike to School Day is a great way to encourage more people to bike more often by showcasing how fun and easy bicycling to school can be.

Want to share in the smiles, laughter and joy this Thursday? We're still looking for volunteers and photographers! To volunteer or to see a map of participating schools, please visit sfbiketoschoolday.org.

Sunday Streets Heads to the Park and the Beach on April 10

This weekend's Sunday Streets is off to Golden Gate Park and the Great Highway, a favorite route for bicycling, walking, roller-skating and fresh air adventures. Come on out this Sunday, April 10, 11am-4pm, to get in on the Sunday Streets fun! Our Freedom from Training Wheels instructors will be on hand at Lincoln Ave. and the Great Highway to help the next generation get balancing on two wheels.

  1. Volunteer for upcoming Sunday Streets. We are still signing up volunteers, especially for shifts at the end of the event. All Sunday Streets volunteers are rewarded with a t-shirt, lunch and the great feeling that you helped make the day possible. The SF Bicycle Coalition is proud to partner with Livable City by recruiting and training more than 150 volunteers for each event. Be a part of the team that helps make it happen by signing up today at sundaystreetssf.com/volunteer.
  2. Help hang signs along the Sunday Streets route on Wednesday, April 6, 1-4pm to help clear the road for Sunday Streets. Email Lolly to help.
  3. Be an Ambassador for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition under our orange tent at Sunday Streets to share our work with Sunday Streets fans! If you are a trained SF Bicycle Coalition outreach volunteer and would like to be an outreach hero(ine), email Tessa.
  4. Help the next generation learn to bike in our Freedom From Training Wheels Workshop at Sunday Streets. No experience necessary for this fun program. Email Grace to volunteer.
  5. Be an intern for the Sunday Streets Volunteer Program! Get hands-on event planning and volunteer organizing experience while helping to make Sunday Streets a success. See sfbike.org/ss_vol_internship for more info.

New Bike Lanes and Bike Boxes Link the City!

With last week's sunny weather SFMTA paint crews have been hard at work on the streets, and great new biking links are blooming all around town. If you haven't been out for a ride on 17th Street lately this is a great time to hop on your bike and check out the new improvements, including a buffered bike lane on the westbound stretch between Potrero and Kansas. The 17th Street bike lanes will be completed between Treat and Potrero in the coming weeks. Visit sfbike.org/link to find out where the newest bike lanes will be installed!

Four new green bike boxes arrive on Market Street! These long-planned, green bike boxes are now in place at the intersections of Van Ness, Ninth Street and Larkin, with a fifth bike box expected to be installed eastbound at Gough this week. These bike boxes are another great improvement for Market Street, making the street safer and more inviting for the huge numbers of people who are bicycling. See photos and read about the bike boxes at Streetsblog.

Speak Up for Better Biking in the Yerba Buena Area

Come learn and speak up for improvements in the diverse residential, business and cultural arts neighborhood of Yerba Buena. The Yerba Buena Community Benefit District is holding a community workshop this Thursday, April 7, from 6-8pm at Woolf House (801 Howard St.). Yerba Buena has emerged as a vibrant part of the city, and the CBD wants to hear your suggestions on how to improve biking, walking and commercial activity on key streets like Market St., 2nd St., 5th St., and Folsom and Howard Streets. RSVP to info@ybcbd.org today.

Four Ways You Can Help Connect the City

  1. Help us spread the word and gather support for our vision of a city connected with bikeways. See the fruits of your labor when separated bikeways are a reality, making San Francisco an easier and safer city to shop, commute, live and play by bike for an 8-year-old child to your 80-year-old neighbor! If you're an Outreach Trained SF Bicycle Coalition member and want to volunteer, email Tessa. Not outreach trained yet? Mark you calendar for the next training date: Tue., Apr. 12, from 6:30-7:30pm at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, 833 Market St., 10th Floor.
    • JFK Drive Bikeway Outreach: Sun. April 17 | 1-3pm | JFK Drive-- Help gain support for a continuous, wide and comfortable bikeway on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, making sure you will be riding on this bikeway in a few months!
    • Fell and Oak Streets Bikeways Outreach: Tues. April 19 | 5-7pm | Fell St. & Baker St.-- Share the Connecting the City vision for catching up with the demand for improvements on the already busy Fell Street route.
  2. Enter Signatures of Support: We're busy entering all the petition signatures of support we've collected for Connecting the City, and we need your help! Do you have a few hours a week to help in this important way? Help us demonstrate valuable community support by entering the vast numbers of people who want to Connect the City! Email Tessa if you can lend a hand.
  3. Send an email of support: Let the Recreation and Parks Department know that you want a safer and more comfortable bikeway on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park-- take two minutes to voice your support today.
  4. Join our team as an intern: Want to gain experience in bicycle advocacy, planning, and outreach? Click here for more information on our internship opportunities.

Pedal and Win for Bike to Work Day

Here are three ways you can be a Bike to Work Day winner!

  1. Enter to win awesome Bike to Work Day prizes, by registering at btwd.bayareabikes.org/register.
  2. Take part in the Team Bike Challenge: Grab your friends, register your team and compete with other Bay Area folks to win great prizes for bike commuting in May. Go to youcanbikethere.com/tbc-signup for more info.
  3. Nominate a Bike Commuter of the Year: Has someone who rides a bike to work inspired you lately? The Bike Commuter of the Year Award honors a resident from each Bay Area county who makes every day a "Bike to Work Day". Nominate someone you admire by April 14 at youcanbikethere.com/bcoy.

The Biggest Bike Event of the Year Needs Volunteers

Last year, over 300 amazing volunteers helped make Bike to Work Day a roaring success, and volunteers like you will make 2011 the biggest celebration yet. Thursday, May 12, is the day you can help energize commuters at one of our 25 neighborhood Energizer Stations, or you can help park bikes at our evening Bike From Work Party. Shifts are filling up fast, so sign up today at sfbike.org/vol_sign_up_btwd.

Supply delivery: Do you drive a truck or van professionally and would be willing to lend us your skills? We need your help! Email Tessa if this describes you!

Daytime office help: Do you have a few hours to spare for bike advocacy? We need people to distribute posters, run bike errands, stuff envelopes and prepare materials, just to name a few ways you can help. Daytime volunteers are crucial and help the SF Bicycle Coalition keep the wheels of change moving. Email Tessa if you can help out!

Video: Bike to School Day SF-Style

Check out this amazing video of last year's huge turnout at Monroe Elementary School on Bike to School Day when little bikes nearly encircled the school's balcony. We're excited for record turnout again this Thursday, April 7, when San Francisco celebrates its third Annual Bike to School Day.

Upcoming Events

Check out our online calendar of events. To add your bike event to our calendar, simply email the details to calendar@sfbike.org.

** Tuesday, April 5th **

SFBC Phone Bank
5pm-8pm | SFBC HQ, 833 Market St., 10th Floor

Got the gift of gab? Are you a current or former member? Volunteer to phone bank with the SFBC! No cold calling, just simple reminders to friendly lapsed SFBC members that their membership is expired. Come share in the fun. The more the merrier! We provide dinner and good company. Contact juli@sfbike.org.

** Thursday, April 7th **

3rd Annual Bike to School Day
All day | At participating schools across San Francisco

Join kids all across San Francisco and celebrate the 3rd Annual San Francisco Bike to School Day. Thousands of students and their parents are expected to bike to school together on this fun day. For more information or to find out which schools are riding or to volunteer go to http://www.sfbiketoschoolday.org.

Urban Bicycling Workshop: Intro to Safe Biking (Day 1)
5:30p-9:30p | SFBC HQ, 833 Market St., 10th Floor

This four-hour, in-classroom introductory course is perfect for anyone who wants to feel more comfortable riding on city streets. This class will cover the basics for how to choose the right bike and properly fit a helmet. learn tips for the safest ways to ride in traffic, techniques to avoid or deal with road hazards and emergency maneuvers along with other useful gems of knowledge, like the best way to lock up your bike and how to use a bike in combination with public transit, and biking rights and responsibilities. Class is open to adults and anyone over 14 years of age; preregistration is required-- sign up at www.sfbike.org/edu.

** Saturday, April 9th **

SFBC Valet Bicycle Parking at the Ferry Building Saturday Farmers Market
8am-2pm | Harry Bridges Plaza

Pedal to the Ferry Building to fill up your panniers with local bounty and park your bike with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. All 52 weeks a year, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will be providing complimentary valet bike parking in Harry Bridges Plaza (look for the orange tent).

** Sunday, April 10th **

Golden Gate Bridge Sidewalks Closed to Bike Traffic *
7-9am | Golden Gate Bridge

During the temporary sidewalks closure, bicyclists and pedestrians requiring access across the Golden Gate Bridge may ride the FREE shuttle service. Shuttle stops are located on both sides of the Golden Gate Bridge: the south side shuttle stop is in the southeast parking lot and the north side shuttle stop is along the northbound Alexander Avenue off-ramp bus stop. Visit http://ushalf2.com for complete race details.

Freedom from Training Wheels
11am - 3pm | Sunday Streets: Great Highway and Lincoln Ave.

Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition for our popular Freedom from Training Wheels workshops. Our group effort to get kids riding without training wheels will be a part of this and every Sunday Streets. Bring bike (if you have it) and helmet. We'll take care of the rest. Questions? Email Neal.

Sunday Streets
11am - 4pm | Sunday Streets: Great Highway

Come play in the streets! Sunday Streets provides recreational street space for everyone on second Sundays. Get involved and sign up to volunteer for Sunday Streets. The SF Bicycle Coalition is proud to partner with Livable City by recruiting and training more than 200+ volunteers for each event. For route maps and to volunteer go to sundaystreetssf.com/volunteer.

(Events not sponsored by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition are marked with an *)

You're reading the SFBC Weekly Biker Bulletin

Get this sent directly to your inbox by signing up here.

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!

top