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SFBC Biker Bulletin

July 12, 2011

"Major improvements in bike infrastructure wouldn't just make it easier to get to work. They would also create work, a high priority in our high-unemployment economy,"
-- Nancy Folbre, "The Bicycle Divided", The New York Times, July 4, 2011.

Table of Contents

  1. Tell Golden Gate Bridge District to End the Chaos
  2. Add Your Voice for an Improved Bay to Beach Route
  3. Cash in Your Valet Bike Parking Ticket for a Free Tube
  4. Roll by a Bike Happy Hour Thursdays in July
  5. Sunday Streets Heads to Civic Center and the Tenderloin
  6. Summer Internships and Daytime Volunteering
  7. Biking to the Airport is Getting Smoother
  8. Share Your Bike Love: Lead a Rec Ride
  9. Video: Bike Sharing in Hangzhou, China
  10. Upcoming Events

Do you bring your bike on BART?
Take this survey to let them know your thoughts --
  research.bart.gov

Tell Golden Gate Bridge District to End the Chaos

As we've let you know, the Golden Gate Bridge District has closed the bridge's western sidewalk for four months to complete seismic retrofit construction work. During this detour, all non-motorized bridge traffic -- people walking and biking -- must share the eastern sidewalk through at least September. Despite the SF Bicycle Coalition's repeated requests and suggestions, the District has implemented no special measures to mitigate this 50% reduction in space during the bridge's busiest season for people walking and biking. And as expected, it's been a chaotic mess on weekends, as the Examiner reported earlier this week.

The SF Bicycle Coalition asked for added measures to help bridge users understand what's going on and safely manage the capacity reduction (such as posting uniformed staff at key points to help sort things out), as well as asking the District to provide roadway space for bicycle traffic during the sidewalk closure, or at least bike shuttles across the bridge (already done for other bridge sidewalk closures). But the District claims that it can't be done.

Really? Impossible to mitigate the loss of half the bridge's non-motorized capacity? If the District had closed half of the bridge's roadway lanes for four months would they just shrug and look the other way? We're letting the District know that cramming all their summertime foot and bike traffic onto just one sidewalk is impossible -- it's time to bring real solutions to this serious (and long-planned) capacity reduction. Give bike traffic a temporary lane, or give it a shuttle. You can let them know as well -- tell the District what you think at ggb@sfbike.org. Take extra care if you do get out on the bridge, and please show some extra kindness to other folks dealing with this disruption -- now more than ever it's about giving and getting respect.

Add Your Voice for an Improved Bay to Beach Route

Thanks to support from countless SF Bicycle Coalition members, the Mayor, and neighbors, long-desired improvements along the popular Bay to Beach Route are moving forward. We support improvements to this Connecting the City route so that you, your neighbors, and your entire family can feel comfortable biking to work, museums, the beach and more.

There is a huge demand for improvements on this route, and you can add your support for three continuous miles of comfortable bikeway on the Bay to Beach route this year beginning with 1.5 miles of continuous, separated bikeway on JFK Drive. If you aren't familiar with the project, read this blog post about the first community meeting. Then, take the SFMTA's survey and share your vision for JFK Drive.

On the other side of the Panhandle, separated bikeways on Fell and Oak Streets will connect the Wiggle and Lower Haight to Golden Gate Park and JFK Drive. We're pleased to announce that the SFMTA has just secured funding to plan and design this important project. Email Mayor Lee and voice your support for these critical improvements to the Bay to Beach route.

Cash in Your Valet Bike Parking Ticket for a Free Tube

The SF Bicycle Coalition offers free valet bike parking at hundreds of events across the city. Have one of our awesome volunteer valets parked your bike recently? Did you notice that the handy number tag is also a coupon for a free bike tube? Grab your ticket and head to any Bay Area Specialized bike dealers like Mikes Bikes on Howard Street, High Trails Cyclery on Polk Street, and Ocean Cyclery on Ocean Avenue and redeem your free tube. Pretty cool, eh? Just one of the many perks the SF Bicycle Coalition's valet bike parking offers you.

Thanks to Specialized/Globe for being the official Valet Bike Parking 2011 sponsor. All year-round Specialized/Globe shows their commitment to help fuel the transportation bike movement in San Francisco by helping us keep your bike safe and secure at hundreds of events throughout the year.

Roll by a Bike Happy Hour Thursdays in July

Celebrate biking in San Francisco with the SF Bicycle Coalition by stopping by one of our Bike Happy Hours every Thursday in July from 5 to 7pm. The SF Bicycle Coalition will be out celebrating biking by showing gratitude to people riding their bikes with fun treats. Want to be part of the Happy Hours as a Bicycle Ambassador and put smiles on the faces of your fellow bicycle riders? This Thursday we'll be at 6th and Market Streets with happy hour goodies and air for low tires -- want to join the team?

Email Tessa if you're a trained Bicycle Ambassador and want to sign up for this Thursday (or any Thursday in July) from 5-7pm.
Thursday 7/14 -- 6th and Market Streets
Thursday 7/21 -- Panhandle
Thursday 7/28 -- Duboce Park

Sunday Streets Heads to Civic Center and the Tenderloin

Sunday Streets rolled through Golden Gate Park and along Ocean Beach for the second time in 2011 this past Sunday, and huge numbers of people came out and enjoyed miles and miles of open streets. The SF Bicycle Coalition is proud to partner with Livable City and the SF Municipal Transportation Authority for Sunday Streets by recruiting and training 100+ volunteers for every event. Thanks to the amazing volunteers who made last Sunday's event another huge success. Mark your calendar to come out and play for the next Sunday Streets as it makes this season's debut in Civic Center and the Tenderloin from 11am-4pm on Sunday, August 14.

Four ways you can help make the Civic Center and Tenderloin Sunday Streets a success:

  1. Street Teams: Have a few daytime hours July 5-9? Help hang hundreds of No Parking signs along the route to keep it clear for event day. Sign up by emailing sundaystreets@sfbike.org.
  2. Volunteer at Sunday Streets: Volunteers get a free lunch and t-shirt, as well as the pride of knowing that you helped make Sunday Streets possible for thousands of San Franciscans. Sign up now at sundaystreetssf.com/volunteer.
  3. Help the next generation learn to bike: Teach kids to pedal at the Freedom From Training Wheels Workshop at Sunday Streets. No experience necessary for this fun program. Email Grace to volunteer.
  4. Talk about our work to people at Sunday Streets: Join the SF Bicycle Coalition under the orange tent at Sunday Streets and talk to people about our work! If you are a trained Bicycle Ambassador, email Tessa.

Summer Internships and Daytime Volunteering

Event Planning and Grassroots Organizing Internship: The SF Bicycle Coalition is seeking summer interns to coordinate community events and organize volunteers for bicycle advocacy. Gain hands-on experience in a fast-paced, office with a hard-working team. See position description for Event Planning and Grassroots Organizing for more details and how to apply.

Holla for Haulers: Got strong legs? The SF Bicycle Coalition is proud to do our delivery and events by bike, and we need your help to make that happen. Email Tessa if you're interested in being one of our amazing bike trailer haulers, helping us bike supplies, bike our mail and run bike errands all over town.

Daytime office help: Do you have a few hours to spare for bike advocacy? We need people to enter memberships, 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!

Biking to the Airport is Getting Smoother

Here's a hot tip from our friends at the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition: San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is currently doing construction work on McDonnell Road, and as part of this project, travel lanes are being realigned to provide a continuous dedicated bike lane through the airport. SFO looks forward to having these lanes available for the growing number of passengers and employees traveling to SFO by bicycle. For more information about the project, as well as construction updates for bike traffic, see the SFO website.

Share Your Bike Love: Lead a Rec Ride

Do you know all there is to know about local coffee, or secret picnic spots? Lead a SF Bicycle Coalition Rec Ride and share your passion with other people on bicycles! Plan a bicycle tour of San Francisco sites -- rides are limited only by your imagination! Whatever you love, share it with other members with a Rec Ride this Fall. Email Tessa for more info.

Video: Bike Sharing in Hangzhou, China

While cities across the world continue to launch bike-sharing programs, watch this video about the world's largest bike-sharing program in the city of Hangzhou in Southeastern China. Here in San Francisco, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority continues to plan the launch of a bike-sharing program in the spring of 2012 with 500 bicycles available at 50 bike-share stations around the City. With roughly ten times the population of San Francisco, Hangzhou has 50,000 bikes for sharing at 2,050 stations! And, if you think that's impressive, they plan to triple the size of the fleet by 2020! Watch this video about their massive program.

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.

** Wednesday, July 13 **

Staff Planning: SF Bicycle Coalition Office Closed
11am-5pm | SF Bicycle Coalition HQ

The SF Bicycle Coalition staff will be in a Strategic Planning meeting from 11am-5pm. We'll be open again at 5pm for Volunteer Night, so come on by at that time or after if you plan to volunteer.

SPUR Tour: Valencia Street Parklets *
12:30 pm | Location provided upon registration

Building on the success of the Pavement to Parks program, new parklets are transforming parking spaces into public places throughout the city. Join Andres Power of the Planning Department for a tour of the newest parklets on Valencia Street and talk with the parklet hosts and designers about how these community-led projects are helping make Valencia Street a better public place. Organized by our Great Streets Project. $10; SPUR members only. Register here.

SF Bicycle Coalition Volunteer Night
5-8pm | SF Bicycle Coalition HQ, 833 Market St., Floor 10

This twice-monthly SF Bicycle Coalition tradition that depends on people like you! So stop by, snack on tasty treats, chat with fellow members, and help us keep our organization rolling. Dinner is provided. Bring a friend -- the more the merrier! Don't forget to bring your bike up to our office! Questions? Email tessa@sfbike.org or just show up.

** Thursday, July 14 **

Bike Happy Hour
5-7pm | 6th and Market Streets

Hot child in the city! Celebrate biking in the city with the SF Bicycle Coalition at Bike Happy Hours. Every Thursday in July from 5-7pm the SF Bicycle Coalition will be out celebrating biking by showing gratitude to people riding their bikes with fun treats. Want to be part of the Happy Hours as a Bicycle Ambassador and be the reason for smiles on the faces of your fellow bicycle riders? Email Tessa@sfbike.org if you're a trained Bicycle Ambassador and want to sign up to volunteer.

** Saturday, July 16 **

SF Bicycle Coalition 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, July 17 **

Urban Bicycling Workshop: Intro to Safe Biking (Day 1)
10am-2pm | Richmond District Police Station, 461 6th Ave.

This introductory course is perfect for anyone who wants to be more comfortable riding. This four-hour, in-classroom course will cover the basics on how to choose the right bike and properly fit a helmet as well as tips for the safest ways to ride in traffic. You'll also learn techniques to avoid or handle street hazards and emergency maneuvers along with the best way to lock up your bike and how to use a bike in combination with public transit, and biking rights and responsibilities. This free class, hosted by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, is open to adults and anyone over 14 years of age; preregistration is required. Sign up at sfbike.org/edu.

** Monday, July 18 **

July 2011 External Maintenance Class at Bike Kitchen *
7-9:30pm | Bike Kitchen, 650H Florida St.

Three-week (7/18, 7/25, and 8/1) maintenance class, requiring no previous knowledge. Sliding Scale fee: $45-85 members or $85-125 non-members (includes one-year membership). To learn more or to purchase tickets, please visit http://bkjul2011external.eventbrite.com.


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

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