April 3, 2012
"Mission Police Captain Robert Moser and officers have teamed up with nonprofits and bicycle stores to educate riders on how to prevent theft...By partnering with the San Francisco Bike Coalition, the Valencia Cyclery shop and the National Bike Registry, Moser hopes to raise awareness on how to prevent more bike-related crimes."
-- Francisco Perez, Police and Retailers Fight Bike Theft in Tandem, Mission Local, March 29, 2012.
Biker Bulletin News
- Big Changes on our Streets
- Bike to School Day is Next Week
- What's Next for Fell and Oak Street Bikeways
- Healthy Saturdays is Back in Golden Gate Park
- Three Rec Rides this Weekend
- Nominate a Bike Commuter of the Year for Bike to Work Day
- Celebrate Sunday Streets as a Volunteer
- Two Decades of Golden Wheel
- Another Bike Safety and Education Week Success
- Join Our Team on the 2012 Climate Ride
- Video: Copenhagen, Denmark - 'City of Cyclists' Music Video
- Upcoming Events
Join us for Sunday Streets on the Great Highway, April 15. More details at sundaystreetssf.com
Big Changes on our Streets
JKF Bikeways Underway
At long last, the final segments of the JFK Drive Separated Bikeway project are underway. After constructing additional curb ramps for wheelchair users and fixing drainage problems along JFK Drive, striping of the separated bikeway is halfway complete. This kind of bikeway often separated from motor vehicle traffic by parked cars, is the first of it's kind in San Francisco and we at the SF Bicycle Coalition are proud to see the work of City agencies and community members visible on the ground. During these first few weeks, the SFMTA will be passing out information on how to use the separated bikeway on JFK Drive, and we encourage all our members to ride, drive, or walk carefully while the changes settle in. And please take a moment to thank Mayor Ed Lee, SFMTA Director Ed Reiskin, Rec and Park Director Phil Ginsburg and Supervisor Eric Mar for their strong support. A quick letter from you will help ensure the city works on other bicycle improvements to improve your safety around the city - send your letter today!
Three More Links to the Bayview are Taking Shape
After nearly a decade of community planning, bikeways in the southeastern neighborhoods are taking shape. Cargo Way, Cesar Chavez, and Bayshore Boulevard are becoming a safer to bike on. The SF Bicycle Coalition has worked for years with City agencies, community groups, and you, our star members, to bring these improvements to the pavement. When the paint dries, go out and take a ride. Be sure to visit our project pages and share a letter with City leaders and tell them how these new bikeways make your trips to work, school, the store or waterfront parks so much better. Visit sfbike.org/link today.
Bike to School Day is Next Week
Parents, now is a great time to get your Bike to School Day "Bike Train" together. The countdown is underway for the 4th annual San Francisco Bike to School Day, April 12. We have close to 40 schools participating and with more and more families biking to school and beyond we anticipate a record year. Many families will be meeting at a set location before school, then riding together on bikes to school in a "Bike Train." It's a wonderful way to share the ride to school and increase safety. If you are a parent looking to join a "Bike Train" at your school you can go to www.sfbiketoschoolday.org, check our 2012 map, and find your school and event organizer. They can tell you when and where to join a "Bike Train" at your school.
You can be part of the inspiring fun of Bike to School Day as a volunteer. Families all over the city are biking to school, and volunteers like you will make this event a success by riding in bike trains to school, passing out Bike to School Day bags and valet bike parking bicycles. Don't delay - volunteer at your favorite school for April 12th! Not sure where you'd like to volunteer yet? Find out more at the Bike to School Day Volunteer Training Thursday night from 5:30-7:30pm at the SF Bicycle Coalition office, 833 Market St, 10th Floor.
What's Next for Fell and Oak Street Bikeways?
The SFMTA presented their final designs at a community meeting this past weekend. Stay tuned for details on final designs and next steps. Even though the community meetings are finished, our work on this critical project is still far from done.
Your support of $25, $50, $100 or $250 will help us fund our continued and necessary on-the-ground advocacy to engage community members during every step of this process, serving as bridge-builders between the City, neighbors concerned about parking, and businesses in the area. Our job as your bicycle coalition is to make sure you are pedaling on separated bikeways on Fell and Oak streets soon!
If you are in favor of drastically improved biking conditions on Fell and Oak streets, please donate today to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Your safety can't wait.
Healthy Saturdays is Back in Golden Gate Park
San Franciscans will be able to enjoy a little more recreational space in San Francisco beginning this Saturday, April 7, when six months (April through September) of Healthy Saturdays returns to Golden Gate Park. Healthy Saturdays is an abbreviated version of the full Sunday/Holiday open-streets program when JFK Drive is open to bicycling, skating, walking and anyone wanting to enjoy the park from Tea Garden Dr. (near 8th Ave.) to Transverse Dr.
The SF Bicycle Coalition spent years working with a broad coalition of groups, including community members and environmental, park, and neighborhood groups who championed an original proposal to make Saturdays just like the popular Sunday space. Learn more about the SF Bicycle Coalition's successful work on Healthy Saturdays at sfbike.org/ggp.
Three Rec Rides this Weekend
Join us for one, two or three of our incredible Rec Rides this weekend. SF Bicycle Coalition recreational rides are free for SF Bicycle Coalition members (a $5 donation from non-members is appreciated); rain cancels rides.
The Presidio-Back Through the Gates: 10am-1pm | Starts at Mountain Lake Park, near the 11th Avenue entrance
Navigate the Presidio's back roads and see the major changes to the natural and historical resources of the Presidio, including the new pavilion built to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge and the re-emerging aquatic ecosystem at El Polin Spring. This ride ends with a picnic so please bring your own beverage and food to share. Contact: Dale Danley.
Birding by Bike: Meet at 8:45am, 9am departure | Meet at Vélo Rouge Café at the NE corner of Arguello and McAllister
Join SF Bicycle Coalition members Annie and David Armstrong for the ever-popular Birding by Bike Rec Ride. David is an amateur ornithologist and SF Bicycle Coalition member who has been birding and leading trips in the city for the last 12 years. The ride goes through Golden Gate Park and around Lake Merced, looking for residents and migrating species, following mainly bike routes. Please bring water and a snack and donÂt forget binoculars! Questions? Email Annie, 415-889-0109 (day of ride only).
Route Ride: City College and SF State: 10:30am | Meet at 24th & Valencia
Just in time for Bike to School Day, ride with us to learn the quickest and safest route to these two campuses. Practice your ride and gain confidence on this popular route.
Nominate a Bike Commuter of the Year for Bike to Work Day
Is there a bicycle commuter who inspires you? Here is your chance to recognize them!
The Bike Commuter of the Year Award honors a resident from each Bay Area county who makes every day a "Bike to Work Day". Scott Crosby, San Francisco Bicycle Commuter of the Year 2011 helped found SF2G, the casual commuter group that rides from San Francisco to as far as Mountain View! (Join us for the SF2G Meet & Greet April 23).
San Francisco Bicycle Commuter of the Year 2010, John Murphy, rides the 45-mile ride to work twice a week from San Francisco to the South Bay The other three days, he uses a bike-Caltrain combo to get to work. And, if that wasn't enough, on Fridays John heads to Healdsburg, taking his bicycle on Golden Gate Transit.
Who inspires you? Nominate someone you admire by April 23 at http://www.youcanbikethere.com/bcoy.
We are gearing up for the biggest and best Bike to Work Day yet on Thursday, May 10. How will you be a part of this great day for biking? There are so many ways you can get involved and ensure this day is bigger and better than ever before:
Be your workplace's Bicycle Ambassador: The best way for you to help get your workplace ready for Bike to Work Day is with a free Employer Toolkit. The kit comes complete with an official Bike to Work Day poster, employer resources, a San Francisco Bike Map you can hang up in your break room, and more! Request a Employer Toolkit to be sent to you at sfbike.org/employertoolkit.
Tell your Bike to Work Day story: Did you start bicycle commuting on, or in anticipation of, a past Bike to Work Day? We'd like to hear from you: Share your Bike to Work Day story.
Have fun as a volunteer: Help deliver Bike to Work Day supplies as an early riser, Energize bike commuters at one of our 27 neighborhood Energizer Stations or celebrate at the Bike From Work Party, all critical volunteer shifts for a winning Bike to Work Day! Sign up for your favorite shift today.
Share the daytime volunteer love: Do you have a few weekday hours before Bike to Work Day? You can help distribute posters, run bike errands, stuff envelopes and prep materials, just to name a few. As a daytime volunteer, you'll be showered with bike love and help the SF Bicycle Coalition make Bike to Work Day smooth and successful. Email Tessa if you like to be a Bike to Work Day volunteer in the office Monday-Thursday.
Ride your bike for the SF Bicycle Coalition: As Bike to Work Day approaches, volunteers who are willing and able to run daytime errands by bike are in high demand! Email Tessa if you'd like to lend a hand as a rider and volunteer.
Celebrate Sunday Streets as a Volunteer
Sunday Streets heads to a new route in Golden Gate Park to the Great Highway Sunday, April 15. Show your Sunday Streets love by volunteering a shift! All volunteers get a Sunday Streets t-shirt, lunch, and the great feeling that you helped make Sunday Streets possible. There is a special treat for people who volunteer for five or more events. Do you want to be a part of the Sunday Streets team that helps make it happen? Sign up to volunteer now at sundaystreetssf.com/volunteer!
We are proud that the Sunday Streets Volunteer Program is managed by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Sunday Streets is sponsored by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Livable City, the nonprofit fiscal sponsor of Sunday Streets responsible for the day-to-day management of the program.
Sunday Streets Volunteer Program is hiring: The SF Bicycle Coalition is actively seeking talented and motivated Volunteer Program Interns. See sfbike.org/jobs for more info.
Two Decades of Golden Wheel
We invite you to join us in an evening of celebration of the people and projects that are leading the way in linking neighborhoods and setting the stage for San Francisco to become a world-class bicycling city. This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Golden Wheel Awards that will be taking place on Tuesday, June 5 at the beautiful Green Room in the War Memorial Building on Van Ness Ave.
This year's keynote speaker is sure to inspire. Traveling from Toronto Canada, Gil Penalosa, the Executive Director of 8-80 Cities, an international leader in creating great cities and communities through active public spaces, will be sharing his outlook on how San Francisco can foster healthier urban communities and happier residents through promoting walking and bicycling.
Purchase your ticket today. We look forward to seeing you there!
The Golden Wheel Awards is a major fundraiser for our organizational work building the partnerships that are working every day to connect our city. Currently, we are seeking corporate sponsorships for this event. If you are interested in sponsorship, let us know here.
Another Bicycle Safety and Education Week Success
Last week, the SF Bicycle Coalition, in partnership with the SFMTA, held the second Bicycle Safety and Education Week, rolling out lots of new safety materials and holding events to educate everyone on the importance of safety on our streets. We released our new "Bicycle Rights and Responsibilities" with the nine rules of the road you need to know. We hosted a lunchtime forum on choosing the right bike for everyday living, and partnered with the SFPD on a workshop on reducing bike theft. Then, over the weekend, we held another Traffic Skills 101 Urban Bicycling Workshop, for which over 80 people signed up. The education doesn't stop now -- we've got more Bicycle Education classes on the calendar throughout the year, so sign-up and learn how to ride safely, confidently, and legally in 2012.
Join Our Team on the 2012 Climate Ride
We're recruiting riders for this year's Climate Ride, September 9-13th. Be part of the camaraderie, experience the beauty of the California coast, and support the work of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition at the same time! Climate Ride is a five-day, fully-supported bicycle ride from Fortuna to San Francisco, through the Russian River Wine Country, and along the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route -- one of the most scenic coastlines in the world. A portion of the funds raised by members of Team SF Bicycle Coalition will go directly to support the advocacy work of the SF Bicycle Coalition! This "climate conference on wheels" is the largest environmental charity cycling event and also features nightly speakers who focus on bicycle advocacy, the climate crisis, and a clean energy future. Register for Team SF Bicycle Coalition!
Video: Copenhagen, Denmark - 'City of Cyclists' Music Video
As always, we're impressed with Copenhagen's citywide joy of cycling. Here's a fun video that shows all the different types of people biking in Copenhagen, and serves as a general reminder about how great it is to get around by bike. If you've been trying to get your friends to take up urban cycling, maybe this will do the trick. Either that, or bring them to Bike to Work Day on May 10, when San Francisco streets will look like the ones in this video!
Upcoming Events
Check out our online calendar of events. To add your bike event to our calendar, simply email the details to us.
** Tuesday, April 3rd **
SF Bicycle Coalition Bike to School Day Bag Stuffing Party
11:30am-1:30pm & 5:30pm-8:30pm | YBIKE Headquarters, Letterman Gym, 1152 Gorgas Ave.
Be a part of the fun behind Bike to School Day at our annual Bike to School Day Bag Stuffing Party! We will stuff 3,000 reusable canvas shopping totes full of goodies. Enjoy good company and snacks on us. Please note: this event is not at the SF Bicycle Coalition office. RSVP for either or both sessions to terin@sfbike.org
SF Bicycle Coalition Phone Bank
5pm-8pm | SF Bicycle Coalition HQ, 833 Market St., 10th Floor
Accept the challenge to chat up your fellow SF Bicycle Coalition members! Join the volunteers who keep the SF Bicycle Coalition membership strong. No cold-calling, just calls to friendly lapsed members offering an easy way to renew. Plan to stay for the thank-you dinner afterward and get to know your fellow volunteers. You must be a current or former member to volunteer. Contact juli@sfbike.org
How to Bike Anywhere Workshop
6:30-7:30pm | REI, 840 Brannan St.
Just in time for Bike to Work Day, the SF Bicycle Coalition will show you the best way to get around town quickly and safely by bike and how to fix a flat tire - the best bike maintenance skill to have.
** Thursday, April 5th **
SF Bicycle Coalition Ambassador Training
6:30-7:30pm | SF Bicycle Coalition HQ, 833 Market St., 10th Floor
Interested in volunteering on Bike to School Day this April 12, 2012 or other events like, races, festivals, and SF Bicycle Coalition Service Stations? Then this training is a must! Learn ways to engage people, how to sign up new members, and more! Contact tessa@sfbike.org to RSVP.
** Saturday, April 7th **
Healthy Saturdays Begin
6am-6pm, April through September | Golden Gate Park, Tea Garden Dr. (near 8th Ave.) to Transverse Dr.
Beginning this Saturday, Healthy Saturdays returns to Golden Gate Park for six months. Healthy Saturdays is an abbreviated version of the full Sunday/Holiday open-streets program in Golden Gate Park when JFK Drive is open to bicycling, skating, walking and anyone wanting to enjoy the park. Learn more about the SF Bicycle Coalition's successful work on Healthy Saturdays at sfbike.org/ggp.
SF Bicycle Coalition Rec Ride: The Presidio-Back Through the Gates
10am-1pm | Starts at Mountain Lake Park, near the 11th Avenue entrance
Navigate the Presidio's back roads and see the major changes to the natural and historical resources of our national park. Points of interest will include the new pavilion and overlook built to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge and the re-emerging aquatic ecosystem at El Polin Spring. Ends with a picnic so please bring your own beverage and food to share. Information: Dale Danley, dale987@gmail.com
SF Bicycle Coalition recreational rides are free for SF Bicycle Coalition members (a $5 donation from non-members is appreciated); rain cancels rides.
SF Bicycle Coalition Valet Bicycle Parking: Spring Eggstravaganza *
11am-3pm | Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park
Join SF Rec and Parks for the Alice in Recreation Land Spring Eggstravaganza, a family event with egg hunts, carnival rides, entertainment and a rib cook-off between Rec and Park, SF Police and SF Fire departments. $8 per person for an all-access pass. http://sfrecpark.org/calendar.aspx#/?i=2 Complimentary valet bicycle parking provided by the SF Bicycle Coalition.
** Sunday, April 8th **
SF Bicycle Coalition Rec Ride: Birding by Bike
Meet at 8:45am, 9am departure | Meet at Vélo Rouge Café at the NE corner of Arguello and McAllister
Join Annie and David Armstrong for the ever-popular Birding by Bike Rec Ride. David is an amateur ornithologist who has been birding and leading trips in the city for the last 12 years. The ride goes through Golden Gate Park and around Lake Merced with a few other stops in between, looking for residents and migrating species, following mainly bike routes. Please bring water and a snack and donÂÂt forget binoculars! Questions? Email Annie at aarmstrong_99@yahoo.com, 415-889-0109 (day of ride only).
SF Bicycle Coalition Rec Ride: City College & SF State
10:30am | Meet at 24th & Valencia
Want to ride your bike to City College or San Francisco State? Join us on this popular ride and learn the quickest and safest route to these two campuses. Practice your ride before Bike to School Day on April 12!
SF Bicycle Coalition recreational rides are free for SF Bicycle Coalition members (a $5 donation from non-members is appreciated); rain cancels rides.
** Wednesday, April 11th **
SF Bicycle Coalition Volunteer Night
5-8pm | SF Bicycle Coalition HQ, 833 Market St., 10th Floor
This twice-monthly SF Bicycle Coalition tradition has been happening for as long as we can remember and newcomers are always welcome. 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 up your bike to the office! Questions? Email tessa@sfbike.org or just show up.
(Events not sponsored by the SF Bicycle Coalition are marked with an *)
Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and make San Francisco great for bicycling
Become a member and join a diverse group of 12,000 people who are committed to making San Francisco an easier and safer place to ride a bicycle.
When you add your voice you'll keep bike improvements moving forward in San Francisco!
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
833 Market Street, 10th floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
Contact SF Bicycle Coalition staff
