June 19, 2012

"I think it's shocking that right now, the police department doesn't know how many people have been killed on the streets.They really need to have the infrastructure to track this basic information."
-- Elizabeth Stampe, WalkSF, How Can SF Make Streets Safer if We Don't Know How Dangerous They Are?, SF Streetsblog, June 13, 2012.

Biker Bulletin News

BART Pilot to Lift Rush-Hour Bike Ban
Volunteer to Help BART Evaluate the Pilot
Long-awaited Changes Coming to 8th and 17th Streets
Only Three Months To Go for the CA Climate Ride
Ride in the Pride Parade with the SF Bicycle Coalition
Join the Team for Better Biking
Video: Bikes Make Life Better
Upcoming Events

Tonight! We're hosting a one-hour Intro to Safe Biking Class for Women, Trans, Femme-identified individuals. See details here.

BART Pilot to Lift Rush-Hour Bike Ban

Late last week, BART announced that it will conduct a pilot to remove the ban on bikes during rush hour commutes. This is huge news for the tens of thousands of people commuting--or wanting to commute--regionally by bike. Until now, BART has had a “bike blackout” period during morning and evening commute hours, only allowing folding bikes during these peak times.

The pilot program will be in effect all Fridays in August--for morning and evening commute. While a relatively short pilot, this is a great step toward opening up regional travel by bike and in keeping with BART's new forward-thinking Bicycle Plan.

Your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has a long history of working for and achieving better bike access on regional transit. In the 1990's, we helped eliminate the BART bike permit that required you to buy a pass to bring your bike on board. We helped win bikes on board Caltrain and we continue to push for better bike access on both BART and Caltrain. We have long advocated for eliminating the "bike blackout" period and commend BART for this pilot. If made permanent, eliminating the rush hour restrictions would be a huge step toward a truly bike-friendly BART.

The success of this pilot is contingent in large part on people with bikes being courteous and respectful to all BART riders on these pilot Fridays. Here are a few reminders to help us convince BART to make this pilot permanent (also good advice for every time you ride BART):

If the car is full wait for another train, and please do not try to wedge a bike into a crowded car.
Refrain from holding doors to get your bike inside, as this delays the train.
Be mindful of your fellow riders and make sure your bike is leaving them adequate space.
When possible use the designated "bike space" on the cars that have it.
Yield to pregnant, disabled and elderly passengers.
A complete list of bikes on BART rules are here: http://bart.gov/guide/bikes/bikeRules.aspx.

Congratulations to BART and all of our members and partners who have worked for so long to expand bike access on Bay Area transit! By being a good ambassador on BART with your bike on these August pilot Fridays you are helping to make our City and our region more accessible by bike. Now it's time to win full-time access for bikes on BART!

Volunteer to Help BART Evaluate the Pilot

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is proud to recruit volunteers to work alongside BART to monitor this pilot program and assess its effects on customer comfort, satisfaction and train operations. We will have a chance to win full access for bikes on BART by making this pilot as successful as possible. If you'd like to help with this important project by surveying riders and collecting data during morning or evening rush hours on Fridays in August, sign up to volunteer.

Long-awaited Changes Coming to 8th and 17th Streets

At long last, 17th Street between Treat and Potrero will be getting bike lanes! The SF Bicycle Coalition has been hard at work for years to get bike lanes on 17th Street, providing a much-needed bicycle connection between Mission Bay, Potrero, the Mission and the Castro.

While much of the 17th Street corridor was striped with bike lanes last year, the stretch between Potrero and Treat was held back because of some concerns about parking loss. The SF Bicycle Coalition spent countless hours going door-to-door to businesses and residents in this area and corralled the support of our members to relocate parking from this stretch and add buffered bike lanes. The changes were approved last year and were meant to go in the ground following repaving, however the repaving was delayed from the Fall 2011 until now.

Crews are out repaving 17th Street right now and once the asphalt has cured, bike lanes will be added. Visit our 17th Street page to find out more about the history of the SF Bicycle Coalition's campaign to win bike lanes on 17th Street.

In other news, the SF Bicycle Coalition will be at the SFMTA Board today speaking up for a lowered speed limit on 8th Street between Market Street and Townsend Street. You may have noticed the street has been recently repaved; expect to see a new buffered bikeway on 8th Street in the coming weeks! These changes are part of the SF Bicycle Coalition's ongoing work to bring new and upgraded bikeways to streets across the city - see our 8th Street page for more information.

Only Three Months To Go for the CA Climate Ride

Join the SF Bicycle Coalition and Blake Holiday from the Climate Ride team for a fundraising workshop and meet and greet on Monday, June 25th from 6-8pm. Pick up helpful tips and meet new and returning riders at the SF Bicycle Coalition, 833 Market Street, 10th Floor (bring up your bike). Snacks and refreshments provided. All are welcome!

The California Climate Ride is one of the most scenic bike routes in the country, from the redwoods in Eureka to San Francisco through the Russian River Wine Country and along the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route. Space is limited and filling up quickly. Join the fun and ride for Team SF Bicycle Coalition!

Ride in the Pride Parade with the SF Bicycle Coalition

Get your Pride on with SF Bicycle Coalition in our Byke Pride contingent in the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade this Sunday, June 24! The SF Bicycle Coalition's parade contingent is a fun and fabulous way for current SF Bicycle Coalition members to experience the parade firsthand. There is nothing quite like the thrill and exhilaration of riding down the center of Market Street in one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the world. You must be a current member to ride in the SF Bicycle Coalition contingent. For questions or to reserve your spot in the contingent, email pride@sfbike.org.

After the Pride Parade, enjoy the SF Bicycle Coalition's complimentary bike valet at the SF Pride Celebration in Civic Center (at McAllister and Hyde). To volunteer to valet park bicycles at Pride, email Tyler. Be a Bicycle Ambassador at the SF Pride celebration and share your enthusiasm for bicycling improvements with people parking their bikes in valet. If you are a trained Bicycle Ambassador and want to help, email Tessa.
Pride Parade | Downtown | Sun. June 24th (Meeting time & place TBA upon registration)

Pride Energizer Stations: Share your byke pride loud and proud at our special Energizer Stations in June. Invite commuters to ride in Pride as a member and hand out special Pride stickers! If you're a trained Bicycle Ambassador and want to volunteer, email Tessa to share your Pride at either of these events.
Morning Energizer Station | Market & Guerrero Streets | Thurs. June 21st 7:30-9:30am

Join the Team for Better Biking

SF Bicycle Coalition member-volunteers gave over 16,000 hours of volunteer time in 2011, the equivalent of eight full-time staff. Thank you for keeping us rolling smoothly! There are dozens of ways to give your time to make your daily ride and the rides of your friends and family safer and more fun through volunteering. Below are a few ways you can get involved. See sfbike.org/volunteer for more info and upcoming volunteer events.

Phonebank: 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. For more info or to sign up to phonebank tonight from 5-8pm, email Juli.

Intern: Be a part of a great intern team this summer or fall. You will gain valuable experience, work on campaigns like Fell and Oak Streets and Polk Street, work closely with our staff, members and volunteers, pad your portfolio, and improve San Francisco.

We are currently accepting applications for:

Daytime Data Entry: Behind the scenes, data entry volunteers keep our work rolling smoothly and uplift our spirits! Have weekday hours and fast fingers to spare to help the bike movement in this essential way? Contact Tessa if you have some daytime hours for better biking.

Video: Bikes Make Life Better

We all know that riding a bike makes our life and our city better. And this gorgeous video by the nonprofit People for Bikes brings this idea to life. In the video, people on bikes trigger projectors throughout the city, making buildings, streets, and sidewalks into canvases. The video was recognized by TED as a "2012 Ad Worth Sharing." So we thought we'd do just that.

Upcoming Events

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

Tuesday, June 19th

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.

SF Bicycle Coalition New Member Meeting
6:30-7:15pm | SF Bicycle Coalition HQ, 833 Market St, 10th Floor

Been an SF Bicycle Coalition member less than a year? New members are invited to join us to learn about SF Bicycle Coalition advocacy, education and community programs that will make SF a model cycling city, and how you can get involved. This is a great opportunity to learn more about your friendly SF bike advocacy organization. To obtain a disability-related accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, please contact Tessa Buckley at (415) 431-2453 x301. If possible, please allow at least 72 hours notice to help ensure availability. Bring your bike up with you! RSVP to Tessa or (415) 431-2453(BIKE) x301.

Intro to Safe Biking: Women, Trans, and Femme
6:30-7:30pm | Good Vibrations (1620 Polk Street)

In honor of Pride Month, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is co-hosting a Women, Trans, and Femme Intro to Cycling class with Good Vibrations. This class, led by a female instructor, is intended to create a safe and supportive space for people who identify as female, transgender or femme. This one-hour course will teach you how to ride safely and confidently sharing the street, the rules and regulations of the road, and how to integrate bicycling into your daily life -- from commuting to shopping. All ages and skill levels are welcome to attend and no bicycle is required. This course is funded in part by the SFMTA. RSVP at sfbike.org/?edu-intro

SF Bicycle Coalition Bicycle Ambassador Training
7:30-8:30pm | SF Bicycle Coalition HQ, 833 Market St, 10th Floor

Interested in volunteering for events like races, Bike to Work Day, 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 to RSVP. To obtain a disability-related accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, please contact Tessa at (415) 431-2453 x316 or by email. If possible, please allow at least 72 hours notice to help ensure availability.

Wednesday, June 20th

Housing Projects on the Waterfront Bike Tour
5pm start, 6:30 happy hour | Meet outside the front of the Ferry Building

Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition for a fun evening of biking and learning about the latest waterfront projects. This bike tour will have four stops with professionals from the Port, Perkins + Will, BUILD Inc telling us about the housing projects that are currently being developed on our City's waterfront from Pier 70 to the Ferry Building. Leah Shahum from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will be talking about the proposed new bike infrastructure along the waterfront. Please RSVP here

Road to Valor Book Event *
6pm | Commonwealth Club

Gino Bartali won the Tour de France in 1938 and 1948, and set the Tour record for the longest time span between victories. During World War II, Bartali secretly used his cycling fame to help Jews being persecuted by the Nazis by smuggling false identity documents, hidden in the frame of his bicycle, past military checkpoints and by sheltering a Jewish family in an apartment he financed with his cycling winnings. Hear the book's authors speak to Bartali's life and legacy as one of the most important athletes of the 20th century. Cost: $20 standard, $8 for SF Bicycle Coalition members with special code sfforvalor. Tickets or or 415-597-6705

Thursday, June 21st

Pride Energizer Station
7:30-9:30am | Market & Guerrero Sts

Share your Byke Pride loud and proud at this special Energizer Station. Invite bicyclists to ride in Pride as a member and hand out special Pride stickers! If you’re a trained Bicycle Ambassador and want to volunteer email Tessa to share your Pride!

Bike to Work with Supervisor Mar *
8am push off | Meet at Velo Rouge Cafe, Arguello @ Cabrillo

Talk policy points or trade political gossip with Supervisor Eric Mar on this jolly monthly tradition -- catch a rocking Richmond District bike bus and roll downtown with Eric and a merry band of D1 velocitizens. Top up your tires and get on the bike bus!

Saturday, June 23rd

Bicycle Music Festival *
12noon-10pm |

The Bicycle Music Festival is a 100% bicycle-powered moving music festival, where audience members riding bicycles-in-place produce electricity for the sound system. In between venues, musicians like Rupa and the April Fishes and Jazz Mafia perform Live On Bike from a mobile stage. BicycleMusicFestival.com

SFBC Rec Ride: San Francisco Gay Pride Freedom Ride And LGBTQ History Bike Tour
Meet 12:45pm, roll out 1pm-4pm | Meet at base of Cupid's Arrow (Embarcadero and Folsom St)

Celebrate Pride weekend with a 10-mile bicycle ride through San Francisco's LGBTQ history. Visit sites and neighborhoods of historic and cultural significance in making San Francisco "America's Gayest City". The ride begins at the embarcadero and pedals through North Beach, Polk Gulch, Civic Center, Tenderloin, SOMA, Valencia Corridor and the Castro. Come out...and celebrate the historic accomplishments and cultural contributions of the LGBTQ community to San Francisco.

Rec Rides are free for SF Bicycle Coalition Members and a $5 donation from non-members is appreciated.

Sunday, June 24th

Ride the Pride Parade with the SF Bicycle Coalition
Meeting time & place TBA upon registration (see below)

Get your Pride on with our Byke Pride contingent in the San Francisco Pride Parade! The SF Bicycle Coalition's parade contingent is a fun and fabulous way for current SF Bicycle Coalition members to experience the parade firsthand. This event is open to all current members. To register, email pride@sfbike.org.

SF Bicycle Coalition Valet Bicycle Parking: SF Pride *
11am-6:30pm | Hastings Plaza, Civic Center

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will provide complimentary valet bicycle parking in our usual spot: Hastings Plaza at Hyde and McAllister. Weave your bike through the masses, park with us, and enjoy the celebration! Email Tyler@sfbike.org to volunteer as a bike valet. If you're a trained Bicycle Ambassador & want to share your pride alongside valet, recruiting members and sharing our vision for Connecting the City email Tessa to volunteer.

SF Bicycle Coalition Valet Bike Parking: Summerthing *
11am-5pm | Hellman's Hollow, Golden Gate Park

Alice 97.3's free music festival, with complimentary valet bicycle parking provided by the SF Bicycle Coalition. Enjoy a leisurely ride to the park for this free concert. Email Tyler to volunteer as a bike valet.

Monday, June 25th

Climate Ride Fundraising Workshop and Meet & Greet
6-8pm | SF Bicycle Coalition HQ, 833 Market St, 10th Floor

Get your fundraising jumpstarted at this workshop and meet and greet for new and returning riders. Climate Ride's Blake Holiday will join us as we share tips and resources to help you break down your fundraising and reach your goal. Climate Ride is a fully supported, 300-mile charitable bike ride to support sustainable energy solutions, bike advocacy, and environmental causes, including the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Email Tracy Chinn with questions.

Urban Bicycling Workshop: Intro to Safe Biking
6:30-7:30pm | PUBLIC Bikes (123 South Park Street)

The SF Bicycle Coalition will be hosting a one-hour workshop on safe bicycling for everyone. Come learn about types of bikes, the rules of the road, and how to make your bike comfortable for everyday riding, including grocery shopping. All skill levels welcome and no bike necessary. This course is funded in part by SFMTA. RSVP at sfbike.org/?edu-intro.

Geary Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) -- community meeting *
6:30-8:30pm | Richmond Recreation Center, 251 18th Ave

Bus rapid transit (BRT) is a cost-effective way to improve bus service and make it more reliable and comfortable. Join representatives from the SF County Transportation Authority and SF Municipal Transportation Agency for an update on the Geary Corridor BRT Project at this meeting. Learn about project alternatives under evaluation, view design options being considered for key intersections, and provide your feedback to the project team. Learn more about the Geary BRT Project at the SFCTA website.

(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
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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

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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