August 7, 2012
"The Wiggle is more than a flat path. It's a community. The Wiggle says: You shouldn't be riding alone. Here — all of you — stick together."
-- Robin Sloan, The Wiggle of Least Resistance, New York Times, August 2, 2012.
Biker Bulletin News
- Love Your Lanes Celebrations in August!
- Bikes on BART Pilot Launches Smoothly
- Talk to Your SF Bike Coalition Staff - Neal Patel
- Sunday Streets Returns to Chinatown
- Win a Shiny New Ride for Tour de Fat
- Saying Farewell and Welcoming New Bicycling Advocates
- New Bike Parking Ordinance Signed into Law
- Exciting Discount Partner News
- Video - San Francisco: Reclaiming Streets With Innovative Solutions
- Upcoming Events
We've been hearing some troubling things about ticketing lately.
Read our latest blog about the topic: www.sfbike.org/main/the-truth-about-tickets.
Love Your Lanes Celebrations in August!
Let's ride and celebrate! Join fellow members and staff of the SF Bicycle Coalition on a bike ride and happy hour to celebrate the new bike lanes that have made biking across the city so much better in the last few years. On the anniversary month of the 2-year lifting of the injunction, it's time to toast our 12,000 members and dedicated staff members who have made 22 miles of new bike lanes possible. We have three rides and happy hours planned for August 2012 - come to one or come to them all!
- Love Your Lanes - Southeast: Friday, August 17, 5:30pm-8pm.
Meet in front of the SF Bicycle Coalition's HQ at 833 Market Street at 5:30pm for a group bike ride to Speakeasy Brewery (1195 Evans Street), celebration at Speakeasy from 6pm - 8pm.
- Love Your Lanes - Mission: Tuesday, August 21 5:30-7:30pm.
Mission Bowling, 3167 17th Street, bike ride will start at 7:30pm and travel around the Mission neighborhood.
- Love Your Lanes - NOPA: TBD. Please check your email for details soon.
Please RSVP for one - or all - of the rides, and visit sfbike.org/link for news on the latest bikeways in San Francisco and ways you can let San Francisco decision-makers know how much they improve your ride
Bikes on BART Pilot Launches Smoothly
It was quiet on the San Francisco side of the bay as BART kicked off the first of five Fridays to test the impacts of allowing bikes on-board at all times, including during rush hour.
A fair number of people took advantage of the pilot to bring their bikes on board during the morning and evening commute. One woman said that she usually has to rise at 6 am to beat the bike restrictions, even though she doesn't need to be at her job in the East Bay until 10 am. Lifting the bike ban would give her hours of her day back. Another man wrote to us saying, "If BART allows bikes on every day, I can leave home when I want, not tied to a bus schedule, and my commute is back down to a comfortable 30 minutes each way... In short, if BART allows bikes every day, I'll probably ride BART every day."
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, East Bay Bicycle Coalition, and BART all provided volunteers to help hand out thousands of postcards encouraging customer feedback on the pilot in stations throughout the Bay Area on Friday during peak hours. BART will be reviewing both the operational data from Friday's pilot, as well as customer comments to assess the success of the pilot. If you'd like to volunteer to help, we still have a few slots open for rest of the Fridays in August. You can sign up here.
We are paradoxically excited by how low-key the first Friday seemed to be, and continue to encourage everyone who brings their bikes on BART to follow the rules, and be extra-courteous to your fellow passengers.
It's crucial that BART hears from folks who want to make this pilot permanent. If you rode on Friday be sure to take their survey at www.bart.gov/bikes and let them know you want bikes to be allowed on board at all times, 365 days a year.
Talk to Your SF Bike Coalition Staff - Neal Patel
"Hi. I’m Neal Patel, your SF Bike Coalition's Community Planner. I work on getting great bikeways on the ground for you. This week I'm especially focused on Masonic Avenue, a street much in need of safe biking and walking space.
Please e-mail me at Neal@sfbike.org with your questions or comments about this project. Your ideas and experiences are very important to this, and every, project."
Sunday Streets Returns to Chinatown
We hope you had as much fun at Sunday Streets in the Mission as we did! Do you wish Sunday Streets was every week? Read more about our campaign for a citywide network of weekly Sunday Streets, and don't fret, Sunday Streets returns in just three short weeks, in Chinatown August 26. Although last year the Chinatown event was a "Walking Streets," this year's route is a little longer and bikes are welcome!
Be a Sunday Streets Superhero: You can help make Sunday Streets possible when you volunteer for a three-hour shift. Volunteers get a free Sunday Streets t-shirt and lunch. Sign-up now to volunteer on August 26 in Chinatown! Sunday Streets is sponsored by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Livable City. We are proud that the Sunday Streets Volunteer Program is managed by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.
Be a Bicycle Ambassador, or Get the Next Generation Rolling: Spend some time at one of the most fun spots at Sunday Streets -- the SF Bicycle Coalition tent -- and talk to happy participants about why you're a member. Bicycle Ambassador shifts at Sunday Streets are 10:30am-1:45pm or 1:15-4:30pm, so you can volunteer and still have time to play in the street! Email Tessa to sign up as a Bicycle Ambassador. Want to help little ones learn to ride at Freedom from Training Wheels at Sunday Streets? It's fun, easy and rewarding! Email Grace to volunteer or find out more about volunteering for Freedom from Training Wheels.
Win a Shiny New Ride for Tour de Fat
Tour de Fat, your favorite bicycle and beer festival returns to Golden Gate Park on Saturday, September 22, and you are not going to want to miss out on the ballyhoo. Enjoy the morning bike parade through the park and stay for the bicycling circus of sensory splendor, featuring sideshow acts, a DIY booth, performances by Los Amigos Invisibles, The Moth-True Stories Told Live -- and that's just a few of the day's adventures.
How about a new shiny ride for Tour de Fat? Win $2,250 to create the bicycle ride of your dreams! One lucky winner (it could be you!) will become the center of the show as he or she gets up on stage, hands over their car keys, and pledges to live one year car-free.
How do you enter to win? All the important details are here or head directly to the San Francisco Tour de Fat Facebook page and upload a 2-minute video entry why you should be chosen. While you're at it, RSVP to let your friends know where you'll be on September 22nd!
Saying Farewell and Welcoming New Bicycle Advocates
After four great years at the SF Bicycle Coalition as our Volunteer Coordinator extraordinaire, we will be bidding farewell to Tessa Buckley. Tessa has been an instrumental teammate who has catapulted our volunteer program to 16,000 volunteer hours a year – which is the equivalent to the work of eight full-time staffers! From Volunteer Nights to managing 300 volunteers at our city-wide events like Bike to Work Day, Tessa always managed with grace and ease. We're going to miss Tessa around the office and at events, we wish her the best in her next endeavor and are deeply grateful for her service with the organization.
Come bid adieu this Wednesday at Volunteer Night at the SF Bicycle Coalition HQ from 5-8pm.
We are excited to announce that we are hiring for three new positions to join our growing team. If you are passionate about bicycling, and have the skills for one of these positions, please send in an application to join our amazing team of hardworking staff.
Find out more about these jobs at sfbike.org/jobs.
New Bike Parking Ordinance Signed into Law
A new bike parking ordinance was signed into law recently that creates an incentive for developers of residential and commercial buildings to provide secure bicycle parking, and to provide more than the minimum bike parking required in the existing planning code. The ordinance also requires secure bicycle parking for more types of large development projects. So if you move in to a new building (whether work or home), you'll be able to enjoy much more bike parking. And even if you don't live or work in a new building, you'll enjoy having more people choosing their bike for transportation. Huge thanks to President David Chiu and Livable City for advancing this great idea.
This ordinance joins the recently passed Bicycle Access Bill, which requires the owners of commercial buildings to either provide secure bicycle parking in their buildings or to allow the commercial tenants to bring their bicycles into the building.
Exciting Discount Partner News
Gear up for the Climate Ride at Mike's Bikes SF
Bay Area Climate Riders getting ready for the 5 day, 320 mile ride from Eureka to San Francisco can gear up at Mike's Bikes. Make sure you're outfitted with all the basics, like a spare tube, patch kit, and hand pump - just in case! Flash your current membership card for a nice 15% discount.
Streets of San Francisco
Streets of SF, a boutique bike tour company, is now offering SF Bicycle Coalition members a very generous 25% discount on tours and rentals -- including members and their friends! It's the perfect way to entertain your out of town visitors or family, and a great way to explore the city by bicycle with their unique tours.
BoomBotix
BoomBotix, an SF-based company making portable speakers, is also supporting better biking in San Francisco and giving current SF Bicycle Coalition members a sweet 10% discount. They have a selection of wireless speakers, perfect for biking, skating, even surfing (they're water resistant)!
Video - San Francisco: Reclaiming Streets With Innovative Solutions
This week, some of our staff members are in Portland, Oregon, meeting with other bike advocates from cities around the country. We'll be sharing a lot of San Francisco's successes over the last few years: new, protected bikeways, parklets, Sunday Streets, a huge increase in ridership. And we'll be working with other leading advocates to figure out how to make our cities even better places to live, work, and bike. We thought we'd reshare this great Streetfilm about San Francisco's victories for better biking over the last few years. Huge thanks to you, our members, for making these successes possible!
Upcoming Events
Check out our online calendar of events. To add your bike event to our calendar, simply email the details to us.
** Tuesday, August 7th **
Bicycle Camping and Touring Meet Up *
7pm-10pm | 52 Isis St, San Francisco
Come meet folks who love to travel by bike and share your experiences and plans. Knock on the front door if you'd like the key to bring your bike to the back. http://www.meetup.com/norcal-biketouring/events/68587322/
** Wednesday, August 8th **
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. Special thanks to Rainbow Grocery for generously providing snacks for our volunteers http://www.rainbow.coop
** Saturday, August 11th **
Different Spokes Ride *
Meet at 8:30am, 9am departure | Meet at Peets Coffee, 2247 Market Street
Join Different Spokes, the SF Bay Area LGBT Cycling Club, for their monthly club ride. Choose from three options (27m/47m/57m) and all rides regroup in Tiburon for group lunch. RSVP: jersey@dssf.org
(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
