Sky Stanfield, Environmental and Renewable Energy Lawyer for Keyes & Fox, LLP.

How will the North Point Bike Lanes improve your commute?
A couple of days a week I ride from my apartment in NOPA, over to the Presidio, down to Crissy Field and through Ft. Mason to the Dolphin Club.  After a frosty swim in the Bay I hop on my bike again and ride to the Embarcadero BART station to get to my office in Oakland.  The North Point bike lane gives me enough room  as I ride in my own lane alongside morning car commuters — this new bike lane is a major improvement and connection for my morning commute!  Prior to the installation of the bike lane on North Point I was biking on Beach St. to the Embarcadero because North Point was so hectic, but Beach St. is not that inviting and involves precarious crossings of three different sets of street-car tracks, close calls with buses and a bumpy ride along a cobbled street.  The North Point bike lane has made a meaningful difference in my commute.

What’s your favorite thing about getting around San Francisco on a bike?
The feeling of community that comes when I reach a stop light on Market Street with a horde of people who are also biking during an evening or morning commute.  I find I interact more with my fellow city dwellers on this commute than I would in a car or on MUNI.

What’s your favorite destination to bike to in San Francisco?
My early-morning rides to the Dolphin Club of course!  I love the way the eucalyptus trees smell with the morning dew on them, the number of birds that are out along the water at Crissy Field, and the joy of reaching the crest at Fort Mason, looking out to Alcatraz and checking to see whether my swim is going to be a smooth or choppy one!

The first of two ribbon cutting ceremonies with (from left to right) Bond Yee (SFMTA); Renée Rivera (SF Bicycle Coalition and Judson True (Supervisor David Chiu's office), Johanna Partin (Mayor Newsom's Office)

The North Point bike lanes are the city’s first mile of completed bike lane of more than 30 miles that will be added to city streets. This bike lane, from Van Ness to the Embarcadero, is a key connection for people bicycling to and from the Embarcadero and the Golden Gate Bridge. This bike lane is part of a new wave of bicycling improvements that make streets safer and friendlier and propel San Francisco to become one of America’s most bicycle-friendly cities.

It was a true group effort to cut the ribbon on North Point.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is thrilled to see the City’s dedication in getting North Point bike lane striped so quickly and are urging the city to keep up this pace of improving streets for so many people. This is the first time in San Francisco’s history that this many bike lane projects are approved and funded and we are urging the City to commit to striping 15 of these projects by December.

Businesses along North Point are also welcoming the positive impacts of these safety improvements and more people bicycling. “The new North Point bike lane travels right in front of our store and will help attract more bicycling customers. This new bike lane will hopefully encourage more people to ride their bikes to work or home, which is better for the environment,” says Jenny Paulus, Assistant Manager of the Patagonia store on North Point and Hyde streets.

The victory and celebration ride along the full mile of bike lane.

Bicycle ridership has surged by more than 53% in the last few years and surveys show that one in two San Franciscans would ride if streets had bike lanes and were more inviting for bicycling. Official City counts show bicycling activity increases, on average, by 50% after a bike lane is added, including these noteworthy increases where bike lanes have been added in the past: Howard St. (300% increase); Valencia St. (144%); Arguello (67%).

We are eager to celebrate even more bike lanes that will be added to streets all across the city creating connections and making San Francisco an easier and safer to place to live, shop, and do business!

Celebrate these new bike lanes on North Point.

Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition to celebrate the completion of the first mile of bike lane on North Point Street this Tuesday, August 31st.  Over 30 miles of bike lanes are approved and funded and will soon on streets all across San Francisco creating safer connections for people biking.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will ensure the City dedicates the resources necessary towards getting 15 Bike Plan projects on the ground before the end of the year.  After three years of no new bike lanes in San Francisco, San Francisco has some serious catching up to do to make streets safer for everyone biking.  Click here for more updates on other bike lane projects happening soon!

We will meet at 5:30pm at Pier 7 (on the Embarcadero, near Broadway) for a bike ride to North Point St. where a ribbon cutting ceremony will commemorate the first completed mile of over 30 miles of new bike lanes coming our way.

The new North Point bike lanes have created a safer and more comfortable connection to and from the Embarcadero.

Mission Community Market, closed-off at Bartlett Street. Photo by Colleen McHugh for SPUR.

Forget what your mama told you. The streets can be a perfectly safe place to play if you get the right permit.

“Play Streets” are not some far-fetched fantasy of a children’s book in which cars turn to bouncy castles and parking spaces become four-square courts. In fact, Play Streets are the very real and repeatable result of an actual movement to make urban environments more livable, safe and fun for kids. Neighbors, parents, individuals, and even schools in San Francisco have the ability to transform neighborhood streets into playgrounds. And it doesn’t require a child’s imagination to do so.

Akin to a mini Sunday Streets, Play Streets is the temporary opening of residential blocks for use by people, and a means of giving kids somewhere to get plentiful outdoor time in neighborhoods that otherwise have a shortage of safe or available parks and fresh air play spaces. “It’s much like a block party,” Kit Hodge, Director of the San Francisco Great Streets Project, a program that partners with the Bike Coalition, SPUR, and other groups advocating for livable urban spaces, explains. Except this block party has more than potato salad.

Late last September in the North of Panhandle (NOPA) neighborhood, Michael Helquist, former president of the NOPA Neighborhood Association and author of the blog Bike Nopa, spearheaded a well-attended Play Streets party that drew about 200 people. “Bike the Block”, as it was called, took over one block of Grove Street without occupying any intersections, creating a safe space for cyclists of all ages to convene. The shindig featured a bike repair station, the YMCA bike rodeo, a “freedom from training wheels” workshop, bike tricks, bike trailers, a bike decorating competition, and even a bike blessing by a local pastor.

With the help of twenty-five volunteers, committed neighbors, and a couple of sponsors, Michael was able to create a space where kids could safely bike in a car-free street, building up people’s confidence about cycling in his neighborhood through their exposure to the biking activities and resources he’d lined up.

People from around the city wrote him and asked how to do it, so Michael teamed up with the Great Streets Project to write a block party how-to. Great Streets is intent on making it easy for anyone to put together a block party, and the SF Block Party Guide can be downloaded from the website to get a primer on the permitting process, as well as some programming suggestions. Other urban groups are doing block parties and street closures too: non-profit SPUR has started a tradition of closing off Annie Alley, the street next to their new building on Mission Street once a year for their Member Party. And Mission Community Market is closing Bartlett Street once a week on Thursdays for hanging out in the Mission and a great new farmer’s market.

2010 SPUR Member Party in Annie Alley. Photo by Laurie Halsey Brown www.helloworldsf.com

The concept isn’t new to a couple of Bay Area schools, St. Vincent de Paul on Green Street and St. Finn Barr Catholic School in the Sunnyside neighborhood, which put out sawhorses daily and use the roadway as a recess area. Fr. John Ring of St. Vincent de Paul Parish explained that the school owes its tradition to a resolution of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, passed more than 80 years ago (in 1927), which granted that the street could be blocked off to protect children from the dangers of vehicle traffic. St. Vincent de Paul School has worked cooperatively with its neighbors; any time someone needs to exit via that block of street, a whistle is blown and the students move out of the way. “That’s what we rejoice in,” said Fr. Ring. “We’re very indebted to our Board of Supervisors for that.”

Play Streets has been an enduring hit in other parts of the country as well.  Since 1914, Summer Play Streets in New York City has been organized by the Police Athletic League to give kids a safe, supervised place to play, and to foster positive relationships between NYPD and the community. There’s an educational element aimed at preventing risk-taking behaviors amongst urban youth, teaching arts and culture, recreation and fitness, and improving familiarity with community resources.

Chicago also has a version of Play Streets, called “BBall on the Block and Block Arte”, organized by residents in collaboration with schools and the Chicago Police. Every week they throw teams of youngsters together to play basketball games in the street while the artsy kids work on panels that eventually get applied to a large mural.

San Francisco loves its Sunday Streets, but it’s not so easy to bring the big event to every neighborhood all of the time. And while Play Streets is perhaps a concept that has yet to fully take off here, it can only be that people haven’t yet realized that organizing a neighborhood block party is a totally doable DIY version of the Bike Coalition’s wildly popular multi-block parties. To organize a Play Street event is to see your block transform from a channel for cars into a basketball court, a soccer field, an art canvass, or a playground.

Check out the Great Streets guide and do it for the kids!

We are on the brink of something huge in San Francisco – a bike lane explosion. The City has been given the Green Light to complete 34 miles of new bike lanes! And, the SF Bicycle Coalition is swinging into action, pressing the City to complete over 13 miles by the end of the year.

Moving our City to act this quickly won’t be easy. And, we need your help to make it happen.

Two San Francisco Bicycle Coalition members have donated a total of $10,000 to fuel our daily work in pushing the City to stay on track with bike lane implementation. These two members challenge you to rise to the Green Light Challenge and match their generous support.

Any special contribution ($25, $50, $100, $1,000) made to the SF Bicycle Coalition (or SFBC Education Fund) by Friday, September 3rd will be matched $1 to $1 up to $10,000 for a total $20,000 financial boost! Take the Green Light Challenge today.

This means if you make a special contribution of $50, your gift will be worth $100 towards doubling the number of bike lanes. Will you help us do this? There’s a lot riding on us to get 13 miles of bike lanes on the ground before the year is up.

What is safe, dedicated, bike space worth to you? Is it a dollar a day? $10 dollars a month? $50 dollars right now?

No matter what you are able to give, your gift will be doubled $1 for $1 for the next two weeks only.

The SF Bicycle Coalition has a lot of work to do to move the City to act quickly before the wet weather hits and slows down their progress. Fuel us now so we can be at our best – holding the City’s feet to the fire to create a city that prioritizes bike space for you, your friends and neighbors.

Take the Green Light Challenge and your gift will help make San Francisco a better place for you and thousands of other people you might never meet. They might not say, “thank you,” but we sure will.

Double your impact by making a donation today.

City crews were striping the Townsend Street Bike Lane last week.

An Editorial in today’s San Francisco Chronicle reiterates what the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is feeling — now that the Bike Plan injunction is lifted, improvements to streets can’t happen quickly enough. With the record numbers of people bicycling (seven in 10 San Franciscans rode a bike last year) these long-awaited improvements are certain to help everyone feel more confident, comfortable and safe when they bike to shop, to work and to play. See a list of approved projects here.

The original editorial is here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/17/ED0D1EUOF9.DTL#ixzz0wzElVuIa

and also copied here:

Accident proves need for expanded bike lanes

San Francisco’s long-delayed plans for a citywide network of bicycle lanes received a sad endorsement over the weekend. A 21-year-old bike rider was struck and killed by an allegedly drunken driver in a hit-and-run. The accident spot was due for pavement striping to separate bicycles from vehicles.

After a four-year legal fight with a tiny group of opponents, the city is finally beginning the job of marking streets for safe riding and driving. Masonic Avenue, where the Friday night accident occurred, was one such street.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is under way, making it hard to say what happened. But a clearly marked bike lane wasn’t in existence to separate busy north-south car traffic on the four-lane boulevard.

City Hall plans street painting and other guidelines to add 31 miles of lanes to the 48 miles of bike routes already completed. Bike riding, popular and healthy, is overdue for the protection and public awareness that such a network provides. The important safety work can’t come soon enough.

As the pavement work proceeds, there will be a break-in period for both riders and drivers as they learn to co-exist on the wider set of routes. That means vehicles sharing the road and bike riders obeying traffic laws in a traffic-thick city. A system of bike lanes should help set safe boundaries and prevent accidents.

If you think it’s too early to start making your holiday gift list, you’re not thinking like a crafter. Do-it-yourselfers from across the country and beyond are already making plans to attend San Francisco’s next Renegade Craft Fair in December.

I had the occasion to meet with some of the bike-inspired booth-holders at the recent RCF at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Festival Pavilion. Their one-of-a kind goods were as rare and exciting as the few hours of sun we were graced with that afternoon. As I perused the aisles, I took it upon myself to begin my own wish list.

Not one, not two, but four of my favorite vendors peddled bags. And the beauty, besides the obvious contained in the designs, was their diversity. Each bag, though derived from a love of bikes, has a unique concept, fabrication and aesthetic. It is for this very reason that even some men I know have more bags than I do.

Hambone’s Top Tube VeloPocket will be celebrating its 2-year anniversary this holiday season. Originally created as a Christmas gift among siblings, the VeloPocket, and its companion, the Balzac, have evolved into a year-round business for Lisa Marie Grillos and her brothers. Hernan, who made the first bag for Alex, continues to produce the leather versions in Santa Monica, while Lisa, who prefers working with prints, keeps the (sewing machine) pedal to the floor in San Francisco. Most recently, Lisa and stylist/designer Gwen Lutz are collaborating on a new venture, which they hope to reveal at the holiday RCF.

When life gives you a flat tire, take that old tube and weave it into a bag! Or if you don’t have the time, buy one from Tia Meilinger. The first Vaya bag was a canvas messenger. Six years later, Tia and her husband John are making a full line of upcycled canvas and inner tube bags and wallets. Custom designs from a seemingly endless variety of colors are available on their web site, or in their new Queens store. Place your orders now; once Tia’s messenger bag is featured in the new Joseph Gordon-Levitt film, Premium Rush (2011), this Mom & Pop is gonna go off.

When riding through Golden Gate Park donning a satchel by Wooly Bison, feel secure knowing that its recycled fabric will not rile up the buffalo. Should one of them gaze up from its grazing, simply whip out your iPhone and show them* Ingrid’s Etsy page, where you can not only choose from a variety of one-of-a-kind wool bags and accessories, but in some cases see photos of the skirt, pants, or coat they got their skins from. With its home base in Seattle, there is no shortage of warm fabrics to inspire the next batch of goodies from Wooly Bison. Each piece is so darling and incredibly well made, that the only challenge is choosing one. (*Seriously, do NOT approach the buffalo.)

Jamie Lau rode across Portland with 19 yards of a rare bicycle print fabric stowed securely in her bag. One would never guess by looking at her collection of whimsical fabric treats at the determination and diligence that goes into their creation. But upon closer inspection of an at once simple tote bag, you’ll find that it’s reversible; and that once reversed, even the lining of the pockets match the bag’s new exterior. That’s the beauty of Jamie’s style. While her items are all functional in their own way, there’s nothing like the joy they bring to everyday life.Cassette clocks from 1.by.liz remind you that it’s always a good time for a bike ride (left). Tell someone “I bike you” with one of Adrienne Vita’s note cards (right). Photo by Anna Lebedeff

Liz Dickey and her husband moved to Oakland from Portland about a year ago, bringing with them their 1.by.liz magnets and clocks made from upcycled bike cassettes and reclaimed fabrics. Cassette ornaments will be available as early as October. Check out Liz’s Etsy page, or if you live in the Bay Area, look for 1.by.liz at these shops.

Visiting from Portland, Adrienne Vita brought her imaginative artwork in the form of prints, magnets and pillows. Though her subject matter spans from cityscapes to nature, my eye made a beeline for her bike illustrations. Adrienne’s use of watercolors and markers conveys her childhood inspiration to draw, as well as her love of the outdoors.

A couple of Bay Area knitters (who know we’ve been freezing our saddles off lately) represented with their needle know-how. I tried on some precious button gloves from k.m. knits, and drooled over Phydeaux Designs’ petal-soft hand-dyed knits. Darn it if these ladies didn’t inspire me to pick up a set of needles and make some arm warmers!

So I hope you’ve been taking notes in your fabric-covered notebooks, and will find a way to fit all these gifts into a hand-knit stocking come December. In the meantime, visit these and other crafters on their Etsy pages, or wherever they sell their wonderful products, and help support their year-round wish of making a living, making things by hand.

By Suzanne Ash

A "Bike Fence" Stands tall at Recology SF's Sculpture Garden.

For 20 years now, artists have been coming to the City Dump to interrupt the flow of waste sent to landfills, diverting trash to create treasures. Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Recology SF at Intersection 5M (925 Mission St.) on August 21st for a recreational bike ride and recycling and sustainability journey. Before you see the treasures that have become of the trash, the ride will uncover the progression of San Francisco’s waste — from home to heap.

Focusing on the City’s efforts to produce zero waste by 2020, this bike ride will address the effects of Recology’s three-cart system on sustainability. The tour will stop at the Dump to explore the art studio and meet the current artists-in-residence, visit the Hazardous Waste Facility, and will end with a walk through the Sculpture Garden that is filled with 30 creations produced by former artists in residence.

This recreational ride is free for San Francisco Bicycle Coalition or Intersection for the Arts members; however, a $5-10 donation from non-members is appreciated. Because the ride is limited to 25 people, you must RSVP Rebeka at rebeka@theintersection.org. Rain cancels rides

Meet at 925 Mission St. at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, August 21st. Rain cancels rides.

Mayor Newsom and MTA Board Chairman Tom Nolan help stripe the first bike lane on Townsend Street

San Francisco is poised to stripe a record 35 bike lanes on key streets such as Townsend St., North Point St., Laguna Honda, 17th St., Portola Dr., and Ocean Ave. and once again make streets safer for everyone.

“We are celebrating San Francisco’s freedom to once again make streets safer for everyone,” says Renée Rivera, Acting Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, an 11,000-member nonprofit that promotes the bicycle for everyday transportation. “This is the first time in San Francisco’s history that this many bike lane projects are approved and ready to be striped and we’re so pleased that the city is acting so quickly to get these new improvements on the ground to help growing numbers of people feel more confident, comfortable and safe when they bike to shop, to work and to play.”

Despite the four-year absence in significant street improvements, bicycle ridership has surged by more than 53% and the corresponding demand for improvements is impacting every neighborhood in San Francisco.

Surveys show that one in two San Franciscans would ride if streets had bike lanes and were more inviting for bicycling. Official City counts show bicycling activity increases, on average, by 50% after a bike lane is added, including the following noteworthy increases where bike lanes have been added in the past: Howard St. (300% increase); Valencia St. (144%); Arguello (67%).

“San Francisco is seeing firsthand how improvements like the green, fully separated bike lanes on Market Street are increasing everyone’s safety and comfort and attracting more people biking,” says Rivera of the innovative improvements to Market Street that were allowed under the Court’s November partial lifting of the Bike Plan injunction. “We are eager for these types of innovations to be added to streets all across San Francisco to create connections and make our city an easier and safer to place to live, shop, and do business.”

For more information on the approved bike lane projects, see sfbike.org/56

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) —San Francisco will be nearly doubling the miles of bike lanes on City streets with today’s San Francisco Superior Court’s full lifting of a four-year-old Bike Plan Injunction. San Francisco is poised to stripe a record 35 bike lanes on key streets such as Townsend St., North Point St., 17th St., Portola Dr., and Ocean Ave. and once again make all streets safer for everyone. Today’s ruling coupled with the City’s commitment to safer, friendlier streets will propel San Francisco into becoming one of America’s most bicycle-friendly cities.

“We are celebrating San Francisco’s freedom to once again make streets safer for everyone and look forward to real improvements on streets in a matter of days,” says Renée Rivera, Acting Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, an 11,000-member nonprofit that promotes the bicycle for everyday transportation. “This is the first time in San Francisco’s history that this many bike lane projects are approved and ready to be striped. These long-awaited improvements will help growing numbers of people feel more confident, comfortable and safe when they bike to shop, to work and to play.”

Despite the four-year absence in significant street improvements, bicycle ridership has surged by more than 53% and the corresponding demand for improvements is impacting every neighborhood in San Francisco.

“This is a great day for San Francisco. Making streets safer and increasing the number of people biking in our city will bring a range of environmental and health benefits that everyone in San Francisco can be proud of,” says Mayor Gavin Newsom. “In the coming weeks and months City workers will be out striping bike lanes and adding innovations on streets all across San Francisco with the goal of creating a truly world-class bicycling city.”

Surveys show that more than one-third of San Franciscans would ride if streets had bike lanes and were more inviting for bicycling. Official City counts show bicycling activity increases, on average, by 50% after a bike lane is added, including the following noteworthy increases where bike lanes have been added in the past: Howard St. (300% increase); Valencia St. (144%); Arguello (67%).

“San Francisco is seeing firsthand how improvements like the green, fully separated bike lanes on Market Street are increasing everyone’s safety and comfort and attracting more people biking,” says Rivera of the innovation that was granted by the Court’s November partial lifting of the Bike Plan injunction. “We are eager for these types of innovations to be added to streets all across San Francisco to create connections and make our city an easier and safer to place to live, shop, and do business.”

The Bike Plan Injunction was imposed in June 2006 and stemmed from a lawsuit contesting the environmental review and May 2005 adoption of San Francisco Bike Plan that had unanimous approval of the Board of Supervisors and Mayor Gavin Newsom. The Superior Court forbid the City to implement any Bike Plan projects until it completed a full Environmental Impact Report and re-adopted the Bike Plan. In November 2009, the City received partial relief from the injunction and quickly implemented projects such as new bike lanes, on-street bike parking corrals, “sharrows” (shared-lane arrows) and the fully separated and green bike lanes on Market Street.