This Bike About Town column, written by SF Bicycle Coalition member Ben Russo, shares the beautiful benefits of biking to work and shares some of the cool new things that are happening thanks to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition this Bike to Work Day.
Photo by: Adam Aufdencamp
Bike to Work Day: Experience biking’s benefits
by Ben Russo
In years past, my awareness of Bike to Work Day was limited to the day it was taking place. Bicycling downtown, I would notice the increase in the number of people riding bikes and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Energizer Stations were along my route with cheerful volunteers offering coffee, tips and encouragement, and my morning mind would slowly realize what was going on.
My awareness of the event has increased over the years, but this year has special meaning for me: Next Thursday’s (May 13) Bike to Work Day will (hopefully) mark my return to biking to work after two months of not being able to ride a bicycle and having to commute via public transit. Read the rest of this entry »
Watch this Streetfilms video and get yourself prepared for a second week of Sunday Streets, this Sunday, April 18, 10am-3pm, when the event opens up Third Street on a brand new route from AT+T Park to the Bayview Playground. See the full route map here. Come on out and enjoy uniquely car-free streets and check out free yoga classes, hula hooping, and more. The SF Bicycle Coalition and Presidio YMCA have organized biking activities like urban cycling classes, youth biking and Freedom From Training Wheels. This is a great day to hop on your two-wheeler and explore the city. We hope to see you on Sunday enjoying the car-free fun, make sure to stop by our orange tent and say hello.
The SF Bicycle Coalition is proud to be organizing volunteers for Sunday Streets! Volunteers get a cool Sunday Streets t-shirt, lunch, goodies, invites to special volunteer parties (next one is after this Sunday Streets), and the great feeling that you helped make Sunday Streets possible! Be part of the Sunday Streets volunteer team by signing up today at sundaystreetssf.com/volunteer!
A group of Sunset Elementary students pedal in with Supervisor Carmen Chu. Photo by Katy Tang
Today’s second annual Bike to School Day was a huge success with children at 33 San Francisco schools pedaling to class. Supervisor Carmen Chu rode tandem with the SF Bicycle Coalition’s Jason Serafino-Agar and dozens of kids to Sunset Elementary. A special rally at the school honored Principal Lee for encouraging walking and biking and celebrated the $500,000 federal Safe Routes to School grant that is helping students to ride and walk to school more often.
“Bike to School Day is a great way to encourage families and students to get active and improve their health,” said Supervisor Chu, who represents the Sunset District. “The City of San Francisco has been working to make streets more friendly for people on foot and on bike.”
Gear up for Sunday’s activity-packed Sunday Streets along the Great Highway and through Golden Gate Park by watching this fun video produced by the Neighborhood Empowerment Network at last year’s hugely successful Mission Sunday Streets. The SF Bicycle Coalition will be out on the route with our Freedom from Training Wheel classes alongside the YMCA’s bike road-eo course (mini street course to teach rules of the road) at Lincoln and the Great Highway in the Ocean Beach parking lot. We hope to see you there — make sure to stop by our orange tent and say hello!
Join the SF Bicycle Coalition — and all park fans — on Saturday, April 3rd (noon to 2pm) for a casual picnic in Golden Gate Park’s 14th Ave E Picnic Area (just west of the Rose Garden) to kick-off another six months of Healthy Saturdays. The SF Bicycle Coalition spent years working with a broad coalition of groups to win this car-free space. Learn more about the SF Bicycle Coalition’s successful work on Healthy Saturdays here. We’ll be celebrating this family-friendly, car-free victory in the park with Freedom from Training Wheels for the kids, and for the adults-good ol’ lounging and chatting with other awesome SF Bicycle Coalition members. Bring a frisbee, a blanket, and some snacks or drinks to share at this potluck picnic. This is a very child friendly event. We hope to see you there! Rain cancels.
On April 27th, we’ll be celebrating our 18th annual Golden Wheel Awards in honor of the leaders of change who are working to create great streets and a world-class bicycling city. Please join us for this important fundraiser for our organization and enjoy great wine and beer and tasty hors d’oeuvres while mingling with fellow members and local VIPs. Ticket prices start at just $75, purchase your tickets today.
The 2010 Golden Wheel Awards will honor two leaders of change. First, Michael Helquist, SF Bicycle Coalition member and volunteer, for his leadership role in creating smooth pavement on bike routes all across San Francisco. Michael, along with other Good Roads volunteers, conducted an extensive, on-the-ground pavement audit of key biking streets and led our efforts to identify longer stretches of important biking streets, like Arguello, JFK and Market Street that were in need of large repaving fixes. Thanks to Michael’s leadership and volunteerism, our Good Roads Campaign is consistently winning smoother pavement to improve the ride for people on bikes.
The second Golden Wheel Award honors San Francisco Streetsblog for their intelligent journalism on bicycling issues. Streetsblog’s first story covered our rally to save the Market and Octavia bike lane in January 2009, and ever since they have been leading the conversation and helping more people understand the connection between bicycling, great streets and a livable city.
Come meet these Golden Wheel Award winners and join us at this important fundraiser. Buy your tickets today and support the SF Bicycle Coalition’s non-profit work creating a more livable and bikeable San Francisco. If you are unable to attend, please consider making a special one-time donation today.
On April 15, 2010, San Francisco’s second annual Bike to School Day will help schools across the city celebrate cycling as a healthy way to get to school, and we need your help! Last year, more than 500 students at 25 Schools pedaled to school, and we’re expecting an even bigger event this year. The SF Bicycle Coalition is looking for dedicated volunteer parents to: work with teachers and staff to promote Bike to School Day in their child’s school and ride with students in ‘Bike Trains;’ coordinate temporary on-campus bike parking; give out prizes and goodies to biking students; take photos and more. If you can help out, send an email to Jason. Find out more about Bike to School Day at: sfbiketoschoolday.org.
Want to feel more confident in leading or having your child participate in a “Bike Train” from home to school and back? The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is hosting 2.5 hour training sessions in preparation for Bike to School Day on Sat., Apr. 3 and Sun., Apr. 11. For more information and to pre-register for the trainings, visit sfbiketoschoolday.org.
The proposal for San Francisco’s first green bike lane on Fell Street is quickly rolling forward. This project is a bold solution to the dangerous conditions next to the Arco Station (at Divisadero), where cars illegally block the bike lane, and needs support from people who ride this block often. If you can attend the hearing this Friday (April 2nd, 10am-12noon, City Hall Room 416) to speak up for the safety of bicyclists, email marc at sfbike.org to let him know.
The SF Bicycle Coalition has been pushing the SFMTA for years to fix the dangerous conditions at the Arco Station where motorists illegally block the bike lane at Fell Street. The SFMTA’s bold proposal will improve safety for people on bikes, and we need you to make sure the voice of bicyclists is heard at this important hearing where the proposal for the new colored pavement and potential removal of seven on-street parking spots will be discussed. We are expecting a few neighbors to oppose this parking removal; this is why it is so important to have SF Bicycle Coalition members and supporters there to speak up to show that the project’s safety improvements are essential for people on bikes. If you can add your voice to help improve safety along Fell Street on Friday morning, RSVP to Marc now!
