Though she only became a member this year, Serena Gupta is already one of our most engaged members. We sat down with her recently to find out what inspired her to join, begin volunteering and get involved with Women Bike SF.
SF Bicycle Coalition: When did you start biking in San Francisco?
Serena: I started biking a year ago in San Francisco! It started with a three-mile bike ride to work and eventually progressed into multi-day trips around the Bay Area.
What’s your favorite aspect of biking in the city?
Although I enjoy many of the parks and shoreline in San Francisco, I actually most love biking around some of the more industrial areas. In those spaces, you can see giant warehouses full of hundreds of dead fish or you watch people biking with bushels of flowers! Biking gives you a unique opportunity to navigate these places that aren’t friendly to people walking, but are full of so many fun experiences.
What prompted you to become a member of the SF Bicycle Coalition?
Biking is my primary form of transportation; as such, it scares me how many people biking get injured on the road. I love how the SF Bicycle Coalition promotes Vision Zero along with many other efforts to make biking more safe. I also think it’s nice that the SF Bicycle Coalition works for safety, but also wants to continue to make biking more fun and joyful.
What is your favorite part of volunteering for the SF Bicycle Coalition?
The other SF Bicycle Coalition member-volunteers are amazing! Members come from all walks of life and it’s fun understanding why they love biking, not to mention getting rad bike advice from them.
Do you think it’s important to be a woman who bikes?
I think almost every woman — at many points in her life, but especially when she starts biking in a city — is told to “be safe”. It is, of course, important to be safe, but I think as we get more women biking, it will become more apparent that safety is important for everyone biking, not just women.
Anything else you want to add?
I love blogging new experiences, reading about new things and meeting new people. If you’d like to discuss your latest favorite book, play a board game, swap experiences in tech or just drink tea with some company, I’d love to meet you!
Want to build community like Serena and chat over coffee with other women, trans* and femme-identified folks who bike in the city? Join us at the next Women Bike SF Coffee Club!
