New City, New Biking Adventures

This article first appeared in the Fall 2015 edition of our quarterly magazine, the Tube Times, Issue 153.


Bobby Lu is a bundle of contagious energy. I asked Bobby for just one thing that he would change about San Francisco’s streets, and he could not help himself.

“I’d like to see the Bike Yield Law adopted here in the city; I’d like to see more street improvement projects approved just like the recent Second Street Improvement Project; I’d like to see more bike racks on sidewalks, more bike parking space on Caltrain,” Bobby told me, before rattling off a slew of other great ideas related to bike theft, kids biking, the Bay Bridge and a network of protected bike lanes criss-crossing our city.

It is tireless, determined members like Bobby that enable us to push for better streets and hold city officials accountable.

Bobby’s laundry list of demands for a better, more liveable city comes from knowing what it takes to achieve those goals, based on his background in urban planning. Bobby worked with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia before moving to the Bay Area. After landing in San Francisco, Bobby bought a new bike and joined your SF Bicycle Coalition before taking his first safety education class.

“I took the Intro to Urban Bicycling workshop offered by the SF Bicycle Coalition in the Castro,” Bobby told us. “Although I am not new to urban biking, I wanted to know whether there was anything unique about biking in San Francisco that I should pay attention to.

“I don’t want to confuse other people with whom I share the road just because I am new to the city,” Bobby said.

Despite being an experienced urban bike rider, Bobby still took away tips from the class: Always follow the rules. Oh, and parking your bike overnight at a BART station is not exactly recommended.

Now a trained Bicycle Ambassador, Bobby looks forward to taking one of our family biking workshops. “Although I am not at that stage right now, understanding the basics, and knowing how families can bike safely would help me encourage families to bike in the city when I am out there talking with people.”

Bobby concluded, “I believe that a street that is not safe for a kid is not a safe street, and if more families are biking in the city, creating a voice, the city will have to make streets more family-friendly.”

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