You know that beige color (it’s not paint but I don’t know what it is, actually) that was just put down on Market Street? Well, it’s coming off fast.
From this…
…to this:
Sic transit gloria Market
Posts Tagged ‘bicycle coalition’
The Great Unbeigeing – Market Street’s Traffic-Slowing Safety Paint is Peeling Off Already
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010San Francisco’s Scott Street Goes Green – Is This California’s First Green Bike Box?
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009Here’s the scene on freshly-paved Scott Street this afternoon. The greening of the “bike box” red light waiting area on Scott Street near Oak at the terminus of the famous Wiggle Bike Route has begun. At long last, it has begun.
For now, anyway. The partial lifting of the Bicycle Plan injunction isn’t a 100% thing, but the City is moving ahead anyway.
Supervisors Bevan Dufty and Ross Mirkarimi, MTA chief Nat Ford, and Mayor Gavin Newsom all got in on the fun. Click to expand:
As Our Mayor’s extended paint roller got closer to the throng of reporters Supervisor Dufty was all, ”Watch out media, Gavin’s coming your way!” And here’s the reaction – a that’s-right-laugh-it-up-funnyboy smirk and then a quick departure:
Gavin’s ill humor wasn’t helped later on when Emmy Award-winning CBS5 political editor Hank Plante started asking about Geo Fanelli wanting his recent $500 donation back. Akit’s suggestion about suing in small claims court is interesting, non? I mean, you can’t give everybody their money back, right? (After your campaign buys a copy of PhotoShop, you don’t get much change back from a $500 banknote.) However, Geo has a pretty sympathetic case to make. Mmmm.
Anyway, in all the excitement, Bevan started painted bike helmets green, making mementos to allow us to remember this Special Day. (Bro was on today with all his Ammiano-like bons mots.)
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition leader Leah Shahum and Nat Ford were all smiles today:
Supervisor Mirkarimi looked dashing on his Trek Ride+ electric-assist bike. It’s just like Board President David Chiu’s. Said one wag, “Ross, you have the right equipment.” The loud reply, from someone famous: “That’s what she said!”
All in all, it was quite a celebration.
But this isn’t all for today. San Francisco’s first protected bike lane is now on Market Street, as of this AM.
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Celebrates New Bike Lanes – A Panhandle Victory Lap
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009Well, we’re still waiting for the green paint to go down, but we got plenty of white paint on San Francisco city streets yesterday. It all has to do with the partial lifting of the Bicycle Plan injunction.
Anyway, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (ask them about Winterfest on December 6th) had an after-party near Duboce Park last night, and when they finished up, some of them decided to test out the new bike lanes in a racous after-hours ride.
As here, on Scott Street. See the new Wiggle Bike Route icon? That’s fresh paint. Click to expand:
Here’s Leah Shahum and Andy Thornley in the vanguard:
And here’s the caboose – a seven-person bike piloted by Director Dan Nguyen-Tan
On Scott crossing Oak:
And onto the dark Panhandle Bike Path for a Victory Lap around the park:
Mayor Gavin “Photo Op” Newsom Postpones the Greening of Scott Street
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009Read here to see the way it was supposed to be this AM at the Scott Street part of The Wiggle bike path. See? We were all set for green paint on our streets. (And it’s about time, after all that beige.)
But Our Mayor couldn’t make it, so the Greening of Scott Street will get pushed back a bit, a few days, anyway. But you’ll know when the greening occurs – you’ll see a photo somewhere of Gavin physically painting the “bike box” green or mixing blue and yellow paint together, something like that.
The scene this morning in the East of Panhandle Area (EaPA). All dressed up, but nowhere to green. Click to expand:
Oh well.
And the members of the MSM who showed up to see one of the first manifestations of the partial lifting of the bicycle plan injunction? Well they wasted their time, as at least a few of them appeared to be unaware of the details of the postponement.
The Alamo Square Neighborhood Association and Bike NOPA were there, anyway.
Oh well.
WinterFest 2009: The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s Annual Party Comes December 6th
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009On December 6th, 2009 you might find yourself riding to WinterFest 09 at the SOMArts Gallery on 934 Brannan near 8th Street in the SoMA. Just follow the path laid out on our newly beiged (fawned? fawndled?) streets.
Don’t call it FallFest, nor AutumnFest neither. It’s WinterFest! See you there.
Don’t forget to bring your buddy on your new $1500 Buddy Bike backwards tandem. (Mom, don’t be such a backseat driver all the time!)
All the deets:
“Don’t miss the hottest bike party of the year the 14th Annual Winterfest Member Party, Auction, Art Show and Fundraiser. 
WHEN: Sunday, December 6th from 6-10:30pm.
WHERE: SOMArts Gallery, 934 Brannan St. at 8th St.
Free Valet Bike Parking provided of course.
Download the Winterfest Poster (PDF).
Over 1,000 SF bicycling advocates of all stripes — SFBC members, bike industry, local businesses, local artists and politicians coming together for a festive evening to celebrate the growth of San Francisco bicycling. An occasion to raise a glass to the SFBC & our members for being 10,000 current-members strong!
To top it off, the event includes New Belgium beer, DJs Laron & ShOOey spinning all night, the photo booth, food vendors ($) and over 1,000 bike-friendly party-folk.
Bid and buy
Winterfest features a fabulous 60 piece bike focused local art auction, plus an unrivaled silent & live auction complete with the hottest bikes, gear and oodles of gift certificates from your favorite restaurants and cultural institutions.
If crafts are more your speed, Winterfest has a robust craft table. Or you could try your luck and enter the raffle for your chance to win a beautiful one-of-a-kind bike quilt. To top it off, the event includes New Belgium beer, music, photo booth, food vendors ($) and over 1,000 bike-friendly party-folk.
Volunteers needed
We are seeking over 200 volunteers to help make Winterfest run smoothly. There’s something for everyone. Sign up today to get the shift and task of your dreams!
Pricing
$15 suggested min. admission for SFBC Members.
$40 for people joining at the door (Includes SFBC membership + admission)
Admission includes:
Complimentary New Belgium beer, DJ’s, valet bike parking and a photo booth along with a great feeling knowing you’re supporting SF’s most effective bicycle advocacy organization
Flash your SFBC membership card for quick entry into the party. Missing your card? Request one here
All proceeds from our fundraiser go directly toward improving biking conditions in San Francisco so all cyclists have a comfortable, safe and dignified ride about town.
Thank Yous
This event is only possible through the generous support of hundreds of sponsorsand through the help of Girl Friday Events and Winterfest Interns: Eliza Barrios (ebx design & tech solutions) Emma Kemp & Kim Quinones.
San Francisco’s Market Street is Going Beige This Afternoon
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009This is the scene near Union Square, inbound, right down the street from the latest the latest MUNI bus vs. cyclist collision.
(Dude got scuffed up by an articulated 38 Geary (or whatever – it’s line number had been switched off) but he looked O.K. when they were putting him the ambulance.)
Anyway, here it is:
Click to expand.
Beige? Really? Wasn’t it supposed to be painted green?
(Beige. I think I’ll paint the ceiling beige, after seeing this glorious color up close.)
But, anything for safety’s sake. Hurray!
UPDATE: Turns out, per Bluoz, that this stuff is called “Ride Away/Greenway” or something. It’s from DaVinci Pavement and Design.
And here’s San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Program Director Andy Thornley chirping up to bring it all home:
“It’s actually “fawn” — I brake for Bambi — though others have characterized it as “cafe au lait” or “mochacino” — if it gets people to wake up and pay attention that’s all that matters. It’s another trial for Market Street, joining the forced right turns at 6th & 8th Streets (expect to see 10th Street turns soon) and Art in Storefronts and other good stuff. There’s more to the “Safety Zone” trial, 10 MPH pavement legends and signs, rumble strips, and advance stop lines that will blossom into full-blown bike boxes (with green pavement, you betcha) once the blinking Bike Plan injunction is lifted. These elements (color, rumble strips, 10 MPH marking) will be combined in various ways at the four parts of the 4th & 5th Street intersections (eastbound and westbound), SFMTA and SFCTA folks will be watching and evaluating to see which things are effective at slowing traffic and getting folks to watch out for each other, and then they’ll take the winning combination and implement it at all Market St boarding islands from Castro to the Embarcadero. Get yourself a fresh soy latte and roll on down for a test ride . . .”
An Ambitious Cyclist Tows a Load Up Market Street – How Much Can He Carry?
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009Now these Rubbermaid Roughneck storage boxes (“Protect Your Stuff!”) looked empty as this fellow pedalled up Market Street outbound (or uptown, if you prefer), but what if they were full of something? Something like water or ice or something.
That would be quite a load. Which part of this contraption would break first under the strain?
Click to expand:
But what if something lighter were in there? In that case, this trailer looks like it would get the job done. And you’d have fewer hassles from the Man that is DPT/SFMTA when you park to unload.
Now, this bike trailer, possibly owned or operated by the San Francisco Bicycle Coaltion (SFBC), is similar – it has a claimed capacity of 500 pounds.
As parking ticket fees continue to climb, maybe trailer-equipped delivery bikes can make a comeback?
The Final Sunday Streets for 2009 a Huge Success – More to Come in 2010
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009The second Sunday Streets at Ocean Beach in 2009 went off without a hitch over Labor Day weekend. There was a bigger fog situation and a smaller crowd this go around, but that was to be expected.
The Yelpers loved it, anyway.
District 6 supervisorial candidate Rafael Mandelman was spotted on his bike in Golden Gate Park, and of course, Zackdaddy was there with his “football” at the skating area near Fulton and 6th Avenue:
So let’s give kudos to Mayor Gavin Newsom for enabling Sunday Streets in San Francisco. Read all about it, below.
See you next year!
”MAYOR NEWSOM ANNOUNCES SUNDAY STREETS BECOMES PERMANENT PROGRAM”
“San Francisco, CA—Days before the final 2009 Sunday Streets event on
September 6, Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced the continuation of this
popular event as a permanent program in San Francisco.
“This Sunday’s event is the finale for 2009, but Sunday Streets will be
back in 2010 with more routes, longer hours, more San Francisco
neighborhoods and more programs at each event,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom.
“We have created a new tradition in San Francisco that will improve our
quality of life for years to come.”
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), co-sponsor of
Sunday Streets 2009, will be the lead agency for the Sunday Streets program
starting in 2010. The San Francisco Mayor’s Office will continue to provide
leadership support for the program, and Livable City, a sustainable
transportation advocacy non-profit, will continue as the fiscal sponsor.
“The SFMTA has been proud to join with our City partners and Livable City
to promote healthy family outdoor activities this summer. Working together
on programs like Sunday Streets, we can increase the use of sustainable
transportation to protect the environment and to ensure the City’s
sustainability for future generations,” said Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., SFMTA
Executive Director/CEO.
Sunday Streets creates safe, fun car-free space on City streets that give
San Francisco residents and visitors an opportunity to get out and get
active. Temporarily closing some streets to automobile traffic opens them
to people for walking, cycling, skating and playing. Sunday Streets events
create a stronger sense of community in every neighborhood they touch and
throughout the City.
San Francisco’s program began in 2008 with two inaugural events. This year
Sunday Streets featured six events along four different routes throughout
the City: April 26 from Fisherman’s Wharf to AT&T Park along The
Embarcadero; May 10 from AT&T Park to the Bayview neighborhood along the
Bay Trail; two events in the heart of the Mission District on June 7 and
July 19 (the latter coincided with the SF Symphony’s free concert in
Dolores Park); and the last two near the ocean, with a route through Golden
Gate Park and along the Upper Great Highway on August 9 and September 6.
Sunday Streets Main Event Area: Lincoln Way at the Great Highway
- Free bike rentals provided by Bay City Bike Rentals and Tours
- Sports Basement ‘Lube Fairies’- free basic bike maintenance and information
- Sunday Streets main information table and media check-in
- Sunday Streets Sponsor booths
- Community Based Organization information tables
- Food vending from local Sunset Merchants
- California Academy of Sciences “Penguins to Penguins” activity center
- Solar Telescope Viewing, 11am-1pm, presented by Morrison Planetarium
(note: this event is dependent upon weather, clouds or fog cancels) - Historic displays from “Playland-Not-at-the-Beach” museum
- Cyclecide pedal powered amusement rides made out of recycled bikes
- Kid’s Activities- see list
- Fitness Activities- see list
Kid’s Activities: Main Event Area (Lincoln/ Great Highway) and Great Highway at Sloat
Presented by the YMCA of San Francisco, and Stonestown Family YMCA
- Heroix 4 Kids
- It’s Yoga Kids!
- Hula Hoops, obstacle course, and kid’s games
- “Penguins to Penguins” activities, presented by the CA Academy of Sciences and SF Zoo
- Zoomobile and “Leaping Lemur” game, penguin crafts, SF Zoo- Great Highway at Sloat
Fitness: “Athletes Burn Rubber”
Human tire pull with live music by the Brothers Comatose
Presented by Bianchi Fitness
- 11a.m. & 12:30 p.m. Rock and Pull
- 11:30a.m. & 1 p.m. Rock and Juke
Pets: MLK/South Drive near corner of Lincoln Way and MLK/South
Presented by Happy Hounds Massage
- Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) adoption information
- Grateful Dogs Rescue adoption and pet service information
Roller Skating: JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, near 6th Ave
Presented by RollerSoccer International Federation
- RollerSoccer Demonstrations and games all day
- Free skating lessons all day
Dance: 2 locations: Lincoln at Great Highway and JFK Drive at 10th Ave in Golden Gate Park
Presented by Cheryl Burke Dance, Boomercize (Great Hwy) and Lindy in the Park (GG Park)
- 10:00-10:30 Learn to Waltz with Cheryl Burke Dance at Lincoln and Great Highway
- 10:45-11:15: Rhumba with Cheryl Burke Dance
- 11:30-1:30 pm: Dance workout with Boomercize
- 1:30-2:00 pm: Brazilian Samba with Cheryl Burke Dance
- 11:00-12:30 pm, free swing dance lessons with Lindy in the Park
- 12:30-2:00 pm, Swing Dance in the Park following lessons
Yoga and Martial Arts:
MLK Drive near Lincoln in GG Park
- Yoga Presented by Sunset Beacon Center
Live Music:
Presented by Riptide (Taraval), Rock the Bike and Young Performers International (GG Park)
Rivera Seawall, Taraval Street Fair, Golden Gate Park/MLK
- Golden Gate Park- MLK, Pedal Powered stage by Rock the Bike
- Young Performers International band: “Where’s My Toothbrush”
- Rivera seawa;;, Bluegrass Jam with the Barbary Ghosts
- Taraval Street Fair- main stage acts 12:00-6:00 pm
Taraval Street Fair: Taraval Street between 46th and 47th Avenues
Presented by the Riptide
- Live music on the main stage, 12:00 to 6:00 pm
- The Shi Tones (members of the Mermen)
- All of A Sudden
- Burning Embers
- Arts and craft by local Sunset artists and merchants
Bike: Taraval and Upper Great Highway
Presented by the Presidio Community YMCA Bike Program and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
- 150 free bike rentals by
- Bike & Roll (Taraval)
- Bay City Bike Rentals and Tours (Lincoln and Great Highway)
- Bike & Roll’s ‘fun cycle, a bicycle built for seven!
- Sports Basement “Lube Fairies” (Lincoln and Great Highway)
- Youth Bike Rodeo by Presidio Community YMCA (Taraval)
- SFBC’s Freedom From Training Wheels (Taraval)
- Adult Bike Education hands on lessons (at Free Bike Rental Stations)
- Electric Bike Demonstrations (Lincoln and Taraval)
- Chain of Lakes Dr., 41st Ave. in the Sunset or 43rd Ave. in the Richmond
- Crossover Drive, 19th Ave. in the Sunset or 25th Ave. and Park Presidio in the Richmond
- Stanyan St. east of Golden Gate Park
For more traffic and transit information, go to: www.sfmta.com
The intersection of Great Highway at Lincoln will not be open to vehicle traffic on Sept. 6 from 10 am – 2 pm.
Sunday Streets Great Highway 2009 a Huge Success
Monday, August 10th, 2009Well, yesterday’s Sunday Streets went off without a hitch under the pouring sun (after the fog went away, sort of). Check it out at the Richmond District Blog and elsewhere.
Here’s the heart of the party, at the intersection of Lincoln and the Great Highway in the outer Outer Sunset. Click to expand:
Even auslanders came into The City yesterday to enjoy the Sunday of limited car access:
Electric bikes everywhere in Golden Gate Park, for rental, for purchase, whichever:
Plenty of young families made the scene:
Aikido in the Park? Mochiron, tomodachi:
It was just a little foggy out near the blue Pacific…
…but the fog umbrellas proved useful:
Hey, it’s District 6 Supervisor-Elect Debra Walker getting her ride attention at the free Sports Basement temporary fix-it shop:
So my Kawasaki Ninja (I kept telling them that it’s just a 600) isn’t welcome but this gas-powered “go-ped” is? Mmmmm
A tow is always nice when you’re skateboarding on the Great Highway:
Plenty of engineers around…
And a bit of a wait for the N Judah at the end of the day, but oh well.
Yes DPW was fairly agressive about getting traffic moving again at 2:00 PM and yes, some cars trying to get across GGP were a-honking after waiting a while for the flow of bikes to stop, but all in all, everything seemed to work out.
See you again on September 6, 2009!
Bixi, the Bike Taxi, in Golden Gate Park – Testing Out the Canadian Bike Rental System
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009The Bixi short-term bike-share roadshow blew into town today, however briefly, to show us how they do it up in Montreal.
But first things first – a quick report on what our visiting bike-sharing visitors were surprised by in GGP:
1. The summertime cold and wind;
2. The homeless dude with a guitar case who flipped out, attacked a jogger, and had to get taken down by a bunch of Park Rangers and SFPD officers;
3. Noisy raptors circling low overhead; and
4. San Francisco’s famous bicycle built for four. It almost stole the show. See?
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Program Director Andy Thornley with SF Weekly’s Matt Smith et ux, ”quad” liberi, all together on a charming, fully-functioning bicycle. Click to expand:
So Bixi is just like the Parisian Velib program except the Bixi bikes aren’t as heavy, which is a good thing. But the Bixis are still heavy though. And if you happen to be six foot one and a ton of fun, you’ll find that the frame is strong enough but that the seatpost doesn’t go up high enough. Otherwise the whole program is as you would expect.
The mise-en-scene today:
In France, they incentivize people to drop the bikes off at the tops of hills. If a program like this ever gets off the ground in San Francisco, what would it take to deal with stations at the tops of our mini-mountains?
Bienvenue à Montréal!
It’s enormous work keeping a program like this going. The little monsters of France have effectively managed to steal, vandalize, and otherwise mangle the entire original fleet – at a replacement cost of thousands of dollars each, that’s a tough row to hoe.
If you want to make a system like this work in San Francisco, you’d need a subsidy from the government, the way that MUNI and BART and Golden Gate ferries get subsidies.
And where will people get the helmets they’ll need? Whoops. (In gay Paris, they take a c’est la vie approach to matters like this.)
All in all, I’d rather have a regular bike and a U-lock than a Bixi program membership. But if you can’t find a cab or you just missed your bus, you might like having the option of a short-term bike rental.
We’ll see.
City CarShare Cohosts Bike Sharing Demonstration.
Exploring New Trends in Green Mobility
| WHAT: | A one-day opportunity for the public to ride bikes from a bike share system. Bike sharing allows people to pick up a bike from one station, travel to their destination and return the bike to any other station in a network. City CarShare will be conducting a survey among participants to get their feedback on the concept, the equipment and their level of support for bike sharing in San Francisco. | |
| WHEN: | Sunday, August 2, 10 am- 3:30 pm | |
| WHERE: | Golden Gate Park, (just inside the car-free Sunday road closure on JFK Drive at Conservatory Drive East) | |
| WHY: | To allow the public to test-ride the bikes and learn more about this eco-friendly mode of urban transportation. Through this demonstration project, the sponsors hope to encourage awareness and increased civic conversation about Bike Sharing for San Francisco as having the potential to build a greener city while encouraging healthy living. | |
| SPONSORS: | City CarShare, SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), BIXI (of Montreal) | |
| COST | Free | |
