See? At this rate, this part of Market Street won’t stay beige very long.
Still, a lot of those fixed gear bike riders have no other way of stopping, so That’s How It’s Gotta Be.
Click to expand:
(Guess which mark (nicely modulated, made using disc brakes) is mine…)
Wouldn’t green be a better color?
On 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.
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.
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!
$15 suggested min. admission for SFBC Members.
$40 for people joining at the door (Includes SFBC membership + admission)
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.
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.
Let’s try the sidewalk first. Downsides include the illegality and the possible hassle for pedestrians.
All right, now let’s get onto the street. This is not recommended, particularly going outbound to the west, which is mostly uphill. It’s legal, but pretty scary.
By this time, my lungs were aching for air. Pedaling furiously in 27th gear:
Conclusion: Take the sidewalk. Walk your ride if necessary.
Or go around Russian Hill.
Or go over Russian Hill.
Those are your four choices.
But the city, the city is working on things. Check out the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s take on things right here.
Anyway, four choices. Choose wisely.
NB: Don’t touch anything in the tunnel, as everything is covered in soot.
If you’d like, head on over to Robert “Don’t Call Him Crazy Rob” Anderson’s District 5 Diary, which has this bit about how Berkeley and other California cities “require registration and licensing of bicyclists.” The problem with that is that Berkeley licenses bicycles, not bicyclists. And the primary reason California carved out a special law for cities to implement has to do with the recovery of stolen bikes.
That’s something to ponder before people use Berkeley’s law to call for a “state campaign to require bicycles and bicyclists to be tested, registered, insured and licensed and pay appropriate fees for this regulatory service.”
Old bike messengers never die, they just age gracefully. Like this fellow with an old bike messenger license plate, as recently seen on Market Street. Keep on keeping on, man!
Click to expand
Of course you can call for cyclists or pedestrians or any group of people you don’t like to be licensed and insured, blah blah blah. But let’s be more precise, why not?
[UPDATE: Uh oh, it seems Crazy Rob (check his very own website, that's what people call him) has started using the majestic plural, the royal we. Never a good sign. But at least he shows he understands the error he made. Applied knowledge, baby - catch it! And now he is (or rather, they are, sorry Your Crazy Majesty) calling for licensing of bikes AND bike riders. And why not license pedestrians as well, while "we're" at it? The World Wonders.]
[UPDATE II: Note Crazy Rob's impatience upon realizing his pearls of wisdom wouldn't get put up on this small corner of the Internet immediately. Sorry CR, but I don't operate this site 24/7 - sometimes I'm off assisting "Wheezy" at the Help Center.]
These cops of the 100-year old Motor Division of the San Francisco Police Department waited all morning for a recent Roe v. Wade abortion demonstration / counter-demonstration to get started and then were, once again, left in the lurch by an obsolete-when-built Harley Davidson motorcycle.
So all they could do is push it onto the sidewalk and worry about it later - unreliable equipment is no picnic, of course. That must be why they get paid the big bucks to ladle out bowls of rich, creamy justice, with the average officer pulling down a six-figure income.
Harley David/ son of a bitch, not again! Click to expand:
Even if you maintain these old-school Harleys correctly, they are hard to keep on the road. The biggest selling point they have are tradition and heritage, it seems. Vendors of reliable models from Honda, Kawasaki, and BMW must be frustrated… Oh well.
Happy Centennial, SFPD Motor Division!
Boy, you’ve really got to be dedicated to keep up with the developments at the old Public Health Service Hospital in the Presidio. Last night, a total of 33 civic-minded souls got updated on the latest plans for the condoization of the place, including San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar (who’s everywhere you don’t want to be on these dark and stormy nights).
Amid discussion of Canary Island Date Palms in this slide show from Chandler McCoy…
…we get this power point page. It’s the 15th Avenue entrance in the Presidio in the NIMBY-rich SeaCliff / Lake District / northern part of the Richmond area just south of the PHSH worksite. Well you already know about that, but the entrance will be for bike riders only, no cars allowed. See? (That’s not a “sharrow” arrow ’cause there’s no sharing involved with that particular lane.) Conservatory Drive in Golden Gate Park has a similar arrangement but the bike lane there is not as wide. Click to expand:
Vehicular types will just have to use 14th Avenue as the entrance when this plan goes into effect. You can’t ask for more than that, can you, cyclists?
That’s about as much excitement the Presidio will produce for you until word comes about the revised plans for the long-delayed Contemporary Art Museum at the Presidio (CAMP) museum.
Any day now…
Radiohead’s recent attempt to give away concert tickets failed in France because people were too lazy to pedal their bikes on over to pick them up. Quelle horreur!
But things will be different if Radiohead tries the same stunt in San Francisco this summer.
A rainbow over Golden Gate Park from the San Francisco Botanical Garden. The park will be In Rainbows once again when the Outside Lands music festival starts up on August 22nd.
In fact, if Radiohead tries to give away tickets to people who cycle to some office building in San Francisco, a riot will probably break out.
There Will Be Blood, or at least a squabble or two. But, rest assured, all available free tickets will get distributed and used.
See you there!
The Senior Action Network reminds us:
According to the City Traffic Code Article 5, Sec. 96, it shall be unlawful to ride a bicycle upon any sidewalk area, except juveniles under the age of 13 and not in front of schools, stores, or buildings used for business purposes.
To get the word out, they’re back with their sidewalk stencils. Take the bike survey, if you dare.
McAllister and Van Ness, San Francisco
