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August 5, 2008

"Paying employees ten cents for every mile they bike came about during the presidential campaign when the candidates were talking about rolling back the federal gas tax. That encourages people to drive. I thought, 'What if you encourage people not to drive?'"

- Ben Davis, Owner, Words Pictures Ideas, Bay Area Employers for Biking, Village Green Blog on SFgate.com, July 30, 2008

Double your Impact with a Special Contribution Today!
Sunday Streets Needs You!
Welcome Tessa! SFBC Staff Grows to Nine
Get Pumped at the SFBC's Streetside Outreach!
Bike Theft Alerts
Caltrain Bike Master Plan Meeting - Thursday
RTP 2035 -- big bucks for bikes
Have garage space you can share?
Video: David Byrne's Bike Racks
Upcoming Events

Q: How do you give the SFBC double the love without double-dipping into your wallet?
A: Give now and your gift will get matched!

http://www.sfbike.org/specialgift

Double your Impact with a Special Contribution Today!

San Francisco is at a tipping point for bicycling--with global warming in the daily news, gas prices over $4/gallon and traffic congestion, the bicycle is a logical solution. The SFBC is the only organization that is working daily to see that improvements are made to give you the most dignified and pleasant riding experience. But, we are facing challenges to our noble cause--the City's Bike Plan is tied up in a legal battle. Some neighborhood leaders remain skeptical of bicycle investments. And drivers often disregard cyclists' rights on the road.

Help us overcome these challenges through a special contribution. Two SFBC members have given the SFBC a unique opportunity to raise $20,000 by August 22nd with a 1:1 matching challenge grant. This extra financial boost will help the SFBC keep the pressure on our city government to keep the Bike Plan EIR on schedule, to keep working with the DPW to report and fill those nasty potholes, to bring free bike education classes to all SF neighborhoods and to keep cyclists safer through regular bike light and bell give-a-ways. We have a lot of work to do, and your extra commitment to the cause will help us overcome our hurdles and boost the number of people biking safely on our streets.

Thank you to the SFBC members who have already sent in a special contribution. We have raised just under $4,000 in the past 5 days! We need your help to raise an additional $6,000 by August 22nd, to be guaranteed the donor match. Help us make it happen.

Sunday Streets Needs You!

Mark your calendars for San Francisco's first -- but not the last, if we have anything to do with it -- Sunday Streets, a chance to ride/walk/roll/boogie along 5 miles of car-free streets -- coming on Sunday, August 31st and Sunday, September 14th. This is a first for SF, and the SFBC is proud to help make it a reality and eager to make it so successful that it becomes a regular event next year.

Three things you can do to help right away:

1. Come to a rally at City Hall this Tuesday, August 5th at 12 noon on the steps of City Hall, Polk and Grove Streets. We and other Sunday Streets leaders will be showing the community's support for car-free space in the city.

2. Contact your Supervisor to ask her/him to support Sunday Streets. While many are on board, a few are still questionable. Please focus your calls on Supervisors Alioto-Pier, Chu, Elsbernd, Peskin, and Sandoval. See contact info here.

3. Sign up to volunteer at Sunday Streets. We'll need tons of help to make this a success, and it's a great chance to be part of history!

Welcome Tessa! SFBC Staff Grows to Nine

We are very pleased to introduce the newest star of the SFBC Team, Tessa Buckley. She has joined the SFBC staff as Membership and Development Assistant. Tessa brings the SFBC her expertise in office administration and fundraising, and you'll see Tessa managing the SFBC's office volunteers and giving SFBC members top notch care. Stop by the next Volunteer Night, August 13, or drop her a line at tessa@sfbike.org to welcome her to the SFBC family.

Get Pumped at the SFBC's Streetside Outreach Tuesday night!

Tires feeling a little flat from running over all those potholes? Let us pump up your tires on your way home Tuesday, August 5. Stop by the Duboce Bikeway (at Market at Duboce) and find out how you can help defend our City from monster potholes! Are you a trained SFBC Outreach volunteer or have a working bike pump and want to help? Contact kate@sfbike.org.

Bike Theft Alerts

Watch your seat! We're hearing reports that someone's stealing seats off bikes all over downtown, it's gotten so bad that local shops are having trouble keeping seat posts in stock. Even if you don't have a quick release on your seat post you may be vulnerable, the thief (or thieves) carries wrenches and can relieve your bike of its seat and post pretty quickly. Stop in at your favorite shop and ask to see what they can offer you for anti-seat-theft measures (we hear that a ball bearing hot-glued in the bolt head provides some protection).

Elsewhere in bike theft news, steer clear of the 5th and Mission Garage -- bike parking at this city garage has always been pretty sketchy, but lately thieves have been working double-time to swipe bikes parked here, sadly we've heard that entire racks full of bikes have been stolen. We're working on better, more secure parking at this key location, but until that happens you'd be well advised not to park your bike there.

Caltrain Bike Master Plan Meeting - Thursday

Don't let Caltrain's Bike Master Plan leave you behind -- speak up now! This week Caltrain staff will be updating its board of directors on their Draft Bicycle Master Plan, which looks at beefing up bike parking at 10 of its most-popular stations, but doesn't do anything to add (or even maintain) bike space on trains, now or in the future.

If you care about "bikes on board", please attend the Caltrain Joint Powers Board meeting this Thursday (8/7/08, 10:00 am, 1250 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos, a four-minute walk from the train station). We need a strong show of support to get bikes on board included in the Bike Master Plan, and we need to make sure the Caltrain board (the folks who make the big decisions) really understands this service and hears from the people who use it. We have a group of speakers lined up to make public comment, and we need you in the audience with your bicycle helmet in hand. Can't make the meeting? Write to your mayor about this important transit service. For more information, and to download a template and mayors' addresses, see our Bikes ONBoard page.

RTP 2035 -- big bucks for bikes

On July 23rd, the Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) approved a draft Regional Transportation Plan that promises big increases in bicycle and pedestrian funds over the next 25 years. The Bay Area Bicycle Coalition (BABC) -- the Bay Area-wide coalition of bicycle advocacy groups -- waged a steady campaign over the last 18 months in conjunction with the SFBC and the Transportation and Land Use Coalition to make the case for more funds for active transportation modes in the Transportation 2035 Plan.

Our major "wins" include:

Full funding for the Regional Bicycle Network at $1 billion (with the exception of the bridges which will be funded from other sources). This is an increase from $4 million/year to an approved $40 million/year).

Massive growth to the Safe Routes to Transit program -- MTC committed an additional $10 million/year (over and above the current $2 million/year) for the next 5 years to create more and better bike parking at transit stations, and to provide funding to build safer access routes for walking and biking to transit centers.

NEW Safe Routes to School funding, with $10 million/year for the next 5 years.

The complete $200+ billion, 25-year RTP package now goes into the environmental review process and will re-emerge in the fall of 2008. The final plan will be brought back to the Commission in March 2009 for final approval. Between now and then, MTC will be considering a number of policies for how to prioritize their investments as well as considerations such as incentivizing transit-oriented development. So, our and your work on the RTP isn't over. We'll still need to be active to make sure that MTC adopts great policies that give us the greatest return on these investments. But we should take a moment to celebrate!

Have garage space you can share?

The SFBC is seeking a secure spot to store our awesome bike trailer floats that we use for events like the Pride Parade. The floats are much smaller than a car, yet larger than a bicycle. Do you have a spot you could share? Contact kate@sfbike.org.

Video: David Byrne's Bike Racks

Check out this great video of David Byrne's proposed design for bicycle racks in New York City. (And why not SF too?!) The former lead signer of the Talking Heads has been an avid cyclist for over 30 years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=brCk1-AVvRk

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, August 5th

Sunday Streets Press Conference
Noon, City Hall Steps (Polk and Grove)

See details above

Speak up for Bike Plan at MTA Board Meeting
2pm, City Hall, room 408

The Board of Directors of the Municipal Transportation Agency needs to hear from us about the importance of moving the Bike Plan Environmental Impact Review much faster. The MTA Board has a lot of power on this issue & needs to understand the importance of this issue to the bicycling community and the city's health and sustainability. Please come out this Tuesday & join SFBC staff for the public comment on this item. For more info, contact leah@sfbike.org

SFBC Streetside Outreach - Pump Station
5-7pm | East end of the Duboce Bikeway

Tires feeling a little flat from running over all those potholes? Get a free pump on your way home on August 5. Stop by find out how you can help defend our City from Monster potholes! Are you a trained SFBC Outreach volunteer and want to help? Contact kate@sfbike.org.

Friday, August 8th

Critical Manners *
5:30pm meet, 6:00pm start, northeast corner of Larkin and Grove

Critical Manners: a revolutionary act of courtesy. Come put the nice back in the bike world with critical manners! A helmet-wearing, bell-ringing, blinkie-sportin' good time for you and all your bike friends. Practice synchronized signaling, stopping at stop signs and NOT blowing red lights. Critical Manners is a great introduction for riders who haven't ridden in an urban setting before as well as experienced riders who enjoy group rides. Helmets and blinkies are mandatory. http://groups.google.com/group/critical-manners-ride-sf

Saturday, August 9th

Different Spokes Monthly Jersey Ride *
8:30am meet, 9:00am ride out, Peet's Coffee, 2257 Market St. at 16th St.

Come join Different Spokes (DSSF), the San Francisco Bay Area's GLBT cycling club for our monthly Jersey Ride, held the second Saturday of each month. You do not have to have/wear our jersey to join the ride, all are welcome. The ride offers different distance and level options. The ride starts from Peet's in the Castro. There are three options so you can go at your own pace
and distance, so please pick the appropriate option to your level of ability, we want to make sure you enjoy the day. The rides split and regroup in Tiburon where we have lunch together as a group. Rain cancels. Details: www.dssf.org Contact or RSVP to rides@dssf.org

Urban Costume Karaoke Bicycle Brigade *
4pm, Dolores Park (19th and Dolores)

Come get your vocal chords ready to sing Madonna songs while biking around SF in 80's costume. Group ride and group sing to Gino's sound system. Possibly end at karaoke bar. Celebrate bike culture and bike fun. Build bike community in style. Come on let your body groove to the music / Let your body go with the flow / You know you can do it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonjourjanel/2730210601/

Film Night in the Park *
Screening begins at dusk, Union Square

Enjoy the classic anti-hero western, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) amidst the downtown bustle of Union Square. Film presented free of charge on a giant outdoor screen and you are encouraged to picnic before the screening. Free valet bike parking provided.

Sunday, August 10th

Night Ride: Summer in South Park
7 pm Meet at the Panhandle statue (Fell and Baker)

Escape summer s westside fog and cruise with us to the (hopefully) warm end of town. As always, we welcome contributions to the snack buffet, and encourage blinkies, front and back. Info: nancy@nancybotkin.com

Monday, August 11th

Bike Kitchen Wheel Building Class *
6-9pm, Bike Kitchen, 1256 Mission St at Laskie

If you're ready to take your wrenching skills to the next level, there's no better way than by learning to build your own wheels! The Bike Kitchen is featuring a two-session class in which students will build one wheel from scratch. NOTE: You will need to bring your own hub, rim, and spokes. The Bike Kitchen can give you advice on what to pick up or you can stop by your local shop. This two-session class will take place at the Bike Kitchen on Monday, August 11th and Monday, August 18th from 6pm-9pm. Class is $45 for Bike Kitchen members (or get a one-year membership for $30 extra). To sign up, go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/group/121869

Here's how to contact SFBC's staff directly:

Leah Shahum, Executive Director, 431-2453 x306, leah@sfbike.org
Tessa Buckley, Membership and Development Assistant, 431-2453 x301, tessa@sfbike.org
Frank Chan, Operations Director, 431-2453 x304, frank@sfbike.org
Teri Gardiner, Communications Director, 431-2453 x308, teri@sfbike.org
Rachel Kraai, Projects Manager, 431-2453 x302, rachel@sfbike.org
Jodie Medeiros, Development Director, 431-2453 x305, jodie@sfbike.org
Kate McCarthy, Membership and Volunteer Director, 431-2453 x303, kate@sfbike.org
Neal Patel, Community Planner, 431-2453 x312, neal@sfbike.org
Andy Thornley, Program Director, 431-2453 x307, andy@sfbike.org

San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
995 Market Street, Suite 1550
San Francisco, Ca 94103