Bike to Work Day, May 14, 2009
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition News Release:
TWICE AS MANY BIKES AS CARS ON MARKET STREET
New Report shows 43%
increase in biking;
Cyclists rally to double miles of bike lanes
Media Contacts:
Teri Gardiner 415.431.2453 x.308 teri@sfbike.org
Leah Shahum 415.
431.2453 x.306 leah@sfbike.org
(SAN
FRANCISCO, CA) — There were twice as many bicycles as
cars headed downtown on San
Francisco’s Market Street on the 15th annual Bike to Work
Day which is organized by the San
Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) and the City of San Francisco.
Bicyclists made up 66% of
the eastbound traffic at Market St. & Van Ness Ave., while
motorists comprised 31% from
8am to 9am today. (The remainder was transit vehicles and taxis).
Cycling advocates point
to this and other notable increases to show the latent demand for
projects that will double
the number of bike lanes on city streets — a proposal headed
to city decision-makers next
month.
In fact, a 2008 State of Cycling report released this morning
by the San Francisco Municipal
Transportation Agency (SFMTA) indicates a whopping 43% increase
in the number of
people bicycling on city streets since 2006. Download the report:
sfmta.com/cms/bhome/homebikes.htm
This two-wheeled trend swept
the City today as hundreds of thousands of people chose a
healthy and affordable commute including a record number of city
leaders including Board
of Supervisors’ President David Chiu and Supervisors Eric
Mar, Carmen Chu, Ross Mirkarimi,
Bevan Dufty, David Campos and John Avalos as well as SF MTA Director
Nathaniel Ford, SF
MTA Board Chairman Tom Nolan, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, Director
of the Department
of Public Works Ed Reiskin, Mayor Newsom's Director of Greening
Astrid Haryati and Assessor-
Recorder Phil Ting.
These City leaders were joined by hundreds of cyclists and the
SFBC on the steps of City Hall
to rally support for an historic decision in June, as a 3-year
injunction that has frozen all
physical bike improvements is finally nearing an end.
“Who here wants to double the number of bike lanes in San
Francisco,” Leah Shahum,
Executive Director of the 10,000-member San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
asked a crowd of
cheering cyclists. “During the next 6 weeks, we have the
opportunity to win a doubling of
the City’s Bike Network – something that’s never
been done before. I am asking you to set
your sights high, and to make sure our City leaders do the right
thing for the health and
sustainability of our City by passing the Bike Plan and transforming
our city into a truly bikefriendly
place.”
The
SF Planning Commission will be asked to certify the required Environmental
Impact Report on the Bike Plan on June 25, making way for a June
26 hearing of the SF Municipal
Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board. At this hearing, the Board
will vote on whether to
adopt the 50 plus bike projects outlined in the City’s proposed
Bike Plan. Adoption of
the plan will double the City’s Bike Network by adding 34
miles of bike lanes and marking
an additional 23 miles of on-street bike routes with "sharrows,” or
shared lane stencils, as
well as thousands of new bike racks, signage, and other improvements.
“Safer, more inviting streets encourage more people to choose
biking—a simple way for the
City to meet its own environmental, health, and accessibility goals,” says
Shahum.
Bike to Work Day activities continue through the afternoon. The
SFBC will host 10 evening
Bike to Work Day Energizer stations (5-7pm) across the city to
reward cyclists on their
healthy, no pollute commute home. See http://www.sfbike.org/btwd2009
for locations.
And the SFBC’s Bike Away From Work Party and Fashion Show
at Rickshaw Stop (155 Fell
Street, 6-10pm; fashion show at 8pm) will showcase the latest in
urban bike fashion.
For more on Bike to Work Day and the upcoming Bike Plan decision,
see sfbike.org.
See photos from Bike to Work Day 2009
See photos from Bike to Work Day 2008
See photos from Bike to Work Day 2007
See photos from Bike to Work Day 2006
See photos from Bike to Work Day 2005
See photos from Bike to Work Day 2004 |
SF Bay Area 