Going the Distance to Fight HIV/AIDS

Chris Waddling on an AIDS LifeCycle 2015 training ride

From May 31 to June 6, 2015, Bayview cyclist Chris Waddling (that's me!) will be riding 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles as part of the AIDS LifeCycle.

VeloBrews Cafe & Cycling Community Center, located at 4634 Third St in the Bayview, is committed to helping Chris raise money towards his $5000 goal in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

VeloBrews will match donations made at the shop (up to $20/day) to Chris’ AIDS LifeCycle fundraising, with all funds going to support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Every penny helps, so please donate what you can.

AIDS/LifeCycle is a fully supported, 7-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money and awareness in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Visit aidslifecycle.org for more information.

Go here to donate directly to Chris's fundraising effort and to read updates on his training.

Thanks!!

Anchors Away for a Shipyard Bike Ride

Bike Bayview riders assemble at VeloBrews for their July ride

Join your neighbors on a casual bike ride to the Shipyard - including exclusive access to naval property. Mostly flat route. All bikes and riders welcome regardless of riding ability. Join your neighbors for a casual spin. Refreshments will be provided at the Shipyard Welcome Center.

Saturday, August 2
11:00AM
VeloBrews Cafe & Cycling Community Center
4634 Third St

Route map at:

http://www.strava.com/activities/167620914

More about the event at https://www.facebook.com/events/661595570601607

VeloBrews Now Open in Bayview

KQED's Bay Area Bites does a nice piece on Bayview's newest business, VeloBrews!

Meet up every third Friday morning at VeloBrews to ride downtown with your neighbors and Bike Bayview!

This month, Third on 3rd moves to Friday nights, and VeloBrews is the featured business.  There'll be lots of bike-related activities for you and the kids, so come on down!

Small section of Illinois St improved ever so slightly

A tiny section of Illinois St at 18th St has been improved ever so slightly for cyclists.  The rail tracks that run in the southbound lane have been filled in with asphalt.  Why it's taken so long and so much complaining to get this stretch fixed is anyone's guess, but likely it was only done because construction at The Gantry requires cyclists to cross the tracks and the developer didn't want to be on the hook for someone getting stuck or injured.

http://www.sfbike.org/news/dangerous-tracks-on-illinois-and-18th-streets-repaired/

Every cyclist who rides this route knows that FedEx trucks routinely park at 1170 Illinois, forcing us across the tracks there, and then farther on at the auto dismantler, there are two jarring metal ridges across the bike lane that you either rattle over or dodge at your own risk.

Why can't DPW come along and fill in the entire length of track from 16th St to Marin St?  Motorists have difficulty driving this stretch as well, as they don't want  to drive on the tracks either.

Fill in the tracks!!

A Safer Potrero Avenue on the Way

From the SF Bike Coalition Newsletter,

San Franciscans won a major livable streets victory last week when the SFMTA Board of Directors approved key Potrero Avenue traffic modifications that include critically needed bicycle, pedestrian and transit improvements.

SFBC Bayview Member Mingle

Join the SF Bicycle Coalition for a member mingle to chat with some of your friendly SF Bicycle Coalition staff and network with your fellow members!

We’ll share up-to-date information about our campaigns and member programs, and want to hear what’s on your mind. Do you have a friend, relative, or co-worker who’s interested in becoming a member? Bring them with you and we’ll get their membership rolling! 

You can park your bike inside.

Boudreaux Cafe
5030 3rd St.San Francisco, CA 94124

Wednesday, March 26, 2014 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM (PDT)

Have questions about SF Bicycle Coalition Bayview Member Mingle?Contact San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

Velobrews coffee sampling

From the new Velobrews Cafe and Cycling Community Center,

Come meet the owners and joins us as we sample beans from different coffee roasters. Feedback from the community will help us to decide on what roasters and coffee blends to sell once we open in late April. 

Saturday, March 29
11am - 3pm
4634 Third St  

We will have a selection of different roasts on site. Rate each one you sample in this FREE tasting. The best rated roasts will then be those favored in the selection of our final roaster/vendor.

Find them on Facebook

Bike Bayview

Bike Bayview Neighborhood Commute  Fri., Mar. 21 | 7:45AM (depart 8AM)| Mendell Plaza, Palou at 3rd St Join your neighbors for a 3rd Friday bike commute from the Bayview. Meet new people and make your commute a little more fun! All skill levels welcome. Split off at 16th St to either head toward Civic Center via 7th St or toward the Embarcadero via AT&T Park. Event Details

Bayshore Blvd Road Diet Nears Completion

SFMTA is completing the Bayshore Blvd road diet, so if you're driving between Paul and Boutwell (north of Silver), you'll notice it's permanently down to one lane in each direction for cars, with new, safer left turn pockets at busy intersections. Yesterday I rode the new bike lane they've also added and it's super-comfy and makes it even easier than ever to get from Visitacion Valley to downtown by bike. 

More at:

http://www.sfmta.com/projects-planning/projects/bayshore-boulevard-road-diet-and-bikeways

Making Responsible Bicyclists Through Licensing is a Non-Starter

When discussing bicycling in the city, oftentimes we'll hear people say things like "cyclists should be required to get a license" (along with following the rules of the road and paying for infrastructure).  At last month's SFCTA-CAC meeting, one of the members asked about bicycle licensing as a way to make cyclist more responsible for their actions on the road.

SFCTA staff responded to this request, writing,

A 2009 SFMTA memo found state code does not authorize local jurisdictions to license bicyclists (the operators of bicycles), however state code allows local jurisdictions the option of requiring registration of bicycles.

The memo stated the following challenges to develop a local bicyclist licensing program: 

• Would require state legislation to amend the CVC. (This would also open up the issue of whether licenses need to be required for bicyclists under 18) 

• Would only apply to residents, while many non-resident cyclists visit SF 

• Would be a disincentive to travel by bike, and the user fees needed to run the program would discourage bicycle use 

• Bicycling community would not support such a program

Although the memo was written in 2009, the findings are still relevant, and SFMTA staff has stated there is no current initiative to license bicyclists in San Francisco.

The city had a bicycle licensing program (voluntary registration), but the program became defunct as it was not cost-effective. Other less costly and more effective registration, such as the National Bike Registry, is available. Also, a collaboration between SAFE and the SFPD has launched a new local voluntary bike registration program (http://safebikes.org/)

Proponents of bicycle/bicyclist registration say fees from such programs can be used to fund bicycle infrastructure improvements. Licensing and registration programs are challenging to implement. However CA SB 1183 has been introduced to allow local jurisdictions the option of imposing a sales tax on bicycles, and to use the tax revenues for improvements to paved and natural trails.

SFMTA Bike Strategy Update

From the SF Bike Coalition's Newsletter,

Weigh in on Next Bike Projects in San Francisco 

Bike Network SurveyBig news! The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has published its draft list of next wave bike projects, including new bikeways and hot spot improvements on streets that the agency manages. The list is a great start, but we know that you — the people who bike in our city every day —  have valuable insight into what streets and intersections need the most work.  

You can give your feedback in two ways: take our survey and/or come to our MEMBER MEETING TONIGHT and give your feedback in person. The Member Meeting is open to all current members and will be open house style, so swing by any time between 5 and 7PM.  

We will combine your responses with the feedback we get from members and the riding public throughout the year, and we will use it to inform our formal response to the SFMTA’s list. 

While none of the 20-miles of route expansion will happen in D10, and none of the existing route upgrades fall into the highest demand category (24.2-miles), 8.11 miles of roadway (16.1% of the 50-mile total) in D10 are identified on SFMTA's list of enhancements to existing bike network as being in the low to high categories:

High Demand

Indiana St (0.99 miles, Mariposa to Cesar Chavez)

Phelps St (0.64 miles, Evans Ave to Palou Ave)

Mariposa (0.36 miles, Mississippi to Illinois)

Potrero Ave (0.33 miles, Division to 17th St)

Medium Demand

3rd St (2.00 miles, Islais Creek Bridge to US101)

Bayshore Blvd* (0.93 miles, Paul Ave to Silver Ave)

Paul Ave* (0.85 miles, Bayshore to 3rd St)

Lowest Demand

Silver Ave (2.01 miles, Alemany blvd to Palou Ave)

* - projects that ranked high through the analysis but are completed or already identified improvements by Sustainable Streets.

Bike Bayview

Thanks to all who came out for a ride today! Couldn't have asked for a better group, and hope that our numbers only continue to grow as more cyclists in the Southeast join future rides.