The Sunday Streets Experience: First of 2010 This Sunday

Nat Ford, Director of the Municipal Transportation Agency

Susan King, Sunday Streets Coordinator for Livable City

Andy Thornley, SFBC Program Director, and Dan Nguyen-Tan, SFBC Board Member

City officials and event organizers officially launched Sunday Streets 2010 from the steps of City Hall this afternoon. Nathaniel P. Ford, Executive Director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), praised the great success of the Sunday Streets program and its combination of city and private resources. "This is the best private/public partnership," Ford told the several dozen enthusiasts gathered in the sun. "We're increasing all sustainable modes of transportation in the city," he added. SFMTA is expanding its role with Sunday Streets and has become a full partner this year. Susan King, coordinator of the program for the non-profit group Livable City, acknowledged the other "essential program partners," including the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, the YMCA, the California Outdoor Roller Skating Association, Bay City Bike Rental, and the Sports Basement.

Sunday Streets is an exuberant celebration of public spaces transformed for a day into more diverse uses. Walkers, runners, roller-bladers, bicyclists, tricyclists, skateboarders, people-watchers and scene-setters all manage to negotiate car-free streets with little trouble and few, if any, collisions. Are these really the "Streets of San Francisco"? The critical mass of so many San Franciscans having a good time together might prompt a second look at how well we get along given the opportunity.

This year there will be nine Sunday Streets compared to last year's six and the previous year's two outings. The hours of the event have been expanded to begin at 10 am and end at 3pm. The car-free days have been wildly popular among participants, and organizers expect 15,000 to 20,000 for each Sunday Street this year. This Sunday a 3.3 mile Embarcadero route from Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 to China Basin will be opened to all except those in vehicles. Walk, bike, or take transit to join in the fun Sunday. Look for David Chiu, President of the Board of Supervisors, riding the Funcycle.

"No Sunday Drivers Guaranteed"

NOPA neighbors: Start your Spring with a good bike spin, a family stroll, and a gathering of friends. Take a look along the route for programs that seem just right for September 19th when Sunday Streets comes to the Western Addition and NOPA. Kids' bike rodeo? Swing dance lessons? Kids' bike rodeo? Ice-cream outreach? Panhandle Promenade? Family fitness fair? Rock-climbing wall? Or something completely new and different?

For more information: check here. More than 1000 volunteers helped stage Sunday Streets during the last two years....and you can too by signing up here.

BIKE THE BLOCK Rocks NOPA

"This has been awesome," Matt Dove exclaimed, "This has been one of our most successful events." Matt and three other staffers from the Presidio YMCA Youth Bike Program, YBIKE, guided more than fifty kids through a skills training course full of STOP and YIELD signs, "watch out" door zones, and twists and turns during NOPA's BIKE THE BLOCK celebration on Sunday. "My son just learned about yield signs," one NOPA mother gushed a few minutes after arriving at the bike-themed block party.

While YBIKE anchored one end of the block, fun-ready folks lined up for a spin on the seven-person party-bike at the other. Dan Nguyen-Tan steered singing, waving, laughing neighbors on spins on NOPA streets with hardly a refueling stop in between. "Real trooper duty," one block resident proclaimed seeing Dan smiling and sweating through a perfect San Francisco summer day. Dan picked up riders from the Divisadero Farmers Market and plucked a few from the Panhandle Path, but the party pedalers who seemed to have the most fun were the women in their Sunday church finery rocking to Michael Jackson.

Cyclists especially appreciated the free bike parking and tune-ups from volunteer members of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC). Max Poletto grinned and showed his chain-greased hands after three hours of expert bike care. "I worked on about a dozen bikes." Max worked alongside Justin Connolly and new NOPA resident Marc Caswell at one of the busiest bike stops on the block.

Confirmed walkers as well as cyclists took their first rides ever on electric bikes provided by Len Rogers, owner of a San Francisco electric bike outlet. Cliff Courrier, NOPA neighbor and electric bike owner and enthusiast, teamed up with Len to advise riders on how to get a power boost during their tryouts. "Almost too much power," commented Will Valentine, but then Grove is one very flat street.

"This is fantastic to have have so many options for kids," Jodie Howe concluded. "This helps us start planning for biking for our ten month old." Nearby Kara O'Keefe helped kids make a flurry of ribbon, streamers, and flowers before displaying their bedecked rides. Younger kids took a hand at drawing and stickering anything that could be stuck.

How much more could one city block offer on a sunny bicycling day? Chris Hogg wowed the crowd with gravity-suspended stunts on his BMX. So amazed were the onlookers that no one even said, "Kids don't try this at home." Next to Chris' twirls and balances, Sarah Crockett, BIKE THE BLOCK co-organizer, and Lenore McDonald displayed bike trailers for all kinds of hauling. We overheard Sarah explain to another mother of young ones what it's like transporting kids on a bike. "You know what they say about riding a bike: 'it's just like riding a bike.'"

In the late morning, Reverend Will Scott, Associate Pastor of NOPA's St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church extended a Bike Blessing with a prayer written by Nadia Bolz-Weber and adapted by and for the people of the neighborhood. When was the last time a prayer extolled "the simple beauty of the bicycle," the needs of "victims of road rage and bike theft," and protection for "eco-warriors, bike co-op anarchists, and messengers"?

Khalil, a neighbor from Fell Street, offered his summation of the day. "Today is an example of how we can envision a more sustainable world and provide examples of our diverse cultures and ethnicities and all come together."

BIKE THE BLOCK was all about kids riding safely on a neighborhood street, parents enjoying their kids taking the block, and everyone else celebrating a fine day of bike-themed fun events. SFBC Community Planner Neal Patel beamed once he spun onto Grove Street. With an experienced eye, he judged today's event included about 300 people.

An enthusiastic collaboration of generous sponsors made the NOPA bike party possible: our progressive neighborhood association, NOPNA; bike-friendly Pacific Primary School, superstar YMCA/YBIKE, inspiring and dedicated SFBC, and BIKE NOPA. Special thanks as well to Mojo Bicycle Cafe for free t-shirts and tune-up gear, Central Coffee and Tea for the coffee and pastries that kept us going, Warm Planet Bikes for bike parking gear, Electric Bicycle Outlet (everyone loved the rides!), and Amy D'Auria with her dessert wonders from Pink Buttons Patisserie.

On behalf of the event sponsors, a special thank you to the residents of the 1500 block of Grove for sharing their part of NOPA with so many others.

BIKE THE BLOCK posts later this week: "BIKE THE BLOCK Volunteer Roll" (more pics),

"The Blessing of the Bicycle" (with YouTube video), and "Tool Kit for Block Parties: Transforming Our Public Spaces."

BIKE THE BLOCK: Kids Stuff Too

Eighty blog posts ago, on July 7th, we suggested that a "NOPA Play Block" might be just the thing for kids to get to ride their bikes in the street...safely. We later learned that several parents ride with their kids through NOPA regularly, although not so many as to be a common sight.

This Sunday all that changes. Kids on Bikes on Grove Street. For three hours kids and adults can ride, walk and enjoy the neighborhood while they sample rides, decorate their bikes, watch bike stunts, and ride the funcycle.

The dedicated staff of YBIKE, the youth bicycling program of the Presidio YMCA will offer tips at the kids' cycle course -- whether on Skuuts, tricycles, or bicycles. Kids can also ride their bikes the length of Grove Street, between Lyon and Baker.

For exercise, for fun, for the sheer joy of biking. Kids on Bikes. Sunday.

Bike the Block party

Sunday, Sept. 27

10 am to 1pm

Grove, between Lyon and Baker.

Kids events on the Baker end of the block.

Bike art, bike decorating, bike stunts, bike T shirt raffle, bike stickers.

BIKE THE BLOCK coming to NOPA

NOPA launches its own mini-Sunday Streets.

Sunday, September 27th, 10 am to 1pm.

Grove Street between Lyon and Baker.

Here's a chance to enjoy one of NOPA's fine green streets -- lots of trees -- without the car traffic.

Take a stroll sipping coffee from Central Coffee and Tea; trade back-to-school stories with other well-rested parents.

Check out trailer bikes and accessories for your Bike to School/Shopping/Work rides.

Jump on a bike -- even an electric ride. Sing your favorite Michael Jackson/Abba/Beatles/FatBoySlim tunes on the 7 person party bike through the neighborhood.

Need a pump, lube, polish, wrench? -- for your bike! -- stop by the bike service station for a tune-up.

Kids: try the half-block skills training course with the cool crew from YMCA YBIKE.

Skuut bikes ready for your trial rides from SF Bike Coalition.

Decorate your bikes (maybe your parents' bikes need your special touch even more!).

Special Guest Appearance: Never-Too-Much-Fashion-While-Biking Meligrosa of Bikes and the City.

There's too much to do in just three hours! Everything is FREE, even the block and a half walk to the Farmers Market when you're ready for fresh and local.

PARTNERS IN THIS LIVABLE CAR-FREE ALL-THINGS-BIKE SPLURGE: NOPNA ****, PACIFIC PRIMARY SCHOOL !!!!!!!!, YBIKE ***** , SF BICYCLE COALITION !!!!!!!!!!, & bike nopa #####.

information: michael7820@gmail.com.

Sunday Streets to be Permanent

Look for more Sunday Streets next year in new locations with a guarantee that the wildly popular "street openings" will become permanent.

After the first Sunday Streets last year, an open question was whether the experiment would be continued in 2009. A resounding YES: in fact, six this year. The first five have exceeded expectations, and this Sunday's last installment will likely be the same. Now the city is so pleased with the outcome that Sunday Streets will be made a fixture of summers in the city.

This Sunday take the "Penguins to Penguins" route -- from the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate park, along the Great Highway, to the San Francisco Zoo -- for a great morning and afternoon. This is a special weekend for San Franciscans who aren't Burning on the Playa or traveling out of town; there's so much more of the city for us! Just being on a car-free Great Highway is a treat in itself. But also check out the Urban Cycling Workshops and Freedom from Training Wheels sponosred by SF Bicycle Coalition and the Presidio YMCA Bike Program; demonstrations of the latest in electric bikes, dance workshops, roller blading, strolling on the highway, 150 free bike rentals and free bike repair.

And Bands -- lots of Bands. Thanks to the support of Warren Helman, Sunday Streeters will find Brothers Comatose, the Barbary Ghosts, and Allofasudden mixing it up the sound of the surf at three locations: Sloat Blvd., Lincoln Way, and Taraval St. Read more about the ocean vibes in today's Examiner.

To get a taste of what's coming, take a look at August's "perfect weather/great times" Sunday Street. .... 10 am to 2 pm. Sunday. Last chance in 2009.

UPDATE: Check for more extensive coverage on the permanence of Sunday Streets posted by Streetsblog.