Safe Passage: Keeping the Bike Lane Open Through Construction

Polk from Bush to Pine

Flickr photo: geekstinkbreath

Here's a street scene we really like: a sewer project that keeps the bike lane open during construction, especially since the work is on a much-used north-south bike route like Polk Street. This block between Bush and Pine might easily have blocked the bike lane altogether; instead the Public Utilities Commission, or its contractor, has closed the street to all but bicyclists while the work proceeds outside the bikeway.

San Francisco streets need a lot of work above and below ground with sewer line reconstruction, concrete base renovation, and basic surface repaving. In our compact urban space any street construction can leave bicyclists -- and sometimes motorists -- scrambling to safely get from Point A to Point B along their usual routes or find detours.

The city's Blue Book of regulations governing street construction is being revised, partly to include new requirements that are more responsive to the needs of bicyclists. The recent difficulties during the Valencia Street upgrade are a good example of what can go wrong: bikeways can be left exposed to trenches, strewn with debris, diverted without notice, and be blocked altogether. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is working with the Department of Public Works and the Municipal Transportation Agency to add new safety measures and better enforce those that exist.

Green Consumers To "Carrotmob" Local Cafe; New Bike Trailer in the Balance

Lauren Almeda-Reddell and Jason Wahlberg, proprietors of Matching Half Cafe

Carrotmob, the two-year-old San Francisco-born sensation, plans to swarm NOPA's popular Matching Half Cafe this Saturday afternoon to help the business adopt more sustainable practices. If enough customers purchase sweets and savories, coffee and brew, the cafe's proprietors will use the profits to buy a bike trailer to get food from farmers' markets without a car. They'll also kick in a, yes, matching half, to re-invest 200% of what they make during the event for the new transport.

Hatched by San Franciscan Brent Schulkin, Carrotmob is a straight-forward organization of purchasing power to promote a good cause. The idea, according to the group's website, is to "coordinate purchases to reward environmentally and socially responsible businesses with a mob of new customers." Begun in 2008, more than 100 Carrotmobs have sprouted worldwide.

The Wigg Party will host NOPA's venture into consumer mob potential. "It's a great opportunity to showcase what we are building here in the neighborhood," explained Wigg Party founder Morgan Fitzgibbons. The Wiggs organized a competition among local businesses to be selected as a Carrotmob beneficiary. Fitzgibbons said the Matching Half won the opportunity because of their 200% kick-in offer and their choice of realistic goals for the proceeds. The Wigg Party itself is all about sustainability. Taking it's name from the east-west bicycle route, the Wiggle, members work to make the community a leader in the sustainability movement.

Carrotmob regularly turns out a huge crowd of customers. When the group first selected the K&D Market on 16th street in the Mission, hundreds of shoppers lined up outside the grocery for hours and boosted sales to more than $9,000. The market's owners used the profits to re-do indoor lighting to be more environmentally friendly.

To make Saturday's mob scene even more compelling, PBS will film a segment on site for an upcoming feature on Carrotmob. Help get one more bike trailer and one less car on city streets while you grab some coffee,tea, beer, wine, baked goods and more.

Carrotmob @ Matching Half Cafe

1700 McAllister at Baker

Saturday, October 23, 3-6pm

cash purchases only

For Carrotmob theory and practice, check this:

How Organized Consumer Purchasing Can Change Business from carrotmob on Vimeo.

And for how Carrotmob played in the Mission:

Carrotmob Makes It Rain from carrotmob on Vimeo.

Dads on Wheels: James Munden, "Enjoy It While It Lasts"

Image: Meli of Bikes And The City

James Munden with Olive wearing her new green helmet!

A spin through NOPA on Fulton Street

One of the great things about biking in the neighborhood is how easily you can meet others and find fewer "degrees of separation" than you might expect. That happened for me when I met James Munden and his daughter Olive one morning while they were out for a ride. We chatted long enough to talk about this Dads on Wheels series. Later I learned that James had just started a new job with a good friend of mine who lives two blocks away.

How did you get started biking with Olive?
First of all, Bike or no bike, Olive loves wearing her new green bike helmet.

Up until a few months ago, Olive and I walked everywhere. We managed to purchase a second hand I-bert; a seat located between you and the handlebars, on Craigslist. Not that we have biked many times (yet), but I find that our bike excursions are unique to us and a real bonding experience. It's an opportunity to spend personal time with my daughter. As it only happens once in their life time and yours – it makes me realize writing these words, ‘I need to get out on the bike with Olive more than I do’.

When did you start biking with her?

Olive and I have been biking since she was 19 months old.

How often do you bike with Olive?

We bike at least once a week, on Fridays or the weekend. Up until recently, I did not have a California drivers license so being able to cycle with Olive allowed us to travel further afield. As much as I like our local parks, its great to be able to visit other children play areas normally out of reach when on foot. However on that note, Olive is happiest on the bike journey and not when we arrive at our destination…it’s a tantrum I can relate too for sure.

What’s the best part of biking together?

The one-on-one time with each other. As all dads know, it takes time for the little ones to leave their mother's side, and so the bike experience gives us a unique experience that I will never forget and I hope Olive, albeit in the subconscious, will never forget too!

What do you say to people who think San Francisco streets are too risky for kids?

The streets are always going to be dangerous, but compared to other cities, like London, the awareness of cyclists in San Francisco is pretty high with more bike lanes being introduced and a large group of bike enthusiasts and supporters spreading the word. However, putting all that to one side, tourists driving on the wrong side of the road can be scary!

What makes a street OK for biking with Olive?

Kids playing on the street is often a good sign that a road is safe. Also, since San Francisco is so up and down, the rare flat straight road can be very appealing (to me) too.

Is it harder getting a kid ready for trips if you’re traveling by bike?

Olive really enjoys biking so the getting ready bit is easier than doing other trips. It’s a simple equation, she has more fun!

How often do you bike on your own?
Five days a week traveling to and from work.

Any advice for dads who might start biking with their kids?
The sooner you embrace the activity of biking in the NOPA area, the sooner you realize that you wish you had started earlier. Enjoy it while it lasts as there will come a time when your teenage daughter or son doesn’t want to hang off your handle bars anymore!

*****

For previous BIKE NOPA posts in the Dads on Wheels series, check here. And find more dads on bikes at Bikes And The City.

SFMTA Installs Extra-Large Signals on Masonic Ave to Calm Traffic

New 12" lights on Masonic at Golden Gate intersection

Will the larger lights discourage speeding between signal changes?

SFMTA not alone with Masonic transportation studies

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) installed larger traffic signals along Masonic Avenue last week to improve visibility for motorists. The new LED 12" signals replace the previous 8" versions and are much brighter. The extra-large lights are intended to increase safety along the corridor by more clearly alerting drivers to signal changes. Javad Mirabdal, SFMTA transportation engineer, said the agency expects to install the larger signals on Masonic from Fell to Geary streets during the next several days.

Although the new signals may improve traffic conditions along Masonic, they are not the "signal upgrades" included in the Masonic Street Design Study currently underway. In those plans, the existing lights atop poles on the sidewalks will be replaced by mast arms that extend over the roadway for even greater visibility. Those installations will require new foundations and new poles at greater expense. Mirabdal of the MTA said the current signal replacements are "not very expensive" and are handled by in-house crews.

Masonic residents and users are especially interested in signal re-timing to discourage speeding. Mirabdal told a community meeting on September 30th that the MTA would complete the signal re-timing by the end of November. In conjunction with those adjustments, the larger signals might be expected to have greater impact.

In addition to the city's traffic study of Masonic, a private contractor has installed a camera on a utility pole at the southwest corner of Golden Gate Avenue. In response to a question by BIKE NOPA, Mirabdal said the camera posting was not part of MTA's study. Although not yet confirmed with the University of San Francisco (USF), that institution recently agreed to conduct a full transportation study of the streets surrounding its campus as part of negotiations with the University Terrace Association. UTA has been concerned with USF expansion that brings more students and their vehicles to the campus in the Masonic, Golden Gate, and Turk street area.

For other stories in the A Better Masonic series, check here.

NOPA VELO Does the Monster Mash Halloween Ride

Image: Rick Helf www.helf.com

NOPA VELO riders will wend their way through the candy corn for a Halloween spin like no other on Sunday, October 31st. Riders will spook the early-morning Mojo Bicycle Cafe crowd and power-up on breakfast and coffee before rolling through the streets to the Panhandle. With sleek and smooth or flapping and ominous costumes, cyclists will continue bravely on their scary mission: spot the forlorn Ghost of Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park.

For those unfamiliar with this spooky tale, the version we like best goes like this. In the late 1800s when the park was still in its early period of development, a young woman took her toddler on a boating excursion on Stow Lake. Somehow the little one fell overboard, the mother jumped in to save her child, and both drowned. Ever since, the distraught mother has been sighted by San Franciscans who all describe the same apparition: a young woman of forlorn expression in a wet and muddy white dress walking along the edge of the lake. For more than 100 years the Ghost of Stow Lake has searched for her lost child, often while wailing in despair. Our own NOPA Lore has it that the Ghost usually appears on Halloween mornings . . .

Following the very possible ghost sighting, riders will descend on JFK Drive to make the car-free zone really scary before entering the Panhandle and circling NOPA blocks -- all the while doing the Monster Mash and sporting their Ghostbusters cred. Spooks and ghosts and mashes really work up a Halloween appetite. Riders will repair to the Duboce Park Cafe and raise a toast to the Ninth NOPA VELO ride of 2010.

NOPA VELO Monster Mash Ride Halloween Ride
Sunday, October 31
Meet: 9:30 at Mojo Bicycle Cafe, 639 Divisadero, between Hayes & Grove
Start: 10 am sharp
(If you're running late, join the group in the Panhandle or call Lenore for location)
End: about noon with drinks and lunch at Duboce Park Cafe, corner of Duboce & Sanchez

Easy to moderate 8 mile ride
All level riders welcome; kids on own bike OK if with guardian
Pets too if on leash or in bike basket
Costumes of any sort really encouraged! It's Halloween!
More info: Lenore @415-300-6744, lmcjunker@gmail.com

For previous rides and to see the cool posters, check the NOPA VELO Series.

Everyone Loves Repaved Streets: Broderick in NOPA Going Smooth

Broderick: Hayes to Grove streets, northbound

Broderick: Grove to Hayes streets southbound

Broderick: Golden Gate to Turk to over the hill

It's hard to get much quarrel with clearing a street for re-paving, especially if done one to two blocks at a time. Today three blocks of Broderick street were car-free -- cleared of traffic and on-street parking. But this was no Sunday Streets-style celebration with pedestrians, strollers, skaters, and cyclists enjoying unrestricted use of public spaces. The road crews for the Department of Public Works (DPW) took to the streets and got down to business: scraping and grinding the roadway to get it ready for re-paving.

This week's work on Broderick is ahead of schedule according to the city's Five Year Plan: re-surfacing from Haight to O'Farrell had been slated to begin in early January 2011. The crews are hop-scotching some of the blocks now so a continuous new smooth ribbon of asphalt may still be weeks away.

Why re-pave Broderick street? With the city's woefully limited funds for upgrading its streets, preference usually goes to transit or bicycle routes or to main arterials. But DPW also tries to take care of the "local" streets, like Broderick, that are less-used but worn down nevertheless. When the blocks don't require sewer restoration -- the source of NOPA's re-appearing sinkholes -- a "mill and fill" paving operation is fairly easy to coordinate for the road workers.

In the next few days, take a walk or ride on Broderick and enjoy the difference. And then imagine if Masonic, Market, Polk, Folsom, and Mission were just as smooth.

Los Angeles CicLAvia on Vimeo: Another Look at Sunday's Event

CicLAvia, Let’s Go! from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

BIKE NOPA readers who include a daily stop at Streetsblog for more features about livability in San Francisco and the Bay Area already noticed this great new video of last Sunday's street celebration, CicLAvia. (The CicLAvia site has even more videos). Everyone else: take a look at what had LA buzzing far more than the Blue Angels over San Francisco. The Los Angeles Times estimated 100,000 people took to the streets on foot and skateboards, with strollers, and riding bikes. Great stretches of the city came together in a completely new way. Enjoy the latest production of Streetsfilms.

Note to Readers: BIKE NOPA is taking a light week. Perhaps it's the summer that almost never appeared. But I'm also working on more in-depth stories for the weeks ahead.