Coming Soon to NOPA: Everything Good About Bay-to-Breakers Without the Mayhem

Doesn't get much friendlier

San Francisco diversity

Family of five for afternoon spin

Pedal-powered Rock the Bike band

The only problems to accompany Sunday Streets are the logistics and keeping volunteers powered-up for a long day's shift. The event seldom brings complaints from residents or merchants, and everyone shares the streets and sidewalks without quarrels, misbehavior, or excessive consumption (although the lines at all the ice cream shops along the route were daunting). Sunday Streets returned to the Mission today for a second round of celebrating the simple pleasures of being outdoors, walking and chatting with friends, appreciating the safe biking, and enjoying the relief of car-free streets. The only risks for the day came from getting too much sun.

For Panhandle neighbors still weary from the excesses of the Bay-to-Breakers after-party in May, Sunday Streets promises a stress-free celebration when the city stops by for a visit on September 19th. And everyone who had a great time at NOPA's BIKE THE BLOCK party last year can expect even more with Sunday Streets. (And perhaps Circus Bella (see video) will appear too).

It's Official: Sunday Streets Coming to NOPA

great graphic from Livablecity.org

photo by Michael Helquist

photo by slowpoke_sf on Flickr

photo by steverhodes on Flickr

The buoyant, smile-inducing, bike spinning, pedestrian-safe celebration known as Sunday Streets will course through NOPA in 2010. Fine-tuning of the new Western Addition route is underway, but the blocks expected to involve NOPA include Central Avenue, Grove Street, Baker Street, and Golden Gate Avenue. Mayor Gavin Newsom announced today the dates and neighborhood locations for nine Sundays from March through October next year. NOPA's chance to host part of the route will come on September 19th, when the city is most assured of sunny, warm weather.

Next year's Western Addition/Alamo Square/NOPA route will be the first foray into mostly residential neighborhoods for Sunday Streets. Cheryl Brinkman, president of the board of Livable City, noted how successful Sunday Streets was this year in the Mission's commercial area. She added, "We hope with NOPA and the Western Addition to have the same success with a primarily residential route. It's a great opportunity to give residents a respite from car traffic on their streets and see what they make of it."

Kevin Rafter, President of the North Panhandle Neighborhood Association, thinks the event is right on target. "NOPNA is always eager to support events that build community and get more neighbors out on the streets. We know that so many of our neighbors bike to school, work, and in-between so this event makes a lot of sense to us. We're eager to make this event a success in NoPa."

At the same time, NOPA's merchants can expect a big boost in business from Sunday Streets.* The Central Avenue and Fulton Street cafes, restaurants and stores, the "Baker Street Beat" sites for foodies, corner grocery stores, and Divisadero outlets of every sort will have the chance to meet, greet, and serve San Franciscans from all over the city. One segment of the route being considered would stop at the Divisadero Farmers' Market, and manager Dmitrius Spartos couldn't be more psyched about it: "This event is all about having fun while honoring San Francisco's path towards a sustainable urban ecology, and farmers' markets are a definite part of that equation. It makes sense to join forces."

NOPA's own BIKE THE BLOCK party this past September was inspired by Sunday Streets, and our one-block focus attracted hundreds of neighbors and friends. Bicyclists will certainly be prominent among Sunday Streeters, but the event reaches out to everyone. Marc Caswell, NOPA neighbor and Program Manager for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, is eager to have Sunday Streets come to this part of town. He also takes a larger view of the occasion: "Events like this allow people to re-envision public space and help show that streets have more uses than transporting vehicles."

The route through NOPA will permit two-way travel on the selected streets and will be open to festivities from 10 am to 3 pm. Organizers will provide extensive advance notice to residents, businesses, and churches located on the affected blocks to help them prepare for the occasion.

The full list of dates and locations include:

March 14: Embarcadero

April 11: Along the Great Highway

April 18: Bayview

May 23: Bayview

June 20: Mission

July 11: Mission

August 22: Great Highway/Golden Gate Park

September 19: NEW: Western Addition

October 24: NEW Civic Center/Tenderloin

In addition to this ambitious expanded version of Sunday Streets, the mayor and SFMTA will launch a pilot project next year to bring car-free days in one or more neighborhoods, somewhat similar to the Sunday closure of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park. Presumably, these "block party"-type events will not entail the rather steep application fees to close the block to car traffic.

BIKE NOPA will feature further news on Sunday Streets in the months ahead. Also check for information from these sites: Livable City, the SF Bicycle Coalition, Alamo Square Neighborhood Association, MTA, and NOPNA at www.nopna.org . BIKE NOPA first suggested including NOPA in the 2010 roster in this Oct. 6th post.

* For those new to Sunday Streets, the event is not envisioned as a giant street fair with vendors taking the place of parked vehicles. People enjoying the streets usually frequent nearby stores, restaurants, and cafes or find the curb a good spot to watch the passing scene.

More Bike Party Pics -- Four Weeks Later

Our good neighbor Nathan Frankel not only parked bikes at the NOPA BIKE THE BLOCK party last month, he also snapped some great action shots..and a few really nice still ones. Here's a few extra views. And a preview note: look for a profile of Nathan here soon.

Bike Your Block Too: Tips for Bike-Themed Block Parties

Presidio Community YMCA at their best

Electric bike station

the fun-cycle!

bike service stop

and the stunt man!

An hour into NOPA’s popular BIKE THE BLOCK party last month, a few neighbors announced, “We’ve got to do this next year” and “We should do this every month.” But the comment that grabbed our attention the most was “I wish we could do this in my neighborhood.” Well, you can!! Here are some suggestions for bringing a BIKE THE BLOCK party to your street.

Keep it Simple. Everything about your block party will be easier – from obtaining a permit to programming events – if you keep your first time out basic and simple. First, select ONE block that has as many of these features as possible:

• no MUNI line
• not a major thoroughfare
• no businesses on the block that depend on car parking
• no churches on the block that use the street for double parking if you’re planning a Sunday event
• mostly flat with decent pavement surface
• good social interaction among neighbors on the block
• several households with kids of biking age
• previous experience with hosting block parties
• a supportive neighborhood association.

Next, Recruit Neighbors to Help. A great many neighbors can be recruited to help, especially if you’re enthusiastic and sell the idea. Emphasize how cool it would be if kids could ride bikes safely in the street, how important it is for neighbors to get to know each other better, how we can all get more exercise, and how there will be events for kids AND adults. Other tips for getting volunteers and support:

• Go door to door and visit neighbors on the block. It’s not that hard and nothing beats the face-to-face contact for presenting your block party idea
• Get tangible support from your neighborhood association, such as a mini-grant for the permit fee or the porta-potties. Ask to use its email list and newsletter, contact its parents’ group, and propose and publicize the party at neighborhood meetings.
• Join the SF Bicycle Coalition (if you haven’t already) and request help meeting cyclists in your neighborhood. Cyclists will be a very supportive group and may help with the planning and programs.
• Get your local pre-school, elementary and/or high school involved and ask students and their parents to help.

Program Wisely and Moderately. Once you have a location, a date, and a few key volunteers, start to program your party. With the popularity of cycling, it won’t be difficult. Part of our motivation was simply to open the block for kids to bike safely in the street. We also wanted to offer several special attractions that were new and interesting and were likely to create a buzz. Plan on several bike stations spaced the length of the block with more of the adult activities on one end and kids’stuff on the other. Here are some possibilities, from the adult to the kid stations:

• Bike repair: do this and cyclists will love it. Services can be pumping air in tires, a quick lube job, a polish, or more expert wrenching and adjustments. SFBC members are great for doing this. Recruit your nearby bike shop for gear and volunteers.
• Bike showcase: show ‘n’ tell for bikes and accessories, especially bike trailers for kids and/or cargo.
• Bike parking: if you expect a big turnout, talk with SFBC about the best way to provide bike parking.
• Bike stunts: we were lucky to get a volunteer and folks loved it.
• Kids skill course: you could do-your-own, but working with the Presidio Community YMCA Youth Bike Program was a huge plus for us. These are great bike people who work well with kids and parents.
• Bike decorating: all ages but kids really get into the stickers, ribbons, flowers, streamers, and balloons. A bike parade lets them show their bike finery. You can find a variety of stuff at Scrap (www.scrap-sf.org) for under $10.
• Bike art: younger kids love it and allows them to have their own activity too.
• Bicycle businesses: We were lucky to have a neighbor who works with a local electric bicycle outlet and they joined the fun. See who’s nearby in your neighborhood: bike portrait photographer, bike balloonist, etc.
• Information table: promote sponsor organizations and provide bike-related info and free bike stuff like tire patch kits and stickers
• Fun-cycle: if you can book this seven-person circular bike, you’ve got a hit! Fun-cycles can be rented at a few bike outlets in town.
• If you’re the main organizer, do yourself a favor and don’t assign yourself to one job or location. Allow yourself to roam so you can answer people’s questions and show some on-the-spot appreciation for the volunteers and welcome visitors.

Publicize Your Event. Use every means of publicity and promotion you can. Your block can accommodate hundreds of people. Don’t worry that too many will join the fun.

• Design an attractive poster. Recruit a volunteer graphic designer. Then mount the poster in every legal place in the neighborhood (not on utility poles).
• Ask the sponsor organizations to mention the party on their websites.
• Use all the social networking at your command.
• Ask bike bloggers to promote your event.
• Ask your supervisor’s staff to include your event in the district newsletter.

A few more program notes:

• We found 3 hours was enough time for all the events. Allow for one hour before for prep and one hour after for clean-up.
• A block map designating specific locations for each activity will help you in so many ways from planning to set-up on the day of the event.
• Keep it a bike-themed block party with bike-only events.
• For us, it was easier to have all-free events, even the coffee and pastries provided by a local café and volunteer baker. We wanted a new niche as a bike party (not a street fair).
• Our party was on a Sunday and we started at 10 am (not too early for residents but about the time kids are ready for action).
• Recognize and thank everyone repeatedly, especially the organizations and vendors that helped. Part of our goal was to encourage collaboration among the local neighborhood association, the YMCA, a local school, and SFBC.

A bike-themed block party is first and foremost a block party. To keep this post from becoming even longer, a future post will cover basic block party issues: how to negotiate the permit process, neighborhood notification, parking, and city requirements.

BIKE THE BLOCK Party Pics

Volunteers Rocked BIKE THE BLOCK

Neighbors bike forth! NOPA's BIKE THE BLOCK party last Sunday spun forward with the help of dozens of neighbors and friends of NOPA. Their overlapping affiliations with community organizations helped tie the groups together even more in a shared committment to a more livable neighborhood and city. A few examples:

• Max Poletto and Kara O'Keefe are bicyclists, NOPA residents, and San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) members. Max helped with bike repairs while Kara worked the bike decorating table.
• Mollie Poe serves on the Board of Directors for Pacific Primary School and is a huge supporter of NOPNA. She helped the bike block party in so many ways, along with her husband, Declan Hickey, and her brother KJ Johnson.
• Rose Johnson works with YBIKE and guided kids through the skills course Sunday; she's also a member of the SF Bicycle Coalition and an advocate of sustainable living in NOPA.
• Nathan Frankel is an avid vendor at weekend farmer's markets, a prime bike parker for SFBC, and long-time NOPA neighbor. He set up the bike parking operation for us.
• Sarah June Crockett co-organized the block party; last school year she and her husband, Sandy Crockett, biked with one of their kids to his classes at Pacific Primary. Both Sarah and Sandy are SFBC members.

Lots of kudos for these other great volunteers: Doug Diboll, Jim Cowan, Tom Brown, Suzanne Cowan, Jen Grant, Dan Nguyen-Tan, Jarie Bolander, Janel Sterbentz, Justin Connolly, Marc Caswell, Chris Hogg, Lenore McDonald, Matt Dove and Lily, Kareem, and Raquel of the YBIKE team, Kathy O'Brien, Leela Gill, Holly Ames, Leigh Culpepper, Kyle Brunner, J.P. Collins, Meligrosa!, Will Valentine, Cliff Courrier, Robbie Socks, Jerry Kirwan, Larissa Zimberoff, Jane Catherine Zimmerman, Bill Rivers, and Dale Danley (who helped with everything).

A salute to the individuals behind the C0-Sponsorships:

• Belann Giarretto, Executive Director of Pacific Primary, for tables, art supplies, the essential Porta-Potty, and so much enthusiasm for the event;
• Ben Caldwell, Bike Program Coordinator at the Presidio Community YMCA, for his rapid response to our request for a skills course with great staff help;
• Kevin Rafter, NOPNA President, and all the NOPNA board members for approving the application fee payment, and their day-in, day-out work for our neighborhood;
• Neal Patel, SFBC Community Planner, for bike ed materials, event promotion, and sharing SFBC's experience and commitment to greater livability.

An enthusiastic round of applause to:

• Len Rogers, owner, Electric Bicycle Outlet, for bringing his cool rides for neighbors to try;
• Ali, superb owner of Central Coffee & Tea, for keeping neighbors fortified.
• Amy D'Auria of Pink Buttons Patisserie, for keeping neighbors sweet.
• Rev. Will Scott and Rev. Dr. Sue Singer for the best bicycle blessing.
• Remy Nelson, owner of Mojo Bicycle Cafe, for cool raffle t-shirts, and bike service gear.
• Kash for the generous loan of bike parking gear from Warm Planet Bikes.
• Dmitrius Spartos, manager of the Divisadero Farmers Market, for our "cross pollination" of events.
• Beth Byrne, a superb graphic designer, who gave BIKE THE BLOCK its great poster and printed all the copies at her office -- with her boss's enthusiastic approval.

"I was thrilled with the turnout and so happy to help a little." Kyle Brunel.

"It was amazing to see the diversity and all the families turn out for our mini-Sunday Streets on one NOPA block." Dan Nguyen-Tan.

Let's all keep Biking the Blocks and celebrating NOPA livability.

Party-on-Wheels at BIKE THE BLOCK Sunday

"It's not just a bike. It's a Party on Wheels,"* and it's coming to a neighborhood near you. Actually the seven-person circular funcycle will be right in and cruising around NOPA this Sunday as part of BIKE THE BLOCK's three hour, non-stop, all-things-bike block party.

NOPA's own Dan Nguyen-Tan will be at the wheel of the funcycle, ready for anyone who can pedal and be a little silly (or a lot). In just a few months, Dan has taken the odd-looking bike to Sunday Streets, Bike-in Movie Nights, Park(ing) Day, the LGBT Pride Parade, and all over town. Look for him Saturday at the Tour de Fat extravaganza in Golden Gate Park and the next Chinese New Year will be in for a surprise participant on wheels.

Initially marketed as the "Conference Bike," an effective ice-breaker for corporate team-building, the silliness of the ride has taken hold instead. In Dan's view, "You can have a meeting with up to seven people to discuss organizational bylaws..., but who wants to discuss that while enjoying a lovely day outside on a seven-person bike."

Dan found that music was the key component to any truly fun ride. He rigs two 150 watt speakers with an inverter powered by a car battery on the rear basket to play music from his iPod. "I sometimes add a disco ball or an inflatable fish on the back to add to the silliness," he adds. For other rides, he uses a wireless microphone to sing karaoke and talk with people on the street.

"It's one of the few times when I'm on a bicycle when car drivers actually slow down or smile when they see a bicyclist, or more accurately, seven bicyclists," Dan notes.

Anyone can ride the funcycle, although it does require pedal-power. Just hold on and do the spins. Nguyen-Tan reports that he has also taken many kids for a ride, although they need to have both hands on the bar in front of them and their legs need to reach the pedals (the seat is adustable). A responsible adult or parent must ride with the kids.

Stop by BIKE THE BLOCK for a ride you've never had before. Sunday, Sept. 27, 10 am to 1 pm. Grove Street between Lyon and Baker. The funcycle will depart from the Lyon end of the block. But save time also for the free raffle of Mojo Bicycle Cafe t-shirts at 12:30, a bike service station stop, electric bike demo, bike stunts, bike decorating, kids training course, bike art, even a bike blessing at 11:30. Really: it's all-bike all three hours.

(Please do watch the video of Dan and friends at the recent Parking(day) on Valencia).

From Exported Videos

With these great sponsors: NOPNA, Pacific Primary School, YBIKE/YMCA, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, BIKE NOPA, and Mojo Bicycle Cafe.

* www.conferencebike.com

Note: Dan's FunCycle has been loaned by the bicycle rental company, Bike and Roll.

Electric Bikes in NOPA

Cliff Courrier was sold on electric bikes as soon as he started riding his in May of this year. In fact, he believed in them so much, he started selling them.

Cliff remembers first riding a bike when he was five years old, and he's been an avid rider ever since. He switched to electric to "make the ride easier and pain-free, with no stress to the joints." Now the long-time NOPA resident rides five miles to his work. When he adds a round trip home for lunch, he totals 20 miles -- all on one battery charge. At the end of the day, he simply plugs his bike in to a 110 outlet for four hours, and his ride is ready for the morning commute. Cliff says he gets around everywhere with the bike, and hills are seldom a problem. At first his friends teased him about going electric, but he figures if the new ride gets him exercising more and out in the fresh air, it's all good.

Cliff really needs a bike to get around to his three jobs: one with the city, one at Plaza Flowers on Potrero Hill, and one showing and selling the line of bikes available at Electric Bicycle Outlet.

We caught up with Cliff during the last Sunday Streets celebration through Golden Gate Park and on the Great Highway. He and dealership owner Len Rogers* talked up the several models on display for the steady stream of curious cyclists. More than a few took the electrics for a quick ride. We found the Comfort Cruister solid, steady, and smooth with a good strong throttle surge for taking the hill on JFK Drive. Cliff reports the most frequently asked questions are "How fast do they go and how far with one battery charge?" The ready response: "Twenty miles per hour, and one charge lasts for 15-30 miles depending on the battery." (* Len, dressed in his late summer whites in pic).

Who buys electric bikes in San Francisco? Len Rogers reports the demographic niche for purchases are people ages 35-50 who previously owned an electric or who now need one due to an injury or to recover from surgery. "Doctors often suggest their patients get more exercise to help with the healing, and electric bikes can help them get back to being more active." As San Francisco improves its bike facilities with better and safer bike lanes -- and, soon we hope, dedicated bike boulevards -- we will all move beyond the notion that city cycling is mostly for the "fit and fearless."

Cliff and Len will bring their electric bikes to NOPA's BIKE THE BLOCK party. Stop by Grove street and check out the hybrids, cruisers, folding bikes, and the two-person scooter.

BIKE THE BLOCK, a car-free, bike-themed block party

Sunday, September 27, 2009

10am to 1pm

Grove Street, between Lyon and Baker

Special events for kids and adults

For more information, see BIKE THE BLOCK post here.

Change in NOPA: September Update

BIKE NOPA covered a lot of biking and livability territory in July and August. Let's see where things stand with some of the previous posts:

NOPA Play Blocks were a conjecture back in early July. One small step for play blocks: Sunday, Sept. 27 BIKE THE BLOCK opens Grove Street between Lyon and Baker from 10 am to 1pm. Playing in the street not limited to kids.

NOPA green businessman and bicyclist, J.P. Collins is on a roll. Following his profile here, JP now appears in the current issue of momentum, the magazine for self-propelled people. JP, a graphic designer, illustrated the article which delves into how much he and his wife Lizbit Bailey continue to "green their lifestyle."

CPMC Davies Bike Parking: The engineering department of Davies responded to requests from medical center users and is about to install new bike racks. The outdated and unused section of bike parking has now been removed. Expect new racks for ten more bicycles within three weeks.

The Dying Turk Street Trees: DPW's Bureau of Urban Forestry responded to our post, and a representative stated that an arborist was dealing with the problem of the contractor planting the trees without a plan to water them. The recent cuts in DPW's landscaping and tree care staff makes the problem more challenging, but the need remains.

NOPA's Grafitti Watch: Doug Diboll continues monitoring much of the neighborhood for tagging and trash. His job -- and OUR job -- becomes more important as the city tries to keep pace with grafitti control, which is a major drain on the DPW budget. Report tagging to 311, cover the tags using methods outlined by DPW, and help keep the streets and sidewalks clean.

Those freeway-style standards intended for digital traffic management messages: still hulking from the sidewalks, but find out what SFgo reps have to say about these "traffic calming" installments on Oak and Fell streets at the next NOPNA meeting: Thursday, Sept. 17, Poleng Lounge, 1751 Fulton near Masonic, 7pm meet and greet, 7:30 pm meeting. Say hello to the Alamo Square neighbors who will be joining us for this issue of mutual concern.

We have a very fond spot for Beth Byrne, the graphic designer who gave BIKE NOPA window signs their distinct look. Then she went even further and designed the BIKE THE BLOCK party poster gratis and her company picked up the tab for copies. Beth has many fans, including the already mentioned magazine momentum which wisely profiles her as "The Lunch Hour Bike Advocate" in its current issue. Beth lavishes much of her free time on bike improvements in the city as part of her volunteering with the SF Bicycle Coalition.

No matter how much we welcomed new NOPA resident and SF Bike Coalition staffer, Marc Caswell, to the neighborhood, he still must face the afternoon headwinds on the uphill climb of McAllister Street at the end of the day. Sorry, Marc, some things don't change.