Showing posts with label good roads campaign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label good roads campaign. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Baker Street Gets Curb-to-Curb Treatment, Smoother Bike Lanes Ahead


Asphalt-grinding and spitting leviathan visits Baker Street

A smoother surface for all street users

Scrape the old, repair the holes and get ready to go smooth

Bike parked and waiting for the smooth ride

Baker Street from Turk to Fell is about to become one smooth ride for anyone travelling by bike, bus, or other vehicle. Following sewer and water repair work on the much-used north-south route, several blocks of Baker are being "milled and filled" with the old asphalt removed and a new layer added. Once completed the newly re-surfaced blocks -- matched with those repaved a few months ago -- will be one long smooth ribbon. Bicyclists will especially appreciate the new surface between Fell and Hayes where several years ago the city repaved the traffic lanes but left the bike lanes rutted and worn.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Bicyclists Beware: Hazards During Construction on Baker and Grove in NOPA


Baker bike lane southbound: curb to curb to be paved in weeks ahead

Grove bike route pavement construction hazards, between Baker and Lyon

Two to three inch trench after initial PUC work on Grove

Defined edges like this should have asphalt shoved up to them for safety

UPDATE, Wednesday, March 30, 5pm
This afternoon Ms. Dadisi Najib, DPW Public Information Officer, reviewed the street conditions and hazards for bicyclists on Grove and Baker. She followed up within hours of being alerted to the problem. She confirmed that curb-to-curb repaving is planned for Grove between Baker and Lyon and for the blocks of Baker recently worked on. She also said she would find out about DPW's or the construction firm's interim plans for reducing risks for bicyclists by shoving asphalt along the edges ("cutback") of the construction lip.
__________________________________________________________________

The Public Utilities Commission is replacing sewer lines under North Panhandle streets, and that's a good thing. The city's aging infrastructure -- above and below ground -- needs all the attention it can get. But the construction itself is creating problems with a lack of attention to safety precautions and warnings to bicyclists.

Grove street between Baker and Lyon has been plagued with the tell-tale signs of sewer problems -- large sinkholes and many fill-ins -- for years. Now the sewer lines have been replaced but the temporary surface has been left two to three inches below grade with hard-edged trenches. Baker between McAllister and Fell has similar trenches. None of the drop-offs have asphalt shoved against them to smooth travel along the block, and, in a few areas, the trenches cut directly across the Baker bike lane and Grove bikeway.

Once all the sewer work is completed, the city will repave the blocks curb-to-curb. Although it's more economical to resurface the blocks at the same time, it's unnecessarily hazardous to leave the trenches as they are and not post warning signs. The city will likely address the risks, but, in the meantime, bikers beware, especially at night if you're unfamiliar with the street conditions.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Repaving Finally Set for MLK Drive in Golden Gate Park


Western section of JFK Drive used to look like this -- how soon we happily forget

Worn-to-concrete-base pothole on MLK Jr. Drive was first tagged a long, long time ago

Part of the "treacherous section" of MLK Jr. Drive in Golden Gate Park

At long last repaving is coming to the south side streets of Golden Gate Park, primarily to Martin Luther King Drive. While a repaved western section of JFK Drive has delighted bicyclists, motorists, and pedestrians since last spring on the north side of the city's premiere park, MLK has posed a dodge-and-swerve guantlet to travelers for years. Body-rattling and sometimes jaw-dropping craters have plagued the long stretch between the Great Highway and Kezar Drive. Even the Recreation and Parks Commission's Capital Committee referred to the "treacherous eastern section of MLK Drive" in a memo last month to General Manager Philip Ginzburg.

The repaving project includes the MLK roadway between Kezar Drive and 19th Avenue, including Bowling Green Drive and Stow Lake Drive. Additional options include segments of MLK Drive west of 19th Avenue to the Great Highway. The $2.5 million resurfacing will rely mostly on Proposition 40 funds along with a half million dollars from the Open Space Fund.

The scope of work will include a process familiar to BIKE NOPA readers who followed the stages of repaving JFK Drive last spring:
  • grinding off the top 2 inches of asphalt
  • cutting away of damaged areas and more repair as needed
  • adding new curb ramps
  • installing new paving fabric
  • applying 2 inch overlay the full length of the roadway
  • road and crosswalk striping
Work is expected to begin this Spring.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

City Streets Get Stuck With Middling Scores, Residents Can Check Pavement Status


Broderick Street, recently repaved in NOPA

San Francisco streets sometimes seem smoother, especially if stretches of your regular route get resurfaced. But anyone who bikes 2nd street in SOMA or bumps along Hayes in NOPA knows too many city streets are stuck in a delayed maintenance mode. In fact, San Francisco streets can’t get out of the middling range of smoother, safer streets, and the current budget crunch offers little hope of major change anytime soon. The city’s average remains at 64 -- below the state average and not close enough to the best practice level of 70 where regular maintenance can minimize repair costs.

A new digital map lets residents check the surface status of the nearly 850 blocks that the city maintains. Anyone who travels along blocks with recurring sinkholes, multiple utility cuts, and too many potholes repaired too many times can expect to find those blocks in the red zone. Blocks in black have recently been paved or remain in good condition years after the resurfacing. Orange and blue blocks are in-between. The map reveal a block's pavement condition and an accompanying chart (below) indicates the likely cost of repair, paving, or reconstruction.

For NOPA readers, the several orange blocks of Hayes between Shrader and Broderick would likely cost just under $100,000 to "mill and fill." But the four red blocks of Fulton from Masonic to Broderick bring a tab ranging from $138,000 to $436,000 each. Right there is reason enough for not letting orange blocks turn red through delayed maintenance.

PCI ScoreMap colorAssociated TreatementCost/Block
100-85BlackNo action needed-
84-64BlueMaintenance: crack or slurry seals are used to repair distress and reinforce weakened pavement$9,000
63-50OrangeResurfacing: surface layer is grinded and filled with a new layer (mill and fill)$97,800
49-0RedReconstruction: surface layer is grinded, base is repaired, surface layer is replaced (mill and fill w/base repair)$138,000 – $436,400
Image: ONESF, Building Our Future

BIKE NOPA’s first few posts focused on condition of our neighborhood streets in the summer of 2009. Since then the Divisadero makeover with new pavement has made the greatest difference in the neighborhood. The smoother, quieter, and safer travel there reflects some of the benefits that will come to Masonic when the Municipal Transportation Agency approves the Boulevard street design proposal.

A few blocks of Baker and Broderick have also been re-paved since 2009, although Broderick between Fell and Hayes has languished between the usual "mill and fill” phases. The Public Utility Commission finished underground repairs in December and left the surface scraped, or milled, but the fill with new asphalt has yet to occur two months later. DPW has made the re-paving a priority.

Everyone can help keep city streets in better shape by reporting problems they encounter. Better to get a simple pothole or wide crack filled now than wait until the damage increases and the costs spiral further. Call 311 to report street defects or file reports online.

* Second Street between Market and King has one of the worst PCI scores in the South of Market, and the city plans to repave it in the summer of 2012. Since 2nd is frequently used by bicyclists, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s Good Roads Campaign has urged the city to patch-pave large sections of the street to reduce the current hazardous conditions. The Department of Public Works expects to begin the repairs during the next several days.

Monday, November 8, 2010

DPW's New Bike Port Makes Biking to Work Even Better


A better place to park for employees and visitors

DPW amps up its support of alternative transportation with new bike port

Christopher McDaniels, chief of DPW's street repair bureau and a bicyclist

Just in time for the rainy season, the Department of Public Works (DPW) boasts a new bike shelter and parking station at its street operations yard on Cesar Chavez. Christened a "bike port" by Deputy Director of Operations Mohammed Nuru, the elevated, wood-frame structure was completed in time for the department's health fair a few weeks ago.

Chris McDaniels, Superintendent of the Bureau of Street & Sewer Repair, pointed out some of the features of the station after a monthly meeting of his operations crew and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Good Roads Campaign. He said the department was testing a gritty floor and ramp surface for durability and safety for cyclists using the port. Staff may also re-stripe the immediate area to draw more attention to the port. Kudos to DPW for selecting the inverted-U design for its seven new racks instead of the difficult-to-use spiral type installed at several facilities in the city. For this visitor, the new port offers a decidedly feel-good experience for biking to meetings.

Two related notes:

The performance of DPW's road crews -- some of whom bike to work or bike during off-hours -- is impressive, as noted in the recently released in DPW's 2009/2010 Annual Report (pdf document, see page 14). Staff responded to 15,000 roadway defects, resurfaced 133 street blocks, and patch paved 290,000 square feet of street surfaces.

An alert to city road users: the rainy season is a great time to report potholes, wide cracks, sinkholes and other surface defects. DPW's road crews shift to more street repair and less resurfacing during the winter. It's easy to report a problem to 311 by phone, online, and on Twitter. Be as specific as possible with location of the defect: street name, cross street, traffic direction, and, best of all, a nearby address. But most of all, report them for everyone's safety.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

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.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Good Roads: Sanchez at the Wiggle Finally Smooth


Sanchez between Duboce and 14th now spin-worthy and smooth

Odd how new pavement can be a vision of beauty

For one block of Sanchez, the work is completed (bring on the sharrows)

From 14th to Market on Sanchez, work is still underway

Most bicyclists who get around San Francisco have endured or avoided the poor, pitted condition of the asphalt on Sanchez street. Everyone knew that internal and external body parts were at risk of serious displacement by just one block alone, from Duboce to 14th Street. Those jarring memories can now fade. The Department of Public Works contracted the reconstruction and repair work required, and Friday the notorious block was restored. Work continues on the remaining blocks from 14th to Market streets. When completed, bicyclists travelling from Upper Market and the Mission to the Wiggle and points further west will have a smoother, safer bike route.

The Sanchez block was a rackety match to Steiner one block north of Duboce. The Steiner blocks were recently repaved as well. (The Duboce link between Sanchez and Steiner is also scheduled for its own makeover). DPW intended to reconstruct and repave Sanchez and Steiner all along -- there was no doubt they needed attention -- but department staff advanced the schedule for repaving these blocks north and south of Duboce at the request of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Good Roads Campaign. Neal Patel, coordinator of the SFBC project, cheered the Sanchez work, "We're excited to see the City bring much-needed safety improvements to the pavement of this portion of the busy Wiggle route."

Patel noted that SFBC has worked closely with DPW "to identify key bike routes with unsafe pavement and get them repaved ahead of schedule." Transit routes also receive priority for paving. Since many major thoroughfares serve vehicles, transit, and bicyclists, all road users benefit from most of the advanced paving.

During the current hot spell, spin over to Sanchez and enjoy the future of our streets (new revenue permitting).

Friday, August 6, 2010

SFBC Good Roads Campaign Stops in NOPA Saturday


Drinks and lunch always follow the "pothole ride"

First-timers get first chance at tagging the potholes


From the street rogues gallery, this one on Mission Street

Spray paint alerts bicyclists and helps road crews find the defects

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Good Roads Campaign kicks off in NOPA Saturday morning for a two-hour spin through the neighborhood, Panhandle Park, and the streets south of the Panhandle. For its special Summer of Smooth ride, volunteers will team up to spot nasty holes, trenches, and sunken utility covers that lurk in the Haight district. Newcomers always get first chance to tag the street defects with the spray paint (DPW knows about pothole rides and supplies the paint). After their noble efforts to make streets smoother and safer, the crew repairs to a local restaurant or pub.

The Good Roads regulars invite NOPA cyclists to join the ride. They're proud of their reputation for being a most welcoming street squad. All supplies provided. Good times pretty much guaranteed.

Summer of Smooth Good Roads Ride
Saturday, August 7th
Meet 10 am at McKinley Monument in Panhandle Park at Baker Street
1 1/2 to 2 hour ride
Drinks and Lunch at Cafe du Soleil, 200 Filmore @ Waller
For more info: neal@sfbike.org



Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Who Needs Superpowers? Turn 'Em In On Your Own


4th in a series of panels

Superheros are so busy these days. And then there's all that attitude. Bicyclists all over the city are claiming the title of superhero for themselves these days as part of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Turn 'Em In campaign to rid our streets of dangerous potholes. Instead of tolerating these holes and cracks, cyclists are getting them repaired by calling 311. It's quick and easy and gets the job done.

During the last two years the SFBC Good Roads volunteers have reported nearly 1500 potholes to the Department of Public Works. But fixes are always temporary with the sorry state of many city streets, and holes and cracks re-appear, especially after the winter rains mix with the effects of heavy traffic. Although SFBC monitors the surface quality of bikeways in the city, everyone benefits from their efforts. Pedestrians cover much of the same territory -- problems in crosswalks are reported too -- and motorists find cyclists much more willing to use bike lanes for smoother traffic flow when they don't have to dodge potholes and take the lane. The city saves money by having these volunteer "eyes on the streets," and fewer potholes mean fewer injuries.

The SFBC campaign now moves into its final "Turn 'Em In" phase as a lead-up to the citywide BIKE TO WORK DAY, May 13th, when the amazing growth in bicycling in San Francisco will be evident on city streets. Help make bicycling safer not just for the "fit and fearless." We're thinking more "8 to 80" (but younger and older is even better!)

Check all the news on Good Roads and view the three previous Turn Em In superhero panels here.


Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Molten Lava for Potholes? SF Bike Coalition Has A Better Way

Third in a series.

Right at the entry to Golden Gate Park on JFK Drive

Crosswalk between Panhandle tip and north side of Fell

Punch through to the earth's core with superhero powers and fill that nasty pothole with molten lava? Usually the street defects that bicyclists encounter aren't THAT big. But they do need to be reported to 311 to get the proper fix. Most importantly, when you report that pothole and get it repaired, there's one less hazard for cyclists who follow you. You can do it on the spot: stop, check location, call 311, tell the operator you're reporting for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and give the location.

I Turned One In. Actually two on a ride to the de Young museum in Golden Gate Park. First there was the badly cracked and worn crosswalk from the tip of the Panhandle to north side of Fell Street. This one isn't the most damaged crosswalk in town, but it needs attention. Then at the start of JFK Drive along the island and at the edge of the bike lane is a familiar hole-in-the-ground. SFBC's Good Roads volunteers reported this hazard last year at this time, trying to get it fixed before hundreds of Sunday Streets riders had to dodge it. As sometimes happens, the hole became a mound, only marginally better. This year the mound is still there along with a new hole, and they're both a hazard.

Help get San Francisco streets ready for Bike to Work Day on May 13th. Turn 'Em In. To see the previous installments of SFBC's Turn 'Em In campaign see the SFBC Good Roads site or check here.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

She Knows Danger When She Sees It: SFBC's "Turn 'Em In" Saga Surges


Last week's heroic entry

She knows her street hazards!

San Francisco bicyclists know what to do when they see nasty, dangerous potholes, cracks, and trenches in the bikeways: TURN 'EM IN . Call 311, tell the operator the hole is a hazard for cyclists, and that you're reporting it as part of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's campaign. Provide an address or intersection where the defect is located. It's as simple as that. One call and you can make city streets safer for yourself and everyone else.

For the month of April, SFBC is encouraging all members and all other cyclists to Turn Em 'In as part of a springtime campaign for safer cycling. Everyone is getting in on the action. The SFBC staff and board have committed to reporting potholes on their daily commutes, the Good Roads monthly riders are doing their part, Streetsblog is buzzed about the campaign, and 311 ops are busy taking the calls.

This morning I turned another one in. Actually there were three holes with chunks of pavement missing on Golden Gate Avenue just east of Divisadero. The grand slalom ride down the hill from Broderick isn't my usual route -- the more moderate McAllister grade works just fine for me, thanks* -- but I know several cyclists who swoosh all the way to Franklin with the momentum they get from this slope.

Decide today to stop dodging the same potholes. Turn 'Em In. Call 311.


* Cyclists take care: Today there's a wide utility trench across McAllister at Divisadero. A big wide cut in that recently laid smooth asphalt expanse. This isn't supposed to happen, and we've contacted DPW about it. 2pm Update: DPW Public Affairs advised that the trench is a corrective measure that the department required of the contractor. It's unfortunate, but it happens. The trench will be repaved tomorrow.


Monday, March 15, 2010

SFBC Announces Golden Wheel Awards...And I Am Surprised, Thrilled, and Honored


The Announcement:

Leaders_of_change_logo.jpg

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) announced today the recipients of the organization's Golden Wheel Awards. Streetsblog San Francisco and SFBC volunteer Michael Helquist will be presented with the awards on April 27th during SFBC's annual gala event. The theme for this year's award is "Leaders of Change: Creating Great Streets and a World-Class Bicycling City."

Streetsblog San Francisco is being recognized for its "intelligent journalism that is leading the conversation and helping more people understand the connection between bicycling, great streets and a livable city." Michael Helquist, according to the SFBC announcement, was selected in recognition of his work as "a tireless advocate of smooth pavement whose leadership has propelled our Good Roads Campaign to the next level by influencing City decision makers to enhance bicycling in their work."

My Own Thoughts:

I am deeply honored to be recognized by an organization that I respect, appreciate, and enjoy so much. Volunteering with the SFBC continues to be an opportunity and delight. The coalition is an organization that thrives with the commitment of volunteers -- now numbering 11,000 -- in every facet of its advocacy. I have not experienced any other group that so readily welcomes and encourages volunteers to follow the role that most interests them and fires them up.

I couldn't be more pleased to be in the company of Streetsblog San Francisco, especially editor Bryan Goebel, deputy editor Matthew Roth, and ace reporter Michael Rhodes. Their efforts have vastly strengthened the community in San Francisco that is dedicated to a more livable city for all users of public spaces. Streetsblog is an inspiration and frequently a guide for me as I develop BIKE NOPA as a means to increase awareness and commitment to improving and diversifying the streets, sidewalks, and parks in the North Panhandle neighborhood and beyond.

The SFBC Good Roads campaign seeks to improve safe riding conditions for all bicyclists by ensuring a smooth surface free of potholes, cracks, and other defects. One of the major deterrents to San Franciscans interested in bicycling but hesitant to begin is their sense that the streets are too rough and uneven. The Good Roads crew works to persuade new riders that the surfaces keep getting better all the time. In the last two years, the Good Roads crew has reported more than 1500 potholes to the city, and followed up with the requests until they were repaired. We have formed strong partnerships with the staff at the Department of Public Works and at 311, and the collaboration benefits all of San Francisco.

Special thanks to Neal Patel, SFBC Community Planner and Good Roads Project Director, for his unstinting support and to the dozens of Good Roads volunteers who have devoted so many hours for the safety of so many others. Their good humor, dedication, and friendship have shaped the best volunteer experience I've had.






Saturday, January 16, 2010

Pothole Injury Slows BIKE NOPA Posts


Another pothole-related bicycle injury

Since BIKE NOPA started in late June of last year, there have been almost daily posts. This last week my pace has slowed due to a bicycle injury. Last Saturday morning I hit a pothole and lost my grip while biking on Mississippi Street. (The hole was one of those smooth dips in the pavement, a not readily noticed depression). I fell and in the process fractured my right elbow. I'm fortunate that it is a simple break, likely to heal in a few weeks. But I'm also right-handed and that makes writing difficult. My orthopedist advises fifteen minutes at the keyboard followed by long breaks. I'm learning to write faster.

A bit of irony about my pothole-induced injury: it occurred while I was riding with other cyclists who volunteer with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Good Roads Campaign. For the last two years a group of us has undertaken monthly "pothole patrols" throughout the city to identify and report the many cracks, holes, utility cuts, and sunken manholes that appear on bike routes. To date, we've reported more than 1,300 of these surface defects. But new potholes appear and the temporary repairs wear away. Biking in San Francisco is safer and smoother as a result of the Good Roads work -- and the usually quick repairs by the Dept. of Public Works -- but too many hazards remain and too many injuries and liabilities are the result of insufficient funding for our streets. Cyclists and pedestrians are the most vulnerable users of our roads, and their safety must become a higher priority, even in difficult economic times. You can help increase safety for everyone -- pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists -- by reporting potholes to 311 by phone or online at www.sfgov.org. And be ready to support later this year the best proposals to finance safer streets.

For the next ten days or so, my fifteen minute stints at the keyboard will limit me to a BIKE NOPA post every other day. This week and next look for news of NOPA's new bicycling group, a feature on the Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage, updates on the Fell Street/ARCO traffic mess and those still-standing SFgo freeway-style signs, and a call to pledge "Pedestrians First."

A special thanks to the Good Roads crew who helped me through last week, the SFBC staff for all their support, friends and neighbors for good cheer, elephant-shaped cookies, walnut applesauce bread, cherries, grapes, cake and ice-cream. See you on the streets -- not soon enough for me.


Tuesday, December 22, 2009

SFBC Reports, Gets Repaired NOPA Sinkhole

Emerging sinkhole on Golden Gate between Masonic and Central

17th & Dolores Streets,
before the patch paving of crosswalk

What started as a smooth but deep dip in the pavement along Golden Gate Avenue became a crumbling crevice and a real hazard to pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists earlier this month. Fortunately, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's (SFBC) Good Roads volunteers were spinning through NOPA on their first-Saturday-of-the-month ride December 5th. The group of eight stopped, circled the emerging sinkhole with white spray paint to alert others of the defect, noted the nearby address, and later reported it to 311. Within days, a work crew from the Department of Public Works (DPW) repaired the hole and smoothed the surface. The "pothole intervention" is one way that SFBC and bicycle advocates work to improve city streets for all users.

In operation for nearly two years, the Good Roads campaign has turned in more than 1500 potholes, cracks, and sunken manholes found on city streets, especially along bike routes. The SFBC has developed a good working relationship with DPW, and together they manage to make much of the city's bike network safer and smoother for cyclists. While many streets in the city require complete resurfacing for safe use by cyclists and motorists, the pothole repairs take care of immediate problems.

Neal Patel, SFBC Community Planner, notes that Good Roads volunteers help the city do what it lacks the manpower for -- being "eyes on the street" to identify pavement problems needing repair. "We bring a small group of people together to identify a large number of hazards in a short period of time in one geographic area," Patel said.

The Good Roads Campaign benefits more than bicyclists. During their monthly excursions, the riders also report damaged crosswalks, missing utility covers in the streets and sidewalks, and gaping holes in lanes of traffic. For example, the SFBC volunteers requested advanced re-paving for two blocks of 17th near Potrero due to excessive pavement cracking, wide patch-paving for the Dolores Street crosswalk at 17th Street in the Mission, and replacement of missing manhole covers on Palou Avenue in the Bayview.

The Good Roads Ride is open to bicyclists who want to make San Francisco safer for everyone. Volunteers visit a different neighborhood every ride, and first-timers are always welcome. Check the SFBC Good Roads site or contact neal@sfbike.org for more information. The next ride is Saturday, Jan. 9th -- delaying by a week the usual first Saturday ride for those recovering from the holidays.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Tube Times Takes Bike Pulse





The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) publishes a must-read 14 page quarterly newsletter for everyone who wants to keep up to spin on a more livable and safer city for us all (especially those using alternative transportation).

The Summer 2009 issue of Tube Times is now out and available. For a good read, download here and check these articles:
  • the Great Streets Project that hopes to transform city streets into havens of safe, attractive, centers of civic life;
  • the SFBC Good Roads Campaign that seeks smooth, safer rides for cyclists;
  • the wildly successful Sunday Streets program with 3 more car-free streets this summer;
  • the winning design for new bike racks on Treasure Island
and really a whole lot more.

If you're a cyclist, take note: SFBC membership pays for itself. Get discounts all over town for bike repairs, bike rentals, and bike equipment and goods from other other city essentials like cafes, carshares, bakeries, and Rainbow Grocery. Take care of yourself and your bike and join today.

My bias: joining SFBC has been a great experience for me and I wrote the article above on Good Roads in this issue of Tube Times.