County Transportation Authority Board To Consider Funds for Masonic Project

Masonic residents favor a safer, more user-friendly corridor for all

Photo: Michael Helquist

The re-design of Masonic Avenue could move one step closer to implementation Tuesday morning depending on the vote of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA). The Authority's board will consider approving $41,000 of Prop K funds for an environmental review study for the Masonic Streetscape Improvement Project. The board will consider the proposal without a recommendation for action from a committee that reviewed the measure earlier. (The full San Francisco Board of Supervisors serve as the SFCTA Board).

Last week two members of the SFCTA Plans and Programs Committee -- Supervisors Scott Weiner and Carmen Chu -- expressed considerable concern about the removal of parking from Masonic as part of the design plan. They also questioned whether the public had been adequately notified of the project and whether the public was engaged in the planning process. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi assured them of the comprehensive outreach undertaken, but the two supervisors apparently remained unconvinced and the committee sent the funding request to the full Authority board without recommendation.

Questioning whether the public has been adequately informed can be a legitimate inquiry from someone unfamiliar with developments for a major transportation corridor. Or it can be a knee-jerk reaction to any alteration to public use of public space, especially when parking is involved. For the Masonic improvements, the record of public outreach and notification is so overwhelming that the full Board has little reason to repeat the hesitations of a few committee members.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) conducted one of the most thorough outreach efforts to date to engage the public with plans to make Masonic better and safer for all users. The MTA convened three community meetings over several months with attendance reaching more than 100 for the third one. Participants reviewed every facet of four different designs, refining some and rejecting others. For each meeting Masonic residents and those on nearby blocks were contact door-by-door. For the last meeting the MTA also mailed notices to more than 1400 Masonic households and to those who reside one block away.

The previous Masonic project manager, Javad Mirabdal, now retired, met personally with each of the nearby neighborhood associations to discuss the project. Members from the Ewing Terrace, University Terrace, Anza Vista, and North of the Panhandle groups all discussed with him the impact of design changes -- including removal of parking.

The neighborhood associations also got the word out. The North Panhandle's NOPNA distributes its newsletter to the more than 3500 households located between Masonic and Divisadero, Turk and Fell. Several issues provided updates on the Masonic proposals. Advocacy organizations like the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition with 12,000 members, WalkSF, Fix Masonic and others repeatedly informed its membership of the design options.

Various websites tracked each development of the Masonic plan, including Streetsblog and BIKE NOPA. This site alone published more than a dozen articles about the planning process -- as well as covering the pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities that occurred on Masonic in the last two years.

In addition to neighborhood associations, the Masonic plan received a vote of support from the San Francisco Day School, located at Masonic and Golden Gate, and the Blood Centers of the Pacific at Masonic and Turk.

The degree of public engagement with the Masonic proposal has been remarkable and a testament to the public's desire for safer, traffic-calmed, user-friendly thoroughfares. The SFCTA staff has recommended approval of the funding request and has submitted a full accounting of public outreach at tomorrow's meeting. The argument for approval is persuasive.

San Francisco County Transportation Authority

Tuesday, 11 am

City Hall, Room 250

Check here for the series of articles on A Better Masonic.

Correction: The earlier version of this story mistakenly listed Supervisor Jane Kim as one of the committee members who voiced concerns about the Masonic Project. My apologies to Supervisor Kim.

Masonic Avenue Redesign Fading As A City Priority

Bryan Goebel, editor of Streetsblog, and Michael Helquist

Image: SF Planning Department's City Design Group

On Bike to Work Day last May, Mayor Ed Lee told Streetsblog that he would look into speeding up funding for a sorely needed redesign of Masonic Avenue, one of San Francisco's most notorious arterial streets. The project seemed to be a priority for him, especially in the wake of two high-profile collisions that took the lives of Nils Yannick Linke and James Hudson.

“It’s very deserving of attention, particularly when it comes to pedestrian safety," Lee told Streetsblog on May 12.

“It’s time we take back Masonic Boulevard,” Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi proclaimed that same day at the Bike to Work press conference on the steps of City Hall. "It’s time that we actually step up the city’s game in making sure that Masonic is safe for bicyclists and pedestrians."

Now, nearly four months after the Masonic redesign was approved at an SFMTA engineering hearing, the plan is plodding its way through the vast city bureaucracy, its funding is uncertain and it is in danger of winding up on the shelf like so many other good projects unless City Hall puts some political muscle behind it.

The project hit a snag recently when the SFMTA was denied a $700,000 grant from Caltrans to pay for the design costs. A $41,000 request to complete an environmental impact report (EIR) is expected to be approved by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority soon. But a funding source for the biggest chunk, $18 million for construction, has still not been identified.

"The SFMTA is working with the Department of Public Works to refine the design cost estimate, and will apply to another funding source for design funds. A funding request made for construction funds is still pending. Meanwhile, other construction funding sources are being evaluated," said SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose.

That doesn't sound particularly hopeful.

Advocates who have been pushing for a safer Masonic for more than seven years now have widespread neighborhood support for the redesign, which would dramatically re-engineer the street, adding a landscaped median, bus bulbs, a 6-foot wide raised cycletrack and other amenities to benefit pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders.

Just a few years ago a safer, more livable Masonic was a project that pedestrian, transit, and bicycling advocates – along with city officials -- wanted to see implemented, but few thought possible. At first Masonic was part of the citywide bike plan that the SFMTA is now implementing, but the vital north-south corridor was dropped from the proposal, partly because it seemed unlikely to get broad public support. Yet nearby residents have surprised city officials with significant backing for a transformed street.

As early as 2008 more than 500 Masonic Avenue neighbors petitioned the city for a traffic corridor that worked better for all users. They ranked a dozen priorities to increase safety, traffic flow and improve the appearance of the street. The grass-roots group Fix Masonic rallied neighborhood associations, parents of kids at nearby schools, and district supervisors to support the plan. Together with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Walk SF, and other advocacy groups, Fix Masonic helped secure funding for a feasibility and design study. By June of 2010 the SFMTA started a series of three community meetings to get public input and support for a revitalized Masonic, employing many of the traffic calming strategies proposed two years earlier. By October of last year, Masonic project manager Javad Mirabdal described the Masonic design as a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.

Although some westside residents preferred a less ambitious version for a changed corridor, the majority who participated in SFMTA and neighborhood association surveys preferred the Complete Streets option known as the Boulevard.

If implemented, the Masonic proposal could transform city neighborhoods, ensure a safer, more attractive means of transportation for all users, improve environmental impacts along the corridor, and boost property values and city revenue. The re-design of Masonic could reflect a determination by the city to step up to a higher level of livability in San Francisco.

It's time for Mayor Lee, and others at City Hall, to put their words into action, and for new Director Ed Reiskin to use the visionary and political skills that got him the job at the SFMTA to ensure that the Masonic Avenue redesign gets implemented soon instead of it getting mired in city bureaucracy.

Sweet Sailing Through The City

Mission Bicycle Company from 4SP Films on Vimeo.

I meant to post this film from Mission Bicycle Company months ago. When I ran into Jefferson McCarley, Mission Bike store manager, last week at The Summit in the Mission, I remembered how much the film expresses the sheer joy of bicycling. Jefferson tells his own bicycling story so well that his enthusiasm and appreciation make Connecting the City a no-brainer. I first met Jefferson at a SF Bicycle Coalition event a few years ago when I was a new member, and I thought this is a very cool organization to have someone like him as a really active member.

This short documentary about "self-expression and freedom on two wheels" is partly about a great bike shop in the Mission, not in NOPA, that I like to visit. But it also tells the story of two cyclists and what being on two wheels means to them. There are clips of biking in the Panhandle and NOPA so there's the neighborhood connection (if you're wondering). These are beautiful bikes, some hand-crafted with take-notice colors. Check out the one cyclist Jake Swartz built at Mission Bike.

"As long as I'm riding my bike and at least I have that one moment by myself...there's just me sailing through the city." I'm there.

Photo: Mission Bicycle Company

Bike Education Part of Livability Programs at St. Cyprian's

SFBC Bike Ed instructor Bert Hill and community meet at St. Cyprian's

35 people introduced to urban bicycling strategies

St. Cyprian's - 50 years on Turk and Lyon

Photo: Nathan Frankel

Take the lane and Avoid the door zone. According to Bert Hill, bicycle education instructor for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, these are two of the most important lessons to learn for new cyclists in San Francisco. He shared these and other tips-of-the-road with 35 people -- many of them new to bicycling -- during a four-hour classroom session last Saturday at St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church.

St. Cyprian's isn’t new to livability programs. Last year the congregation hosted a similar bike ed class and participated in Sunday Streets in the North Panhandle. In 2009 St. Cyprian’s pastor Rev. Will Scott and associated clergy Rev. Dr. Susanna Singer offered a popular bike blessing during the neighborhood’s BIKE THE BLOCK party. Long before that the church hosted the after-party for a neighborhood tree planting effort. This spring, however, St. Cyprian’s will pick up the livability pace with a set of programs and initiatives.

A new series -- Dinner & Conversation at Cyprian's* -- continues this week when Elizabeth Stampe, Executive Director of Walk SF, joins community members for a simple meal followed by an interview and discussion of pedestrian safety concerns in San Francisco. In the following weeks, other neighborhood groups will discuss their projects for a better, more sustainable city:

• March 30, Dale Danley, leader of the award-winning Panhandle Park Stewards
• April 13, University of San Francisco students on permeable, landscaped sidewalks for St. Cyprian's along Turk and Lyon streets
• April 20, Lenore McDonald and Michael Helquist on "Bicycling for Community" featuring the NOPA VELO biking group and BIKE NOPA

In the realm of safer, friendlier streets, St. Cyprian's has applied to the Municipal Transportation Agency for installation of bike parking. The congregation hopes to get crosswalks re-striped and better lighting at Turk and Lyon streets, and the church plans to undertake sidewalk improvements. The latest features are sidewalk benches along Turk – built, of course, from recycled scrap wood.

Dinner & Conversation at Cyprian's
2097 Turk at Lyon
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
For information and reservation: Will Scott, turkandlyon@gmail.com
Accessible via Muni #31, #24, #5, #43
Donations for dinners appreciated

Note: I serve as coordinator of special events at St. Cyprian's, including the new music venue Cyprian's

Bike People Who Want Safer Streets: A Richmond District Family

A new video from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition makes safer streets real, immediate, and important. This family in the Richmond: these are the "bike people" who want a better city.

You can help; info here.

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.

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).

A Better Masonic: Neighbors Petitioned in 2008 For What They Still Want Today

Focus of Traffic Calming Plans for Masonic Avenue, 2010

500 Masonic Ave neighbors signed petition listing concerns about speeding traffic, 2008

Last Tuesday night more than 50 Masonic area neighbors gathered to discuss how to make the traffic corridor work better and safer for all road users. Three nights later a motorist struck and killed a 21-year-old man riding his bicycle on Masonic at the intersection of Turk Street. Friday night's fatality was a tragic event for the bicyclist's family and friends, for neighbors and for everyone in San Francisco. SFPD's Hit and Run unit has yet to determine the specific circumstances that led to the collision between the driver and the bicyclist, but for many the death of this young man makes traffic calming on our streets, especially on Masonic, all the more pressing.

Friday's sad loss reminded several neighbors of their efforts two years earlier to bring changes to Masonic. In early 2008 the grassroots group Fix Masonic circulated a petition among neighbors concerned about the condition of Masonic. More than 500 signed. The several pages of the petition were hand-delivered to Nathaniel (Nat) Ford, Executive Director of the Municipal Transportation Agency, on February 27, 2008. The process from then to now with a traffic calming process underway is either painfully slow or about right depending on your view of the MTA's response to making traffic design changes. In any event, it's instructive to look at the many issues neighbors identified and the recommendations they urged the city to take then. The following are excerpts from the Traffic Calming Request Form submitted to the MTA with the signatures (see image above).

Concerns about traffic on Masonic:

• Speeding in a residential area, yellow light running
• Frequent crashes
• Reckless driving in curb lanes
• Dangerous merges and turns
• Inconsistent lane configurations and unexpected lane changes
• Red light running
• Failure to yield to pedestrians and cyclists
• No safe passage for bicycles; bicyclists forced to use sidewalk
• Signal timing encourages speeding
• Some traffic signals are not visible
• Poor visibility on hills, specifically at blind intersections
• MUNI is slow
• Fell/Masonic intersection is deadly
• Double turn lanes from Masonic to Fell are dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists
• Oak/Masonic intersection is dangerous for pedestrians
• Wide intersections, specifically at Geary, Fell and Oak

Suggestions for improvements:

• Lower speed limit, make it appropriate for a residential street
• Reconfigure or remove lanes to calm traffic
• Add a bike lane for bike safety and to slow traffic speeds
• Add advanced stop lines for vehicles before crosswalks, pedestrian countdowns at crosswalks and bulb outs to decrease pedestrian crossing distances
• Create a separate crossing phase for bicycles and pedestrians on the Panhandle path
• Take out double right turn lanes from Masonic onto Fell
• Improve Oak/Masonic intersection for pedestrian safety
• Study effects of removing or closing curb lanes, placing cameras on traffic signals for speed enforcement, and changing the number of parking spaces
• Convert bus island at Masonic and Geary to a pocket park
• Facilitate faster, smoother MUNI service through synchronization with traffic signals
• Add traffic calming art, murals and landscaping

Last week the MTA presented four options for traffic calming that incorporate many of these recommendations. The 50+ participants completed surveys to select the features they liked best. An option that MTA and Planning Department staff should especially consider is one that includes all of the suggestions above. To my eye, all of these could be implemented without limiting or contradicting other measures.

The Fix Masonic petition from 2008 included a note about the kind of street neighbors indicated they wanted. It reads especially poignant in light of the young man who died from crash injuries Friday night.

Check here for previous articles in the A Better Masonic series.

"Studies show that well-designed streets and sidewalks can dramatically reduce collisions, pedestrian and bicyclist risk, and can increase the number of people walking and bicycling."

Outdoors in NOPA: Weekend Events

Panhandle work day with Dale, Jarie, and Doug on the path

Meet the Ice Cream Bike Tour at BIKE NOPA's favorite

OK, maybe not grilled cherries but see what else the chefs prepare

This morning I stopped along the Wiggle bike route and spoke with two biking tourists from Chicago, Tom and Kelly. They wanted to get to the Haight by way of Page or the Wiggle. I asked what they thought of our summer weather. "We love it," Tom said, "It's 100 degrees and humid back home." They decided to take the Wiggle with its recently-drawn colored chalk welcome heralding the Wigg Party. They passed right through the North Panhandle, but those of us in the neighborhood have some special events this weekend right here.

Get Close to the Trees

Saturday morning offers another chance to work with the Panhandle Park Stewards as they care for our favorite neighborhood park. Clear the trails, tend to the eucalyptus trees, shovel mulch around the trees, and there's always weeding for anyone so inclined.

Saturday, 9 am to Noon

Meet at the bulletin board near the playground

(West of Masonic Avenue)

Gloves and Tools provided, wear sturdy shoes

Information: Dale at dale987@gmail.com

SFBC Ice Cream Bike Tour Stops at Chile Pies & Ice Cream

Start in the Mission for some sunshine and then bring it along with you in this ever-sweet ride. Last year's ride was a huge hit. Plan on five stops to return to your favorite ice creameries or try a few new ones. The tour ends at NOPA's own Chile Pies & Ice Cream. If you can't make the ride, stop by Chile Pies and welcome the riders to the neighborhood.

Saturday, 12 noon

Meet at Xanath, 951 Valencia

Bring a lock, cash for ice cream, and appetite.

Ride is free for SFBC members, $5 donation from non-members appreciated

Last stop: Chile Pies & Ice Cream, Baker and Fulton

Farmers' Market Goes Grill Crazy

Chefs at the Divisadero Farmers' Market will be grilling up all kinds of fresh local produce on Sunday. Market manager Dmitrius Spartos welcomes all neighbors and friends to stop by, watch the cooking demos, and sample the fine grilled treats.

Sunday, 10 am to 2 pm

Divisadero at Grove

Appetites required

Three great events for a summer weekend in the neighborhood. See you at all three. And say hello to the tourists-on-bikes passing through NOPA.

Here's the ice cream route:

Making the Wiggle Safer One Sunken Utility Cover at a Time

Today the sunken manhole at Scott & Page repaired

In the turning range for bicyclists travelling Page to Scott on the Wiggle

SFBC's Good Roads volunteers ID hazards like these and Turn Them In to DPW via 311

Hundreds of people on bikes spin along the Scott and Page segments of the Wiggle bike route every day. Today their rides are safer with the repair of a sunken utility cover (aka a manhole) situated at the northeast corner of the intersection. This one is an example of what sometimes happens when repaving a street does not include raising the utility core and cover to be flush with the new surface.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's two-year-old Good Roads volunteers report these below-grade hazards whenever they're sighted. The utility covers usually require more work and more time to repair, but a good fix for them is just as important as the more common pothole. In April of this year, SFBC launched its Turn Em In campaign to emphasize that anyone can -- and, please, should -- report street defects like these to 311. Thanks to the Bureau of Street Use & Mapping of the Department of Public Works for getting this done.

The disclosure: The Page & Scott sunken cover is one that I happened to report. Yesterday afternoon I biked right over it.

NOPA VELO Rides Pride Parade

Individual signs for each bike in the LGBTQ Pride Ride

Meet up at Oasis Cafe

NOPA VELO, the North Panhandle's biking group, took to Market Street today for the sun-drenched "Forty and Fabulous" LGBTQ Pride Parade marking the 40th year for the city's biggest parade. They joined the 70 plus member contingent of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) and spun their wheels right behind the kick-off group, Dykes on Bikes.

NOPA VELO and SFBC members first met in a NOPA garage on Saturday morning for a bike decorating party to prep the customized SFBC placards for each bike, along with handlebar streamers for all.

Sunday morning the SFBC floats rolled through NOPA, met NOPA VELO cyclists at the Oasis Cafe on McAllister and Divisadero and altogether headed for Market Street.

Thanks to all who helped with the event, especially SFBC volunteer Scott Madden,volunteer decorators, cookie makers, riders, and to SFBC for great promotion and logistics support and for welcoming NOPA VELO in a great San Francisco event.

NOPA VELO Rides With Pride, June 27th

Image: Rick Helf, www.helf.com

NOPA VELO rides the rainbow from the North Panhandle to Market Street to celebrate the 40th Annual San Francisco Pride Parade on Sunday, June 27th. NOPA VELO bicyclists will join the phenomenal contingent from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition to be part of the city's largest parade of the year. Ride organizers promise, "You haven't experienced the Pride Parade until you've seen it all from the inside."

History in the making! The San Francisco Pride Committee has announced an historical moment for the 40 and Fabulous Pride Ride. For the first time ever, a U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives will make a video address to a LGBT Pride Celebration. San Francisco's own Nancy Pelosi will salute the city's "proud history of advocacy for equal rights and to honor the contributions of the LGBT community to our city, our state, and our nation."

SFBC membership and registration are required for NOPA VELO riders to join the SFBC contingent. Membership is easy and quickly pays for itself with discounts at dozens of bike shops, grocery stores, and cafes in the city. Become a member here. After joining, please register for the Pride contingent at popcycleSF@gmail.com (Mention you will be riding with NOPA VELO and wish to register).

Why the membership and registration? SFBC will make all the arrangements for the pride ride including paying fees, providing required monitors, and purchasing bike decorations. Registration helps determine the number of monitors and the amount of decorations needed. A special bonus for registering: find out about the pre-Pride bike decorating party in NOPA.

8:30 am Meet at Oasis Cafe, 901 Divisadero at McAllister Street

9:00 am Depart for Market Street staging area

9:30 am Decorate your bike even more at the staging area

Be part of the pre-Parade buzz

Parade starts at Market & Beale, ends at Market & 8th

The SFBC contingent will probably be close to the front of the parade line-up, allowing riders to view the other marchers, floats, and bands once they've completed the route.

After riding the moderate slope of McAllister to Market Street, this will be a flat ride. Party attire encouraged. You can't be too festive for this ride.

For more information: Michael @ 415-218-7937, michael7820@gmail.com

To get all the NOPA VELO news, join our Google group.

Women Who Bike: Mari Hunter

Mari Hunter: warm, dry, and biking in Minneapolis. Photo: Mari Hunter

Mari Hunter: not how she commutes. Photo: Mari Hunter

Women Who Bike is a collaborative effort by BIKE NOPA and Bikes And The City that features San Francisco women and their bicycles. Each Monday and Wednesday check both blogs for the experiences, stories, and ideas that women who bike the city want to share with you.

What's your style of biking?

Cautiously assertive.

How often do you bike and where?

I walk to work but I bike almost every day to the gym and/or shopping and have done SF2G (San Francisco to Google) a few times. I bike on the weekends for various activities -- farmers' market, movies, dining, museums, concerts -- or for exercise like riding in the Marin headlands.

How can San Francisco encourage more women of all ages to bike?

I am fortunate to have a father who is a cyclist, so riding was always a family activity. I am very comfortable on a bike, and over the years it has become my primary mode of transportation. The only thing that gives me pause when I move to a new place is uncertainty of good routes. It's hard to get out there initially, to put yourself out there and ask for help, especially if you are new to biking and are unsure of what to ask. My experience is that cyclists, particularly those who are part of a club, team, or coalition, want the number of cyclists to grow and are happy to help. Plus everyone likes to show off their skills and knowledge.

Sometimes it's easier to ask for help or encouragement from someone who is relatable -- someone the same age or sex or someone who is also a beginner but with enough experience to give advice. The SF Bike Coalition has a program called Bike Buddy. I think that is a great system if you are able to request someone who you will feel comfortable with to take your first ride or to talk about biking.

Another thought would be rides for either specific groups of people, young girls to old girls, beginner to experience or even just a big ride for all levels with one requirement: you must be a girl. Then really promote the ride as something fun with no rider left behind and choose a relatively flat route so newbies can gain confidence and feel comfortable with biking.

Have any of your best dates or friendships started with biking?

My boyfriend and I were just talking about things we have in common, and biking was at the top of our list. We ride home from the gym together and to most activities in the city. It is also just a good conversation starter, particularly in cities with a large biking presence. That's how I met a lot of people in college and in grad school, and it led to both bike-friendships and friendship-friendships.

I surprise people when I bike ...

in a skirt. Be careful that it doesn't get caught in the wheel, but a skirt saves you from having to bring a change of clothes.

For women who want to try biking:

The thought of trying it is much scarier than the act itself. Take the plunge, it will be one of the best things you can do -- good for your health (mentally, emotionally, and physically), good for the environment, and good for your productivity (traveling and workout). At the very least, try it just to feel the satisfaction of riding past a line of cars idling in traffic.

*****

Mari recently moved to San Francisco from Minneapolis after a brief stay in Portland. She currently coordinates the I BIKE SF program that encourages people to bike to neighborhood businesses that offer a special cyclist discount. The I BIKE SF promotions and discounts are effective along the Lower Divisadero Corridor and in NOPA the month of June. For $1 off drinks at Madrone Art Bar and Minibar, 10% off purchases at The Little Chihuahua Restaurant, the Oasis Cafe, and Verde SF Florist; free small maza with purchase of two entrees at Ziryab Mediterranean Grill, and so much more, take advantage of I BIKE SF.

*****

Check here for previous posts in this series and stop by Bikes And The City every Monday and Wednesday for more WOMEN WHO BIKE.

Women Who Bike: Aida Berkovitz

Aida Berkovitz: San Francisco bicyclist in Barcelona, 2008. Photo: Aida Berkovitz.

Aida mountain biking at Lake Tahoe. Photo: Aida Berkovitz

What's your bicycling style?

I'm very knowledgeable about how to ride safely in traffic and I always signal my turns. I find that drivers will avoid doing crazy things around bicyclists when they know what we are intending to do.

When did you start biking?

I've always liked bicycle riding, ever since I was a child. I wa in college n the early 1970s when the 10-speed racing bikes from Europe became the rage. I bought my first adult bike then, the one which I still have. I rode to school every day and when I graduated and started my career, I upgraded to a new bike. Shortly after purchasing it, it was stolen from the van that was moving me from California to the East Coast. It was many years later -- after getting married, raising my daughter, and moving back to California (a span of about 22 years) -- before I got back on a bicycle.

When did you return to bicycling?

In my job as a traffic and safety engineer with the Federal Highway Administration, I became a pedestrian safety and design expert. I got elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) and served as president for a couple of years. I realized that I also needed expertise and experience in bicycle design as well, so I rented a bike on a trip to Nantucket. I fell in love all over again. I got home and bought myself a nice hybrid-type bike and rode around the city. After about 6 months of riding, I upgraded to a lighter bike.

How much do you ride today and where?

I probably ride about 3 to 4 times a week to run errands, visit my mother, and then I add a weekly longer ride for exercise. My car sits in the garage most of the time getting dusty. I get great pleasure now from moving quickly around town and not having to worry about finding a place to park. I love riding in city traffic and particularly love it when I can move faster that the vehicles around me.

What can San Francisco do to encourage more women and girls to bike?

I think the best way is to ensure that they have easy access to training in how to ride in traffic. Providing more bike lanes and some separate bicycle facilities also seems to encourage more women to get out and ride more often. I think the fact that bicycling in San Francisco has become stylish has gone a long way to encouraging younger women to use bicycling as their primary form of transportation.

Has your cycling led to new friendships or other relationships?

I met my husband on the Cycling Singles website in 2005; we married two years later. We ride together all the time. We find that bicycling has a certain serendipity to it. We discover interesting places and events whenever we are out on our bikes. We often take vacations with our bikes. I met my good friend Lynne Howe (profiled here) through a SF Bicycle Coalition event, and we now ride together about once a week. I also met lots of great bicycling people when I was on the board of the APBP.

I get upset when I'm biking when ...

I see bicyclists who flagrantly make unsafe bicycling maneuvers, such as riding the wrong way down a bike lane, riding at night without any lights, etc. I also get upset when vehicle drivers fail to use their signals.

I surprise people when I bike by...

being middle-aged and still riding as is I was young and slightly fearless. I also surprise people with how I dress when biking.

My message to women who want to try biking:

Take the League's Effective Riding course.* Then get out and ride with a more experienced friend, to help give you more confidence and practice.

* Editor's note: Another option is the Urban Cycling Workshops provided by the SF Bicycle Coalition.

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Women Who Bike is a collaborative effort by BIKE NOPA and Bikes And The City that features San Francisco women and their bicycles. Each Monday and Wednesday check both blogs for the experiences, stories, and ideas of women who bike the city. See the other profiles in the Women Who Bike series and on Bikes and The City.

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.