Bicycles South of Market

Today, on my two-mile walk to work through SoMa I saw five people riding bicycles. That's great; according to the SF Bicycle Coalition the number of cyclists in SF has swelled in the last few years.

The problem: all five of those bicyclists were riding illegally on the sidewalk. I saw zero people riding their bicycles legally on the street.

Bicyclists and pedestrians ought to be natural allies in the move toward complete streets. I find it so disappointing that these bicyclists chose to risk injuring or alienating the pedestrians on those narrow SoMa sidewalks.

Sunday Streets, April 2009

After walking over seven highly enjoyable miles along a street crowded with pedestrians, joggers, bi-, tri- and multi-cyclists (where my unicyclists at?), skateboarders and scooter-ers, parents and children, I'd be shocked if anyone tried to describe Sunday Streets as anything but a huge success.



Running this year's first installment of SF's version of the ciclovia down the Embarcadero from the ballpark to Fisherman's Wharf was a smart move. I heard many people, particularly along the more crowded stretch North of the Ferry Building, remark with pleasant surprise on the event, which they clearly hadn't yet heard of. These folks are in luck - there are five more Sunday Streets events left, one per month until September.

Before leaving my house I was worried that the chilly air would dampen turnout for the event. When I arrived at 3rd and King there was a fairly small crowd entering the closed Northbound lanes from this endpoint. But as I walked along the sun-soaked boulevard toward the Ferry building the crowd grew denser.

It was a bit of a trip to walk lazily in the center of San Francisco's breathtaking waterfront boulevard. One certainly doesn't get many chances to pass under those Canary Island Date Palms, right up against the demonstration runs of the proposed E-Embarcadero line.

By the time I passed under the Bay Bridge (an amazing public space in its own outsized way) the street was full of everything-but-cars. And once I passed the Ferry Building the crowd was noticeably thick with BART riders, tourists and farmers market-goers.

It was remarkable how many kids were out with their parents. Most of these kids were on big wheels, trikes, and tiny bikes with training wheels. These kids were using this new civic resource to learn how to ride their bikes, a rite of passage that cul-de-sac dwellers take for granted.

Once I got to the wharf the crowd of San Franciscans speaking at least three different languages was impressive. I'll let the wharf businesses' receipts speak for themselves, but if I was a business owner I would be thrilled to have such a parade of recreators at my doorstep.

There was the Dolores Park boombox-bike guy (who I learned today through Streetsblog SF is SF Bicycle Coalition Board Member Amandeep Jawa). As he progressed through the route this betricycled pied piper attracted quite a crowd of cyclists behnd him.

There was also the FunCycle, a ring of pedalers who also had a speaker setup complete with disco ball. When I passed them at the Ferry Building on my return trip, they were stopped, singing karaoke-style along with the song that was playing - they tweaked the words to match a Sunday Streets theme (see photo in the slideshow above).

The only downside to the morning came after leaving the closed-off route. As I walked through South Beach/SoMa I encountered three bicyclists on the sidewalk (one per block). I happen to work in the area and I can attest that this is a fairly common occurrence along SoMa's narrow sidewalks. As a pedestrian I recognize the natural alliance between bicyclists and pedestrians, but it's unfortunate that so many (any is too many, IMHO) cyclists choose to alienate the most vulnerable road users by speeding through the only protected pedestrian space.

It was a regrettable ending to an incredibly encouraging day.

The next Sunday Streets event will be through the Bayview neighborhood. The route has yet to be announced, but it will likely follow a similar path to last year's alignment.

Connecting the Dots

Streetsblog SF continued today to earn its developing reputation as a leading champion of livable streets and catalyst for change in the city. Three articles on pedestrian issues in a row illustrate the problems we deal with and offer opportunities to make change for the better.

San Francisco Increasingly Dangerous for Pedestrians:
First in a series of stories focusing on ped safety in SF. Author Janel Sterbentz draws the connection between our most poorly-designed streets and a higher level of vehicle-pedestrian collisions. The map at right shows that pedestrians are more at risk along wide, multi-lane streets, especially one-way streets. Anybody who is in the habit of walking around this town can attest to the vulnerability of pedestrians along streets, like those South of Market, that have been designed to act like freeways.

MTA Board Agrees to Consider Studying Central Freeway Alternatives:
Hallelujah! This thing should never have been allowed to survive the turn-of-this-century demolition of its Northern segment. News that there is the world's slightest chance it may come down in my lifetime is exciting and unexpected. According to SB the MTA has agreed to consider studying alternatives to the godawful monstrosity as part of it's upcoming Eastern Neighborhoods Transportation Implementation Planning Study. It's far from a done deal, but thanks to Livable City executive director, elected BART board member and apparent superman Tom Radulovich it's one step closer.

The Great Streets Campaign Needs a Leader:
Wanted: SF's version of NYC DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan; someone who will aggressively push for more complete streets and full compliance with City Charter Section 8A.115, our "Transit First" policy. Specifically, there's a job in it for you heading the SF Bicycle Coalition's new initiative, "The Great Streets Campaign."

Strong leadership from this campaign director and our elected officials, with even stronger support from the community and livable streets activists everywhere could bring about the removal of those elements of our streetscape that make SF the 4th most dangerous major city in the US for pedestrians, per capita. Yes we can!