parking confusion in golden gate park, as predicted

as we predicted last week, there was some confusion going on in golden gate park this past weekend with the new bike lane project.

these shots were taken by prawnpie while he was in golden gate park. he took some video too that i have to get my hands on to share. let's just say a lot of near doorings and tons of confusion occurs.

as you can see, cars parked in the new bike lane during a busy nice weekend day in golden gate park. a door is open behind the biker showing a danger zone that shouldn't be there in the first place. the car is parked illegally. the striped lines indicate the separation of parking and the bike lane...NOT a parking spot.

but, it does look confusing doesn't it? there were MTA people passing out notes reminding people where to park.

how long do you, dear readers, think these floating parking spaces will take to catch on?

bike lane project...

this one is pretty exciting. it's in golden gate park along jfk drive. JFK has seen a few improvements in recent years, including a surface repaving which makes it feel like butter to ride to the beach. wheeee.

but now they are moving parking from curbside to create a curbside bike lane. protected bike lane!



but...we have seen some people confused. to be honest, if i was a tourist and didn't know that the floating white paint meant a parking spot, i'd be confused too. but some people seem to be getting it. perhaps it's growing pains. i've seen this sort of parking in nyc, so i know it can catch on.

will post more pics of confusing white paint soon!

ATTENTION PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

Which part of this says "Parking Space"? The posts, the green paint, the sharrow markings, the "No Stopping" signs or the sidewalk? Hey, United States Postal Service, YOU CAN'T PARK HERE!!!

And while I am at it, San Francisco Department of Public Works, just in case you didn't get the memo, YOU CAN NOT PARK IN BIKE LANES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE ADJACENT TRAFFIC IS DRIVING MORE THAN 50MPH!

Just because you are "official" does not give you the right to be "officially" blind, selfish and discourteous. Enough said.

Normal

I find myself in a strange position. At this point in the game, I think I can safely call myself a "bicycle advocate". To be effective as such, I strive to "normalize" the act of bicycling everyday. As I live in North America, part of that "normalization" is showing people what riding a bicycle has looked like all over the world for most of the last century.

I take pictures of people moving through an urban environment just as they would on foot or by bus or car. Hopefully the pictures show people on bicycles, not bicycles with people on them.

The small moments are what make the act of cycling "normal". Interactions between people, small movements, eye contact... these are what make anything we do seem familiar and attractive.

By now, in San Francisco, bicycles are just part of the scenery. We don't notice them, except in their numbers.

The conversation continues in the bicycle lane, just as it doe sin a car in the fast lane. Those who participate in it do not think anything about it. A normal conversation in every way.

We watch the world go by and the world pays us little attention back.

We blend in like anyone else.

Even in those more flashy, broken down moments we are just a part of the environment.

There is still so much work to do, not just in San Francisco. Not everywhere has achieved what we have here, and we have a long road ahead. But for today, I want to think about what we have made happen to this point- we have become ubiquitous, normal, part of the scenery. Go us!

In Case You Didn't Know

Just because you have a bicycle hanging off the back of your car does not give you enough street cred to run me over as I ride down the street.

End of lesson.

Words To Ride By

Good afternoon, Students! Welcome to the first in a series of articles on some of the basics of courteous, and safe, urban bicycle riding. I should probably mention that this is a set of guidelines that KT of Vélo Vogue and I are hashing together and that they are 100% biased and based in our desire to no longer be more frustrated with our fellow riders than we are with the silly drivers who insist on getting behind the wheel with a latté and an Iphone and a lap dog after getting 2 hours of sleep each night for a week. When we realized we were complaining more about bicycle on bicycle interactions lately than we were about vehicular traffic we decided it was time to write something about it.

Today's lesson is about my biggest frustration with other riders on the road; passing on the inside. One of the things that those of us who took Driver's Education learned early on, before we were allowed behind the wheel of a car, is that it is illegal and dangerous to pass another vehicle on the right. This applies especially to bicycles in the bike lane. 

The usual configuration of a bicycle lane in the United States is to the right of the car lane and to the left of the parking lane.  In San Francisco, where there are many one way streets with the bike lane on the left side of the road, this could also mean passing on the left so I will just call it passing on the inside.  Most bicycle lanes are not wide enough to ride two abreast. To pass a rider who is ahead of you, you should make sure it is safe to leave the lane and enter the car lane to the left. From there you can accelerate to pass the forward rider and then re-enter the lane ahead.

 

The rider with the green backpack is doing the right thing.  He exited the lane, entered traffic when safe and accelerated around the riders in front of him before reentering the lane. 

It is NEVER acceptable to force your way forward by squeezing between the forward rider and the parked cars! This is a guaranteed way to push someone into traffic.  The female rider with the polka dot helmet would be in the wrong if she tried to pass the rider with the black backpack on his right.

 

In this bicycle lane above, just don't pass.  Unless you can safely get into the traffic lane yourself, trying to squeeze through in the bicycle lane will push the forward rider into traffic.  This is not OK.

 

In the above picture, you see something really common, and really awful, that happens all the time in San Francisco.  The guy in the white shirt is riding on the inside of the lane.  If he decides to overtake the woman in the brown jacket she will be forced to move to the left into traffic.  Especially if she does not know he is there.  If she is  an inexperienced rider she will most likely overcompensate and swerve quite far into the car lane without looking.  Many times I have found myself actually being touched by the shoulder of someone suddenly passing me on the inside!

Enough for today.  I think you get the picture. 

cross posted at Vélo Vogue.

Yeah, Baby! Run 'Em Over!

Maybe you have seen the Mayor of Vilnius (Lithuania) running over a car parked in the bike lane already. Maybe this is all over the internet. I don't care! I would vote for him if I could.



As I have stated before, San Francisco has more of an extended cell phone parking lot than it does an extensive bicycle network.

So, Mr. Mayor, if you would like to run to be the next Mayor of San Francisco I will be your campaign manager for free!

Declan Storms The Castle

Every time I turn around the kids are ready to do something new. You would think I would be ready for this after so many years of kids, but it always catches me by surprise. With an unexpected day off from school it became apparent Declan had reached one of those points.

Declan is now just a bit too big for me to carry on the Bat. His height sets my balance off quite a bit and these days his knees end up under my butt. He likes using the pedaler because I do all the work when he is tired, I like it because he helps on hills. It can be difficult to park safely and it is heavy. The Metrofiets is always an option in these cases, but I wanted Declan to get some exercise and my knee is not ready for the extra weight, yet. We needed to get across town and there was only one option left, Declan would have to take his own bike!

Our neighborhood is in no way street friendly for children (there are days when I wonder if it is safe for the adults) so we headed to the BART station on the sidewalk. I hate riding on the sidewalk, but you do what you have to.

We took the train because we couldn't ride our bicycles into the Mission from our home (a ride of about a mile, all downhill). The City & County of San Francisco has deemed it necessary to separate the two neighborhoods with an under utilized, 6 lane, 45 MPH freeway with a dinky little bike lane on the side that is the bicycle infrastructure equivalent of throwing a toddler into a professional Roller Derby rink. Declan likes riding the train, anyway.

Declan is an old pro when it comes to balancing his bicycle on a moving train. We didn't have to go far, just two stops. We will be using the BART system quite a bit this summer to get around the Bay Area with our bicycles as we try to visit some of the 70 state parks that have been slotted for permanent closure in September.

Once we hit the streets again, Declan blended in with the rest of the crowd. At this spot he was asking me if we were stopping for coffee (that's my boy!). As we were on a mission for dinner groceries, I decided to just push on.

Declan is a lock pro. He takes it very seriously and I never have to worry about him forgetting to do it right. Of course, he thinks that if the bike thieves come along they will hit his totally awesome bike first.

After mastering the fine art of riding in the Door Zone (our lanes are just wide enough to give us a generous 8ish inches of door free space to ride in),

Declan was given the opportunity to experience his first bike lane parker. I have decided that instead of a comprehensive bike route what we really have in San Francisco is an amazing extension of the airport's cell phone parking lot.

In spite of the obstacles put in our way, we really had a good, clear, safe ride. At times I was a bit over aware of the density of my fine City. In reality, we spent a lot of time like this

free and clear. Declan kept telling me "I am nervous, but I like it!". I thought that summed it up pretty well for his first big inter-neighborhood adventure. He must feel awfully small when he is out there like that. He is used to being surrounded by the rest of the family, like he was today on the way to lunch.

So many more adventures for us this summer! All of the kids will get to try something new on their bicycles- a little camping, some bike/train trips outside of the Bay Area... who knows? I can't wait!

Thinking inside the box

Green boxes. We want more of them.

At the corner of Scott and Oak. October 2010.

 

At the corner of Scott and Oak. May 2009.

Seems at first, riders took quite a little bit of time to adjust (to get into the box, to then ride in the middle of the street)

And a before image, just for kicks.
Color makes everything better, this is from google maps [link] I suppose sometime ago, before the box innaguration.

How often do you think about positionin and street street structure in your town or city, and at the corner of places you stop the most, throughout your daily or popular routes?! Here in SF, the wiggle is a highly used and fave route amongst riders and I know that most of us are huge fans of the colored bike lanes and box --- and we want more!!

k happy Friday! Go ride a bike already.

Happy Saturday!

My bike lane actually professed its joy in being! Gotta love it.

Giant bicycles

We have all celebrated. We have all enjoyed.
Now we can sit and do some orange bloggie invasion.
Here are some of the orange lover bicycles around town and the crazy cool madness for the San Francisco Gigantes. I'm not even sure how I captured some images because, it really was insaneeeee--- FUN. Enjoy the little set
Win the world series. Ride a bike!

 The night the Giants won 

beyond-happy cutie

woooooooooo

ranger fans? =)

+from afar, I thought it was ade for a second with a different hair, you never know - she has so many bikes... LOL

my kinda guy --- warriors!!

numero 1!

and couldnt leave this 4-wheel awesomeness out - this guy was yelling for a whole block

 The day parade for the Giants

the kind of traffic I like

baby got back

rolling

Van ness sometime before the whole speech-thing at city hall started. We were just trying to get from the south to the north. Quite impossible, and willingly happy to be 'caught' there =)

----------

 

oranginos

leave it to me to find the bike posse with mi dead cellphone. oh HAI.

ok, the games might be over, but the joy +celebration continues to linger around town - I tell you.
Sign off for now --- the trouble makers crew ♥xxo.meligrosa

Turning smileys

It has been raining here in San Francisco, so I wanted to give a little sunshine to start the week.
This time we were waiting for the light to turn green on Baker and Fulton, there were no cars around so this guy was caught in the middle of making his left-hand turn.

This guy was smiling the whole way with his big ---WHEEEEEE--- smile. I really liked that.
It's Monday, I needed a little bit of sunshine on this computer screen =)

Close Encounters

It would seem that I am a police magnet, which is kind of strange as I left my wild days behind a while ago. The only other explanation would be that upright bicycles ridden by women in skirts are some kind of threat that needs to be addressed in the penal code.

This is a picture of San Jose Ave, the section known as the Bernal Cut. It is to friendly, usable roadway what Wild Irish Rose is to a fine Bordeaux- both will get you there, but one will make you hurt way more than the other. The problem is that despite the fact that the entrance to this bicycle lane forces riders to tangle with 50 MPH traffic exiting a freeway while trying to turn right, it is the only topographically reasonable way to get from my home to any part of the Mission or Downtown. The entrance to this street looks a lot like a freeway on-ramp, and is, in fact, right next to one. At the beginning of the ramp is a large "Bicyclists Allowed Use Of Full Lane" sign, complete with the California code number that makes this law.

Once I got used to using this route it wasn't a big deal to go this way. It requires being very alert and assertive, but over time drivers have become accustomed to seeing cyclists in this area and know to look out for us. There is also quite a lot of space to move around in before hitting the marked bicycle lane so it is not hard to find your spot to get through. I ride this route many, many times a week and, sometimes, several times a day. It is not unusual for me to have one or more kids with me.

Today, as with most days, I jumped on the Bat with Declan on the back, and headed to San Jose Ave. on my way to a meeting at City Hall (ironically, a meeting about traffic reduction and calming in this area). As soon as I hit the overpass, just after passing the big yellow advisory sign giving me the lane (one of two lanes, BTW), I found myself being shadowed by an SFPD cruiser with an officer yelling at me through the passenger window (as I was doing 20 MPH down a rather steep hill). The "conversation" went like this-

Officer- (in incredulous and annoyed voice) Hey! Do you know where you are going?

Me- Yes. I do.

O- You can't be here!

Me- Yes I can.

O- This is a highway! You can't be here!

Me- No it isn't. This is San Jose Ave. and I can ride here whenever I want.

O- Pull over!

I pull over, right at the busiest and most dangerous part of the avenue, before the bicycle lane begins and right where the worst speeders drive by. Not by choice. This is where I am forced to pull over. I say nothing about this because it is pointless and I know I am going to be fine.

O- You can't be here. This is considered a highway.

Me- No. It is San Jose Ave. and I can be here. The sign at the entrance lets you know that I get the full lane while I am here.

O- You can't ride here.

Me- Yes I can, and I do everyday along with a couple of hundred other people who use this official bicycle route.

O- I am just going to have to call this in and see.

Me- You have to call to find out that this is a city street and that I am allowed by law to ride here?

O- I am just concerned about your son's safety.

Me- If you are not used to driving through here I am sure seeing me here is a little unnerving.

O- Yes. It is!

Me- I can understand that, but I ride through here with my children almost everyday. It is the recognized bicycle route through this area as you can see by the bicycle lane and signage at the beginning of the ramp.

O- Just because you do it everyday doesn't make it right.

Me-I can understand why you feel that way, but the fact is I have the right to be here and am no less safe here than most parts of the City. I appreciate your concern, but we are fine as long as people like yourself keep your eyes open and allow us our right of way.

O- (starting to calm down)- OK. I just don't want you to get hurt.

Me- I appreciate that. We will be fine. Thank you for your concern.

With that, he got back in his cruiser and left me to my own devices. Part of me wanted to be annoyed with him. I hate it when police officers make crap up to get you to do something assuming you do not know your rights. I also really hate it when others try to protect my children from me, mostly because they give the most patently ridiculous reasons for doing so. The times that I have complained about the dangerous drivers on this route, I have been told by the SFPD that "you shouldn't be there anyway. It is way too dangerous and there is nothing we can do about it". In spite of these things, this encounter just left me sad.

Why do so many of the encounters that we have with police officers when we are riding have to be like this? Officers who either do not know the law or don't care and make things up. Officers who endanger my safety by driving too close to me while yelling out windows about how dangerous my riding is ( which in its self is pretty funny as I am a Grandma rider). Officers that threaten me and call me names they would never think of if I were not on a bicycle. Do they take a special class in this? When will it ever get better?

We can put in all the lanes and signs we want, but until we get our police departments better training in bicyclists and bicycle law we will all end up having these silly disruptions in our everyday transit. Until these departments are willing to learn the lessons (and there is a fair amount of evidence out there that this is not the case in departments all across the country), we will have to endure pointless lectures, unfair moving violations and discrimination in accidents that injure us .

At least I didn't get a stupid ticket for doing nothing wrong. For that I am grateful.

Ten Seconds On Hawthorne

A group of friends.

Heading somewhere.

A sunny weekend day, fun somewhere down the road.

Four friends, four bicycles, one bike lane.

Ten seconds on Hawthorne. Imagine an hour, a day, a year and all the friends that ride along here on their way to something fun. Make it happen in your town.