bike to work day 2013

took some photos on the way to work today. energizer stations and bike counters oh my!



this guy recognized me from my organizing with SF bike party.


wrenching.


intersection of market and van ness


through the foggy (non-purple) haze, you can see SF's very own new bicycle counter.





this guy just wanted to be number 1000, but he was really one of the cheerleaders near the bike counter.



from standing near the bike counter, public bikes' dan and i both noticed that the counter seemed not to be very good at counting when groups of riders passed by the counter. it also doesn't count them if they are NOT in the bike lane. the sensor is just near the bike counter.



baby steps but BIG baby steps for SF's very own bicycle counter! happy bike to work day everyone.

video: bike to work week and oak street improvements

as i wrote on fb yesterday, there are some big changes on three mere blocks of san francisco's 7x7 slice of earth.

so excited to see this green paint going up on one of the more precarious streets to bike on in SF. it is basically a one way highway for cars that bring people from the west side of town to downtown and other actually designated freeways. bikes share three blocks of this stretch of road.

one of our "reporters on the scene" took some video during his commute to work. oak street is getting some improvements. the actual ride is a bit precarious due to the construction. but nothing totally out of the complete ordinary on a workday commute.



have you noticed any bikey improvements going on in anticipation of bike to work day? SF's bike to work day is tomorrow, THURSDAY, may 9. when is yours in your town? SF tends to be earlier than normal. other than that in these parts of the interwebs bike to work day is everyday, of course.

happy bike to work day!

for me, everyday is bike to work day. so during bike to work WEEK, i try to dress up a little bit more to be a good ROLL model.

these past couple of days have been pretty warm (for SF standards), so time to bring out the dresses!

there are thousands of new bikers expected to hit the streets. here in SF, local officials have a VIP ride and the mayor, along with other city officials and policy makers, rides to city hall on a (his?) bike. this shows how much work the SFBC has done in order to have some political clout at city hall.

and on that note, i'm off to find an energizer station and some swag!

happy bike to work day!!

happy bike to work day!



two years ago i didn't have a "work" thing to bike to, so i volunteered with the bike coalition during BTWD. and i met some chica who took a picture of me and put it on her blog.



and now here we are. :) go get energized at a station! coffee!! free valet bike parking!

also, be sure to go to DNA lounge tonight for the bike away from work party AND fashion show. our girl gwen is styling and many of our friends are in the show! pictures most likely to come in the next few days.

Segway To Work Day

At least it isn't a car parked in the lane! I wonder what our friend David thinks about this? He is the guy on the Dutch bike with the green jacket.

photo by Paul Chin

See the whole SFGate slideshow here.

Sometime Today, Al!

I saw a reference to this over at EcoVelo. A little national coverage for the cause is a good thing. I'll even let the "helmet is absolutely necessary" comment go (if you want one, get one. if you don't don't. it's all good.)

Super props to Al for being the biker! Meredith would have looked way better on it with that dress, but having the opportunity to run into his college English professor made Al a great choice!

It doesn't have to be bike day or month or year. Remember, it is all about Bike To Life! So get out there and bike!

Wrap It Up!

Wicker bike! I want a wicker bike! When this gentleman pulled up next to me ( I think his name was Eric, but if not, and you know him, let me know and I will correct it) I was instantly covetous of his fine ride.

I was completely enthralled by just how thoroughly wickered his bicycle was. Everything was meticulously wrapped. Even the rack, which he said was his favorite part.

Look at how perfectly it is wrapped!

I particularly liked the seat. It can't be easy to get all of the contours right. I didn't think to ask him if it was comfortable.

Val thinks they may come from Viet Nam. I'll buy that. I wonder if David Hembrow would make one of these with an Old Dutch? Either way, I have declared this to be the Bike to Work Day bike of 2010!

Just think, if it breaks down you could turn it into a rocking chair!

Gotta Be

happy bike to work day...everyday

we're smack dab in the middle of bike to work week, and hopefully this has propelled some of you to jump in that saddle and ride to work

or, in the alternative, bike to life.

for others who already ride, maybe you've volunteered, or told your workplace or encouraged friends to get on that bike and ride around.

community building is my personal favorite part of this week...

if you are in SF, please stop by to see our very own model blogger, meli, in a fashion show during the SFBC bike away from work party tonight at the rickshaw shop from 6-10 pm.

happy riding everyone!

Bike To Life

As anyone other than those under rock dwellers that exist out there know, Thursday is "Bike To Work Day". It is a great way to acknowledge those who already do and encourage those who do not to try. Last year I volunteered at my neighborhood commuter station, but this year I have not. I feel vaguely bad about that but I find that my current volunteer efforts are enough and that anymore would burn me out. I will be out on the streets early that day, though, taking pictures and hopefully picking up some keifer grains in the East Bay.

As my profession these days is "housewife", I don't really have a commute any longer. At least not a bike one. It would look strange if I rode the Bat between the living room and the kitchen. But I do ride it for all of my errands and picking up Declan from pre-school. So I will be celebrating Thursday as "Bike To Life Day".

After picking up my new fabulous poster at the post office (I rode over the mountain to get in a little training)

I went to get Declan from school. He usually chooses which path we will take home. We have a pretty good choice of the fast way home (40 minutes) or a path around the lake or the route through Golden Gate Park... there is always something to see. Today he chose the "fast way" along Sunset Blvd. which is lined on either side with trees and grass and houses a number of birds. Today, we found a heron!

When we first stopped to watch him, we thought he was just walking around. Then he plucked a mouse out of the ground and ate it! Super cool!!!!! We decided to just stay and watch for a bit. The heron decided it would stick around and watch us, too.

In the middle of the City, right at the beginning of rush hour, along one of the busiest, high speed transit corridors we have here, a little Wild Kingdom can be found from the saddle of a bike!

We would never have seen this any other way and I am thankful for it. Bike to Life is a pretty good way to go. We should celebrate it!

Radio On

Recently, I was asked to help out with a PSA campaign the SF Bicycle Coalition is conducting in advance of Bike To Work Day. Studio space, editing assistance, and air time were all donated by Clear Channel Radio and will be airing in the near future.

There are five spots all together. Each spot is from a different person with a different take on cycling in the SF Bay Area (including a 10 year old boy).

For more on Bike To Work Day, including how to do it, how to find people to do it with and how to help organize an event in your area, go here.