Bike to Work Day 2016 at San Francisco City Hall. Photo: Roger Rudick/StreetsblogBike to Work Day 2016 at San Francisco City Hall. Photo: Roger Rudick/Streetsblog
Today is Bike to Work Day in some parts of California, including the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Areas. That means: lots of bikes on the road—maybe more than usual, maybe not—but also lots of smiles, bike-bell-ringing, and high fives all around for everyone who chooses to use this most environmentally friendly way to get to work and everywhere else. And not just one day a year.
However, on this day we get to make a big noise about how great it is to be able to bike to work and how much better it could be.
Streetsblog will do another open thread like this next week for Southern California, which will mark Bike to Work Day on May 20, so send in your photos and stories to melanie@streetsblog.org and we'll add them to these posts. We've already seen a few blogs and ride reports, like Cyclelicious's report on the San Jose VIP bike ride this morning. More to come!
We'll start with the East Bay, where no fewer than THREE ribbon cuttings on new bike facilities got the day started off right. That's on top of the Telegraph Avenue protected bike lane ribbon cutting that took place two days ago—is this a record? Probably.
Plenty of pictures after the jump.
Berkeley: Dave Campbell of Bike East Bay, with the mic, telling councilmembers Jesse Arreguin, Kriss Worthington, Lori Droste, and Laurie Capitelli, from left, that the Fulton Street bike lanes broke "the land speed record" for quick implementation. The Council gave final approval on Tuesday night, and the lanes were painted Wednesday. Photo: Melanie Curry/StreetsblogDave Campbell of Bike East Bay, with the mic, telling councilmembers Jesse Arreguin, Kriss Worthington, Lori Droste, and Laurie Capitelli, from left, that the Fulton Street bike lanes broke "the land speed record" for quick implementation. The Council gave final approval on Tuesday night, and the lanes were painted Wednesday. Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog
Berkeley: Staff and councilmembers cut the ribbon on the Fulton Street parking separated bike lanes. It took a bad crash, but the city responded in record time. Photo: Melanie Curry/StreetsblogStaff and councilmembers cut the ribbon on the Fulton Street parking separated bike lanes. It took a bad accident, but the city responded in record time. Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog
This family rides Fulton Street to school every day. "These lanes weren't here yesterday!" said mom, with delight. Photo: Melanie Curry/StreetsblogThis family rides Fulton Street to school every day. "This wasn't here yesterday!" said mom, with delight. Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog
Emeryville: Councilmember Ruth Atkins and Mayor Diane Martinez listen to Bike East Bay Advocacy Manager Cynthia Armour thanking Emeryville for its leadership on bike infrastructure. Photo: Melanie Curry/StreetsblogEmeryville Councilmember Ruth Atkins and Mayor Diane Martinez listen to Bike East Bay Advocacy Manager Cynthia Armour thank Emeryville for its leadership on bike infrastructure. Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog
Emeryville: Councilmember Ruth Atkins takes a spin on the new, beautifully landscape-protected, two-way cycletrack. Photo: Melanie Curry/StreetsblogCouncilmember Ruth Atkins takes a spin on the new, beautifully landscape-protected, two-way cycletrack. Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog
San Francisco: Smiles on Bike to Work Day. Photo: Roger Rudick/StreetsblogBike to Work Day, San Francisco. Photo: Roger Rudick/Streetsblog
San Francisco: SF Bicycle Coalition Interim Directory Margaret McCarthy shakes hands with Mak Gill, a nurse at SF General Hospital. Photo: Roger Rudick/StreetsblogMargaret McCarthy, Interim Executive Director of the SF Bicycle Coalition, shakes hands with Mak Gill, a nurse at SF General Hospital. Photo: Roger Rudick/Streetsblog
Another city, another ribbon to cut: Bike East Bay executive director Renee Rivera, on the left, joins Oakland City Councilmember Abel Guillen, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, and Piedmont councilmembers Tim Rood and John Chang to officially open bike lanes on Grand Avenue connecting Oakland and PIedmont. Photo: Chris Hwang, WOBOAnother city, another ribbon to cut: Bike East Bay executive director Renee Rivera, on the left, joins Oakland City Councilmember Abel Guillen, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, and Piedmont councilmembers Tim Rood and John Chang to officially open bike lanes on Grand Avenue connecting Oakland and PIedmont. Photo: Chris Hwang, WOBO
Oakland/Piedmont: There is plenty of room for bike lanes on Grand Avenue now that the road has been slimmed from two lanes in each direction to one each, plus a median. This new configuration makes better use of the roadway than giving cars room to speed around each other or double park. Photo: Melanie Curry/StreetsblogThere is plenty of room fr bike lanes on Grand Avenue now that the road has been slimmed from two lanes in each direction to one each, plus a median. This new configuration makes better use of the roadway than giving cars ways to speed around eachother or double park. Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog
Berkeley: The new Fulton Street lanes end after two blocks, sending riders back out to share the less-hectic lanes south of where February's crash happened. It's back to reality, folks, but after a taste of what biking could be like. Photo: Melanie Curry/StreetsblogBerkeley: The Fulton Street lanes end after two blocks, sending bikes back out to share the less-hectic lanes just south of where February's crash happened. It's back to reality, folks, with a taste of what could be done. Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog
Streetsblog California editor Melanie Curry has been thinking about transportation, and how to improve conditions for bicyclists, ever since commuting to school by bike long before bike lanes were a thing. She was Managing Editor at the East Bay Express, editor of Access Magazine for the University of California Transportation Center, and earned her Masters in City Planning from UC Berkeley.
Environmentalists throughout the country…no throughout the world…have discovered in recent years that it can no longer count on America’s federal government for help stewarding this world. Nowhere is that more true in the battle to protect clean, freshwater, especially in California.
"This administration has been really clear that they don't want to fund projects that cut carbon emissions. What they want to do is to take out the green stuff."
