Whether for work, vacation, picking up or dropping off a friend – a trip to the airport is nearly as common as as trip to the market. But what is the best way to get there? Undoubtedly the simplest choice for some trips to the airport may be to drive but there’s a whole menu of transport options to choose from and consider. Let’s look at other options for getting to two of the Bay Area’s major international airports– SFO and Oakland International
AirBART. Photo credit: Tzuhsun Hsu
SFO and Oakland International are both serviced by BART. BART can be a viable alternative to driving and serves a wide number of Bay Area residents. Rather than driving to the airport and hassling with parking ride BART. This way you are relieved of the duty of driving; definitely an option for the no nonsense traveler. If you are traveling from Contra Costa County to SFO, BART is definitely the way to go. If you are traveling from Contra Costa County to the Oakland International Airport, BART plus the AirBART bus from Oakland Coliseum BART Station is your alternative. Remember to carry $3 in cash or a $3 BART pass to pay for the AirBART connector from BART to the Oakland International Airport.
There’s also the option of taking the bus. While you would still be on the same roadways as cars, buses can use the HOV lane during peak hours M-F and traveling by bus also relieves you from the duty of driving, and parking. There are a number of bus options but AC Transit is likely the best bus option from West Contra Costa to the Oakland International.
Bike friendly design as seen in Denver International Airport. Photo credit: Richard Masoner
And for you daredevil bicycle travelers, there are bike access options nowadays to the airports. SFO can be reached locally by designated bike routes and offers of bike parking – even valet bike parking! Oakland International has class 1 bike path and class 2 bike lanes that link Oakland International Airport terminals with the cities of Oakland, Alameda and San Leandro.
There seems to be an ongoing, collective conversation about ways of traveling to and from the airport these days. Here in the Bay Area, Oakland North recently tested four different modes – bus, bike, BART, and car – against each other in a “race to Oakland International“. An article (with video included of each traveler), it’s well worth a read that highlights not only the convenience and route choice of different modes, but also the time and cost involved. Meanwhile in Canada, James Schwartz of The Urban Country shared his personal account of traveling to and from Toronto Inernational by bike.
It’s not unusual to think “I’m heading to the airport” and instinctively decide to drive, catch a ride with a friend, or go by taxi, but these are not the only options at your disposal. At times, you may find it convenient or cost-effective to reach the airport by a different mode, or mixing modes– like catching a taxi to BART or biking to a bus stop and taking your bike on AC Transit to reach the airport. Interested in trying a new mode to reach the airport? Check out directions getting to and from SFO and Oakland International by all modes.
Tag: bike
A Copenhagen Bicycle Culture Infographic
Want to learn some statistics about bicycling in Copenhagen in a flash? Look no further than the “Copenhagen Cycle Infographic“– created by graphic designer Emma Sivell and first shared on the blog Copenhagenize. The clever infographic includes factoids like: 18% of the Danish population cycle daily; 40% of children cycle to school in Denmark; and that there are just as many bicycles as there are people in greater Copenhagen– 1.7 million!
Photo credit: zoonabar
The infographic is full of impressive numbers about the state of bicycling in Copenhagen. However, maybe it’s no surprise the Danish – and in particular Copenhageners – cycle so much. Cycling Weekly recently took a look at some measures found in Denmark that encourage and help residents get around by bike, measures include: the creation of new bike paths that follow so-called “desire lines” (routes people take that that currently don’t have bike paths), and synchronizing traffic lights to accommodate the speed of cyclists. Copenhagen’s Director of Transportation, Niels Tørsløv, puts it succinctly:
“It’s the same principle that was applied to the highways system in the 60s, only now it’s being applied to cycling.”
What a concept!
It's Better By Bike!
Happy family! Photo Credit: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
“It’s better by bike!”, that seems to be the mantra these days when getting around the Bay Area and here are three articles that prove it!
First up, the Bay Citizen reports on a growing number of families that are passing on the car and transit and instead hopping on bikes:
“Fed up with cars, traffic, parking and Muni, some parents are using their bicycles as minivans, hauling their children around the hilly streets. They use an array of devices for their rides: child seats attached to the frame, two-wheeled enclosed trailers, extended bikes with room for passengers on the back, trail-a-bikes that let kids ride along behind and ‘bathtub’ bikes. “
Featured in the article is an inspiring video of a mother that shares her experience as she took the plunge and decided to try dropping off her two kids by bike– only to find out it has put her in the best shape of her life and made her able to connect with her kids better than ever. Check out the video below
Video credit: CIRvideos
Next, SF Gate suggests leaving the car and instead taking bikes to Angel Island:
“Leave the car in the driveway. Instead of a “Sunday Drive,” call this the “Sunday Ride” and take off on your bike. From across the Bay Area, many paths – and trains, BART and ferries – lead to San Francisco and Angel Island. From home, start this trip with a ride to your local transit agency. Board with your bike and head to San Francisco, and from there, ride to Pier 41 for the ferry to Angel Island State Park.”
The article gives directions for getting there by bike from all regions of the Bay Area– Marin, East Bay, Peninsula and SF. (Just be sure to plan your trip on a day when the weather is nice!)
Lastly, again via SF Gate, is an article that reports on the new bikeway connections that are helping San Francisco residents reach parks by bike:
Roy Crisman
” Three neighborhoods in southeast San Francisco – Bayview, Hunters Point and the Dogpatch – have been bursting with new bike lanes in the past six months, opening up great new rides for anyone looking to explore more of the city on two wheels.
Among the two biggest improvements linking these neighborhoods are the buffered bike lanes – those with a large painted buffer along eastern Cesar Chavez Street and the bikeway on Cargo Way protected by fencing.
The lanes allow riders to explore some of the best waterfront parks and viewing areas in the city. And, because most tourists congregate along the north end of the city’s waterfront, riders might have these spots all to themselves.
Explore the lanes individually, or link them together for a longer waterfront ride. ”
Getting to school, parks, or a day vacation seem like trips primed for bicycling– do you know any other trips that are great for two wheels?
Spectacular Floating Bicycle Roundabout
Floating bicycle roundabout under construction. Photo credit: Jeroen van Lieshout
25% of all trips in the Netherlands are bike, making bicycling a part of everyday life; it’s a trivial activity that the Dutch don’t think twice about. However, the bicycling nation’s latest piece of innovative infrastructure might even amaze a local Dutchman. The municipality of Eindhoven recently constructed a captivating bicycle roundabout to provide safe, convenient passage by bike… and it just so happens to float above motorized traffic!
Mark Wagenbuur, the influential and award winning video-maker and blogger behind Bicycle Dutch recently documented this incredible piece of infrastructure known as “Hovenring”.
He writes of the infrastructure:
The bright white 70 meters (230Ft) tall bridge pylon can be seen from far away. Attached to the top are 24 cables that suspend a large bicycle roundabout, 72 meters (236Ft) in diameter, that seems to float over a large new junction for motorized traffic…The exceptional piece of bicycle infrastructure was built to stand out. It is to be the iconic new landmark that signals ‘you are entering Eindhoven’. At night the slender bike ring is lit from below to further enhance that floating effect.
Of course, which such a distinctive design, the project didn’t come easily, Wagenbuur notes:
Building such a unique ‘circular bridge’ was more difficult than expected. During construction, early 2012, the cables vibrated much more than they were supposed to in the Dutch winds. Experts recalculated the design specifications and with some modifications and counter weights the cables became much more stable. People questioned why it was necessary to have cyclists go up so high. They feared the gradient of the entrance ramps would be too steep. But the city explained on it’s website that cyclists have to go up less than it seems, because the junction was constructed below surface level. The gradients are different on all sides, but range from just 1.86% to 3.09%.
Naturally, the impressive infrastructure was celebrated once completed
Video credit: Mark Wagenbuur
And once the festivities settled and the roundabout opened for regular use, this video shows how it looks on a daily basis
Video credit: Mark Wagenbuur
Pretty cool, right? Locally, Berkeley’s impressive I-80 bicycle and pedestrian bridge (pictured below) is probably the Bay Area’s crowning piece of infrastructure that comes closest to rivaling such an iconic and innovative investment in bicycling
Berkeley’s impressive bicycle bridge. Photo credit: Jeffrey-Anthony
Elsewhere in Dutch bicycle news, A View From the Cycle Path shares that the city of Groningen has introduced a red carpet for pedestrians to keep sidewalks cleared of the masses of parked bikes; a “problem”, if you can call it that. Check out the video below to see what this red carpet looks like in practice
Video credit: David Hembrow
Patrolling the Downtown Beat on Bicycles
A pair of bike officers. Photo credit: Director Digital Strategies
Everyone knows bicycling is good for the environment and for one’s health, this is no secret. Even the economic benefits of bicycling are touted these days. However, one benefit of embracing bicycling that is increasingly studied and observed is the positive social impact.
In an interview with OpenFile, police officers revealed that patrolling by bicycle often has advantages over patrolling by car, especially in downtown areas. A Toronto, Canda police officer, Sargent Ferris, shared benefits she has observed while on the force as a part of the bike squad:
[Sergeant Ferris] loves the job because of the interaction with the community. She says bike officers see things you’d miss in a car, and get to know people along their routes in a way they never would behind a steering wheel. Plus, it’s way easier to bust pot smokers: you can smell them from a mile away, and can get really close to them before they even notice you.
Regional Police Constable of Halifax, Canada, Brian Palmeter also commented on the social benefits of being a bicycling officer:
“Members of the public feel inherently more comfortable around bicycle police officers than those in cars. They want to know how much they bike in a day, how hard it is to get in shape, and many other questions an average cyclist might think to ask a peer.”
Palmeter continued to say:
“If I am pulled up on the side of the road in a cruiser with my window down, people are hesitant to talk to you…you want people to talk to you.”
During the the interview Palmeter also noted:
“About five to eight years ago, our downtown core was really an issue. There were places people just wouldn’t go. The chief decided to bring back beat officers and bike officers, and… almost overnight that community has gone 180 degrees. We’re victims of our own success downtown because now we’re always looking for new things to do.”
While nobody anticipated the huge, positive impact bicycling officers would have on downtown Halifax, Palmeter is now convinced that bike squads are capable of doing anything a car crew can do. He shared,
“I’m convinced you could effectively police the downtown core with 75 per cent bikes.”
Sounds like more bicycling police officers can only be a good thing. It is perhaps good news then that Contra Costa County’s own Concord recently received a grant to pay for a downtown bike squad!
Basics of Bike Maintenance
Time to tune it up, and get rolling! Photo credit: florriebassingbourn
As the bicycle continues to gain popularity in cities around the Bay Area with each passing week, more people are undoubtedly dusting off those old 10-speeds that have just been sitting in the garage for the past decade. It doesn’t take much, so if you’re looking to hop on the bike train, it might be a good time to make sure your bike is up to speed and in shape for riding. Here are a few things that can easily be checked and maintained to keep your bike in operable shape:
- Tires: Perhaps the most instinctive thing we all check on our bikes before rolling; just squeeze the tires and if necessary, inflate the tires until they’re firm, right? Not quite…. somewhere along the sidewall of your tire there’ll be a recommended PSI that the tire should be inflated to, inflate to that number, and no higher (or risk popping your inner tube!) If your tires are several years old, it is probably a good idea to replace the tires and inner tubes altogether.
- Chain: If you haven’t been riding for a while, your bike’s chain may need a little lubrication to run smoothly and efficiently. Making sure your chain is well lubricated is something to inspect on a monthly basis and performed as needed (which may be indicated by the chain making sounds, clunking while pedaling or if you’re having trouble shifting gears).
- Brakes: Naturally, it’s helpful to have functioning brakes when cycling. Before getting on your bike, especially if it’s years old and hasn’t been used, apply the brakes to make sure they work adequately for your needs. While maintaining brakes is not as straightforward as lubing a chain or inflating a tire, it is easy to detect if something’s astray with your stopping ability. If your brakes are not as responsive as you’d like there could be a number of issues, ranging from oxidization of the brake cables to adjusting the space between the brake pads and the bike wheel’s rims. Thankfully, bike shops often diagnose problems for free and if a minor fix is needed, bike shops or bike cooperatives, may even offer to help you for free. If you want to try your hands at getting the job done yourself, there are helpful videos such as the one below that are easy to follow and clear with instructions
There are of course, many other parts of a bicycle that need maintenance, but these are some of the “usual suspects” that keep a bike from properly running and are relatively easy to fix. Hopefully these tips can keep the wheels rolling on your faithful, if old and slightly rusted, steed!
Bikeshare Coming to San Jose Fall 2012
Good news! San Jose will be getting a bikeshare program as part of a larger, Bay Area wide bikeshare launch this Fall! The timing couldn’t be better, now that San Jose is finally getting more bike lanes.
Bikeshare dock in D.C. Photo credit: Trinity Quirk
Of 1,000 rental bikes to be placed across the Bay area, about 400 will be shared among San Jose, Mountain View and Palo Alto in Santa Clara County. The bikeshare program will also be part of a newer generation of bikeshare, offering cool features such as wireless internet solar powered stations and GPS technology.
The Bay Area bikeshare program is expected to make bicycling a viable option for shorter trips around downtowns and close to transit, reducing car use, parking and pollution. This allows the program to be funded by various local and regional grants, including a 4.3 million dollar grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Climate Initiatives Grant program.
So where will you be able to get your hands (and feet) on these bikes? Currently there are no specific locations picked out but Aiko Cuenco, the Santa Clara County project manager for the bikeshare wants the program to be accessible, as she notes in this San Jose article:
“We’re really going to push to make the pilot program really marketable and accessible to people, so that everybody knows the program is out there and try it out and see if it works as part of their daily way of getting around town”
Read more about the bikeshare program over sanjose.com, and check out San Francisco Examiner for an update on bikeshare in The City
