Eight bicycles fill this bicycle corral using space which would otherwise accommodate one motor vehicle. Photo credit: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
San Francisco is undoubtedly setting the bar high for fellow Bay Area cities looking to become more bike friendly, spearheading innovative infrastructure treatment like painting bike lanes green and creating protected bike lanes. However, the city has also been moving ahead with a more subtle change to embrace cycling– since San Francisco started implementing it’s Bike Plan in mid-2010 the city has converted 30 curbside car parking spaces into over 300 bike parking spaces!
336 bike parking spaces to be precise, according to SF Streetsblog who originally covered this impressive milestone. In a city as densely packed as San Francisco, this move maximizes efficiency of existing space and provides more parking near local businesses. As bicycling continues to grow in the Bay Area, perhaps more cities will turn to on-street bike parking as an inexpensive and effective solution to meet parking demand.
Tag: san francisco
Have You Checked Out Bikescore?
Bicycle rush hour in Utrecht. Photo credit: Greg Raisman
Walk Score is the well-known “go to” site to check how walkable neighborhoods are. Given the ever growing popularity of bicycling in cities it may come as no surprise that the makers of Walk Score recently started Bike Score, which functioning similar to its sister site, rates how bikeable neighborhoods are.
Atlantic Cities covered the launch back in May, and the site remains in beta form, though Bike Score is well worth checking out if you haven’t yet! The Bay Area’s own San Francisco topped the list, ranked as the 3rd most bikeable city from the 10 listed.
Can More Bay Area Cities Make The List?
As the site continues to develop, the public can request cities to be added and ranked. Do you think any other strong cycling Bay Area cities should be added to site?
More fare and fee increases from SFMTA
The San Francisco MTA rolled out several new fare increases July 1. The basic adult Muni fare is unchanged ($2 each). Still, if you commute into San Francisco, be aware:
- Adult “A” Fast Pass with Ride on BART in SF: now $72, formerly $70
- Adult “M” Fast Pass Muni Only: $62, formerly $60
- Cash cable car fare: $6, formerly $5
- Cable car all day pass: $14, formerly $13
Did you know you could rent an entire San Francisco street car? Last month the two-hour rental was only $646. Now you’re looking at a $671 fee. Cable car rentals went up, too, from $704 to $727.
SFMTA increased several fines for drivers by more dramatic amounts.
- Altered license plate or missing plate: $114, formerly $55-65
- Blocking access to blue zones marked disabled passenger access: $935, formerly $335
On bridges, tolls will increase for vehicles with more than two axles. That includes large trucks and private cars with trailers attached.
The increases aren’t limited to land-bound methods of transportation. Fare son the Larkspur ferry increased 5 percent. Sausalito ferry riders will now pay an additional $1 on their fare. The fare for special event ferries to AT&T Park in San Francisco increased to $8.75.
The fare increases are all part of the SFMTA’s efforts to close a $45 million budget shortfall, and for many agencies, the new fiscal year begins in July.
Are these changes enough to affect your commuting habits?
Photo from jamesim’s Flickr stream.
Clear Channel Outdoor launches digital transit shelters in San Francisco, with plans for Bay Area expansion
According to a recent press release by Clear Channel Outdoor, the digital transit shelters it launched in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. nine weeks ago have been met with much positive reception.
In November, 20 of the shelters were installed in San Francisco on public transportation routes, and Washington, D.C. received ten.
Each digital transit shelter features:
- A 72″ LCD touch screen which allow for users to both view and interact with content
- Wi-Fi access
- The ability to withstand outdoor elements, such as rain, direct sun, and temperature variations
West Span Bay Bridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Pathway Moves Closer to Reality
Good news for those hoping to make the journey from Yerba Buena Island to San Francisco by foot or bicycle! Plans for a bicycle and pedestrian pathway across the western span of the Bay Bridge may be one step closer towards fruition.
The state Assembly Committee on Transportation passed Senate Bill 1061, which would allow a portion of Bay Bridge toll funds to be spent on the project, yesterday afternoon. The bill passed the Senate on June 1 and will now go to the state Assembly Committee on Appropriations to determine whether the Bay Area Toll Authority should be permitted to use toll funds on construction of the pathway. If the bill passes, the pathway will open in 4 years.
The largest hindrance to the bill is cost- the original cost was estimated to be between $168 and $350 million 10 years ago and a new estimate will not be available until spring 2011. Additionally, toll funds are restricted due to safety costs.
MacDonalds Architects have proposed a design for the pathway, which would provide a “unique means for [pedestrians and cyclists] crossing the bay.” The plans include a plaza for visitor congregation, lampposts in place every 60 feet, and accessibility points for wheelchairs, bicycles, pedestrians, and maintenance vehicles.
Image by macinate
New Unofficial Transit Map of All Rail in the Bay Area
San Francisco Cityscape has just released its third version of a Bay Area rail map that includes all lines:
“The last version was more detailed; like the new BART map, it listed destinations that couldn’t be fit on the map. But we’d like to think that this version combines the simplicity of the BART map with a relatively accurate rendering of geography, and it includes some detail that the BART map doesn’t, like major Muni stops.”
Read more at the San Francisco Cityscape website and check out the map here.
SF To Get 1100 New Solar Powered Bus Shelters
The first of 1,100 new solar powered bus shelters was unveiled yesterday in San Francisco. The solar power generated by the structure’s wavy red roof will be used to power LED lighting, the NextBus display, intercom and wireless routers.
You can check out the full story on SF Streets Blog.
For more detailed photos have a look at the images from Mike Chino and Ryan Hughes at Inhabitat.
