Monday, November 1, 2010

San Francisco joins the main stream

Already one in four San Franciscans bikes regularly -- an impressive number by state and national measures, but what will it take for even more people to try bicycling in our city? What would persuade your boss, your neighbor, or your mother-in-law to choose to bicycle in San Francisco? Will it be a graceful bridge that takes them from Marina Green around Fort Mason and to Fisherman's Wharf? Or a bike lift that helps them up some of the steepest and least avoidable hills? Or a fully separated bikeway in the street on both sides of the Panhandle? Moving this vision to reality, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has launched its boldest initiative to date: Connecting the City. This project presents the stunning idea that our city's bike network should be designed for everyone, from an eight-year-old child to an eighty-year-old grandmother, recognizing that sharrows and bike lanes aren't enough to make everyone feel comfortable and safe. This initiative imagines a complete system of crosstown bike routes, elegantly designed, and filled with all types of people. Connecting the City kicks off with three priority routes that would become the backbone for the city's bicycling network. Read on here.