critical mass-a self criticism

Born in San Francisco, Critical Mass has been the focal point of a new vision for the future of cities. It has brought together a diverse community of cyclists and has changed the way the city looks at transportation and the use of public space.

But in San Francisco when the ride gets big as it
did last Halloween, the ride sometimes becomes a victim of its own success as newcomers to the ride find license to act destructively. In this episode, Bikescape gets together with some long time Critical Mass riders to discuss how to deal with very large group bike rides.

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Photos by Adam A.

Contested Streets- New York and San Francisco look to the European model

San Francisco and New York are studying congestion pricing, a scheme that charges people to drive into central cities and turns the revenue over to transit, ped and bike improvements. The system has been successfully used in London for the last three years.

Contested Streets is a new film that shows how the European model might point the way towards humanizing American cities.

Watch the trailer or
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Interview with Chris Daly

Chris Daly has been a dependable ally for San Francisco cyclists. His record on transportration and housing is spotless. As we head into the last week before the election, a few downtown interests have been spending a lot of money to dump Chris to replace affordable housing and safe streets with offices, expensive condos and a lot more traffic.

Find out why we should reelect Daly as this episode takes us to a District 6 campaign mobilization where we talk to Chris about biking in the city.
Photo by Adam A.

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I'll be posting more links later in the day...

reelect chris daly

San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly traverses the city on his bike in his quest to build affordable housing and champion public transit.

Chris is endorsed by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and many others.

PARK(ing): remixing your landscape

A few months back in an episode about the intrusion of cars into Golden Gate Park, Bikescape posed the question: what is a park? In this episode, green strikes back at grey and the question gets turned around as we reclaim street parking spots for people. Even if only for a few hours…

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The Rebar Group conceptualized and produced the installation and the Trust for Public Land paid the bills.

Clarence from Bike TV was there and shot an episode.

Berkeley's Pedal Express took care of some of the heavy hauling.

San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate archtechture critic John King wrote this article about the installation. The pictures in this post are also curtesy of the Chronicle.

petrolius

Courtesy freedomfromoil.org

san francisco critical mass katrina memorial ride

This month marks the first anniversary of hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Deluge. In this age of global warming, is San Francisco next? This month's proposed route follows the flood line along the submerged Embarcadero.

If you like this route, please download this pdf flyer for distribution at SF Critical Mass this Friday, Aug 28.

If you live outside of San Francisco check www.critical-mass.org to find the ride in your city. Chances are there is a similar proposed theme to your ride. Check Rising Tide North America, an org that has been trying to herd the CM cats around this subject.

Flyer, graphic and route curtesy of The committee for Full Enjoyment

oregon's laws need fixing

A cop routinely pulls over a messenger on a fixie and cites her for riding without brakes. She goes to court to prove that a fixed gear bike’s drive train, combined with the power of her own legs are a brake, able to satisfy the requirements of the law. You must be able to skid the braked wheel on dry level pavement.

In the case that all fixie riders have been waiting for, the judge rules the defendant guilty and an appeal is prepared.

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We speak with lawyer Ray Thomas who's working on collecting material for an appeal. As a part of their work, they produced this publication on bike law.

Dan Kaufman made this film of Ayla stopping her bike as well as a bike with a coaster brake.

What other type of bike makes sport of stopping and standing still?

Also, we remember two leaders of the forty year old and still ongoing San Francisco freeway revolt, Sue Bierman and Patricia Walkup. Both died in the last few weeks.

san francisco bike messengers c1992

Valencia Street Shines

As San Francisco’s Bike Plan goes on hold, one thoroughfare shows how bike friendly engineering and a focus on community can lead the way for the rest of the city. History was made as a scrappy group of DIY activists reclaimed bike space from cars and four car lanes gave way to two and a generous bike lane.

We look at the history of Valencia, both past and future to get an idea about how simple changes can make a place people go to rather than drive through. A vibrant, flourishing neighborhood has risen and daily proves the critics of bike and ped based planning wrong.

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Mary Brown (scroll down) led the first efforts at change.

Here's the one year report (pdf) on the Valencia "road diet" that showed a 144% increase in cycle traffic and 10% less car traffic that only added 3% additional traffic to each of three other streets.

Latter day activists are working now for a Better Valencia.

Livable City is involved in the process.

The Ritual Coffee shop is the home of the Ritual Coffee Club Bike Posse.

The Therapy furniture and clothing stores and Aquarius Records have thrived with the bike lanes.

Andy from Aquarius recommended the Portland Bicycle Ensemble.

Ecotalk show on biking

While you're waiting for the next show, you might want to check out an episode of Ecotalk Radio. The National Resources Defence Council's Daniel Hinerfeld interviews two Los Angeles bikers: Slate's writer Andy Bauer and Scott Sing. There are longer interviews on the NRDC's two-part podcast On Earth. (scroll down a bit)

Other bike podcasts I like

The Bike Show
Cycling Insight
Bikelove
NBG Mountain Mover
Gear Noise (mountain biking)
KBOO Bike Show

Leave a comment if I've misssed one that you like!

Its not easy being green: Judge stops San Francisco bike plan on environmental grounds

Last week San Francisco’s cyclists woke up to find out that the city’s bicycle plan, a comprehensive road map to an integrated bike network had been put on hold by a judge’s temporary injunction in response to a lawsuit by Citizens for Adequate Review. (C.A.R.)

How could we arrive a time when a healthy, sustainable, and environmentally sound plan to provide transportation choice could run aground because of lack of environmental review? Could it be because the metrics we use to arrive at a conclusion are biased toward the convenience of drivers?

We go to three experts to get some insight –

• Andy Thornley, Program director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
• Rajiv Bhatia, Director of Occupational and Environmental Health, San Francisco Department of Public Health
  
• Josh Hart, former SFBC program director and member of Transportation Authority consulting team

Listen to the podcast or
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Rajiv wrote this article (PDF) about "level of service" standards.

He also mentioned Sally Cairns who wrote this article (also a pdf) about where traffic goes when capacity is reduced, sort of the inverse of "induced traffic", or the "build the roads and the cars will come" theory of traffic.

San Francisco's "transit first policy" is enshrined in the city charter.

Check out the sfbc's LOS page.

Cyclecide's Pedal Monster is coming... July 21-23

Mona's latest

No bike content here but if you want to follow the career of Market Street Railway and Duboce Bike Mural artist Mona Caron, here's an invite to the opening of her latest creation.

russian hill roulette auteur frank chan

In this episode we meet Frank Chan, the maker of the films I podcasted yesterday. Don't forget to stop by the Zeitgeist Film Fest on Monday, June 12 to meet Frank and see his and other great films.

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The film was followed by a brief clip from the tour Josh Hart led of the six steepest hills in San Francisco. Check out the photos and more film clips here.

Take a look at the Times Up! site to get details about the car-free Central Park situation inNew York.

russian hill roulette

Rather than avoid San Francisco’s famous hills, some cyclists embrace them. Here’s a movie by my pal Frank Chan where he depicts climbs of the six steepest streets in town. A bonus clip follows of Frank’s arduous tour that was inspired by the film.

You can see this film in glorious high rez under the stars at the Zeitgeist Film Festival in SF this Monday in the beer garden of the same name.

Stay tuned to the next post for an interview with the auteur and a buncha links.

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bike to work day, 2006

A year goes by and we celebrate another bike to work day. Bikescape follows the working masses to their jobs but takes the day off to make a podcast. We meet some friends and dignitaries and talk about the current state of urban cycling. Then, as usual, we take a look at upcoming events in the world of biking and go through the mailbag.

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Bike to Work Day breaks records in San Francisco

Mike Kasolis, Vice Chair of the San Francisco Metropolitain Trasportation Authority and Tim Colon, executive director of the Housing Action Coaltion and I met outside my home where we had a short conversation before heading out.

Andy Thornley from the Bike Coalition spoke about the SFBC's cycling report card (pdf) for San Francisco. You can also catch him on the excellent videoblog, Bike TV.

Mayor Newsom vetoed legislation to ban cars from JFK drive in Golden Gate Park but he showed up on the ride.

We talk to the author of that legislation and a lot of other transportation and land use initiatives, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi.

The Dittybops are touring country promoting their new album Moon over the Freeway. They will be leading a bike ride on Saturday, June 3, meeting on the Polk St. Steps of City Hall at noon. Then they play a date at Slim the following Sunday night.

Bogota Columbia Mayor Enrique Peñalosa will speak Monday, June 19 at the Commonwealth Club.

Someone wanted to know what I mean when i end the show by exhorting everyone to take the lane.

running on fumes

The price of gasoline is rising and an unprepared country confronts its addiction. As we hit bottom amid oil wars and looming petro-breakdown, Bikescape looks for signs that the denial is wearing thin. Come along for the ride as we talk with bikers getting ready for Critical Mass and drivers getting their fix at the local gas station.

Note: This podcast was finished moments before I handed my laptop to the repair shop for a week. It wasn’t till this morning that I noticed that the backround music in the last five minutes threatens to drown my voice. I’ll replace the file next week. Sorry about that…


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The Rainforest Action Network has a 12 step program to end oil addiction

Bike to Work Week is May 15-19 all around the country! In San Francisco, come and meet Bikescape (Me!) and geta snack and some schwag at the Caltrain Station energizer station during the evening commute.

Author Jim Kunstler has a blog about peak oil, suburban hell, and the coming breakdown. In this video we get treated to a far better interview than the amaturish one I conducted a few months back.

velodromes and bikestations

After a month of vacation Bikescape returns with a lot of odds and ends. First we take a few laps around the Encino Velodrome. Then Scott Mace reports from the San Francisco Caltrain Station where ground was broken for the new bike station. (scroll down) After that we get caught up on the effort to ban cars from JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park and check the calendar for upcoming events.

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Here's a video clip of the national team paracticing the move Henry taught me.

For a primer on track racing and velodromes take a look at this.

I edited Scott's Caltrain bike station report. To listen to the whole thing, go here.

The San Francisco Bay Guardian and the SF Weekly both ran articles about the politics behind car-free Saturdays in Golden Gate Park. Write to the supervisors and the Mayor to get this thing to happen!

park or parking lot?

What is an urban park? Is it a social public space, friendly to cyclists and walkers or a parking lot for museum visitors and a traffic sewer for cross-town traffic?

Bikescape spends Sunday in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park where the fight is on to ban cars from JFK drive on Saturdays just like they are now on Sundays.

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The Healthy Saturdays Initiative will open JFK Drive to cyclists, roller bladers and walkers on Saturdays.

Email the Board of Supervisor and let them know how important the park is to the city.

The San Francisco Ride for World Health has a fifty and a thirty mile ride on April 1.

The San Francisco Oyster and Beer Festival. Oysters and stout. Just add bikes. Kash will be parking bikes.

The People Dimension of Public Space, a discussion with Dr. Jan Gehl and Allan Jacobs, moderated by Dean Macris, SF Director of Planning.
Tue., Apr. 4 | 5-7pm, City Hall, South Light Court

Songs in the key of bike

A simple podcast of bicycle inspired music. (NO QUEEN!)

Listen to the podcast or
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Bicycle by Pfilbryte.

I took the soundtrack from a film about the 30,000 strong Budapest Critical Mass for one song.

Senior Coconut covers Tour de France by Kraftwerk.

Sambaguru, featuring Katia Moreas will be playing in Studio City next week.

Mireille Mathieu, Les Biciclettes de Belsize

You can't have a podcast like this without a song like Cars by the Desperate Bicycles

Slow Down... a sentiment cyclists understand.

Send a letter to Arnold, the governator via the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's website to get a bike lane over the Bay Bridge in our lifetimes.

Mona Caron's Market Street Railway Mural

Here's another installment in Bikescape's ongoing examination of San Francisco's main stem, Market Street. Every city has a Market Street where people, communities and history collide daily in the battle over the commons.

This time we rejoin muralist Mona Caron as she guides us on a tour of her landmark mural that asks the question. What is a street for?


Listen to the podcast or
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If you can't make it to the mural in person, tour it (and her other work) virtually at Mona's website.

If you haven't already heard the podcast on Mona's other mural, the Duboce Bikeway Mural, you can get it here.

The Shaping San Francisco historical project is mentioned as a source for some of the images in the mural.

Reverend Billy preaches against rabid consumerism in the mural

Check out the inspiration for the project.

The Tour of California website is here and it has video, rss, email updates, etc.

On Valentines Day New York State Supreme Court Justice Maichael Stallman repudiated the City of New York in their bid to outlaw Critical Mass.
Download the pdf of the judges decision

We like our bikes

All cyclists have a love affair with their bikes and they'll be happy to tell you all about it if you ask. Bikescape went down to Pee Wee Herman Plaza to talk to folks about their rides before setting off on Critical Mass.

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The folding bike I had trouble describing is pictured here.

Box Dog Bikes was mentioned as the source of an old tandem with twenty inch wheels.

Bamboo bikes!

Jim Swanson shot a couple of seconds of Critical Mass streaming down Lombard Street a few years back.

Fossil Fool the bike rapper supplied the closing music and sells great low rider style lights for your bike.

Ken writes in with this link about a recumbent coffee cart.

Sarah Tucker's untimely hit and run death was covered in the local press. Police are looking for a black Honda CR-V with a large scrape on the passenger door. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (415) 553-1641 or an anonymous tip line, (415) 575-4444.

Another bike related podcast to check out.

Dave Snyder – a velorutionary looks back

We talk this week with one of the founders of the modern San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. He was also the founding executive director of Transportation for Livable Cities and serves as Chair of Transportation Committee for San Francisco Planning & Urban Research, and as treasurer of the San Francisco Green Party. He's also active with the Thunderhead Alliance.

Listen to the podcast or
go to Bikescape in itunes

Read a article about Dave that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle a few years back.

Some good bike related podcasts
The KBOO Bike Show from Portland Oregon
The Resonance FM Bike Show from London
Bike Talk Radio from KDRT in Davis California
LA's Gear Noise for mountain bikers
From Texas, Zen and the Art of Traiathlon will give you an audio workout