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!)

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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?


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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.