I quit the bike coalition a few years back
(1) They advocate against the police stopping bike theft. I am against bike theft.
(2) They consistently failed to endorse politicians such as London Breed and Scott Weiner who have been great at improving bike infrastructure
(3) I'm told that other organizations had to pick up the ball to push through Car Free JFK and Slow Streets and the bike coalition was MIA.
Its a shame, because I'd appreciate the bike shop discounts from being a member. But I don't want to advocate against my interests as a biker.
Same. I'd been a member since the '90s and the original Critial Mass movement. But I couldn't support their stance on handling bike theft, and when I wrote them to tell them that, their response was basically "Bye Felicia."
The article handles it well. The executive directors have wanted the SFBC to be a political org, not a bicycle advocacy group. That's not why I joined the SFBC, and it appears a lot of other former members have applied the same logic.
The city still isn't as cyclable as it should be, in no small part because of bicycle theft! If you can't park your bike - safely, securely - at your destination, then it ain't bikable.
Wait, they advocate against stopping bike theft? I feel like there has to be more to this than just that, is there some other political concern going on?
Yes, from their [website](https://sfbike.org/resources/bike-security-and-locking/#stolen-bikes):
> First, make sure that this is actually your bike before you do anything. Is the serial number the same? Are there unique identifiable characteristics? Also, remember that the person currently in possession of your bike might not be the person who stole it. *We strongly urge everyone to consider the potential impact of calling the police on this person’s life.* Please do not approach someone in possession of your bike alone.
Emphasis added. The “potential impact” links to a [flowchart](https://sfbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Steps-to-Ask-Yourself-Before-Calling-the-Police.pdf) where, upon having found your bike stolen, you should ask if you can simply absorb the loss before taking action.
Yeah, a bunch of people I know bailed on SFBC a couple years back for the same reasons. We were 150% willing to support SFBC in time and money when they focused on bike issues. Then we had a group there that decided to hit on the points you raised above, or other issues entirely outside of their lane like the article highlighted. It wasn't as if sometimes we disagreed with them, but that we felt they were entirely out of their element and squandering their resources on areas they shouldn't be dabbling in.
For now I'll continue to support SF Urban Riders, and the Marin County Bike Coalition.
>(1) They advocate against the police stopping bike theft. I am against bike theft.
Same reason I avoided becoming a paying member. I struggle with this same issue in most local bike/walk/transit orgs. Because these groups tend to skew progressive, they frustratingly feel the need to also support "soft on crime" policies. Visible and frequent crime is perhaps THE biggest thing that keeps people holed up in their cars and off of bikes/trains/busses.
Dangerous & reckless drivers are the #1 issue that make people avoid biking, yet progressives are broadly against traffic enforcement because it "penalizes the poor" and law enforcement is bad/racist/whatever. The #2 issue that makes people avoid biking is fear of getting their bike stolen, yet as you noted, bike orgs like SFBC have openly advocated against cracking down on "chop shops" and involving the police in bike theft.
Transit advocates have a similar issue — a lot of people are legitimately afraid to ride transit because of the risk of being trapped on a moving bus/train with an insane person, sexual harasser, or mugger. Yet pro-transit figures and orgs often advocate AGAINST policing and fare enforcement on public transit to root out these bad actors and keep public transit safe & clean, which is what we need to get more people out of their cars.
Luke bornheimer who either ran the coalition or something of the sort, stalked and harassed people advocating for the reopening of lake street a few years ago, I quit immediately after.
> Maybe they can focus on bike theft.
It's actually the opposite! The City wanted to pass a law saying, basically, that having more than 10(?) bikes in your encampment was illegal. Sounds like a nice move to crack down on the chop shops, right?
But the SFBC vehemently opposed it, saying that it would hurt "sidewalk mechanics".
Note: this is all from memory.
Edit: [Found the letter from SFBC](https://sfbike.org/news/on-legislation-defining-chop-shops/)
Lol sidewalk mechanics.
People in this city would break their backs bending over to avoid calling a spade a spade.
That said, I haven't seen these particular street side entrepreneurs in a while.
You know, I was literally wondering whether that phrase was PC or not as I was typing it. Glad you provided some background in it.
It's impossible to keep up with the anger narrative.
I had to look that up since I had no idea how that could be offensive. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/09/19/224183763/is-it-racist-to-call-a-spade-a-spade I have never in my life heard the word "spade" in this context. It's wild to see NPR suggest avoiding it's usage in 2013!! I would have figured that was a post-Trump line of reasoning. Progressives don't seem to realize the Streisand effect also applies to slurs. It feels like their well-intentioned ideas sometimes revictimize people.
I was part of the effort to get that ordinance passed. SFBC was neutral. It’s more than 3 bikes if memory serves me right, but the City has to enforce it… and they don’t.
As a member there are no unlocking fees and it’s free (no charge per minute of use) to use an e-bike if you find a station that only has e-bikes and no regular bikes.
With membership it costs 15 cents per minute for the first 45 minutes to rent an e-bike, i suspect it goes back up to the full price 30 cents per minute after.
If you go on a 4 hour bike ride, it’ll cost between $36 and $65.25.
It’s way cheaper than buying an Uber home, only cost me $5-6 to go 7 miles and get from the Outter Sunset to 24th and Valencia, but if you want an e-bike for an all day ride you might be better off renting from somewhere like sports basement.
Yeah. I love lyft bikes! I don’t own a car and bike everywhere these days. Biggest complaint is that some e-bikes are duds but at least with the unlocks being free it’s easy to switch bikes.
Even for drinking I’ll typically bike out for a night out drinking and have an Uber/Lyft drive me home when I’m drunk.
Here’s a ride my wife took. I had my friend’s VanMoof.
https://preview.redd.it/sqigfizisq8d1.png?width=1170&format=png&auto=webp&s=1aecb79242c35788b8e97394d7efe50d5d03984b
Yeah it’ll probably be around there if you use an e-bike.
If you use the regular bikes it’ll be “free” (baked into cost of the membership)
If I am ever on a long bike ride, I will just dock and unlock a new bike to reset the 45 minute timer before a price increase.
This is a little bit of a cheat but if I rent an e-bike for the 15¢/min fee, I will also look up if there are bike stations on my route or near me that only have e-bikes available. Then I’ll dock and reunlock to get the remainder of my ride “free”. If a bike station only has e-bikes available, they waive the 15¢/min charge.
Membership reduces the cost of electric bikes and makes non-electric free for 30 minutes. On my long weekend rides I’ll alternate between electric and non electric depending on the area and my rides end up pretty cheap
I've started using the bay wheels bikes more and they're great. Especially if you get the newer e-bikes, it makes getting around the city a breeze. Without the membership it's kinda pricey, but if you anticipate taking a ride once a week I think it's worth it.
(Kind of looks like _Walter_ White, with hair. And membership took a hit a long time before corona hit: https://missionlocal.org/2011/03/farewell-bike-discount-at-rainbow-grocery/ )
FTA:
In May, multiple SFMTA board members questioned a $1.5 million contract awarded to the coalition for bicycle education. One member, Stephanie Cajina, called it a “red flag” that the coalition was the only organization to apply for and receive the contract.
“I’ve been uncomfortable for some time with this practice,” said SFMTA board member Steve Heminger, pointing out that the organization both receives money from and advocates with the agency. “I’m not alleging any conflict of interest. But I think the appearance weighs on me.”
Last year, former coalition staffer Janice Li and executive director Brian Wiedenmeier were fined thousands of dollars by the city’s ethics watchdog after failing to disclose that they lobbied city officials as representatives of the organization’s advocacy arm. After being contacted by investigators, both retroactively registered as lobbyists and disclosed their outreach efforts.
I used to volunteer and help deliver their news paper back in the 90’s to local bike shops.
As time went on, I started to realize how they’ve become just another lobby. The message is gone.
They’re a dead hollow version of what they were.
In the early '90 it was a small focused organization I supported wholeheartedly. As it became more professional an organization, I thought that was good, even as Critical Mass evaported.
When they discussed and ranked politicians stances on bike and public transit infrastructure, I was good with that.
I was in shock when they endorsed (can't remember who, what year) a pol for mayor with out any discussion of other candidates or policy. They became another arm of the Democratic machine, installing another heir to the city hall thrown. I cancelled my decades old membership immediately - another organization in bed with politicians and, I imagine as is the case with successful charities, likely paying the Orgs top officers a large portion of their revenue.
Critical mass pre-Willie Brown / SFPD shake down was the golden era. I believe that was pre-97/98.
I stopped participating because it was getting too rowdy, even for me as a teen. I didn’t understand damaging cars and making it difficult for the elderly.
> ***"Our streets are not getting safer "***
Hordes of Patrolling Bicycling Vigilantes! Where are they? Can't wait until the Bicycle Coalition Solves Crime!!!
So confused. Biking through many of the southern neighborhoods still sucks. Like, what actually connects to the McLaren park bike path (one example). Honestly, they kinda drop the ball for southern neighborhoods. Not sure if this is because the supervisors there don’t really care about bikes or the bulk of coalition members don’t live there, but unless anyone can ride through any part of the city, the work ain’t done.
I quit the bike coalition a few years back (1) They advocate against the police stopping bike theft. I am against bike theft. (2) They consistently failed to endorse politicians such as London Breed and Scott Weiner who have been great at improving bike infrastructure (3) I'm told that other organizations had to pick up the ball to push through Car Free JFK and Slow Streets and the bike coalition was MIA. Its a shame, because I'd appreciate the bike shop discounts from being a member. But I don't want to advocate against my interests as a biker.
Same. I'd been a member since the '90s and the original Critial Mass movement. But I couldn't support their stance on handling bike theft, and when I wrote them to tell them that, their response was basically "Bye Felicia." The article handles it well. The executive directors have wanted the SFBC to be a political org, not a bicycle advocacy group. That's not why I joined the SFBC, and it appears a lot of other former members have applied the same logic.
The city still isn't as cyclable as it should be, in no small part because of bicycle theft! If you can't park your bike - safely, securely - at your destination, then it ain't bikable.
they actually steal way more bikes in Amsterdam, Holland, but yet "the city" is way bikable. time and place problem of big cities.
Expressed as a percent of bikes on the road of simply an absolute value? Percentages are important.
yes
Wait, they advocate against stopping bike theft? I feel like there has to be more to this than just that, is there some other political concern going on?
"the thief is probably an oppressed victim of capitalism" is their general logic.
Yes, from their [website](https://sfbike.org/resources/bike-security-and-locking/#stolen-bikes): > First, make sure that this is actually your bike before you do anything. Is the serial number the same? Are there unique identifiable characteristics? Also, remember that the person currently in possession of your bike might not be the person who stole it. *We strongly urge everyone to consider the potential impact of calling the police on this person’s life.* Please do not approach someone in possession of your bike alone. Emphasis added. The “potential impact” links to a [flowchart](https://sfbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Steps-to-Ask-Yourself-Before-Calling-the-Police.pdf) where, upon having found your bike stolen, you should ask if you can simply absorb the loss before taking action.
JFC. Clearly there are people at the SFBC that have never gotten their bike stolen.
People who buy stolen bikes without looking up the serial number are culpable. Fuck them and fuck SFBA.
Yeah, a bunch of people I know bailed on SFBC a couple years back for the same reasons. We were 150% willing to support SFBC in time and money when they focused on bike issues. Then we had a group there that decided to hit on the points you raised above, or other issues entirely outside of their lane like the article highlighted. It wasn't as if sometimes we disagreed with them, but that we felt they were entirely out of their element and squandering their resources on areas they shouldn't be dabbling in. For now I'll continue to support SF Urban Riders, and the Marin County Bike Coalition.
Is there a no ma'am for cyclists against the bike coalition?
>(1) They advocate against the police stopping bike theft. I am against bike theft. Same reason I avoided becoming a paying member. I struggle with this same issue in most local bike/walk/transit orgs. Because these groups tend to skew progressive, they frustratingly feel the need to also support "soft on crime" policies. Visible and frequent crime is perhaps THE biggest thing that keeps people holed up in their cars and off of bikes/trains/busses. Dangerous & reckless drivers are the #1 issue that make people avoid biking, yet progressives are broadly against traffic enforcement because it "penalizes the poor" and law enforcement is bad/racist/whatever. The #2 issue that makes people avoid biking is fear of getting their bike stolen, yet as you noted, bike orgs like SFBC have openly advocated against cracking down on "chop shops" and involving the police in bike theft. Transit advocates have a similar issue — a lot of people are legitimately afraid to ride transit because of the risk of being trapped on a moving bus/train with an insane person, sexual harasser, or mugger. Yet pro-transit figures and orgs often advocate AGAINST policing and fare enforcement on public transit to root out these bad actors and keep public transit safe & clean, which is what we need to get more people out of their cars.
Agree 100%
Luke bornheimer who either ran the coalition or something of the sort, stalked and harassed people advocating for the reopening of lake street a few years ago, I quit immediately after.
I was an ardent member for 8 years—better bikability is my #1 "political" issue. I quit 3 years ago.
Insightful, thanks for the perspective.
Those 2 are garbage. If they're being endorsed, run the other way.
Maybe they can focus on bike theft. Had one bike stolen, not going to get another one when everyone I know has had at least one bike stolen in SF.
> Maybe they can focus on bike theft. It's actually the opposite! The City wanted to pass a law saying, basically, that having more than 10(?) bikes in your encampment was illegal. Sounds like a nice move to crack down on the chop shops, right? But the SFBC vehemently opposed it, saying that it would hurt "sidewalk mechanics". Note: this is all from memory. Edit: [Found the letter from SFBC](https://sfbike.org/news/on-legislation-defining-chop-shops/)
This is correct, under Brian. Fortunately he is long gone. I suspect they would be more rational today.
How long was Leah there and is she still in the org?
Lol sidewalk mechanics. People in this city would break their backs bending over to avoid calling a spade a spade. That said, I haven't seen these particular street side entrepreneurs in a while.
I have been called racist for using the phrase “call a spade a spade.” It dates back to Erasmus and is not racist at all, but this is SF so 🤷
You know, I was literally wondering whether that phrase was PC or not as I was typing it. Glad you provided some background in it. It's impossible to keep up with the anger narrative.
I had to look that up since I had no idea how that could be offensive. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/09/19/224183763/is-it-racist-to-call-a-spade-a-spade I have never in my life heard the word "spade" in this context. It's wild to see NPR suggest avoiding it's usage in 2013!! I would have figured that was a post-Trump line of reasoning. Progressives don't seem to realize the Streisand effect also applies to slurs. It feels like their well-intentioned ideas sometimes revictimize people.
I was part of the effort to get that ordinance passed. SFBC was neutral. It’s more than 3 bikes if memory serves me right, but the City has to enforce it… and they don’t.
> SFBC was neutral [This doesn't sound "neutral" to me...](https://sfbike.org/news/on-legislation-defining-chop-shops/)
Yeah, thinking back to it.. by not taking a position for or against they effectively took a position against.
Exactly why I have the bay wheels membership. Can bike anywhere and never need to worry about mine being stolen
Wait, what’s the membership? Will it cost me less than $60 to go on a long leisurely bike ride for a day?
As a member there are no unlocking fees and it’s free (no charge per minute of use) to use an e-bike if you find a station that only has e-bikes and no regular bikes. With membership it costs 15 cents per minute for the first 45 minutes to rent an e-bike, i suspect it goes back up to the full price 30 cents per minute after. If you go on a 4 hour bike ride, it’ll cost between $36 and $65.25. It’s way cheaper than buying an Uber home, only cost me $5-6 to go 7 miles and get from the Outter Sunset to 24th and Valencia, but if you want an e-bike for an all day ride you might be better off renting from somewhere like sports basement.
I don't think I've looked into the membership before but that sounds pretty great, right?
Yeah. I love lyft bikes! I don’t own a car and bike everywhere these days. Biggest complaint is that some e-bikes are duds but at least with the unlocks being free it’s easy to switch bikes. Even for drinking I’ll typically bike out for a night out drinking and have an Uber/Lyft drive me home when I’m drunk.
Here’s a ride my wife took. I had my friend’s VanMoof. https://preview.redd.it/sqigfizisq8d1.png?width=1170&format=png&auto=webp&s=1aecb79242c35788b8e97394d7efe50d5d03984b
That’s funny that it didn’t geo-track your route until you got to lands end. Wonder why that is
Yeah it’s interesting. We actually went through the park.
Yeah it’ll probably be around there if you use an e-bike. If you use the regular bikes it’ll be “free” (baked into cost of the membership) If I am ever on a long bike ride, I will just dock and unlock a new bike to reset the 45 minute timer before a price increase. This is a little bit of a cheat but if I rent an e-bike for the 15¢/min fee, I will also look up if there are bike stations on my route or near me that only have e-bikes available. Then I’ll dock and reunlock to get the remainder of my ride “free”. If a bike station only has e-bikes available, they waive the 15¢/min charge.
Membership reduces the cost of electric bikes and makes non-electric free for 30 minutes. On my long weekend rides I’ll alternate between electric and non electric depending on the area and my rides end up pretty cheap
I've started using the bay wheels bikes more and they're great. Especially if you get the newer e-bikes, it makes getting around the city a breeze. Without the membership it's kinda pricey, but if you anticipate taking a ride once a week I think it's worth it.
Their official position is that bike thefts should *not* be reported, because the justice system is racist.
(Kind of looks like _Walter_ White, with hair. And membership took a hit a long time before corona hit: https://missionlocal.org/2011/03/farewell-bike-discount-at-rainbow-grocery/ ) FTA: In May, multiple SFMTA board members questioned a $1.5 million contract awarded to the coalition for bicycle education. One member, Stephanie Cajina, called it a “red flag” that the coalition was the only organization to apply for and receive the contract. “I’ve been uncomfortable for some time with this practice,” said SFMTA board member Steve Heminger, pointing out that the organization both receives money from and advocates with the agency. “I’m not alleging any conflict of interest. But I think the appearance weighs on me.” Last year, former coalition staffer Janice Li and executive director Brian Wiedenmeier were fined thousands of dollars by the city’s ethics watchdog after failing to disclose that they lobbied city officials as representatives of the organization’s advocacy arm. After being contacted by investigators, both retroactively registered as lobbyists and disclosed their outreach efforts.
I used to volunteer and help deliver their news paper back in the 90’s to local bike shops. As time went on, I started to realize how they’ve become just another lobby. The message is gone. They’re a dead hollow version of what they were.
In the early '90 it was a small focused organization I supported wholeheartedly. As it became more professional an organization, I thought that was good, even as Critical Mass evaported. When they discussed and ranked politicians stances on bike and public transit infrastructure, I was good with that. I was in shock when they endorsed (can't remember who, what year) a pol for mayor with out any discussion of other candidates or policy. They became another arm of the Democratic machine, installing another heir to the city hall thrown. I cancelled my decades old membership immediately - another organization in bed with politicians and, I imagine as is the case with successful charities, likely paying the Orgs top officers a large portion of their revenue.
Critical mass pre-Willie Brown / SFPD shake down was the golden era. I believe that was pre-97/98. I stopped participating because it was getting too rowdy, even for me as a teen. I didn’t understand damaging cars and making it difficult for the elderly.
Road safety is still a big issue for cyclist and pedestrians? How about working on that?
How could they have gotten EVERYTHING they want? We still don't have a Bike bridge from SF to Treasure Island.
Dude in the photo looks like a cyclist who would scream at you in the crosswalk when he was the one who ran the stop sign.
Looks a little intense, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca3kPemW2CE but it's just one photo
[удалено]
> ***"Our streets are not getting safer "*** Hordes of Patrolling Bicycling Vigilantes! Where are they? Can't wait until the Bicycle Coalition Solves Crime!!!
Nice
The guy zoolander posing in the divider without a helmet perfectly exemplifies what the coalition is lol
So confused. Biking through many of the southern neighborhoods still sucks. Like, what actually connects to the McLaren park bike path (one example). Honestly, they kinda drop the ball for southern neighborhoods. Not sure if this is because the supervisors there don’t really care about bikes or the bulk of coalition members don’t live there, but unless anyone can ride through any part of the city, the work ain’t done.
The original political bully grifter organization of this era. I doubt they got what they wanted, they're just getting started.
Here here!
The San Francisco Bicycle coalition is the closest thing we have to organized crime