and when american express did their small business saturday, there really wasn't much in my neighborhood, there wasn't a lot of outreach. as long as there is more out reach, i love to have you come speak. we do get over 100 people at our meetings and they love to hear something like this. the day after thanksgiving, we get a handful of people into our neighborhood and we have a lot of women under businesses. having this would be great. >> we would be happy to come speak. commissioner dooley: i heard from your cohorts at the outreach committee and i want to say how enthusiastic i am about rolling it out. i think it will be better than previously. i am excited that we have lots of leave time to get out to the merchants and get them

participating. i want to thank you for doing such a great job. you have another comment? i was just going to suggest we make a motion. >> the only comment i would like to make is that we participated in small business saturday, and it was very successful and very popular with people. we shared a lot of information with other businesses and people were really enthusiastic about it. it was really well embraced. thank you for continuing that. >> director, you started saying something about support? >> the small business commission will be listed as one of the supporting organizations, and upon your support, we can start providing the information,

putting it in our bulletin and making sure that merchants are aware of it. and also, we will work with the city to have a larger city presents. >> if i may suggest we take public comment. president o'brien: thank god somebody is alive and the way around here. do we have public comment on this matter? public comment is closed. commissioners, he can have a motion? >> i would like to move that we support the small business saturday and lend our name in terms of promotion and approval.

we will do what we can to move this event forward. >> i would like to add to also directed staff to work with the greater city family to include them in this promotion and project. >> do we have a second? any objections? the motion is passed. >> we look forward to working with you. >> i would love to have you come talk to us. we would love to hear that. president o'brien: next item, please. >> commissioners, you are a hot item number 10, presentation on the projects, priorities, and

more of the san francisco bike coalition. president o'brien: welcome. >> good afternoon or evening. i'm the director of the bicycle coalition. thank you for allotting some time. i will be very brief and tell you a little bit about us. we have 12,000 members and have been working for 40 years to promote a bicycling for everyday transportation. the reason i thought would be helpful to come here is that we have been working more and more with folks at city hall, whether it be your staff promoting and bicycling to small neighborhoods with a great small businesses to the upcoming activities. i would like to give you a bird's-eye view. we're starting to do more out reached 2 merchant corridors and business corridors have wanted to have a small business

commissioned first so if you are asked questions or you hear things in the business community, you will be knowledgeable on edge. i have a few slides from our point if that is okay. great, thank you. the project was connecting the city, to connect neighborhoods, commercial corridors, schools, destinations in our city. before i get into that, i want to share some brief numbers. kinfolks' see that? seven out of 10 san franciscans

rode a bicycle in 2009. most of my trips were maybe a family like this that comes out to send a street once a month. as you know, we have a great culture. you probably know that it was held just yesterday. an amazing event, i was happy to be out there. filled with children, families, really diverse faces. i was really proud to be a san franciscan on that day. and joining -- history is a front yard. it seems quite successful --

how do we make the streets better? it is not about bicycling for us, but it is about great public space. we just need to have enough saved and will remain -- 73% of people that we pulled plan on spending money at sunday streets events. they spend an average of $20 a at stores, restaurants, and vendors. i had a brief note. it was really nice to be a neighborhood that frankly i don't go to as much. what we are seeing is that the sunday streets is not only a great way to get folks more active, it is about physical

activity, affordable physical activity, there is a great economic benefit as well. there is another of that coming up this sunday in chinatown. and one more event in october. in the north beach, you are right. i want to share this statistic with you as well. there is been a 58% increase in the number of people biking in the past four years. these are the municipal transportation agency's numbers. account every year between 2006 and 2010. you might be noticing that on busy corridors where this shot is. this is the relatively new dedicated the brain and physically separated by way.

when there is a safer space, more people want to ride. probably not too surprising that when you feel safe, you will try it out. the poll that we did back in 2009 also shows 3/4 of folks own bicycles. a lot of people riding. it is really about how we give them up more opportunities. there are a lot of trips that will not work for people, but how do we get the opportunity for more threats? i am sure you are familiar with annual bike to work day. it is great to talk about biking to work. we wanted to do more focused on viking to the store. it is not that difficult, actually, to put some bags on the back of your bike into a grocery shopping and do most of it by bicycle. specifically talking about how we are connecting the city with

safe, comfortable bikeways, one thing we are doing is getting the word out. that is part of the reason we will go out to the business district that want to make sure that people now that businesses can request and get a free bike rack in front of their businesses. it is free. it will come out and assess the space, make sure that it is a good space. it can't be in of loading zone, there some things to look out there. what we see is that when we have safe routes to ride and a place to lock up, more people are biking. these are just a couple pictures of how we are really bringing the concept beyond of bicycling. the planning department will speak to this more eloquently than i.

you see about two dozen on- street bike parking carouse. the one on the left i believe his in front of the bookstore. the one in the right to is about 20 seconds or so. this is a place where they have parking on st. at the request of the business. and with support of their neighboring businesses, which can be added that there. the top pictures show you more about great public space. we're working with the planning department and local businesses. this is another example where we are converting. we are hearing a hunger for public space. more green space. thinking about converting some

of the space when businesses are asking for it and requesting it. the city is working with them. you might be familiar the most attention. that is kind of where we are now and what we have been really excited about. the next picture is, how do we can back all of these cities. you see bike lanes pop up on market street. if someone lives out there and they want to get to work to go to the east bay, a big one as tourists. we work with the bike rental companies a lot. there has been a tripling of bike rentals. a lot of them are heading west. most of them -- in the morning,

there are families paddling out. rental blacks i am seeing them in my neighborhood. getting out int h the neighborhoods, our goal is to connect, again, all tehese neighborhoods. they are safe, comfortable, and they have a good route. it is more than 100 miles of safe bikeways. they signed off on a goal of 20% of all trips. we are doing all right. this is the family that lives in

the mission bay area. the they don't have liked because they don't have room in there. this is really exciting. hopefully they can come give a presentation if they have it. in may of 2012, there is a 1000 by share program. the area of shared by, you get a car beforehand, the idea is incentivizing short trips and is particularly good for someone wanting to run errands during the day. let's say i am at the office and i have a meeting 12 blocks away. it is a little far to walk. i can jump on the bike and have it out for an hour. they got it going nbc about a year ago. it really successful. you probably read about barcelona.

a very successful program. let's make sure they're safe places to ride, making sure they are educating them. you probably know valencia as a popular biking routes already. you show the middle center. they are doing this on pennsylvania avenue running out of the capital and is working really well. it is something we are thinking about, the goal or the benefit would be when you are riding the bike lanes -- [unintelligible] that is the number one cause of

the danger and injuries. you are not losing anything here in terms of space for folks, parking, or traveling. it is an idea, something to think about. we are not sure what to do, but we would really like to see the biplane continued. maybe add greening, it seems like a street that could use some more benches and improvements. we have some cool ideas coming up on that. the planning department is exploring jefferson street. the merchants are leading that. there are also more bike shops coming in through of the city. we would love to see something down town. the small business that can really cater to the growing needs of bicycling in san

francisco. the route i just showed you, the orange root. 100 miles of green and orange there. it may not be anatomically perfect, but how do we make it more friendly for viking, transit, walking. we want to think about how this can look different, how do you make the city 8-80 bike- friendly. the tourist that comes from germany, they're biking at 80. let's make san francisco well known for that. i don't know if you can read that. i would just run through some resources for by a friendly businesses. this whole presentation is about connecting the city.

the next one is free urban cycling workshops. the safety and education is critical. we're offering adults to learn how to read -- ride responsibly. a 4-hour long class. we are focusing on kids as well, but we are focusing really on adults. the on-street bike parking corrals, bike parking racks are free. parklets are going to be heard more about, i think. we can work more with small business than we have in the past. we would love to send more people on bikes more than any

other date to spend money and show their helmet off and make that connection. i will stop there, if i could leave some information to commissioners. it is a little bit more about safety education. i am happy to answer any questions now. commissioner clyde: thank you for the presentation, a few questions i have. will you define what makes a safe bike route? what we're saying is nyc is slipping away. somewhere as big and dance and chaotic as new york city is doing a good job. when we have separated space you do not have the weaving and interaction. people feel safe. what you hear from the drivers is predictability.

that is key. i want to know what to expect. as we see more people bicycling, we want to make room for them. the dedicated bikeways, those have shown huge increases in the number of people bicycling. we would like to see a connecting to the neighborhoods and the regional transit areas. it is about space. >> are there any plans for hard scaping to separate the lanes from traffic? >> market street, to do something more than the white poles -- >> we're trying to move people off. we will fight on the embarcadero as opposed to in traffic. if it is a light pedestrian day. is there any developed discussion about where perhaps parking could be taken now and

hard skatscaped. >> we have been working with peter albert on what to do with the embarcadero. what could we do to make the dedicated bikeway? it is so busy because it is a good thing. with people walking and skating and pushing strollers. the bicycles should not be there but people are scared. it may be blocked by a parked car, deliveries. with the america's cup, that is a great way to approach it. maybe as next month pilot project. we will have to move people around the city and hopefully they talked about this and how do we depend more on bicycling? >> as a person who needs to take one of your adult safety

classes, i will say that because there is an increase in traffic on market street. the bike lanes can be congested and difficult. i will plan my trips on less congested bikeways. there is a place you are going to take your a-year-old or 12- year-old out. there is going to have to be some thinking about folsom street, taking out a lane of traffic and hardscaping it. we have wide boulevards. what about putting traffic lanes and interior hardscape lanes. as the discussion happened? >> that is what they have been doing in new york city where they have been doing that in amsterdam and copenhagen for decades. we are seeing more like portland

and seattle swap the parking so there is a physical buffer. now you put the bike lane on the inside. this is for some places it can work great. that is something we love to see. you will see in the fire there is images of how to build out. you are getting the safety perspective and some greening opportunities. it is great because it is a buffer for people walking. pedestrians are not pushed off against the traffic. there is a buffer. the mayor's office -- we are cosponsoring this next week. it is an event happening in nine cities across the nation. they will be here monday,

september 19. there is a group of dutch planners. help us figuring out some things out. there is the dutch touch. they have done some things we think we can learn from. at either end, the mayor will be here and at the end, there will be a closing reception. there will be looking at places like the business corridor. it is an interesting exercise. >> i would like to be reiterate.

we do need more bike parking and corrals. also in any major development plan or building plan that parking is an important transportation element. secure parking should be in any business plan going forward. delivery services, that is a place where people who might shop more on bikes or go back and forth to larger places, we were getting target in town. if they had a delivery service, that would help. you used to pick out your packages and there would be delivered. niall there maybe an opportunity for delivery services. but parking is number one. i have been to some large

places and had a difficult time finding a secure place for my bike. hopefully we can work more on that. >> i am not sure he touched upon this. i have a couple questions. we had a meeting held at the city around the conversion of folsom street to a two-way street. i wanted to get your thoughts on that. if you feel there is any momentum. >> that is a great question. i was at a meeting of the planning commission. we heard a report from the western soma task force.

there is a lot of interest. two-way traffic moves much lower than one way traffic. for people taking the bus, it is confusing. for ease and safety, we think this is a great idea. >> and something whereby cleaned can be incorporated from the beginning. my other question was and you might have touched on this. i see the image in the brochure here. at what point in time will the white plains in the middle go in? >> one thing i did mention, the images i am showing -- that one

is probably the most interesting. it is the most different. i mentioned they are doing it in washington, d.c.. that is where it is considering. >> i am trying to remember the streetscape. before the sidewalks were expanded, there was more of an opportunity to do that. there was that huge lane in the middle that trucks were parked in. now we have lost that opportunity. >> if there is interest we might start looking at other places. maybe some morals. >> thank you. >> it is exciting to do this.

i have a question on this. i do drive quite a bit. i would like to bike more. one of my biggest concerns is this maybe my perception. i feel like hardly any by settlers -- bicyclers obey the traffic laws. i want to urge, educating bikers they do need to travel in the same manner as everyone else on the street. >> the majority of the class is about your responsibilities, about the laws. a little bit is how to parked and locked her bike safely. how to unlock and -- st