SFBC News: Hearing on SFPD Handling of Bike Cases

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October 1, 2013   Dear Kevin, Your SF Bicycle Coalition membership is current through 12/14/2013. Thank you for being a member! THIS WEEK: Important Hearing to Look into Police Handling of Bike Cases Potrero Avenue Improvements Coming A Wiggle Tuesday -  Biking Politely & a Neighborhood Greenway Great Deals on Early Bird Winterfest Tickets! Are the Bike Projects You Care About on the City’s List? Walk and Roll to School Day. October 9 Bicycle Outreach at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, October 5-6 VIDEO: San Francisco Tour de Fat: Beers, Bikes, Bemusement Upcoming Events Interested in seeing improvements to biking, walking and transit on Columbus Avenue? Join us at our Columbus Ave Member Committee on Wednesday! NEWS & UPDATES Important Hearing to Look into Police Handling of Bike Cases The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is taking seriously the alarming number of reports of the SF Police Department’s (SFPD) questionable conduct toward people biking.  In just two weeks, more than 100 of you have shared experiences of unfair or unjust treatment from the SFPD in response to a bike incident. This follows several high-profile, deeply troubling incidents last month. This Thursday, October 3 (10AM, City Hall, room 250), your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will be speaking up at an important public hearing about police handling of bike cases. Our recommendations focus on better training of all officers regarding bicyclists’ rights; improved tracking and transparency of traffic issues; and a data-driven focus on traffic enforcement of known dangerous behaviors and locations, rather than what seems like a complaints-based approach today. If you have had a questionable incident with the SFPD while biking, please join us at the hearing to speak at public comment. If you can join, email leah@sfbike.org. You can still share your story of unfair response by the SFPD at sfbike.org/enforcement. Potrero Avenue Improvements Coming Last Tuesday, the City presented its two preferred draft alternatives for the Potrero Streetscape Improvements project. Both alternatives promise to bring a wider sidewalk on the hospital side, an exclusive transit lane and potentially one protected bike lane in the northbound direction between 17th and 25th Street. The proposals promise to make Potrero a street where cars, transit, pedestrian and bikes are not only welcome but safer. In spite of the evident advantages for all users, an aggressive opposition made its presence known at the open house, linking the Potrero Improvements with the Masonic Avenue project and the Van Ness BRT project. If you live near Potrero Avenue, contact kit@sfbike.org to get involved in this campaign. A Wiggle Tuesday -  Biking Politely & a Neighborhood Greenway Last Tuesday was a busy day for the Wiggle. We held a "Biking Polite" outreach station at the intersection of Scott St and Page St in the morning. Volunteers, neighbors and District 5 Supervisor London Breed joined in, thanking people biking and driving for taking their turns and yielding to pedestrians. Later in the day, the City held the second Wiggle Neighborhood Greenway Community Open House. Some of the proposed improvements, like raised crosswalks, address the concerns expressed by some pedestrians, while multiple options for reducing traffic volume on Scott Street were shown. If you live on or near Scott Street, contact kit@sfbike.org to learn how you can help this project succeed. Great Deals on Early Bird Winterfest Tickets! Don’t miss your chance to save on Winterfest tickets today! Save even more when you add on options of Bottomless Beverages (that’s beer and wine all night!) and SF Bicycle Coalition membership. What’s Winterfest? It’s your SF Bicycle Coalition’s year-end Member Party and Fundraiser attended by 1,200 members and enthusiastic supporters -- like you -- to celebrate San Francisco’s bicycling community. This year it's a month earlier! 18th Annual Winterfest Member Party and Fundraiser Sunday, November 3, 6:30PM-10:30PM Cityview at the Metreon | 135 Fourth Street at Mission Street $5 off any Winterfest Ticket! Promo Code: BikerBulletin Hurry! This $5 off offer expires next Tuesday 10/08 and all tickets increase 10/18! Sponsor of the week: Thank you to Rahman Law PC for supporting Winterfest and for their year-round advocacy on behalf of cyclists to make the streets safer for two-wheeled vehicles. Are the Bike Projects You Care About on the City’s List? The City is putting together a special list of transportation projects to fund and put in the ground in the next year or so. Check out the proposed list here (select for “Proposed” projects in the drop down menu). Do you see the projects that you care about? If you have an idea for a bike project that’s not on this list, be sure to attend one of the three upcoming public meetings to speak up for your project: Wednesday, October 2, 2013: Bayview Opera House, 4705 3rd St, 6PM Tuesday, October 8, 2013: San Francisco County Transportation Authority, Hearing Room (1455 Market St, 22nd Floor) 6PM Thursday, October 10, 2013: San Francisco State University, Towers Conference Center (796 Font Blvd, campus map) 6PM Learn more about these projects here. Walk and Roll to School Day, October 9 International Walk/Roll to School Day is on Wednesday, October 9 is the day thousands of children & parents leave the car at home, combine school and work commute, and get some healthy exercise together before school. Are you new to walking or rolling with your child on a weekday morning? Look in advance for a route with marked crosswalks, bike lanes, lights and crossing guards. If your school is one of the 70+ schools signed up to participate, join in a Bike Train or Walking School Bus. If you are a veteran bike/walk-to-school family, volunteer to help on the big day.  Want to help more little ones get rolling? Come volunteer with us at Freedom From Training Wheels on Sunday, October 6 at Horace Mann Elementary School in the Mission. Bicycle Outreach at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, October 5-6 Banjos and bicycles! What could be better? Your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is thrilled to have been invited to be a part of the nonprofit booth at the 13th annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, one of San Francisco’s most beloved music festivals. As always, there will be an incredible musical lineup, and we want our members to join us to volunteer at an info and activity table at this great event in Golden Gate Park. We’ll be there Saturday and Sunday, October 5 and 6. Thanks to our generous HSB partners, all of our volunteers will get a limited-edition 2013 Bikes & Bluegrass t-shirt for free. Sign up to join us today! VIDEO: San Francisco Tour de Fat: Beers, Bikes, Bemusement Did you miss this year’s Tour de Fat? Or do you just want to relive the magic? Check out this terrific video by SF Bicycle Coalition member and volunteer, Melissa Mermin. Melissa is one of our amazing volunteers who share their skills to help keep our advocacy rolling along. In addition to taking photos of Tour de Fat, she also created this excellent bango-accompanied video. CHAIN OF EVENTS Check out our online calendar of events. To add your bike event to our calendar, simply email the details to us.   Tuesday, October 1 SF Bicycle Coalition Phone Bank 5-8PM | SF Bicycle Coalition HQ, 833 Market St, 10th Floor Accept the challenge to chat up your fellow SF Bicycle Coalition members! Join the volunteers who keep the SF Bicycle Coalition membership strong. No cold-calling, just calls to friendly lapsed members offering an easy way to renew. Plan to stay for the thank-you dinner afterward and get to know your fellow volunteers. You must be a current or former member to volunteer. Contact juli@sfbike.org Wednesday, October 2 Columbus Ave Committee Meeting Wednesday, October 2nd, 6:30-8 pm Caffe Greco (423 Columbus near Stockton) – side room Interested in seeing improvements to biking, walking and transit on Columbus Avenue? Stop by our upcoming new Columbus Ave Committee Meeting to hear more about the project and get involved in a very real and exciting campaign. RSVP: kit@sfbike.org And yes, bring a friend! Wrench Wednesday clinic @ Big Swingin' Cycles 6:45-8PM | Big Swingin' Cycles, 2260 Van Ness Ave Bike Maintenance 101 - A popular clinic covering the vitals to keep your bike running well between tune ups and more advanced service at the shop. We'll go over basic safety inspection , minor adjustments, and in depth on lubrication of chain and cables. Free. Event Details Thursday, October 3 Public Hearing: Police Protocol for Investigating Bicycle and Pedestrian cases 10AM | City Hall, room 250 Your SF Bicycle Coalition is taking seriously the alarming number of reports of questionable conduct toward people biking among some SF Police Department (SFPD) officers. We will be speaking up at this important public hearing about police handling of bike cases. Our recommendations focus on better training of all officers regarding bicyclists’ rights; improved tracking and transparency of traffic issues; and a data-driven focus on traffic enforcement of known dangerous behaviors and locations, rather than what seems like a complaints-based approach today. Hearing Agenda If you have had a questionable incident with the SFPD while biking, please join us at the hearing to speak at public comment. If you can join the hearing, email leah@sfbike.org. If you can't join, please share your story online Friday, October 4 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass * 11AM-7PM | Golden Gate Park Ride your bike to enjoy this year’s incredible musical lineup in Golden Gate Park! With over 90 bands, this free three-day festival is a true San Francisco favorite. Bring your friends by the SF Bicycle Coalition booth and catch up on important campaigns. Event details Saturday, October 5 Portola Safety Bash * 10AM-3PM | Martin Luther King Jr Middle School, 350 Burrows St Join Portola neighbors for an awesome day of safety related activities and learning for families. YBike will be running “learn-to-ride”, “Bike Roadeo”, “Bike Obstacle Course” sessions for riders of different skill levels. There will also be a “Bike Blender” where kids can make delicious smoothies, Bike repair workshop and loads of other neighborhood safety related activities! Event details Hardly Strictly Bluegrass * 11AM-7PM | Golden Gate Park Ride your bike to enjoy this year’s incredible musical lineup in Golden Gate Park! With over 90 bands, this free three-day festival is a true San Francisco favorite. Bring your friends by the SF Bicycle Coalition booth and catch up on important campaigns. Event details SF Bicycle Coalition members can sign up here to volunteer at our outreach and activity booth. All volunteers get a free limited-edition 2013 Bikes & Bluegrass t-shirt. SF SPCA 145th Anniversary Carnival * 11AM - 5:30PM | Alabama St btwn 15th & 16th Wag your tail at the SF SPCA's 145th Anniversary Carnival! There will be carnival games and activities, food trucks, a beer garden, dunk tank, face painting and balloon animals, free dental checks for dogs, freestyle tricks class for dogs and live entertainment, including a performance by cast members fir Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon. Event Details Complimentary valet bicycle parking provided by the SF Bicycle Coalition. To volunteer to valet park bicycles, sign up online. Sunday, October 6 Rec Ride: Bikes to Books * 10:30AM | Meet on the North side of Jack London Street at South Park A combination of San Francisco history, art, literature, cycling and urban exploration! Local author and SF Bicycle Coalition member Nicole Gluckstern devised a comprehensive bike tour and enlisted avid amateur historian Burrito Justice as cartographer. The free three hour ride ends at Jack Kerouac Alley in North Beach for a reading sponsored by the City Lights Foundation. No RSVP needed Event details Hardly Strictly Bluegrass * 11AM-7PM | Golden Gate Park Ride your bike to enjoy this year’s incredible musical lineup in Golden Gate Park! With over 90 bands, this free three-day festival is a true San Francisco favorite. Bring your friends by the SF Bicycle Coalition booth and catch up on important campaigns. Event details SF Bicycle Coalition members can sign up here to volunteer at our outreach and activity booth. All volunteers get a free limited-edition 2013 Bikes & Bluegrass t-shirt. Monday, October 7 Internal Maintenance Class at the Bike Kitchen * 6:30-9PM | The San Francisco Bike Kitchen, 650H Florida Street Over three Mondays (October 7th, 14th and 21st) the class will cover the installation, overhaul, adjustment and maintenance of the bicycle's bearing systems (headsets, bottom brackets and hubs), freewheels and cassettes. No previous bike knowledge is required or expected, but a willingness to learn and have fun is a must! Class Details (Events not sponsored by the SF Bicycle Coalition are marked with an *) Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and make San Francisco great for bicycling Become a member and add your voice to a diverse group of people who are committed to making San Francisco an easier and safer place to ride a bicycle. Help keep bike improvements moving forward in San Francisco! San Francisco Bicycle Coalition 833 Market Street, 10th floor San Francisco, CA 94103

 

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