Streetsblog Launches “Bay Area Transit” Blog on SF Gate

I know some of you probably thought this was a late April Fool's Day post when you saw that headline, but we're indeed launching a blog on the San Francisco Chronicle's website, sfgate.com. The new Bay Area Transit blog is a coordinated effort between Streetsblog San Francisco and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, with more contributors coming in the future.

We did a soft launch yesterday with the Public Bikes story and it took off among the Gate commenters, who, as could be expected, were not very supportive of bicycles. And that's a large part of why we entered this arrangement with the Chronicle: From the beginning, Streetsblog's mission has been to elevate the discussion around livable streets, transit, pedestrian, and bicycle issues, which tend to be narrowly covered in mainstream media. We believe this new blog allows us to do just that. 

In addition to the material from Streetsblog, the SFBC will have regular features that highlight the many faces of bicycle riders in the Bay Area, starting with Elizabeth Sullivan's narrative about Sunday Streets and her family's love of bicycles. The SFBC's posts will also be featured on the organization's new blog.

For our long-term readers and our community of avid commenters, you'll be happy to note that we will be promoting our stories from Streetsblog to Bay Area Transit and that most of the nasty commenters should stay over at sfgate.com, leaving our boards to the heady, instructive dialog we enjoy here. There will also be no change in editorial policy or dumbing down of the issues for a wider audience, so you can expect the same quality of coverage that you've come to love.

I've already had one Streetsblog reader ask if Chuck Nevius and I are cubicle mates, but alas, I don't think we'll be lunching together soon. Unless he wants to have a good conversation about pedestrian safety and progressive parking management policy...

We hope you'll share your perspective on the new endeavor and we welcome feedback and critique about the new site.