San Francisco Bicycle Advisory Committee to Hold Final Meeting

It’s official: San Francisco’s Bicycle Advisory Committee has been dissolved by the city. It will hold its last meeting on Wednesday, June 17.

“People on bikes remain vulnerable on our streets, and we should be doing more, not less, to ensure that people feel safe moving around the city,” said Brandon Powell, the BAC’s chair.

“For over 35 years, the BAC has ensured that the voices of people who bike are heard at the Board of Supervisors and in City Hall,” said the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s Christopher White. “The dissolution of this body is a big loss for everyone who wants efficient, sustainable transportation to be safe and accessible for all.”

Readers will recall that last October the city’s “Streamlining Task Force” listed several committees that it decided duplicated functions. The BAC was called out in part because it was created before the SFMTA even existed. From the Task Force’s documents:

The Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT) or the Department of Public Works (DPW) may not have planned extensively for bicycle infrastructure. However, the MTA now has a Sustainable Streets Division with teams focused on active transportation, employs full-time bike planners and engineers, and integrates biking into multimodal planning. While the BAC may have been essential in the 1990s, transportation planning looks very different thirty-five years later, and the BAC may no longer be necessary.

The Task Force was formed via Prop. E on the November 2024 ballot. According to SPUR, “San Francisco has 126 commissions, boards, and advisory bodies (also known as “commissions”) made up of 1,200-plus residents who provide input to public officials in specific issue areas, such as health, policing, and planning.”

SPUR agreed some city downsizing was desirable, but cited issues with the approach and structure of the task force under “E” and recommended a “no” vote. Ultimately, it was passed by 53 percent of voters.

The argument that SFMTA doesn’t need an outside advisory committee focused on cycling is counter to reality, according to many safe-streets advocates.

“As confirmed by SFMTA and DPW staff, our committee provided in-depth, ongoing insight which can’t be replicated in project-specific community meetings or a generic advisory body,” said Powell.

“There have been 11 fatalities on SF streets in 2026 so far. The SFMTA continues to delay the Arguello Safety Project,” said Kristin Tièche, vice-chair of the BAC and long-time member whose district includes Arguello Blvd. Tièche sees the destruction of the BAC as part of a larger issue. “It’s a travesty that city government does not seem to care about the safety of people on our streets, specifically the mayor whose attention to making our city safer for bicyclists is performative at best to downright negligent.”

Even without the BAC, advocates who serve on it intend to stay active. “We will get involved elsewhere,” said Tièche.