Government Organizations

The city's proposed Transportation Sustainability Fee -- which would be assessed on new development to speed up construction of walking, biking, and transit infrastructure -- moved forward today with approval from the SF Planning Commission. The commission approved a maximum rate slightly higher than the city had initially proposed but far lower than what some livable streets advocates wanted.

The SFMTA has produced the city's first training video to teach truck and bus drivers safe urban driving practices and highlight the extra care needed to operate in close proximity to people walking and biking on city streets.

The SF Bicycle Coalition announced its "unfettered support" today for a "Bike Yield Law" that would enable cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and cautiously roll through when there is no cross-traffic.

Nearly two weeks in, the bans preventing private auto drivers from turning on to most of lower Market Street have, by all accounts, made the street safer and more efficient.

A bike parking and repair station opened at Civic Center Station today, providing BART and Muni Metro riders secure parking for 89 bikes, accessible only with a paid key card. Bike racks with another 60 spots were added outside the paid station area, adding to 63 existing rack spots.

Commuters in the Bay Area ditched cars faster than in any other major metropolitan area between 2006 and 2013, according to a new U.S. Census report. With studies showing that car traffic in San Francisco is declining, the report is one more sign that efforts in SF and the region to attract commuters to transit, walking, and biking may be working.

John Sanford rode a bicycle yesterday for the first time in an untold number of years. Then, he sat down for nearly two hours to have an insightful discussion with a couple of his staunchest critics. Streetsblog's recorded interview with Sanford is posted at the bottom of this article.

Supervisor John Avalos plans to introduce a policy urging the SFPD to let people on bikes treat stop signs as yield signs. It could legitimize the safe, practical maneuver already practiced by the vast majority of people on bikes, which is legal in Idaho.

SFPD Park Station's monthly community meeting tomorrow evening is your chance to weigh in on the ongoing harassment of bike commuters led by new captain John Sanford.