Our partners at PODER Bicis Del Pueblo held youth focused workshops on biking and rolling. They explored accessibility, safety and connectivity with transit.
We're working hard to make sure our Biking and Rolling Plan meets the needs of local communities.
Our community partners are playing a major role in this effort. They're meeting people where they are to learn about their biking and rolling needs. The result is Community Action Plans that reflect neighborhood-specific priorities.
At the Jan. 21 SFMTA Board of Directors meeting, we heard updates on these plans. We'll share why this new type of outreach is so valuable and key findings for each neighborhood.
A new chapter of community outreach
Rethinking the planning process
Transportation planning hasn't been fair. Some neighborhoods were excluded from past decisions and have been hurt by it. To address harm and inequities, we took a different approach for the Biking and Rolling Plan. We’re partnering with community groups in these neighborhoods. They include:
- Tenderloin: The Tenderloin Community Benefit District
- Bayview-Hunters Point: Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates
- SoMa: SOMA Pilipinas
- Mission and Excelsior: PODER Bicis del Pueblo
- Fillmore/Western Addition: New Community Leadership Foundation
Our partners have led extensive community engagement and planning around biking and rolling.
Helping communities set the agenda
The New Community Leadership Foundation hosted community bike rides to learn more from residents in the Western Addition and Fillmore.
The community groups have engaged residents and gathered input through workshops, community bike rides, education and events. The goal: help people shape the plans that serve their neighborhoods.
Our partners held community gatherings to unite residents and local leaders. They explored each community's relationship to biking and rolling. They addressed past harms. They also explored how to build a culture around biking that would feel authentic.
Our partners worked with residents out on the street, too. They identified hazards and barriers to safe biking and rolling. The New Community Leadership Foundation held a group bike ride to learn about concerns in the Western Addition and Fillmore. During the event, they gathered input on barriers to cycling, proposed bike routes and safe infrastructure.
In the Mission and Excelsior, biking and rolling are key, low-cost ways to travel. They're especially popular with young people. That’s why PODER Bicis Del Pueblo hosted a youth workshop at Hummingbird Farm. The event explored safety, affordability and the community's cultural history. It also examined how these issues relate to displacement and access to transit.
After leading a range of outreach events, our partners studied their findings. They documented key needs and created Community Action Plans.
Community Action Plans: Local responses to local needs
Community gathering hosted by SOMA Pilipinas to gather input for SoMa’s Community Action Plan.
These Community Action Plans will guide biking and rolling projects. They propose programs, policies and street infrastructure based on local needs.
The action plans aim to:
- Address the needs of residents, merchants and historically excluded communities
- Protect and celebrate what people find special in their neighborhoods
- This will include cultural institutions, transit connections and more.
Understanding community needs: what we’ve learned
Each Community Action Plan reflects its neighborhood's unique challenges and priorities. But they share common goals:
- Safer streets for seniors and people walking and using wheelchairs
- Inclusive planning for every way people get around (walking, biking, rolling and driving)
- Secure, vital connections that link communities
Balancing a range of concerns
The Community Action Plans stress the need to balance neighborhood priorities with biking and rolling infrastructure.
For example, people in Bayview-Hunters Point want to address two other issues before adding bike lanes. They want to focus first on improving transit reliability and addressing unsafe streets. In the Fillmore/Western Addition, people want to preserve parking and local commerce while building out biking plans. In the Tenderloin, residents want safer crossings, better lighting and secure paths for people to walk.
Making it more affordable to bike and roll
The Community Action Plans stress that affordability is key for improved access. SOMA's plan calls for low-cost bike and scooter-share programs. In the Tenderloin, proposals include subsidies for residents with lower incomes to purchase and maintain bikes, scooters and wheelchairs, along with mobility hubs for charging electric devices. In the Mission and Excelsior, the plan proposes affordable electric bikes and scooters, and free bikes for SFUSD students. These neighborhood-specific programs aim to remove financial barriers. This way, more people across the city will be able to choose biking or rolling to get around.
Celebrating neighborhood culture
There was another common theme across Community Action Plans. Many people wanted biking and rolling infrastructure to reflect cultural identity and create a sense of belonging. Residents in the Mission and Excelsior call for integrating Dia de los Muertos and Hip Hop arts into biking projects. In Bayview-Hunters Point, residents want streets that honor Black history. The SOMA Pilipinas plan calls for crosswalks that reflect neighborhood culture. All of this feedback will help us prioritize local needs. We were also glad to hear about the calls to tie infrastructure to cultural identity. This way, we can create a transportation network that reflects and strengthens the city’s diverse communities.
The Biking and Rolling Plan will help people of all ages and abilities bike and roll around the city.
What the Biking and Rolling Plan is – and isn’t
As the Biking and Rolling Plan develops, it’s helpful to remember the basics.
The Biking and Rolling Plan aims to:
- Create a safer, more connected network within a quarter mile of everyone in San Francisco
- Give people of all ages and abilities the option to bike and roll safely around the city
The Biking and Rolling Plan does not include any proposals to:
- Close additional streets to cars
- Add new bike lanes on merchant corridors
The planning process for the Biking and Rolling Plan will help us improve the whole transportation system. For example, we all want to reduce congestion on our streets. We can achieve this by supporting safe, reliable travel options like biking, walking and public transit. This will create space for those who rely on private vehicles for work and other needs.
Any project that becomes part of the final plan will have to go through our standard review process. To make each one a success, we're working closely with local communities.
What’s next and how to get involved
To learn more, you can:
- Read the latest draft of the plan
- Watch this short video explaining the plan
To share ideas, you can:
- Email us your feedback at BikeRoll@SFMTA.com
We encourage you to share your feedback on Feb. 18 when the SFMTA Board will vote on the adoption of the plan.
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