Sean Culloty: Cycling Into the Sunset

Do you live in the Sunset District? Do you ride a bike? Did you know that the Sunset is a great neighborhood for bicycling, rich with resources that encourage and promote cycling as healthy recreation and as an alternative form of transportation?

I would like to share with you some of the discoveries I have made in the Sunset, one of the most bicycle-friendly neighborhoods in the City. Did you know that many of our Bay Area buses, trains and ferries now carry bicycles as well as passengers? All of the new Muni buses are equipped with front racks capable of holding two bicycles. This can be especially useful for Sunset residents, who can combine bicycling and public transit on longer trips.

Did you know that the SF Department of Parking and Traffic is installing free U-shaped bike racks throughout the City? If you would like one of the racks installed in front of your building, contact the DPT at (415) 585-BIKE.

Did you know that there are six streets passing through the Sunset that make up part of the citywide Bicycle Route Network? These streets are well lit, evenly graded and easy to navigate. Most are wide enough for bicyclists to safely share the road with automobiles and some have bike lanes painted on the road's surface. These roads have been sign-posted as part of the bicycle network and are the safest, flattest routes for bicyclists in the Sunset.

Maps of the bike routes and all bike lanes throughout the City can be downloaded for free at the SF Bicycle Coalition's website at www.sfbike.org. Yet, there is still a need to improve and expand the routes available for bicyclists and make needed changes to the City's policies regarding bicycle safety, education and parking.

The DPT is currently updating its official bike plan and will soon host a workshop for neighbors and bicyclists in Districts 4 and 7. If you're interested in making bicycling safer for the many kids and families in our neighborhood, please come and share your ideas for bike lanes or other improvements.

Issues important to Sunset bicyclists, sure to be addressed at the workshop, include a proposal for extending bike lanes on Seventh Avenue and the creation of safer bicycle and pedestrian access into Golden Gate Park.

The Community Planning Workshop will take place Wednesday, March 5, at the West Portal Elementary School, 5 Lenox Way (near the West Portal Muni Metro Station), from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. If you would like more information or wish to leave suggestions for the online street improvement survey, go to www.sfbike.org/bikeplan or contact the SF Bicycle Coalition at 431-BIKE, ext. 27.

Sean Culloty is a member of the SF Bicycle Coalition.