It was great to see the SFBC’s valet service packed to capacity sat and sun at HSB. Even greater to see so many people riding in to the event. Check out the ad hoc parking at the entrance off JFK. It’ll be a great day when this many people ride their bikes to work!

Regarding BART:
> A bike-friendly BART car is in the works (haven’t seen one for myself yet, though)
> Why exactly can’t we take bikes on escalators? Whoever made that rule- have they ever carried their bike up 100 steps, each day?

My least favorite moments on my work commute – because if I can’t rant here, where can I rant?!
- Hipster girl who sped past me at a stoplight as I was starting off, nearly hitting me. On a fixie.
- Cars that race in front of you on a green light, so you have to fall in behind them, then they screech to a halt at the next red, while you cycle up past them. Why do cars race to the next light? I’ll never understand.
- Those big black limo-van things hog the lane and swerve into the bike lane. Each one of them.
- Pedestrians who step into the street while checking traffic. Check traffic, then step into the street! Key intersections: Embarcadero & Market, and Bay & Embarcadero, Sansome & California. Also, I ahve to say pedestrians are so focused on cars they miss cyclists.

On a good note:
- Buses and shuttles have been very courteous to me, on my routes (EmeryGoRound, the 10-Townsend).
- It’s been gorgeous out in the morning and afternoon
- Cycling in SF is so fast- everything is so close together
- It feels like there’s been more people out on bikes, doing errands and stuff. Bike racks seem really full
- Most bars/restaurants/public places I’ve been at, if I ask if they have a place for bikes, they usually do! It’s this neat kind of underground chivalry.

Photos from a ride last night, enjoying a foggy, windy day in the Marina but calmer and sunny close to downtown. It’s a new perk to commuting- meet up with a friend, fit in a few miles of riding, and get dinner. The wind and fog were moving so fast, at one point, up Polk at Bay, I could see the fog travelling low to the ground.

Attended San Jose Bike Party last Friday:

Great attendance. I wrote a post on it, as did Wirehead, and others I’m sure. Organized by San Jose cyclists, it’s a “this is how we ride,” more tame version of group bike rides. Started, I was told, by a few guys who like to get together and ride, this event grew to 4K (at the second stop). I turned off at the first stop.
Yesterday at Zeitgeist I ran into a dozen or so chopper riders who were also at the ride. “We spun off for some beers,” one told me. Also ran into some other SF Metblogs emeritus writers, in San Jose. Seems like the thing to do, for cyclists. Comment below if you attended!

I circled the Bay basically on bike + public transit. Amtrak to San Jose ($15 from Emeryville), Caltrain ($7) to MUNI ($2) and then cycled back home to North Beach.

Little snapshot of life blogpost here. I’m commuting to the East Bay, via bike, from North Beach.

Day 1: Notice the sign on Embarcadero turnstile, “no bikes during commuter hours, 7-9AM” (It’s 10AM). Started this long discussion on FriendFeed. I’m sweaty and exhausted at work, and it’s worst going home- where every staircase is uphill (a quirk of going from an underground station to an overground one).

Day 2: Instead of biking up Embarcadero- which is wind tunnel every which hour or way or day- tack up the streets on the East side of Telegraph Hill. Less wind, a little more distance. I run into an old friend on BART, and I realize the social aspect of public transit cannot be overrated.

Day 3: It all goes by in a blur. It’s faster and becoming rote. I’m not as tired, it’s easier, and I start noticing the signs of approaching fall- ripening fruit on trees, the earlier darkness, and realize it’s great to be outside so much, each day, but still be able to get everything done work-wise and after-work-wise.

Back into the car Monday for the BART strike.

The website Yelp earlier today sent out email to San Francisco members with the headline Put the Fun Between Your Legs:

Provocative, yes — too much so for the sponsor, San Francisco Women Against Rape. A few hours later, Yelp sent out this corrected version:

Nevertheless, even the corrected email is full of references to cute boys and double entendres like “Rachel L likes to strap hers on knowing “there isn’t another person out there” with the exact same one” — messenger bags, that is. Well, if the email didn’t get attention the first time, it is now.

Even if you are the most anti-Valentines’ Day, anti-mushy person in the universe, it’s pretty hard to avoid all the fun that happens on Feb. 14th in San Francisco. There are hundreds of events and here are a handful that I would definitely be attending if I wasn’t in Los Angeles with my honey for the weekend. So go and report back on how much fun you had!!

Have bike? Have some pre-Valentines’ Day fun tonight at the SF Bike Coalition’s “Love on Wheels.” This is a great opportunity to meet fellow bicyclists and maybe even ride away hand in hand.

What better way to take all that aggression bubbling in you out on the entire city at Pillow Fight! Bring your pillow to Justin Herman Plaza at 6pm and be prepared to whack a few moles.

Fancy some tea and crumpets? Crown & Crumpet have a menu full of l’amour and a it’s a great excuse to dress-up like you did as a kid for tea parties.

Had a hard week? How about a full day of massage? Yes please! You and your playmate can spend an entire day learning how to massage each other at The Center For Healing and Expression. Sounds better than a box of chocolates!

Have you ever attended a “no pants party?” Trust me when I say everyone should do it at least once. The Knockout is hosting the “5th Annual Underwear Party.” You don’t even have to fret over what to wear! Be sure to check your undies for holes!

For a list of other fun events on Love Day, check out SF Station and Upcoming

Note: cappuccino at Tosca, has no coffee in it, but very tasty.

Thanks for the link to Richard Walker via FriendFeed

I was inspired by Tara’s post, Public Transportation 2.0, to add more than a comment.

When I was in Bangalore in 2007, I was struck by the utility of the ubiquitous motorized rickshaws, known locally as autocabs or just autos:

Any visitor to Asia has seen these things, since they’re in every Asian city. And they are cheap and they are everywhere. When I mentioned them to one of the panjandrums of the Bay Area public transportation scene, the executive director of one of the NGOs that lobbies for transportation policy, he was dismissive. “Oh, the tuk-tuks,” he said. “They clog up the streets, and they pollute. That’s not what we need. We need commuter rail that goes everywhere.”

Oh, fine, Mr. Bay Area Transit Boss! So I’m on my way to work in the morning. Never mind how I get to the BART station; I take a train across the bay to, say, Ashby. Now that I have alighted at your gigantor 1970s-era concrete monster BART station, I need to get to work, 2.3 miles away. It’s too far to walk. I could wait 20 minutes for a bus, and then that bus would take 20 minutes to poke along for the two miles, making my trip to work take over an hour… And that’s why I drive every day instead.

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It seems that instead of adding bike lanes after a 2 year hiatus, the city wants to take one away. On January 22, the city plans to ask Judge Peter J. Busch permission to remove the Market & Octavia Bike Lane as an emergency safety improvement proposed by MTA traffic engineer Jack Fleck.

Market and Octavia is a dangerous intersection for bicyclists and it’s confusing as to why they would remove it when the Upper Market Community Plan proposal from 2008 recommends safety improvements like raised bike lanes, colored pavement, and an extension of the concrete safety barrier.

San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and its supporters are holding a rally to save the bike lane on Friday, January 16th at 9am at Octavia and Market.