"Eating pavement" & looking cool while cycling in SF

The article below is from the SF Bay Guardian. Honest, it's not satire!

Bike Safety Chic: How to hit the pavement in style
By Deborah Giattina

Lately, I've been feeling too spooked to ride my bike. Chalk it up to too many near misses, some of which occurred when I was just walking my bike home in the rain. I often think of the shoulder injury my friend has yet to fully recover from or be compensated for (damn those uninsured motorists who skip town) after being doored two years ago. 

It doesn't help matters that I spent the weekend at an East Bay music festival held annually in memory of Matthew Sperry, a bassist, composer, husband, and dad, whose very special life ended while he was cycling to work at LeapFrog in Emeryville on June 5, 2003. And let's not forget Sarah Tucker (hit and run accident, 1/12/06) and Spider Davila (deliberate hit and run, 12/17/05).

Looks like I'm not alone in my fretting. According to a "report card" issued by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, 13 percent of us are reluctant to pedal around town because we're too scared. Overall, our city got a C-minus in bike friendliness from the 1,151 respondents who filled out the SFBC's online and hand-distributed survey, mostly owing to scary motorists, bumpy streets, and not enough bike lanes (all issues the bicycle coalition works very hard on to make for a better biking city).

Even though I'm afraid of eating pavement while riding, I don't wear a helmet. I used to, but those things never look good with my outfit. Besides, if two tons of car slams into me while I'm rolling down Gough, a little piece of plastic and foam wrapped around my Gulliver won't save my life. Some of you fixies reading this article might be nodding in agreement. Well, that's because your heads are still attached to your bodies.

Fixed-gear bikes do look beautiful, unfettered as they are by brakes, cheap plastic reflectors, and clunky beam lights, but I'm here to say that you don't always have to sacrifice aesthetics in favor of living to a ripe old age.

Here's a handful of ways for you, whether you're a fixie, a chopper rider, a hybrid commuter, a BMX daredevil, or just really vain (like me), to avoid wearing a neck brace as a fashion accessory. Trust me, you and your bike will still look cool.

1. Get a light: How many times has a passing motorist screamed that at you? You bitch about it, because every time you buy one, someone steals it, so finally you got one that slides on and off. But it was too big to fit in your pocket, and then some moron decided to strip the light's pedestal still screwed to your handlebars. I solved this problem by getting a Topeak front beam light ($20). It's small enough to fit in your mouth, and it straps on kind of like a wristwatch. No screwdriver necessary, no tacky plastic pedestal marring the sleek looks of your untaped handlebars. I got mine at San Francisco Cyclery on Stanyan across from Golden Gate Park.

2. Don't be a sucker: Jerks are also always stealing back lights and reflectors off bikes. Valencia Cyclery sells lots of "lollipop" lights, which are made by Cat Eye and attach with elastic cords — to your backpack, seat, helmet, belt loop. They cost $13 for a red and $17 for a more-expensive-to-make white LED light.

3. Cop skater style: It's hard to say how these things get decided, but among the tragically hip, lightweight and aerodynamic helmets specifically made for biking are as out as fanny packs. Case in point: Only hybrid riders wear them. But for some reason, wearing a skateboarding helmet while biking is dope. Whatever, they protect equally well. Giro and Bell make bicycle helmets that look like skater (or BMX) helmets, which are more rounded and human head–shaped than the amphibious-looking bike helmets of the ’90s. They come in an array of colors in matte and sparkling finishes. Freewheel and American Cyclery sell them for between 20 and 40 bucks. Skates on Haight sells actual skate helmets online for $20.

4. Just don't commit suicide: Road bikes are more the rage these days, but it's hard to look out for wayward traffic while leaning over those drop handlebars. Cyclocross interrupter break levers ($20–$40) install at the top of the bars, near the stem, allowing road bike riders to sit upright. Since these levers connect to the housing instead of to your lower brakes, they are a much better alternative to the old-school versions often referred to as suicide brakes. Valencia Cyclery will retrofit your vintage road bike with these for $30.

The Bicycle Plan's impact on a small business

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO
UNLIMITED JURISDICTION

COALITION FOR ADEQUATE REVIEW; NINETY-NINE PERCENT; and ROB ANDERSON,
Petitioners,
v.
CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN , FRANCISCO; and DOES 1 through 10, inclusive,
Respondent.
)
)
Case No. 505509

DECLARATION OF CHRISTOPHER ALBANESE IN SUPPORT OF REPLY TO CITY’S OPPOSITION TO PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

Action filed: July 28, 2005

Dept.: 301
Judge: The Honorable James L. Warren
Hearing Date: June 6, 2006
Time: 9:30 a.m.

I, Christopher Albanese, declare:

1. I own Antiquario, an antique store, and lease a space at 1645 Market Street. This Declaration is based on my personal knowledge.

2. Since the removal of parking meters on around May 7, 2006, and the placement of “Towaway-No Parking” signs, there has been a dramatic decrease in new customers to my business. There have been virtually no spontaneous sales from people driving down the street, parking, and coming into the shop. When the parking meters were available, people who would park and visit other establishments (e.g., restaurants) in this area would also visit my shop. I believe the actual traffic in my store is down by 70%, and this is on good weather days. During cold and wet weather, I suspect it will be even worse.

3. My regular customers now consistently complain about the greater difficulty of parking. Prior to their removal, the meters turned over frequently during the course of a day, approximately every half an hour to an hour, allowing for a regular course of traffic coming into my shop.

4. I have filmed three hours of video in front of my shop between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. nearly every day of the week, at different intervals throughout the day. It is evident from these films that bicycle traffic is nearly non-existent during these hours.

5. Before the meters were removed, bicycles traversed these blocks along Market Street with relative ease when traffic declined after the rush hour (7 a.m. to 10 a.m.).

6. The effect of the removal of the public parking meters on my business has been even more extreme than I imagined. The City has removed parking in a neighborhood that was remarkably short on parking to begin with.

I declare under penalty of perjury, under the laws of the State of California, that the foregoing is true and correct of my own personal knowledge.

Christopher Albanese