This is the archival website for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). It is not kept up to date. Please visit the SFMTA website for current information. SFMTA Counts More than Twice as Many Bicyclists as Motorists on Market Street on Bike to Work Day |
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Release date: 5/14/09 *** Press Release ***San Francisco—The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) announced that more than twice as many bicyclists as motorists traveled eastbound on Market Street during this morning’s commute on Bike to Work Day (BTWD) 2009.A count taken between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. this morning found that twice as many bicyclists as motorists traveled eastbound on Market Street past Van Ness Avenue. A total of 776 bicycles were counted, compared to 374 automobiles. Bicycles made up 66 percent of the total vehicles headed eastbound, while automobiles came in at 31 percent (transit and taxis accounted for the remaining 3 percent of the vehicles). In 2008 bicycles accounted for 64 percent of the vehicles and automobiles for 32 percent. "The rise in bicycling in San Francisco means that more and more people are getting out of their cars and using this healthy and environmentally-sustainable way of getting around, which is good for the future of our City,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “To see twice as many bicycles as automobiles on Market Street this morning is a further indication of what we have seen in our outreach and planning—San Franciscans are bicycling,” said Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., Executive Director/CEO of the SFTMA, who bicycled to City Hall this morning from the Presidio. “We are committed to doing the work needed to keep the number of bicyclists growing in the years ahead.” This year’s ride comes as San Francisco nears completion of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) of the Bicycle Plan, which charts a course for a near-doubling of the mileage of bicycle lanes in the City. At the City Hall press conference this morning, Executive Director/CEO Ford presented SFMTA’s first State of Cycling Report, details of which can be found at www.sfmta.com/bikes. The Report documents a 43 percent increase in bicycling citywide in the past two years shows that 128,000 trips daily—or 6 percent—are via bicycle. The Report provides a baseline analysis of bicycling from information gathered via bicycle counts and surveys conducted during 2006, 2007 and 2008. Though Bike to Work Day serves as an important annual reminder of the benefits of bicycle commuting, the effort to improve bicycling in San Francisco is year-round. The SFMTA’s Bicycle Program is planning a total of 60 proposed bicycle improvement projects that would add approximately 34 miles of bike lanes to the bike route network, almost doubling the City’s bicycle lane mileage. |
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