Tag Archives for: San Francisco

San Francisco Celebrates 22nd Annual Bike to Work Day

May 12, 2016

San Francisco Celebrates 22nd Annual Bike to Work Day

 

 

San Francisco—The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all ground transportation in the city, today joined the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, other city partners and business leaders to celebrate the 22nd annual Bike to Work Day. The event celebrates and promotes bicycling for transportation, with San Francisco organizing one of the largest Bike to Work Day events in North America.

 

Two new bike barometers and a new bike wayfinding system were unveiled for the first time today.

“Bike ridership has continually increased throughout the City, and that’s a win for everyone as San Francisco grows in people, jobs and housing,” said Mayor Ed Lee. “We will continue to make the necessary investments to make sure we continue to grow bike ridership with better bike infrastructure and infrastructure for our entire transportation network that will help us reduce congestion on our roads, reduce pollution and create safer streets for everyone.”

To mark this year’s Bike to Work Day, the SFMTA launched two new initiatives to show its support and commitment to promoting biking in San Francisco. The agency recently installed two new, visible automated bike “barometers” that will count people biking as they cross the counters at northbound Valencia between 16th and 17th streets, and westbound Market between 9th and 10th streets. Bike barometers both help the city compile 24/7, year-round data on bike ridership, as well as raise awareness of the growing numbers of people biking in San Francisco. San Francisco’s first bike barometer was installed on eastbound Market between 9th and 10th streets in May 2013. Last year, that counter logged over 1 million bike trips for the entire year, representing a 25 percent increase in bike ridership at that location over 2014.

This week, the SFMTA also unveiled San Francisco’s new bike wayfinding system in the Inner Sunset neighborhood, with plans to roll out 1,200 new signs citywide over the next two years. The new signage system was launched in the Inner Sunset as the neighborhood is a connecting point to many other city destinations, such as Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach and bike routes that lead to downtown. The new wayfinding system is more intuitive and readable, which will help familiarize people with San Francisco’s expansive bike network and better identify the best routes to destinations citywide.

“The SFMTA is making 2016 a landmark year for bicycling in San Francisco. This year, we are starting construction on projects that will build 22 miles of new and improved bikeways,” said Ed Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “These projects won’t just improve biking, they also include elements that increase pedestrian safety, create a more organized roadway for people driving, and help make transit more reliable.”

A key element supporting the increase in bicycling in San Francisco is the SFMTA’s continued work to make biking better. Other SFMTA efforts that have happened since 2015 include:

Completed at least 23 projects to increase safety and comfort for people biking
Constructed and/or upgraded 14 miles of bikeways
Grown the San Francisco bikeway network to a system spanning 434 miles
Implemented a variety of bikeway projects that make riding a bike easier on key corridors, such as 13th Street, Bay Street, Sloat Boulevard, Folsom Street, Oak Street and Fell Street
Initiated key steps to start construction on major streetscape projects that will improve biking on Masonic Avenue, 2nd Street and Polk Street.
Observed a 184 percent growth in bicycle ridership since 2006 at the same, overlapping 19 intersections in the city as part of the SFMTA’s 2015 Bicycle Count Report.
Counted an 8.5 percent increase in weekday bike commuters from 2014 to 2015, which is an increase of 200,000 new bike trips
“As a city, SF bikes for a number of reasons. We bike for the environment. We bike for our pocketbooks. We bike for the fun and freedom of it,” said Margaret McCarthy, Interim Executive Director of the SF Bicycle Coalition. “SF bikes because we care about the health and wellbeing of our communities, and that has never been more true than it is today.”

On Demand Parking Leader SpotHero Expands to Oakland and East Bay Responds to Demand From Commuters Wanting More Parking Coverage in Bay Area

December 15, 2015

SpotHero

SpotHero

 

December 15, 2015 –Today on-demand parking marketplace SpotHero announced its expansion from San Francisco into Oakland and the East Bay. SpotHero enables drivers to reserve parking at more than 35 parking facilities around Oakland with rates starting as low as $7 per day. The company will feature parking deals around Oakland International Airport, the Paramount Theater, the Fox Theater and near the headquarters of Oakland based businesses like Clorox, Glad, Ask.com and Dreyer’s. Drivers can also find parking deals in Walnut Creek, Berkeley and Lafayette.

Since expanding to San Francisco one year ago, SpotHero is growing sales 20 to 50 percent month-over-month. The company now offers parking at over 150 locations in the Bay Area. Through SpotHero’s marketplace, parking in San Francisco costs as low as $10 to $15 per day.

SpotHero partners with parking operators who give the company access to their unsold spots. Drivers can find, prepay and save on parking through SpotHero’s Android app, iOS app or website. Unlike other apps in the market, SpotHero drivers get discounts off the drive up rate, avoid waiting on valets to return a car and never experience surge pricing during busy hours.

“Drivers in the Bay Area love using SpotHero to find quick, easy and affordable parking because it allows them to stay in control of their day,” said Mark Lawrence, co-founder and CEO, SpotHero. “Thanks to an outpouring of requests from both drivers and parking operators, we’re expanding our service to the East Bay to offer drivers an easier way to park.”

SpotHero’s expansion follows $20 million in Series B funding led by Insight Venture Partners this past August. The company recently hired parking industry veteran Tim Maloney as Head of Sales. Maloney previously worked in the Bay Area as EVP of National Sales for Propark. Earlier this year, SpotHero acquired San Francisco based ParkPlease to expand its network of parking options. SpotHero is currently recruiting a General Manager for the Bay Area as well as hiring for over 25 other positions across the country.

About SpotHero

SpotHero is an on-demand parking marketplace that enables drivers to reserve parking spots with convenient garages, lots and valets. It currently offers easy and affordable parking at more than 2,000 locations in cities across the country including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Boston, New Orleans, Baltimore and Denver. Founded in 2011, SpotHero is led by Mark Lawrence and Larry Kiss, and has raised $27 million in VC funding. Learn more at SpotHero.com and find us in the Apple iTunes Store or Google Play.

Contacts
Elisco Communications
Andrea de Vos, 1-646-306-4810
press@spothero.com