If someone steals your bike, it can feel pretty hopeless. That’s because it is. Last year, 585 bikes were reported stolen in San Francisco – that doesn’t include the many more thefts that weren’t reported. In Oakland, the police department doesn’t even keep track – they just don’t have the resources. And the bikes that are recovered usually don’t make it back to their owners, because the police don’t have enough information.
Usually, bikes aren’t allowed on San Francisco-bound BART trains during peak morning commute hours, or back to the East Bay in the evening. And they’re not allowed in the 19th Street or 12th Street stations during commute hours at all. But this week, BART has opened up all hours and stations to bikers. It’s a trial period, and to make it work, BART officials and cycling groups are urging to riders follow the rules: no bikes on the first three cars during peak hours, and no bikes on crowded trains.
On the last Friday evening of every month, the streets of hundreds of cities around the world are transformed. The cars, trucks, and busses that usually dominate the landscape slow down – because they are overwhelmed by bicycles. In San Francisco, cyclists from all over the city, the Bay Area, and sometimes the world come together at the foot of Market Street.
