Commuters ditching cars for bikes, foot power

Considering that SF is 7x7, I never take for granted how close it is to get everywhere, even if it means showing off my super calves (ahem-) after those lovely hills. Happy biking to all! Although MUNI is okay in the city in comparison to other big metropolitan areas (soCal), once you get in the habit of riding and street route savvy, there is no comparison with the bus/metro system.

* * Share your commute distance, walking, daily riding, or weekend rides. (Mine is a daily pedaling session of approx. 8.5mi. round trip)**
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"You get a completely different impression of San Francisco on a bike," he said, "It's one of the best biking cities. There is nowhere you can't get to on a bike."

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In May, Blake Altshuler, 29, got rid of his car and joined the growing numbers of people who ride their bicycles to work. Mainly, he said, it was because of rising gas prices. His friend Dolly Totes, 25, who has been commuting by bike since she sold her car two years ago, said, "I couldn't afford it. I needed to pay my rent." It was partly gas and insurance, she said, but also all the parking tickets she kept amassing.

If you are already biking or walking to work - or are contemplating doing so - you aren't alone. According to a 2007 analysis by the U.S. Census Bureau, among large cities, San Francisco has the fifth-highest number of bike commuters and the third-highest number of people who walk to work. Also telling is that there were twice as many bikes as cars on Market Street during the morning commute on Bike to Work Day in June, a nearly 30 percent increase over last year, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

Cheryl Brinkman also became an almost daily bike commuter in the past year. She lives in the lower Haight and commutes 2 miles to her job as a product manager at McKesson Corp., in the Financial District. About her wardrobe, Brinkman said, "I've altered it for the better and only one thing that I don't wear now that I bike so much is long full skirts."

Helmet hair
On the days she rides her bike, Brinkman tucks her skirt into a band of elastic that she wraps around one thigh, a homemade garter belt solution, as it were. And, she said, "I always have a small binder clip in my handbag, as well, to keep wrap skirts or dresses closed while pedaling."
She brings her purse but eschews wearing a helmet - not because she fears having dreaded "helmet hair" upon arriving at her destination, but because she believes it gives her an advantage on the road.

Those who bicycle say they get benefits beyond just buffeting their budgets from gasoline prices.

"It's the fastest way to get to work. Compared to Muni, it takes half the time," said Tumlin. "I bike because I can change my route and stop off and run errands and see people along the way. It is great exercise and I find a significant difference in my productivity when I bike to work. I am smarter when I bike. I'm more patient when I bike."

"You get a completely different impression of San Francisco on a bike," he said, "It's one of the best biking cities. There is nowhere you can't get to on a bike."