New SF Bicycle Coalition Director Says Transit Options Are Key; Wouldn't Want Car-Less Future
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— In a perfect transportation city, Noah Budnick thinks things would be "car light" rather than car free and we'd have plenty of options. Budnick is the new executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, which was founded in 1971 as a member-supported advocacy group to increase both recreational and daily commuter bicycling.
Budnick jumped into the job in February and has been to the Board of Supervisors on the Polk Street bike-lane issue. "This is a great city for riding a bike. The drought notwithstanding, the weather here is perfect for riding year round," he said.
Budnick has worked in bicycle advocacy for over 15 years. Listen for the full In Depth interview:
He talks about making San Francisco great and livable by having a mix of transportation modes, adding bike lanes, bike shares and acknowledges that sometimes people do need to drive.
Currently the city has a few dozen miles of bike ways, but the Bicycle Coalition is looking to reach 100 miles of connected bike ways. One thing City Hall has done is drawn a map of the most dangerous streets in the city.
"We are in the age of data and this is data-driven design. Governments have to start to learn to do more with less, so for me the starting point is with data." Bundick says the Tenderloin is crisscrossed with red and is known for having some of those dangerous streets, but he commends Supervisor Jane Kim on her efforts along with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to create bulb-outs for cyclists as well as sidewalk improvements.
