This weekend is epically busy in San Francisco. With Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Fleet Week, America’s Cup races, Giants Playoff games and a 49ers home game, and a variety of other local festivities, our city’s streets and transit are going to be bursting at the seams.  

So what’s the best way to avoid all of that mess? Get on a bike! Without a doubt, biking will be you your best, fastest, easiest, and quite frankly, most fun way to get around the city.

If the idea of pedaling past the gridlocked cars and buses on Market, the Embarcadero, or Fell Street isn’t enough to make you pump up those tires, then the special bike incentives this weekend just might.

On Saturday and Sunday, bike riders will have their own protected bike lane on the Embarcadero and Bay Street. With the massive crowds expected to be along the waterfront, the City has dedicated a bike lane along the waterfront, keeping the normally shared promenade path free for the tons of people walking and allowing emergency vehicles access to the lane if needed.

Plus, when you get to the events, you’ll have red carpet treatment in the form of bicycle valet. If you’re not familiar with bike valet, think of it as a coat check for your bike. Only free! You wheel your bike up to the valet station, a sweet valet person tags it, parks it in a protected corral, watches it while you enjoy the party, and then gives it back to you afterward. See locations of bike valet at bottom.  

So, with a dedicated protected bike lane along the waterfront and bike valet at every event, it’s just plain silly not to jump on a bike. If you don’t have a bike, you can rent one from one of the stations in GG Park or along the waterfront. Or, secure one from your fellow San Franciscans.

See you at the events—all of the events. That’s the other great thing: on a bike you can pedal from one event to another and then back home for some much needed quiet time. See you in the bike lanes!

BIKE VALET
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will be offering free bicycle valet at the following:

America’s Cup: October 3-7 from 10am-7pm at the Marina Green
(Marina Boulevard and Webster)

Fleet Week: October 5-7 from 10am-7pm at the Aquatic Park
(Beach Street end)

Giants Games: October 6-7, times TBD at bicycle valet station on south side of ballpark on Portwalk. Click here for more details. Note: They offer free bike valet at EVERYGiants home game.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass will be providing its own valet bicycle parking (self check and corralled for up to 8,000 bikes) at various locations in Golden Gate Park. Click here for the map of locations.

Want to know the best bike lanes to take to the events, or the rules of bringing your bike on public transit? Check out the City’s 511 bike page, which has all the details about riding to the America’s Cup. Or visit the SF Bicycle Coalition’s valet page for more details on bike valet.