A motorist test drives a “smart” all-electric car — billed as “watts of fun” — at the Marina Green Event. Photo by Noah Berger
“Experience Electric” offers curious motorists the opportunity to get ahead of the curve and behind the wheel — of a state-of-the-art electric vehicle (EV). Some 20 “ride and drive” events throughout the Bay Area will feature the latest plug-in electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by the likes of BMW, FIAT, Ford, General Motors, Kia and Nissan. The kick-off showcase attracted a steady stream of EV owner wannabes to the Marina Green Triangle in San Francisco, enticed by the offer of free rides and free tacos. “Experience Electric — The Better Ride” campaign aims to educate drivers about EVs as a cost-effective strategy for reducing emissions and improving air quality. Next up is a ride-and-drive event on Saturday, June 28, at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market. See future Experience Electric events or join the conversation on Facebook.
Meghan Arnold got decked out for the special day. Photo by Noah Berger
Tens of thousands of cyclists took to the streets to celebrate Bike to Work Day’s 20th birthday on May 8. All across the nine-county Bay Area, commuters strapped on their helmets, braved the morning chill and picked up some goodies at the 300-plus Energizer Stations on the way to the office. Some celebrated in style, affixing flowers to their bikes and layering costumes over their work suits. And some commuters are turning Bike to Work Day into Bike to Work Month by competing in the Team Bike Challenge. Read more about the various festivities, check out a Storified summary and view the photo gallery.
The Bike Share station by SF City Hall is one of 70 across San Francisco and the South Bay. The system will expand to the East Bay in 2015. Photo by Bay Area Bike Share
Strap on your helmets: Bay Area Bike Share’s mint-colored fleet is headed east. MTC has approved an $8.7 million continuation and expansion of the bike share program to Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville in 2015. Since the August launch of the pilot program, the bikes have garnered quite a loyal following in San Francisco and San Jose, and along the Peninsula, racking up over 170,000 trips. Now cyclists in the East Bay will also be able to meet up with friends for lunch, run errands in a jiffy and ride that last mile from transit without lugging a bike on the train. The East Bay will get 750 bikes, all available for 24/7 use. Read more about the expansion and sign up for a Bike Share membership.
DEMOLISHING THE OLD EAST SPAN, PIECE BY PIECE
Crews have begun demolishing the original East Span. Photo by Noah Berger
Demolition on the now-closed old East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge continues apace. Crews recently cut the cantilever section in half, creating a gap that is clearly visible to drivers traversing the new span. The old bridge is coming down in the reverse order in which it was built, and the entire structure will be gone in five years. See the gallery of fresh images.
This construction zone will soon be a lush parkway. Photo by Karl Nielsen
If you’ve driven along the San Francisco approach to the Golden Gate Bridge lately, you’ve seen a parkway in progress. There is plenty of activity going on at “the most beautiful construction site in the world,” with crews at work on the tunnels and viaducts that will soon become the Presidio Parkway. The major seismic remake of Doyle Drive is turning this 1.6-mile segment of Route 101 into a lush parkway with over 100,000 native and landscaped plants. A variety of the former are propagating at the Presidio Nursery, which grows endemic species for projects throughout the national park. Read more and see photos of the construction and nursery.
The Youth for Environmental Sustainability Conference was one of two MTC initiatives that took home awards from BREATHE California. Photo by Kingmond Young
Two MTC-sponsored initiatives — Bay Area Bike Share and the Youth for the Environment and Sustainability (YES) Conference — scored awards from BREATHE California in April. Each year, the air quality nonprofit honors programs and people that are making extraordinary efforts to combat and raise awareness of climate change. Read more.
Meet Clip, the new spokesman for Clipper®. Photo by Karl Nielsen
Clipper® reached a milestone in April with users making over 20 million transactions during the month. It’s the highest monthly usage rate yet — and a 4.7 percent increase over April of last year — for the popular transit fare card, which is accepted by nine major operators throughout the nine-county Bay Area. Read more. Meanwhile, a new character, Clip, is popping up around the Bay Area and doing his part to spread the word about the joys of riding transit with the all-in-one fare card. Watch the video.
