Bikes on Boats:

Ferries are Bike-friendly for Everyday Transportation

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority (WTA) has proposed a plan to expand the Bay Area’s ferry system that ought to make cyclists pretty happy. Not only has the WTA recommended reaching as many as eight additional communities around the Bay Area by ferry, but it plans to mandate bike-friendly boat designs to give cyclists an attractive option for a car-free commute.

Bike connections across the Bay currently depend on limited access to existing bus or rail. BART prohibits bikes during peak hours and buses can only carry two bikes at a time. By contrast, ferries carry 25 or more bikes with no problem. On a busy weekend day, ferries might carry 100 or more bikes on a single trip.

Making the commute for cyclists even better, the WTA’s future fleet of boats would guarantee bike parking for a minimum of 10 percent of passengers. This bike parking would be protected from corrosive salt spray and made immune to jostling by providing some sort of restraint for each bike.

Presently, four out of five San Francisco tourists board a ferry during their stay. San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC)’s Program Director, Josh Hart, said, "The WTA and individual transit providers could do a great job of promoting bike routes." In doing so, transit providers could market to another source of business and promote biking at the same time.

Mr. Hart commuted to his job in downtown San Francisco from Fairfax via bicycle for several years. He typically biked the scenic 30-minute route from his house to the Larkspur ferry terminal, then enjoyed the ride to San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Now that he lives in San Francisco, he uses ferries to give him an extra boost to recreational rides.

Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC)’s Outreach Coordinator, Frances Barbour Hayden, said that the MCBC recently performed an on-board survey of passengers returning from San Francisco to Larkspur. Out of 386 returned surveys, 18 percent of the passengers said they would consider commuting by bicycle. Ms. Hayden said, "You have access to all your senses on a bike--not so in a car. A lot of people just don’t know they have other options. They have the concept that [biking] is unsafe."

Both the MCBC and the SFBC work to educate people on how to safely commute by bike. MCBC contracts with 22 schools in the Safe Routes to Schools program and also focuses on educating seniors. SFBC offers training on urban cycling and has successfully advocated for a major increase in bike lane striping. Emphasizing the need for bike lanes, Ms. Hayden said, "Bikes on sidewalks is not ideal, but it’s better than battling semi-trucks if that’s the option."

Hoping to increase the number of bike commuters between Larkspur and San Francisco, Ms. Hayden spearheads the campaign to create a Bike Station at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. She notes that there is no bicycle support within five miles of the Larkspur terminal, which may discourage some people from biking.

"Bike support is just like a filling station for a car," she explained. In other words, a Bike Station attendant could help cyclists with minor mechanical problems such as filling a tire, changing a flat, or simply offer helpful advice or directions for the best bike route. A Bike Station would offer secure, protected parking for bikes and could offer bike rentals and concessions.

The idea of a Bike Station is not new to the Bay Area: Palo Alto’s train station and Berkeley’s downtown BART opened such facilities within the last couple of years. Another Bike Station is scheduled to open within the next couple of years at Caltrain’s 4th and King station in San Francisco. Both the Golden Gate Bridge District’s Board and its Ferry Advisory Committee have conceptually approved Larkspur Ferry Terminal and San Rafael as locations for Marin County Bike Stations.

Ms. Hayden acknowledged, "There is more of a demand [for a Bike Station in San Francisco] than we would ever have in Marin. For instance, the San Francisco Ferry Building is served by the greatest number of transit options of anywhere in the Bay Area (perhaps of anywhere within California!), including various bus lines, Amtrak and Muni rail, and the ferry, not to mention pedestrians, skaters, and cyclists. The historic Agricultural Building, at Embarcadero and the foot of Mission Street, could be an ideal location for a Waterfront Transportation Center to complement the transit accessibility with ticketing and information; it already houses Amtrak. This Waterfront Transportation Center could be an ideal location for a Bike Station and could even offer space for City Car Share.

A renovated Ferry Building and Farmers’ Market — which is open two days a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays), Pac Bell Park, the Muni F-line, new housing, and public art such as the Claus Oldenburg giant Cupid’s Span sculpture, make the Embarcadero a more attractive destination for visitors. Execution of the Water Transit Authority’s plan to expand Bay Area ferry routes would increase the daily passenger trips from ferries which total approximately 11,000 to approximately 36,000 over the next 15 years. According to the Port of San Francisco’s Senior Waterfront Planner Dan Hodapp, the Port is poised to triple the number of ferry berths to accommodate the expected increase in ferry traffic during the next fifteen years as well as to add to San Francisco’s emergency response capabilities.

"From Candlestick Park to the newly renovated Crissy Field and the Golden Gate Bridge, there are great options for people arriving by ferry," said Mr. Hodapp. Design features envisioned for the Port’s future, such as wider ramps, coupled with the WTA’s new fleet designs, including side and front loading, will allow people on bikes and wheelchairs to board and unboard faster. Mr. Hodapp said that the Port had increased the number of bike racks along the waterfront so that nearly 500 bikes could park along the Embarcadero without having to seek out a street sign or parking meter. During baseball games, Pac Bell Park offers a valet bike parking option operated by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.

Of past and future progress on promoting alternative transportation such as ferries and bikes, Mr. Hart said, "Giving people choices works! People want to get out of their cars, but forcing them to do so won’t work."