In honor of "Bike To Work Month", which began May 1st, Mayor Gavin Newsom, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and local businesses are collaborating with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition on a new tourism campaign. The "I Bike SF" campaign promotes city shopping and dining by bicycle in participating neighborhoods. For instance collaborating businesses in Hayes Valley are offering discounts throughout the month to patrons who show their helmet or bike lock keys at checkout.
San Francisco's campaign is modeled after a national program called Bicycle Benefits and the major goal of the program is to promote local businesses while encouraging cycling. The Mayor's Office has added the "I Bike SF" program to it's overall Climate Protection Initiative and hopes to add more neighborhoods to the participant list each month. The plan for the rest of the year is to promote a new neighborhood each month and keep the cycling going throughout the year. The city has started a website that provides specific information regarding each months featured I Bike SF" neighborhood. For more information regarding the "I Bike SF" campaign please visit www.sfmta.com/cms/bsf.
