San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today joined the Recreation and Parks Department (RPD), the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA), and Lyft to announce San Francisco’s first-ever bike share stations placed in Golden Gate Park. Now in operation, the eight Bay Wheels bike share stations will be available for use during the Outside Lands music festival, which begins this weekend. An additional four Bay Wheels bike share stations will be added in the coming weeks.
“I’m thrilled to welcome the new Bay Wheels stations to Golden Gate Park which will expand ways for people to enjoy one of San Francisco’s most beautiful spaces,” said Mayor London Breed. “This is a perfectly timed addition for Outside Lands weekend as it will provide festival goers with more options to navigate the park. I want to thank Lyft for their partnership to invest in San Francisco to help create a safer, more sustainable and welcoming City to get around.”
In 2022, there were 237,000 unique riders across the five cities in which Bay Wheels operates; San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, and San Jose. In San Francisco alone, there were 2.4 million rides.
The addition of the Golden Gate Park bike share stations builds on Bay Wheels’ latest expansion to the Sunset neighborhood south of the park, which was announced in May. The five classic bike share stations and seven virtual stations stretch from east of the Conservatory of Flowers to the westernmost edge of the park near Ocean Beach. Their installation is expected to further ease congestion around the park and promote healthy fun. The stations fill a critical gap in the Bay Wheels station network and create new capacity in one of the premier locations for biking in San Francisco, Golden Gate Park.
"Golden Gate Park is a joyful place and what brings more joy than riding a bike in a park? Connecting with nature and feeling alive and free with a breeze on your face is a beautiful thing. Let's encourage more of it," said District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, who represents the Sunset neighborhoods and part of Golden Gate Park.
The new stations will also increase access to popular destinations like the de Young Museum, California Academy of Sciences, and the Gardens of Golden Gate Park, while encouraging biking to both special events and everyday visits.
“One of the magical things about Golden Gate Park is the sheer amount of history, nature, recreation, art, science, and music tucked into every corner of its 1,000+ acres,” said San Francisco Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “For the first time, visitors can hop on a bike at multiple points in the park and seek out all of its treasures.”
Bike share in the park is among dozens of access improvements implemented by Rec and Park and SFMTA since the JFK Promenade became a permanent car-free space in 2022. Others include an all-blue space parking lot, the adaptive biking program, and expanded free shuttle service. Alongside the route are art installations, public pianos, social seating, games, and live music.
“Making the City’s largest park more accessible and easier to get around is paramount to creating a healthier community. And with the JFK Promenade in full effect, getting around the park has never been easier,” said SFMTA Streets Division Director Tom Maguire. “SMFTA is proud to be a part of this pivotal moment.”
“Bay Wheels is among the fastest, easiest and most sustainable ways to get around town, and with the inclusion of Golden Gate Park, the possibilities for where it can take you in San Francisco are nearly limitless,” said Kanika Agrawal, General Manager for Bay Wheels at Lyft. “The excitement from riders to take advantage of these new stations in the park is palpable, and we’re thankful to our partners at the Mayor’s Office, RPD and SFMTA for making them a reality.”
The bike share locations are as follows:
Classic Docked Bike share Station Locations
- Pompeii Circle at JFK Dr
- MLK Jr. Dr at 7th Ave
- JFK Dr at 8th Ave/Music Concourse Dr
- JFK Dr at Ocean Beach
- Spreckels Lake*
Virtual Corral Bike share Station Locations
- JFK Dr at Lloyd Lake*
- JFK Dr at Chain of Lakes
- MLK at Chain of Lakes
- Bowling Green Drive north of parking lot
- Stow Lake
- JFK Dr at Lindley Meadow (30th Ave.)*
- JFK Dr at Service Rd between Hellman and Marx Meadows*
*Stations that will be added in the coming weeks not available at launch
"The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is excited for the bike share stations coming to Golden Gate Park. The creation of JFK Promenade makes it the ideal space for people riding bikes to safely access the park, and now with the ability to park your Bay Wheels bike right in the park, even more people can ride and visit the many attractions in Golden Gate Park with ease,” said SF Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Janelle Wong.
Outside Lands will be held Friday through Sunday in Golden Gate Park. In addition to the new bike share stations, Bay Wheels will have valets onsite at the intersection of JFK Drive and Transverse Drive from noon to 11 p.m.
Founded in 2013, Bay Wheels is the Bay Area's regional bike share program serving Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco. Bay Wheels offers convenient, healthy, climate-friendly transportation with thousands of bicycles (both traditional pedal bikes and pedal-assist electric bikes) at hundreds of stations. The system has over 6,000 bikes across more than 300 stations.
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