# Biking Changed My Life in San Francisco

> A San Francisco Chronicle culture critic shares how biking transformed his life and community connections.
- Title: Biking Changed My Life in San Francisco · Sfchronicle
- Summary: A San Francisco Chronicle culture critic shares how biking transformed his life and community connections. Peter Hartlaub, a San Francisco Chronicle culture…
- Keywords: san francisco, biking, culture critic, peter hartlaub, lily janik, total sf, bike lanes, san francisco chronicle, news, local, Changed, Life
- Source: Sfchronicle — https://sfchronicle.com/totalsf/article/biking-cyclist-san-francisco-22479451.php
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: san francisco, biking, culture critic, peter hartlaub, lily janik, total sf, bike lanes, san francisco chronicle, news, local
## First Bike Ride
I remember my first trip up Market Street on a bike, and the feeling of swirling danger around me.
## Bike Commuting
Riding a bicycle has become as much a part of my Chronicle job as exploring new spaces, hanging out with cool old people and breaking big Pacifica Taco Bell news.
## Health and Savings
I’ve gotten healthier, spent less money and saved time cruising past traffic jams.
## Bike History
I rode a dirt bike with training wheels in the 1970s, a Kermit the Frog Schwinn in the ’80s and brought a mountain bike to college in San Luis Obispo when the words 'mountain bike'…
## San Francisco Parking
I would pay $18 to park all day at the lot across from the Chronicle (which buys about three hours now), accumulate parking tickets on assignments, then drive in ever-wider circles around the Haight-Ashbury in…
## Bike Mentor
Lily Janiak, our San Francisco Chronicle theater critic who bikes to shows and everywhere else, coaxed me along like a mother duck.
## Bike Commuting Benefits
I’ve become a better journalist and a better community member. I may not live longer, did I mention that I bike in San Francisco?, but I’m definitely doing a better job working for you.
## Bike Infrastructure
Under the leadership of Mayor London Breed and SFMTA Chief Jeffrey Tumlin, the city in 2020 began adding the instant oatmeal version of bike lanes.
## Bike Stories
On a bike, moving slowly but deliberately, I see, hear, touch and smell things that drivers don’t.
## Bike Community
Biking through the city also leads to new friends, new communities. Nothing fills my cup faster than yelling a hearty 'Good morning Val!' while passing Valerie Chieng’s flower stand on Market Street.
## Bike Impact
I’ve since strapped on Go Pros to share a harrowing two-wheeled shortcut through the Posey Tube, joined a pastry-loving bicycling club’s ride to Twin Peaks and pedaled to work with Giants broadcaster Dave Flemming.
## Bike Future
Just getting on a bike in 2026 feels like a political act. The upcoming Prop G vote for the future of Sunset Dunes, keep our beautiful new oceanside park or turn it back into an…
## Bike Life
I made a massive life change that felt like a leap into the void, and it has bettered me in ways I didn’t imagine. Sometimes bicycling seems like a political statement.
## Key takeaway

Peter Hartlaub, a San Francisco Chronicle culture critic, found better health, time savings, and deeper community ties after switching to biking in San Francisco.