Year: 2009

The Streetsblog San Francisco crew is taking Christmas and New Year's off, and we'll be back in 2010 ready and charged to provide some hard-hitting livable streets coverage. We'll also be celebrating our one-year anniversary. That's right, Streetsblog is about to turn a year old. Can you believe it? 

San Francisco's first green bike box, painted by a smiling group of electeds and bike activists earlier this month, was heralded as an important first step toward finally advancing some "innovative design treatments" in the city's long-stalled Bicycle Plan. But nearly three weeks later, the MTA has yet to paint any kind of bike symbol in the box, and many San Francisco drivers, and even some bicyclists unfamiliar with the concept of bike boxes, are still not getting the message that it's for bikes only.

Editor's note: Today, we introduce the first installment in an occasional series of profiles of Muni riders and the lines they ride.

Among the many strategies to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and attendant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from private vehicles, Bay Area smart growth advocate TransForm has developed a new certification called GreenTRIP to encourage architects, developers, and municipal officials to build transit-oriented development and implement transportation demand management (TDM) solutions for future tenants [PDF].

"Come join Different Spokes (DSSF), the San Francisco Bay Area's GLBT cycling club for our monthly Jersey Ride, held the second Saturday of each month. All are welcome. The ride offers different distance and level options. The ride starts from Peet's in the Castro. There are three options so you can go at your own pace and distance. The rides split and regroup in Tiburon where we have lunch together as a group."

"Got the gift of gab? Volunteer to phone bank with the SFBC! No cold calling, just simple reminders to friendly lapsed SFBC members that their membership is expired. Come share in the fun. The more the merrier! We supply dinner and good company."

"Interested in reading bike and transportation books and engaging in robust discussions with other friendly folks? Join this Treehouse Talk and official launch of our new book club. Come to the meeting with ideas for great books to read. We will meet and start a reading list of our favorite books like Traffic, the Parking Myth, and more, and select the next book to be discussed."

"To someone circling the block looking for a space, nothing seems like a more personal transportation challenge than parking. But in addition to being a local issue, every car, parking space, meter and curb in the Bay Area comprises a much larger regional challenge—as planners try to accommodate all modes of movement (cars, transit, bicycles and pedestrians) while also attempting to reduce driving in the region. Join us for a discussion of how we can resolve this tension between local needs and regional aims. With Redwood City Downtown Development Coordinator Dan Zack, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Valerie Knepper and Doug Johnson." 

"The Sustainable Sites Initiative is the nation's first rating system for the design, construction and maintenance of sustainable landscapes. This missing link in green design has the potential to reshape urban landscape design. Learn about the program’s new ratings system, and hear about case studies that demonstrate the process of landscape measurement. With April Philips, principal at April Philips Design Works and a founder of the American Society of Landscape Architects' Sustainable Design & Development Professional Practice Network, Allegra Bukojemsky of Biohabitats and current chair of the Sustainable Design & Development PPN and Deb Guenther, principal at Mithun and ASLA's representative for the development of the SSI."