Streetsblog San Francisco

Scott and Oak Streets. Photo: Aaron Bialick

Editor’s note: Happy New Year, everyone – I am elated to kick off 2012 as your new editor! There’s a lot of ground for Streetsblog to cover this year, and I am thrilled to take it on and explore the issues that matter most to our readers.

Streetsblog readers are no doubt familiar with the reckless driving and inconsiderate parking that endangers and inconveniences other people on the streets. The consequences of poorly designed streets and inadequate traffic enforcement are all around us. It might be a car blatantly blocking a sidewalk, bus lane, or bike lane. Or the aftermath of a crash that hurt a pedestrian or cyclist, or damaged a bus stop.

We want your photos, short video clips, and other eyewitness accounts to help us paint a picture of the danger and dysfunction on the city’s car-centric streets. Nothing makes the case for the street redesigns and policy reforms that Streetsblog writes about quite like a telling image of the everyday headaches we often take for granted. Streetsblog will run any picture or video that conveys the need for change, but we’re especially interested in the following:

• Cars blocking crosswalks, sidewalks, and dedicated lanes for buses and bikes
• Drivers failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks
• Video that captures the routine delays on Muni, like vehicle breakdowns, car congestion, excessive stops, and long dwell times

If you see something on the street that catches your eye, send your photos, videos, and stories to tips@sf.streetsblog.org.

After receiving applications from many fine journalists, I’m pleased to announce that OpenPlans is hiring a new editor to manage Streetsblog San Francisco. Aaron Bialick will be taking the reins full-time starting on January 3, 2012.

Aaron learned the journalism trade at the side of Streetsblog SF founding editor Bryan Goebel. Following Bryan’s departure, Aaron found time in between research assignments at SPUR to step in and keep Streetsblog going, putting together insightful reporting and commentary on issues like the DA’s record prosecuting deadly drivers. I’m looking forward to working with him and watching Streetsblog SF thrive under his stewardship.

I would like to thank the craigslist Charitable Fund, Mike’s Bikes, the Seed Fund, Jonathan Weiner, and the many readers who contributed to Streetsblog San Francisco, without whom we would not have been able to manage this transition. If you value Streetsblog’s work, please consider a year-end donation to help us provide top-notch livable streets coverage in 2012. Your support makes a huge difference.

There are so many promising changes afoot in San Francisco, but many of them seem to crawl along at a snail’s pace. Political inertia dies hard, and the need is as great as ever for Streetsblog’s bread-and-butter reporting:

• Holding Mayor Ed Lee to his promises on transit, biking, and walking.
• Watchdogging the SFMTA and tracking the agency’s progress on improving Muni, making streets safer for walking, and bringing the bike network up to par with leading American cities like New York and Chicago.
• Holding SFPD and the DA’s office accountable for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists on city streets.

Moving forward, we’ll be counting on our readers to help make the case for change. Aaron, after all, can’t be everywhere, and we’ll need many more eyes on the street to capture the dysfunction of San Francisco’s transportation network. Stay tuned for details about the reader submissions we’re looking for.

Happy holidays everyone. We’ll see you back here on January 3.

OpenPlans is pleased to officially launch our search for the next journalist to lead Streetsblog San Francisco. Thanks to the craigslist Charitable Fund, the Seed Fund, Mike’s Bikes, and the generous contributions of many, many readers for supporting our work in the Bay Area. (And thanks to Aaron Bialick for holding down the fort while we’re in between full-time editors.)

With a mayoral election next week and fresh possibilities for change on the horizon, we’re looking for a talented journalist to manage Streetsblog San Francisco’s coverage of sustainable transportation and livable streets in the Bay Area.

We welcome applications from engaging writers who share our vision of Streetsblog as a respected, influential source of information and commentary on transportation and planning issues. The ideal candidate will have a firm grasp of local politics and a keen sense of how Streetsblog coverage can help advance transportation policies that reduce traffic congestion and car dependence while improving conditions for transit, cycling, and walking.

Responsibilities

Streetsblog combines a distinct advocacy bent with newspaper-quality journalism. Toward that end, we are seeking a reporter to craft a well-rounded beat full of original content, interviews, event coverage and engaging commentary. Applicants should be enthusiastic about the notion that journalism can be conducted with integrity and fidelity to the truth while retaining a point of view. Knowing how to effectively impart a message without overwhelming your writing is an essential skill for this position.

The editor will:

• Create a daily stream of news and content that builds Streetsblog SF’s audience
• Research and write enterprise pieces about developments in transportation and planning policy happening around the city and elsewhere in the Bay Area
• Track ongoing stories, such as pieces of legislation or specific street redesigns, and build narratives around them
• Conduct interviews and cultivate relationships with lawmakers, public officials, advocates, and policy experts
• Produce commentary that holds officials to account for their decisions, and corrects errors and misperceptions that surface in the media
• Pinpoint opportunities for transportation improvements and reforms, and explain what has to change to enact them
• Mix in short posts and photo-based content
• Manage and edit freelance contributors

Qualifications

• Previous reporting experience, ideally covering transportation or planning issues.
• Passion for and knowledge of progressive urban planning, transportation, and land use topics
• Excellent writing and research skills, as evidenced by clips
• Experience with Word Press or other blogging/content production platforms is a big plus

To Apply

Send a resume, cover letter, and relevant clips/links to Ben Fried: ben@streetsblog.org.

Streetsblog is produced by OpenPlans, a New York City-based non-profit that improves cities using journalism and open-source software. The San Francisco editor position is full-time, and will report to the editor-in-chief in New York. 

Photo: Myleen Hollero/Orange Photography

Today was my last day as editor of Streetsblog San Francisco. Just like the day I published my first story, I spent the morning talking to bicyclists at a trouble spot. One of the great joys of this job has been interviewing people in the field. Some of my best moments have been spent talking to strangers. I’ve learned so much from those encounters.

I took this job three years ago because I was angry at the state of the streets in San Francisco. While we’ve made a lot of progress in that time, we still haven’t arrived at the game-changing moment. So none of that anger I had when I was first hired has subsided. An advocacy news organization like Streetsblog will continue to be crucial in the years ahead to ensure the change that is so needed on our streets.

As I depart, three things are heavily on my mind, and disturb me as both an advocate and a journalist: the high numbers of bicyclists and pedestrians who continue to be killed and hurt on our streets by drivers, the inertia and dysfunction in all levels of San Francisco city government that is preventing safer streets, and the great veil of government secrecy that still exists despite our local Sunshine Ordinance. That’s why I plan to continue my career as a journalist, fighting to knock down these walls.

I’m relieved to know that OpenPlans is committed to keep Streetsblog going. It is a bittersweet moment for me to write this last post to you. OpenPlans is in the process of searching for the next person to run Streetsblog SF, and in the meantime you’ll still be able to tune in every day for your morning headlines fix.

I owe a great deal of thanks to so many people. Thank you Streetsblog founding editor Aaron Naparstek for hiring me. I could never have done this without former Streetsblog deputy editor Matthew Roth, who turned me into an advocate, made me a better writer and has become a great friend. Former Streetsblog reporters Michael Rhodes and Aaron Bialick were great to work with, and helped me immensely. I continue to be inspired by the legendary historian and activist Chris Carlsson, whose writing contributions were always a treasure. Streetsblog editor-in-chief Ben Fried also made me a better writer, and his tireless work on behalf of the organization is also inspiring. Thanks for all your support Ben.

Read more…

When you take a step back and look at the evolution of San Francisco’s streets, it is truly impressive how much has improved for pedestrians, cyclists, and the public realm since Bryan launched Streetsblog SF in 2009. Progress seldom happens as rapidly as we might like, especially when you’re taking on something as deeply entrenched as car-centricity, but the pace of change in San Francisco undoubtedly quickened after Bryan came on the scene. Parklets, protected bike lanes, a citywide pedestrian safety directive – none of that existed a few short years ago. Without the reporting, watchdogging, and analysis from Bryan and his staff, the state of livable streets in the Bay Area would not be what it is today.

Bryan is leaving Streetsblog at the end of the month, and on behalf of the editors and reporters who’ve worked with him, I’d like to say a few words of praise and appreciation.

On a personal level, Bryan has made me a better reporter and editor. His professionalism and experience in the news business seeped in to the way we run every other part of Streetsblog. Under Bryan, Streetsblog SF started breaking stories and landing interviews with influential policymakers at a prodigious rate. I’m still kind of blown away by the fact that he got a sit-down interview about street safety with the police chief. That’s something I still aspire to do.

From my vantage point in New York, the value of Bryan’s work at Streetsblog San Francisco is immediately apparent. Streetsblog’s presence in each city helps serve as a conduit for innovation – highlighting improvements in one city that can be adopted in the other. What started out as “parklets” in San Francisco became “pop-up cafes” in NYC. And Streetsblog SF made it impossible for then-Mayor Gavin Newsom to ignore the fact that NYC DOT was putting his city to shame when it comes to preventing pedestrian injuries and deaths. The mayor announced San Francisco’s pedestrian safety directive not long after Streetsblog’s Matthew Roth called on him to step up and match NYC’s commitment to pedestrian safety.

The list of Streetsblog SF’s successes under Bryan could go on. And it’s critical that the blog’s impact does go on after he leaves at the end of the month. There is still so much more to accomplish to ensure that San Francisco lives up to its “transit-first” promises: Muni routes that must be improved for transit riders, streets that must be made safer for walking and cycling. Streetsblog will continue its role as an online nerve center for the community working to achieve these changes and overcome the inertia that too often prevents progress. With a new mayor entering office next year, the need for Streetsblog to raise the standard for local electeds is as great as ever.

Bryan has been the bedrock of Streetsblog SF since its inception, and his departure is setting in motion a period of transition. There are two needs we have to meet to ensure that Streetsblog SF navigates the transition successfully: Funding and talent.

Streetsblog SF readers stepped up in a big way when we first asked for contributions to sustain our work in the Bay Area. We’re deeply grateful to all our donors, who’ve funded a lot of great livable streets coverage. Thanks to your donations, the support of sponsor Mike’s Bikes, and contributions from institutional funders, we have a good baseline to build on. Now we need to grow these revenue sources and make them more predictable.

I have been working with Bryan and our director of development, Christa Orth, to survey the funding landscape and develop a long-term revenue plan. Right now, this is the question I would like you to ask yourself: How much is Streetsblog San Francisco worth to you? What are you willing to contribute each year to keep informed about livable streets issues in your community and hold politicians’ feet to the fire on transit and street safety policy? We’re not asking for checks or donations at this point. What we need to know, to plan for the future of Streetsblog SF, is the level of reader support we can count on.

If you want to help personally, or you work for a local business who would like to support Streetsblog by placing an ad or sponsorship, you can email Christa: corth [at] streetsblog [dot] org.

Read more…

When I started my job at Streetsblog San Francisco I had no idea that it would turn out to be the best job I’ve ever had. I really mean that. I often tell people I’ve had more impact in the last two-and-a-half years at Streetsblog than I did in all my 20 years as a radio and TV journalist. That’s why it’s very difficult for me to announce today that I am stepping down as the editor San Francisco Streetsblog, effective September 30, to pursue other opportunities.

Photo: Myleen Hollero/Orange Photography

Back in December 2008, when Streetsblog founding editor Aaron Naparstek hired me, I didn’t know what chicanes and bulb-outs and woonerfs were. I hadn’t read “The High Cost of Free Parking” or heard of Jan Gehl. All I knew was that I was angry San Francisco had a bike injunction that was preventing an expansion of the bike network, and I wanted to do something about it.

Boy, did I.

I was paired with one of the smartest and most passionate colleagues I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Roth, and together with our wonderful team of writers, including the talented Michael Rhodes, and the legendary Chris Carlsson, we built Streetsblog San Francisco into a successful advocacy news site that I’m proud to say has influenced transportation policy in San Francisco. Our stories are constantly sourced by mainstream media reporters, and we have amassed a loyal following of thousands of daily readers, whose intelligence and passion is on display in the comments section.

Beyond our success influencing the mainstream narrative, we have also worked behind the scenes to help advocates get real change on the streets. That’s why the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition honored us with a Golden Wheel Award last year. Accepting the award, and giving a speech before hundreds of movers and shakers in the bike movement, was one of my proudest moments as the editor of Streetsblog San Francisco.

The outreach and relationships we maintained was key. We were definitely not producing just a blog. Combined with our national coverage from Sarah Goodyear and Angie Schmitt at the Streetsblog Network and Tanya Snyder at Streetsblog D.C., Damien Newton’s tireless work at Streetsblog L.A. and the steady stream of wonderful Streetfilms (from transportation super heroes Clarence Eckerson, Elizabeth Press and Robin Smith in New York, and by our local filmmaking genius John Hamilton), we produced what I think became the most prominent sustainable transportation news site in the Bay Area.

I owe a great deal of thanks to all of you. You are part of my success story. There’s no way I could have done this without you. Thank you for coming back to the blog every day and donating when we needed it most.

OpenPlans, the parent non-profit of Streetsblog, is committed to keeping the blog going, and my colleague Ben Fried in New York will have a separate post on the future of Streetsblog San Francisco.

I’m going to miss all of you, but I take pride in the fact that Streetsblog San Francisco flourished under my leadership, and that I had a good run.

You can add this to our list of the world’s best music videos featuring bicycles. Rapper Breezee One’s “Bike Chase” is a homage to bicycles and “bike boyfriends.” It’s the first single release for Detroit’s “Diva-Licious-MC,” and perhaps the best bike video of the year?

On that note, Streetsblog San Francisco is taking a long weekend off. I’ll see you back here on Tuesday. Enjoy the video and have a great Labor Day weekend!

H/T Clarence Eckerson.

Looking to hire a smart, qualified person for a position in transportation planning, engineering, IT, or advocacy? Post a listing on the Streetsblog Jobs Board and reach our national audience of dedicated readers. We’re giving employers free listings, normally a $50 value, through the end of the summer.

Looking for a job? Here are this week’s listings:

Ruby on Rails developer, Social Bicycles
Help build the world’s most innovative public bike sharing system. Looking for experienced Rails developers to build our operator and consumer web portal. Short-term contract work or full-time positions with equity are both available.

Transportation Demand Program Manager, City of Santa Monica, CA
Spearheads development and implementation of the City’s aggressive approach in the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) of the General Plan to reduce auto trips through a range of measures, to maximize use of parking resources, and to lead the formation and ongoing implementation of Transportation Demand Districts throughout the City.

Senior Multi-Modal Planner, San Francisco MTA
The Senior Multi-Modal Planner is responsible for managing transportation planning projects toward the development of integrated multi-modal systems (pedestrian, bicycle, bicycle sharing, car/ride sharing, parking, intelligent transportation systems, travel demand management, transit, taxi and goods movement loading) plans.

Multi-Modal Planner, San Francisco MTA
The Multi-Modal Planner is responsible for providing technical assistance and support to project managers in the development of integrated multi-modal systems (pedestrian, bicycle, bicycle sharing, car/ride sharing, parking, intelligent transportation systems, travel demand management, transit, taxi and goods movement loading) plans.

Planning Magazine Contributor, UrbDeZine
Urbdezine.com is the fastest growing professional network for urban design and development professionals. If you are an urban planner, designer, or architect, and are actively involved in your field, we want to hear from you.

Community and Regional Planner, Nashville Area MPO
The Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the regional transportation policy, planning, and programming agency for the greater Nashville region, is looking for an enthusiastic, hard-working, and skilled professional to help advance several regional initiatives in Middle Tennessee.

Transportation Student Professional Worker, Los Angeles Department of City Planning
The Los Angeles Department of City Planning seeks two student professional workers (SPWs) for the update of the Mobility Element of the General Plan. These paid positions are available from fall 2011 to summer 2012.

Deputy Director for Technology Services, San Francisco County Transportation Authority
The Deputy Director for Technology Services directs all activities related to technology services within the Authority, including transportation modeling, graphics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), website design and maintenance, multi-media communications and general information technology support.

Streetsblog San Francisco is taking a week-long summer break. In the meantime, please check out our national coverage at Streetsblog Capitol Hill, along with Streetsblog New York and Streetsblog Los Angeles. We’ll be back to a normal publishing schedule on August 8th. Have a great week!

Our June fundraising campaign has come to a close, and I want to thank each one of you who donated to Streetsblog San Francisco. While we didn’t quite hit our $25,000 goal, we did raise $18,000, and that’s a cause for celebration. Thank you!

Thanks to the generous support of PUBLIC Bikes, I’m thrilled to announce that Streetsblog reader Soren Peterson will soon be riding a new bicycle. He was randomly picked as the winner of our latest PUBLIC Bikes contest. Congratulations Soren, and thank you for your donation!

I also want to give a big shout out to PUBLIC Bikes for being a consistent supporter of Streetsblog San Francisco. Thank you PUBLIC Bikes! I would encourage you to visit their lovely shop in South Park and tell ‘em Streetsblog sent ya!

We will be working diligently over the next few months to raise the critical funds we need for the rest of 2011 and beyond.

Please keep the donations coming in so we can continue producing high-impact advocacy journalism.

Thanks also to Mike’s Bikes for recently signing on as one of our first advertisers. Their support has also been key.

Thank you again for your donations, and have a great 4th of July weekend!

All the best,
Bryan