“In other news, I think a Streetsblog Chicago could have stopped this crime from happening. Where art thou, oh Streetsbloggeth of Chicagoeth???”
– Peter Smith In response to " It’s Official: Chicago Parking Privatization a Massive Rip-Off"
Email sf-tips@streetsblog.org or send them anonymously. Tag your photos, links, and videos with "streetsblog san francisco".
by Dave Snyder
Photo: plug1If the Geary Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project doesn't get some love from advocates and the general public, the project could be in trouble, according to several people closely following the process.
[...]
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Sean
Too bad they developed this on Apple's closed ecosystem.
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
foldingbiker
This is awesome. But I commute to work so my map route so all the information you need from me would be done in one day. The obvious facilities many cyclists need are often in and around public transportation hubs, bridges, tunnels and there seems to be very little materialization of these projects no matter how high-tech we get. More Caltrain access, more BART access and bike ramps, bike lanes on the Bay Bridge, bike racks. Hopefully the data will provide proof we need to fund these projects.
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
Techi
As a white male iPhone user, I'm all for shadow riding less affluent areas to hella represent
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
zsolt
In the white neighborhoods, sure. In District 11 most bikers are Asians and Latinos. I doubt they are iPhone users, though.
I disagree about the GPS. My iPhone GPS is perfectly adequate for something like this. The vast majority of the time it has no problems placing me on the map.
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
Don Miguel
I'm an everyday cyclist. I go past that area pretty much 7 days/week, but I generally avoid the Fell St lanes as getting doored here would dump you into 40 mph traffic. I take Hayes instead.
I'm not looking for encouragement or condemnation on the risk/reward of Fell st lanes
But, I think this type of situation presents an additional dilemma with the data collection.
in response to MTA Begins Its First Automated Count of Bicyclists
Billy Charlton
SFCTA employee here. Just FYI we did extensive testing before release, and the data is definitely good enough for us to use; we don't need every data point at 100% accuracy. This is not a gimmick!
It's true that sometimes GPS chips pick up better tracks than at other times. If you *really* want to ensure the best data, tap "Start" a few moments before you actually begin riding. The first minute of data is usually the weakest as the GPS needs time to lock onto multiple satellites.
Thanks for trying it out, every little bit helps!
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
Andy Thornley
While we're talking about powerful improvements in measuring bicycle traffic in SF, let me put in a plug for the SFMTA's automated bike counter initiative, profiled here back in February:
http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/02/25/mta-begins-its-first-automated-count-of-bicyclists/
These counters will be pumping out bike counts 24/7 from 17 locations (to start with, more added later) giving us scads of new information on bike traffic volumes over days and weeks. Together with the data coming in from Cycle Tracks users, we'll be able to learn much more about the state of bicycle transportation in SF, and measure the effect of a beefed-up Bike Network as we start to make long-stalled improvements all over the city . . .
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
good_idea_bad_implementation
looks very glossy and shiny, but from what i've seen in practical use, the accuracy of the GPS on these devices leaves a LOT to be desired. it is often spotty or off by blocks.
i'm all for gathering more data and doing journey studies, but this is just a gimmick.
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
mikesonn
I was being sarcastic. I just feel like every corner I turn people are down talking the fact that the majority of bikers in this city are young white males - as if this makes biking a less important transportation alternative.
Just got home from using it and it was very spotty on what it picked up. The "blue" line was only visible on less then half of my route. So I hope that still gives the SFCTA the data they need, but I'll keep doing it to/from work as it is really easy to use and doesn't put me out any time loading it up and clicking go.
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
Sprague
As we all know, real estate in San Francisco is very expensive. In light of that, it makes little sense that on-street parking is so cheap. It's still affordable for most San Franciscans to own cars, even if many of us would be just as well served with a car-sharing account. The cost of driving (and parking) should more accurately reflect the damages they cause. Since current global gas prices aren't helping lessen our driving ways, local measures are the only way to go to reduce driving.
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
the greasybear
Chrome and Godspeed (and the two teaming up to sell/deliver) are all part of our evolving local bike culture and economy. You see stuff like this on bikeportland's blog all the time--they really promote their local bike-related industries.
in response to Chrome Bags Announces Same-Day Delivery by Bike Messenger in SF
Jarrett at HumanTransit.org
One great use of this data would be to compile data on actual Muni reliability. It would be great to see stats not just on on-time performance but also on actual vs scheduled headway, which on frequent services is the best measure.
I did a post on this a while back here:
http://www.humantransit.org/2009/06/mundane-things-that-really-matter-defining-on-time.html
Anyone interested in exploring this, feel free to contact me via the email link at humantransit.org
in response to MTA Publishes NextMuni Arrival Time Feed
the greasybear
This kick-ass app is incompatible with first-gen iPhones, apparently. I'm bummed!
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
Andy Thornley
@Mikesonn: No points off for being a young white iPhone-enabled male who likes to bike, I'm just jealous, of your iPhone and your youth -- pedal often and send all that great data to the SFCTA to make biking better for us all . . .
And to clarify my Copenhagen remark -- this app and the data it harvests ~will~ move us closer to Copenhagen, in the sense that CPH bike planners know not only how many people are making bike trips, but how far those trips are and where they go and for what reason -- the SFMTA's August bike counts only measure bodies going through a certain intersection, no distance or purpose, but with Cycle Tracks feeding the SFCTA's database we'll start to have some of that richer info on distance and purpose, very nice . . .
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
Chad Armstrong
Downloaded - I can't wait to commute home.
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
Mikesonn
Downloaded. But who do I Appologize to for being a 20-something white male who likes to bike?
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
patrick
Wow! Despite it's limitations this sounds like a very good thing.
in response to SF Transportation Authority Launches iPhone App to Track Cyclists
Peter Smith
wow - NextBus? NBIS? someone owns someone else is someone else's subsidiary who actually owns copyrights, but they don't speak for us?
got it. crystal clear. clear as mud.
whenever i see so many corporate entities, i think of Enron/Chewco/Jedi/etc.
sketchy.
in response to MTA Publishes NextMuni Arrival Time Feed
Peter Smith
i like it a lot!
and very happy to see the coverage. more and more of this type of thing is exactly what we want. finding connections and highlighting them, whether successful or not, is what we want -- that's what organizing is -- pooling resources to help one another achieve our goals. great stuff.
in response to Chrome Bags Announces Same-Day Delivery by Bike Messenger in SF
Chris
I think that what is interesting about this article is that its about a retailer that instead of throwing their goods onto a truck for a local delivery, throws them onto a bicycle. Sure, someone who lives in San Francisco probably could just as easily go to the store to pick up their own bag... but I will give Chrome credit for cutting out the delivery truck and supporting a local bicycle messenger company.
I bought a chrome bag not because I am trying to look like a messenger, but because they are a great local company that is very active in the local bicycle community.
in response to Chrome Bags Announces Same-Day Delivery by Bike Messenger in SF
Mark
Heh. I've been hacking their data for years. I didn't realize it wasn't allowed!
in response to MTA Publishes NextMuni Arrival Time Feed
boris
Dalewood Way along Mt. Davidson
in response to Which is the Steepest Street in San Francisco? Hint: It's Not Filbert
zsolt
This is probably out of place on this forum, but I disagree that Chrome is making biking appealing to a broader base. It is focused on a very narrow thing. What it does is, it sells you the illusion of a piece of that "slightly outlaw bike messenger cool" by having the bags delivered by "animals who bike over the bridge" and some such. In fairness, Chrome's bags are of good quality. But it's a bit like saying that Vans' skateboarder antics contribute to walkable communities. While largely I think everyone should ride wearing and carrying what they want, I think overall the biking community moving *away* from the messenger image (as in the picture in the story) will be a good thing.
I'll add a few companies who in my opinion promote biking to a broader base:
* Right now REI has a sale on waterproof jackets and pants. Very handy for the coming winter rains.
* Rainbow Grocery, a worker-owned cooperative, is permanently giving 10% discount for SFBC members upon flashing your ID. That is a *huge* deal for a store that sells high quality, mostly organic groceries, and has the greatest bulk bin section in the city.
in response to Chrome Bags Announces Same-Day Delivery by Bike Messenger in SF
EL
This report only tells the obvious: "Maintenance and repair projects are not politically sexy. New infrastructure is."
in response to Report: After MN Collapse, Bridge Repair Got Just 11% of D.C. Earmarks
jass
Would it be possible to get BART ridership numbers for the week before the bridge closure and the week after? I'm curious if the closure created permanent new riders.
in response to Today's Headlines
Matthew Roth
@zsolt,
I think people who make biking and walking and transit riding "sexier" or more appealing to a broader base are improving the livability of a city. Car companies certainly have been successful with a similar motif, albeit for a much less desirable outcome. And we don't want to just hit you with policy all day long!
in response to Chrome Bags Announces Same-Day Delivery by Bike Messenger in SF
friscolex
I'm pretty sure the steepest hill has always been the one between me and my house at the top when I'm on my bike. Agreed?
in response to Which is the Steepest Street in San Francisco? Hint: It's Not Filbert
friscolex
Plus, Chrome has been supersweet to me as an SFBC bike valet when we've parked bikes at their parties (or at parties there). Community involvement FTW!
in response to Chrome Bags Announces Same-Day Delivery by Bike Messenger in SF
zsolt
Quite a long essay dedicated to a marketing gag by a company devoted to selling "sexy". But what does this have to do with livable streets issues?
in response to Chrome Bags Announces Same-Day Delivery by Bike Messenger in SF
David Baker
Maybe after the Injunction is lifted SFMTA will "Portlandize" these with color, a bike symbol, and "cars stop here" lettering on the stop line. I don't believe most drivers know what that line is. it's not very obvious.
in response to Eyes on the Street: Market Street Advance Stop Bars
Jessica
Also, how can I get involved to make sure this happens?
in response to Will San Jose's New Bicycle Plan Mark Shift From Years of Car Privilege?
Jessica
When are they going to fix the lights in SJ???? I just moved to San Jose from San Francisco and ALL of the lights downtown are on sensors, not timers. I have to either run the red, wait for a car to show up, or pull over and hit the crosswalk button to get through an intersection. Not to mention it is completely impossible to use a left turn lane since my only option is to run the red because there is no pedestrian left turn button I can push to get the green.
in response to Will San Jose's New Bicycle Plan Mark Shift From Years of Car Privilege?
zsolt
I recently had a bad experience Downtoan Oakland regarding this "bike box assumption" which put me on notice to not in fact assume that everyone treats these the same. I find that some drivers are irritated by bikers positioning themselves in front of them at red light, even though this is the safest place to be for bikers. The irate motorist I encountered almost wrecked me because I failed to get going in the same nanosecond as the light switched. He presumably felt that I was slowing down his new BMW with my commuter beater. It was completely unprovoked otherwise. As he sped off I did spit through his open passenger window, something I should not have done, but it was a fight or flight reaction to what amounted to aggressive intimidation with a deadly weapon and my adrenalin shot through the roof.
I am not shy about asserting myself in traffic and taking the lane, however I have stopped positioning myself in front of cars at reds. If there were real, Portland-style bike boxes, that would be a different story. But just as a word of warning to fellow bikers -- some drivers do get pissed if you do this, especially if you dare to miss the moment the light switches to green and get out of their way.
in response to Eyes on the Street: Market Street Advance Stop Bars
mikesonn
Menlo Park wants HSR underground? Yeah, I want SF to be car free. We can all dream.
in response to Today's Headlines
mikesonn
StuartH and Glen - Yes, people will still own cars without the offstreet parking, but that doesn't mean we should allow more parking. If they choose to play the parking spot game, then that is part of the cost of having a car. In turn, you can blame all the curb cuts providing access to off street parking for the lack of on street parking. So now the argument becomes which of the car owners are more important - the ones with off street parking or the ones fighting to get on street.
And if I can say without car owners getting too upset, on street residential permits are way too cheap and that helps further the low subsidized cost of car ownership. Start paying closer to market rate and the find the parking spot game will become a bit easier.
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
supainmotion
I think irregardless of what bikes are supposed to do, I've been observing that they (and I) are treating them as bike boxes.
in response to Eyes on the Street: Market Street Advance Stop Bars
Tomas
Excellent article Mr. Roth. There is an easy solution to providing families with the car they need, while minimizing the cost of housing: CAR SHARE. Even if I drove my Zipcar every day, it would still be cheaper than paying the cost of owning and parking a car in SF.
Regarding on-street parking, the City is finally moving in a direction where parking will be priced according to market rates, so that a space will always be available for short-term parking. Accommodating long-term parking on the public street is a blatant subsidization.
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
Glen
A big problem in this is alot of people living in this type of housing will still buy a car and park it on the street.My apt building is old and has only 30 parking spots for 60 units I see these people move there cars all around every day and increasing that SF find the parking spot game
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
CBrinkman
Cars are a part of this City; some of us will argue they are too big a part of the city. Should we accommodate cars? Sure. Should we subsidize them and allow them to dominate our streets? No. I look forward to the day when car drivers will pay their fair share for the environmental and social impacts their vehicle of choice causes. I will happily pay whatever increase in price for goods and services that causes to have a city where walking, biking and taking transit are the best and easiest choices.
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
Ian Turner
Jombee,
Note that in this case we're dealing with parking *minimums*, not maximums.
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
Belgand
Was that statistic of just people who walk to work exclusively or those who walk and ride public transit? Sure, the number of people able to walk the entire way to work is going to be limited due to the inherent problem of having a job that is in walking distance of your home, but most people who take transit to work are also pedestrians for a good portion of their commute. I suspect that number is significantly higher than 9%.
in response to Among Walkable Regions, San Francisco One of Most Dangerous
StuartH
I am all for de-coupling parking from housing; if people don't want to pay for parking then they shouldn't have too. Of course, that would work best if those people then were not allowed to buy a car; large developments without parking can wreak havoc on the parking situation in the neighborhood if new residents park on the street.
But I don't buy the argument that somehow parking is inherently uneconomic. In some instances it may be, but when you are dealing with developments that have larger units -- particularly for families -- then I expect the demand for parking is strong. Anyway, there is any easy way to find out -- see if people will pay for the parking.
The fact is that in most neighborhoods public transit is good enough only for getting yourself downtown to work. It is not viable for getting to other neighborhoods or for families. Also, people often live and work outside the City. So cars are essential.
Sure there are some people whose lifestyle allows them to live without a car; but there is no reason that everyone should be forced to either live that lifestyle or move out of the City.
Vague arguments about "sustainability" are just silly; We need to look at the actual needs of people who live in this City and cars are part of that. This City is more than just single bike riders. Anti-car fanatics should really try (for once) to think beyond themselves and care about the needs of the entire population of San Francisco.
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
mikesonn
I agree with patrick, that one really stuck out to me as being awesome. On the flip side, how does a 2 family building in RUSSIAN HILL get 5 parking spots? That is beyond excusable. Those cars might be off the street while parking, but they will be on the street driving, taking up space, and spewing crap into the air. That is a crime and the planner that ok'd that variance should be fired.
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
Ted King
#21 (taomom)
Take a look at the number of stoplights along the way. There are a quite a few and it seems to me that the Muni trains aren't given priority. This is especially bad at Fourth + King. The T-Third often has to wait for a narrow slot in the signal timing before it can make its turn. And if you are in an N-Judah behind that T-Third - DELAY !
[ I wonder if the plans for the T-Third ever included a bypass track along the south side of Mission Creek on into the N-Judah's mini-yard.]
The rails on Geary St./Blvd. were yanked after 1956. The anti-streetcar lobby used the BART master plan as the final nail in the coffin. I once lived near 3rd Ave. + Geary and was riding buses ON Geary in 1960.
Geary Streetcar : http://www.outsidelands.org/B-line.php
Streetcars RIP (2/3 down) : http://www.outsidelands.org/sw16.php
in response to Is the Geary Bus Rapid Transit Project in Jeopardy?
patrick
"The building will have 23 units and parking for only two cars, both of which will be car-share vehicles"
I love that, I think every new development should have only car-share parking.
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
Alan from Berkeley
One thing that helps with both parking economics and the perceptions of potential residents is to de-link parking from units: require the new renter or condo purchaser to affirmatively select and separately pay for any dedicated parking space. That can happen independently of the parking-to-units ratio, and in buildings with a ratio less than one is a better idea than including parking only with the more expensive of the units.
This was an "encouraged" idea in Berkeley's Climate Action Plan and may still emerge in our Downtown Area Plan (currently the subject of another passionate battle that may only be resolved with a November 2010 ballot measure). Those of us favoring a denser downtown with 5000 new residents see unit-specific dedicated parking as an unaffordable luxury and a bad social use of center-city space.
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
jamie
Hard to think of any neighborhood in the Bay Area with more transit options than Rincon Hill .... the 0.5 to 1 parking ratio works fine, especially if there are some car shares onsite too. Now if we could get a congestion charge to drive downtown during the worst hours, say 4pm - 7pm Monday through Friday ... encourage those living outside of SF to use transit to get here ... that'd be a bold step forward too.
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
mikesonn
Filbert sure feels like it after a work out and carry groceries.
in response to Which is the Steepest Street in San Francisco? Hint: It's Not Filbert
jombee
Bringing more cars into the city affects everyone. Exemptions to parking maximums should never be granted.
in response to Some Bay Area Developers Ditch the Extra Parking Spaces for More Units
Shawn Allen
Yeah, I can't say with any degree of any certainty that it's the steepest, but that stretch of 22nd is pretty ridiculous. Every Tuesday my boot camp trainer used to have us do sprints up it. I've never felt more exhausted after a single minute of exertion than on those damned "hill days".
in response to Which is the Steepest Street in San Francisco? Hint: It's Not Filbert