-
-
-
Follow Streetsblog
Recently Posted Jobs
- Campaign Manager, 1 week ago
- Policy and Government Affairs Manager, 1 week ago
- Field Director, 4 weeks ago
- Designing Cities Fellow, 6 weeks ago
- Policy Analyst/Advocate (Full-Time Position), 6 weeks ago
Word On The Street
“How refreshing to hear someone say she changed her opinion after studying the facts.”
– Fran Taylor In response to "Advocates for the Disabled Say Free Parking for Placard Holders Must End"
-
-
Recent Comments
Hot Topics
EYES ON THE STREET
Contribute to Streetsblog San Francisco
Email tips@sf.streetsblog.org or send them anonymously. Tag your photos, links, and videos with "streetsblog".
Calendar
- Thursday, May 23
- 1:30 amThe Future of Caltrain and High Speed Rail in San Francisco: Considering the Options
- 10:00 amSF Planning Commission Joint Meeting With Rec and Park Commission
- 12:00 pmWelcome Back the TransForm Carbon Crushers!
- 6:00 pmBART Board Meeting: Lifting Rush-Hour Bike Blackouts
- 6:00 pmSecond Street Improvement Project Community Meeting
- 6:30 pmSF Bicycle Advisory Committee
- 7:30 pmSwoony for Muni: A Date Auction Fundraiser for SFTRU
- Sunday, May 26
- 8:30 amTour de Marin
- Thursday, May 23
Archived Articles
Categories
Blogroll
Copyright Notice
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
mikesonn
You won’t get this mythical transit first system if the city induces more cars on the road. The stick and the carrot are the same thing in this case, which sucks but it is the harsh reality of a dense city that hasn’t invested in transit the way its slogans would have you believe.
in response to Small Business Commissioner: San Francisco Needs More Parking Garages
voltairesmistress
A more interesting discussion would be exactly where parking scarcity exists for commercial districts and how best to alleviate that. So far transit is still far too slow and inconvenient to thrust on everybody and say, “tough luck”. I know that the few times a month I get on Muni I’m struck by how inured people are here to the slow, inefficient, non-Tep, above-ground transit that is the norm here. I hate it most of the time, even though I’ve enjoyed other cities’ subways and buses a lot. That’s why I’ll bike, walk, take a taxi or ride-share, or even drive in SF rather than take the bus for anything other than a short and clear shot ride without transfers.
Building transit that looks more like Barcelona’s or Munich’s is going to take time and money. Lots of both, and I don’t think we’ll see a full subway or rapid transit above ground system for another 50-100 years. So in the meantime, can we include priced parking and even increase it in a few commercial areas where it is too scarce? Evening metered parking and few strategically placed, small garages might be part of that mix. These things can later be razed and built over once the still mythical transit first system is a reality we can all use efficiently.
in response to Small Business Commissioner: San Francisco Needs More Parking Garages
supertamsf
“O’Brien feels policies like transit first “give rise to this feeling that a way of life is being imposed” upon those who would like to drive.” Luke O’Brien sounds like the offspring of a creepy Rob Anderson, Don Fisher, CV Nevius three way.
in response to Small Business Commissioner: San Francisco Needs More Parking Garages
supertamsf
A parking garage is nothing more than housing … for cars. Are we going to dedicate precious square footage to housing for cars or humans? Also higher up on the list over car housing is commercial space for humans to work in and green space for humans to be happy in.
in response to Small Business Commissioner: San Francisco Needs More Parking Garages
supertamsf
“Misguided Musings of a Myopic Mind” by Luke O’Brien. SF population is projected to grow 150,000 by year 2035. It is physically impossible to support such growth using the automobile as a primary means of transportation. Businesses who grow with walkability, biking, carsharing, public transit and delivery services in mind will win. Those who rely on “car business” will be left behind, along with Luke O’Brien’s Jurassic mind.
in response to Small Business Commissioner: San Francisco Needs More Parking Garages
Karen Lynn Allen
It’s a mystery.
in response to Eyes on the Street: Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Ready to Ride
Nicasio Nakamine
What is with that manhole cover? It’s the smoothest roadway surface I’ve come across in SF in basically the worst place possible!
in response to Eyes on the Street: Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Ready to Ride
mikesonn
Tomorrow David Chiu will lead a caravan of cyclists down Polk but still hasn’t taken a position – I’ll take what I can get these days.
in response to Eyes on the Street: Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Ready to Ride
mikesonn
Exactly, the North Beach garage is rarely filled yet people circle and circle and circle.
in response to Small Business Commissioner: San Francisco Needs More Parking Garages
Karen Lynn Allen
Just took a test ride on the new lane. While not perfect, it’s about a gazillion times better. I didn’t have to take the lane, which meant I didn’t have to pedal like a maniac to minimize the annoyance of the cars behind me. Between Divisadero and Scott I could ride at a comfortable pace and then slow down gradually (instead of precipitously) to avoid the huge slick manhole in the middle of the turn onto Scott. Much calmer and more civilized. Planters will make it even nicer.
Interestingly, there is now a green bike signal at Broderick which gives bikes a one second head start before the cars get their green. It’s a little hard to see from the bike lane due to angled louvers. (Louvers are probably there so cars can’t see it, and yet . . .)
Cars turning right onto Divisadero were problematic because they didn’t get over far enough, so their left tire was in the bike area, creating a squeeze between them and moving traffic on the left.
Now that they are not The Three Blocks of Terror, these blocks will need to be renamed. Maybe, The Three Blocks of Intense but Doable Traffic?
(The Gas Station From Hell is still the Gas Station From Hell, now joined by the Towing Company From Hell. Although no tow trucks blocking Fell today!)
in response to Eyes on the Street: Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Ready to Ride
Chris Tran
Why is the paint already dirty? Yes, I am being picky. I do love it still.
in response to Eyes on the Street: Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Ready to Ride
MrEricSir
Um, wat? People barely use the garages we have.
in response to Small Business Commissioner: San Francisco Needs More Parking Garages
Ben Fried
Luke O’Brien seems like a total disaster for San Francisco’s small businesses. How did he get this gig?
in response to Small Business Commissioner: San Francisco Needs More Parking Garages
SteveS
Well, that’s the positive way to look at it.
The other view would be that the city could have done the work in any other five day period over the six months if only there were an impending politician photo-op day that would warrant it being prioritized.
in response to Eyes on the Street: Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Ready to Ride
The Overhead Wire
Finally. Riding with traffic on the section of Oak was always harrowing
in response to Eyes on the Street: Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Ready to Ride
Anonymous
So the reason why Muni’s utterly insane and inefficient and actively dangerous (4th/King is nothing but dangerous, and isn’t going to change, ever) and slow and costly “light” rail cluterfuck is .. to piss away another TWO BILLION public dollars building a subway line that nobody will ride but will handsomely reward the engineering/construction mafiosi?
That’s a simply marvellous solution to “a big share of derailments” … especially when the intersection and trackwork and service “plan” in question was “designed” and “implemented” by exactly the same cast of rent-seeking hanger-on consultant failures and worthless negative-achievement agency lifers who are behind the guaranteed-to-crater Central Subway.
The solution to being in over your head in a collapsing hole is … to keep digging.
CHUG THE KOOL-AID! Mmmmmmm.
in response to Today's Headlines
Aaron Bialick
@twitter-8073492:disqus The SFMTA is planning to install concrete planters in the buffer zone later this year. I added a note in to clarify that.
in response to Eyes on the Street: Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Ready to Ride
Jonathan Maus
Interesting to see that SF is doing “protection” without any physical protection… Similar to what we see here in Portland. Or am I missing something? Are they using any type of plastic wands/bollards and so on?
in response to Eyes on the Street: Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Ready to Ride
mikesonn
We often rag on the city for not moving fast enough but I’d like to extend major kudos for finishing this before BTWD.
in response to Eyes on the Street: Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Ready to Ride
Martha Bridegam
It’s OK to keep stuff in a legally parked vehicle but habitation is only spottily/precariously legal in San Francisco. Even when the habitation itself is legal, vehicles that are visibly being used as homes are subject to many forms of pretextual code enforcement harassment. See http://storify.com/MarthaBridegam/why-listing-an-sf-van-on-airbnb-is-a-dumb-idea .
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
mikesonn
Either way, that turn was planned for (and not as a short stopgap) so it shouldn’t be the complete fail that it is.
in response to Today's Headlines
mikesonn
Current status: cars >>>>> transit
in response to Today's Headlines
Jamison Wieser
As you very well know, the Third Street Light Rail Project is much different today that first conceived about two decades ago and the Subway portion went through a major redesign well into construction of the surface phase.
in response to Today's Headlines
Adina Levin
Does anybody know the status of signal priority near 4th and king? It is maddening to sit at the light waiting for all the cars while Caltrain departure time approaches
in response to Today's Headlines
mikesonn
100% agree
in response to Today's Headlines
SteveS
Fourth and King is undoubtedly the worst offender, but Muni still has to fix signal priority on the entire line if it’s ever to become anywhere near as efficient as the bus service it replaced.
in response to Today's Headlines
mikesonn
“Had it not been for the delays, the Central Subway would be open – or nearly so – and this problem would largely sort itself out.”
Which delays?
in response to Today's Headlines
Jamison Wieser
Media coverage about turnbacks never goes deep enough, stopping with where and who’s complaining.
Paul Rose at SFMTA, at least in the quoted portions, explains how Muni is trying to deal with it, but still not going down into why the addition of JKLMN trains tricking up passengers is helping.
Much of what’s causing the bunching and need for turnbacks – and where a big share of derailment and switching problems happen – is the Fourth and King intersection, where the T-line is temporarily making a turn to merge from the Third Street Corridor onto the Embarcadero.
When completed, the T-Third Street line will cross the intersection north-south, the N-Judah will cross east-west, and without having to turn both Muni and car traffic can share the same phases. That’s also when the complete different station platform designs will start making sense: N-Judah stops will have the curvy roves, T-Third stops have the angly ones and the bright green poles.
Until then, there is an extra turn phase every single time a T-Third street train turns, from third street alignment onto the Embarcadero alignment. They often come in quick succession when inbound and outbound trains around almost at the same time, but not close they can share the same turn phase. Every time a T-line train gets caught waiting behind an N-Judah is another delay. And because the inbound T-line track crosses over the outbound N-line track, that’s an additional chance of delay for both lines in all directions.
Had it not been for the delays, the Central Subway would be open – or nearly so – and this problem would largely sort itself out.
Something else that would really help that a lot of readers here would like yo se happen is to remove the traffic inducing freeway on/off ramp that touches down just about at Fourth and King.
in response to Today's Headlines
Ryan Brady
yeah, I think this is technically illegal, but it’s still a pretty brilliant idea.
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
Chris
“As we all know, storing private property like, say, a locker on the street is illegal, but that doesn’t apply to automobiles (so long as they don’t double as housing).” If the van is being used to house an AirBnB guest, then it’s housing, and as such, wouldn’t it be illegal?
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
patrick
Regarding the 72 hour limit. They have 72 hours from when notice is posted, and it’s very rare that notice is posted the day you contact the DPT, sometimes it takes several days for notice to be posted. If the violator parks on a Thursday or Friday they notice will be posted earliest on Monday meaning they can get away with parking for a week. Of course the notice is only ever posted if somebody notifies DPT. So usually the violators get at least a few days, possibly weeks, before somebody notices that they’ve been breaking the law.
And of course once notice is posted all the violators do is move across the street. Even though they are required by law to drive a mile before re-parking, the DPT has no way to enforce it.
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
mikesonn
And that happens how often?
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
peternatural
I think your best bet is to follow the rules, move to the right when turning right, look where you’re going, take your turn, and don’t sweat it. If you still end up with angry bikers pounding on your hood, that’s rather bizarre. I travel all over the city on a daily basis and rarely have any problem with cyclists or drivers.
in response to SFMTA Drops Protected Bike Lane Proposals for Most of Polk Street
Jim Frank
This is great! Better boarding islands and more housing located near transit.
The whole area on Ocean south of Phelan has improved so much in the past few years. Great sidewalks and shops, improved crosswalks and LRV tracks. This the fruition of years and years of planning: the Balboa Park EIR which increased bldg. heights along the corridor, a new ocean street entrance to the BART Station, better bike and pedestrian access to the station.
Now let’s see a BRT on Geneva all the way down to Visitation Valley to meet up with the T-Third.
in response to Revamped Muni Bus Loop Opens at City College Ocean Campus
Ryan Brady
It’d have to move occasionally. You can be cited for leaving a vehicle in the same place for more than 72 hours in San Francisco.
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
mikesonn
I look forward to my cut since the city feels the need to put my life in danger for several parking spaces, figure they can at least contribute to my life insurance fund.
in response to Supes Farrell and Cohen Have Yet to Grasp Why Free Parking Hurts SF
Anonymous
That’s what I was trying to get at, Mario. The story is usually framed as the SFMTA against people who “need” to park, but it’s very probable that what SFMTA is doing by adding parking meters is HELPING to make driving easier.
And as far as replacing meter revenue goes, if they can’t eat the cost for one month (and be a little bit more in the red than they otherwise would be) they could probably get the auto industry, local or national, to underwrite it (Audi sponsored the Powell Street Promenade, after all).
Basically, this fight over parking meters is exhausting– and I’m not even sure it will result in more livable streets. A trial like this could give everyone a new perspective and help us move on to more important issues.
in response to Supes Farrell and Cohen Have Yet to Grasp Why Free Parking Hurts SF
voltairesmistress
Same. A friend created an art studio for drawing and painting in a classic refurbished camper. He then parked it on various streets and did his art there, while renting a room elsewhere. He would move the van every couple of days. His only problem was neighbors who would vandalize the van out of resentment. Another acquaintance lives in his van and holds down a job with working class wages — almost only way for him to live and work in San Francisco.at that wage level. Frankly, I think these arrangements are inevitable though rare, since most people want to live in more conventional ways. Like all such arrangements on the margins, they work as long as they are relatively rare and flying beneath the radar. Otherwise, others’ desire for order, rules, convention, and just plain resentment lead to their expulsion.
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
Mario Tanev
In truth, they may not notice either way. Drivers account for only 15% of their clientele and they don’t pay much. So if meters are removed, business will probably drop a bit, but maybe not enough to make it hurt. Probably more people will be induced to take public transit or walk.
In fact, as smart as SFPark is, and despite some benefits of reducing circling and dispersing parking demand geographically, any improvement to parking may lead to more drivers, since regardless the price, on street parking is still pretty cheap.
in response to Supes Farrell and Cohen Have Yet to Grasp Why Free Parking Hurts SF
Andy Chow
http://www.californiacityfinance.com/Votes1211final.pdf
My feeling is that unless there’s some sort of self control (which I don’t think there will be), the cities and local authorities eventually will have such a high tax rate that there would be some kind of Prop 13 revolt. Right now voters are passing taxes 1/2 cent here and a quarter cent there but they add up. Once the cities and local authorities are out of their budget hole in a couple of years I think the sentiment will change.
in response to Supes Farrell and Cohen Have Yet to Grasp Why Free Parking Hurts SF
Anonymous
Hey, I know one Olympic bike racer who was able to pursue her dream by living in an RV in someone’s driveway. Lots of quality people get by living in vehicles on the street. I am not advocating a van-based B&B, though.
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
murphstahoe
Sometimes taxes fail but more often than not they pass.
Would you like to give a citation? Doubtful – as your assertion is patently false.
in response to Supes Farrell and Cohen Have Yet to Grasp Why Free Parking Hurts SF
Andy Chow
In the Bay Area most of us are pretty comfortable raising taxes for a lot of things. Sometimes taxes fail but more often than not they pass.
I do not agree with the idea of spending a lot of money to get things done (that’s why I advocate for Caltrain and against BART expansions). But the general mindset for voters is that unless the project causes some serious impact on them (like original high speed rail through Peninsula), spending and building more is fine.
In a more political conservative areas, transit spending will get more scrutiny but highway expansion will still get the pass.
in response to Supes Farrell and Cohen Have Yet to Grasp Why Free Parking Hurts SF
Lenguist
San Jose Avenue & Day Street. The long blank wall of the back of the Safeway has provided cover for all sorts of unsavory activities over the years. Took us forever to get street sweeping on this block to provide a little turnover.
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
Anonymous
I think one of my neighbors has been doing this for a while. Nice big RV parked in front of his house. Often, it has a power cable running to it from inside.
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
voltairesmistress
This would be great on Polk Street and surrounding streets. They are hostile to the SFMTA. See how much the merchants like catering to car-bound customers then when left to an unregulated environment.
in response to Supes Farrell and Cohen Have Yet to Grasp Why Free Parking Hurts SF
voltairesmistress
“The city is actually starting to shoo out RVs with overnight parking restrictions
on large vehicles, but only because they’re encroaching upon car-owning
residents, who are apparently more entitled to store their vehicles in
that space than homeless people are.”
Thank you, Aaron, for calling out this hypocrisy for what it is.
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
murphstahoe
they will choose building a subway because it doesn’t require any sacrifice
Then they are complete idiots, to not understand that the subway (or freeway or bay bridge) is paid for with their tax dollars. Which is par for the course. The only thing that is apparently paid for with tax dollars is “things I don’t like” whereas “things I like” are paid for with magic fairy dust.
in response to Supes Farrell and Cohen Have Yet to Grasp Why Free Parking Hurts SF
KillMoto
Bloody brilliant.
I wonder if the trivial cost of a local parking sticker plus a registration and an old (possibly inoperative) panel van would be less than a storage unit. I can have like 300 cubic feet of storage, right outside my place, all for a very low fixed cost. To hell with drivers – without a per hour cost for curbside parking, Ima gonna git me some (nearly) free storage!
in response to How to Turn a Free Parking Space Into a Subsidized Hotel
Ted King
This is a welcome change for those riders who could take either the 8X or the 43. Now the stops are adjacent to each other which permits an easy flip-flop depending on which one is next to depart.
I’m a CCSF alumnus who’s ridden through the Ocean and Phelan intersection many times. Innumerable times while waiting for an 8X (or its predecessor the 15) I winced at the sight of a 43 rolling by a block away heading towards a stop near my destination.
in response to Revamped Muni Bus Loop Opens at City College Ocean Campus