http://sf.streetsblog.org Covering San Francisco's livable streets movement Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:27:00 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en (Photo: Richard Masoner of Cyclelicious)Hey, we need your help again for our next slide show. This one is going to make you feel good. We're looking for pictures of kids on bikes -- on their own, with their parents, on trailers and seats and Xtracycles and whatever other kind of ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/wanted-your-photos-of-kids-on-bikes/ As the federal deficit squeezes the Obama administration's options for financing ambitious new infrastructure projects, public-private partnerships (PPPs) are gaining currency as a possible solution. And in an illustration of PPPs' potential, the $86 billion private-equity firm Carlyle Group yesterday struck a deal with the state of Connecticut to run ... 23 highway rest ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/carlyle-group%e2%80%99s-new-infrastructure-public-private-partnership-donuts/ City parking meters are a gold mine, and in Chicago, Morgan Stanley is rolling in parking riches. Secret company documents leaked to reporters show the company will rake in a 70 percent profit margin this year from its $1.15 billion, 75-year lease of Chicago's parking meters. This profit ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/it%e2%80%99s-official-chicago-parking-privatization-a-massive-rip-off/ A very interesting article in USA Today on the future viability of suburbs came up in our Twitter feed this morning, via Community Research Partners of Columbus, Ohio. The piece, by Haya el Nasser, starts out talking about how population is falling in many of the suburbs that grew most ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/to-thrive-suburbs-might-become-more-urban/ BART Faces $26 Million Deficit for 2010-2011 (ABC 7) BART Workers Argue Staffing Cuts Put Public at Risk (KCBS) BART Union Upset Workers Don't Have Proper Protection While Cleaning Pigeon Droppings (ABC 7) ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/todays-headlines-223/ Flickr photo: Aimee Ellis, 2Girls1QueenA bicyclist was seriously injured this afternoon after a woman driving an SUV struck him at the intersection of Haight and Pierce Streets. According to eyewitness accounts, he remained conscious after the crash, and was taken to the hospital by the Fire ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/cyclist-injured-in-crash-on-the-wiggle/ Conceptual rendering of the San Francisco skyline with Transbay towers. Image: SF Planning Department The San Francisco Planning Department will release the Draft Plan for the new Transbay Terminal and development project after the Planning Commission meeting tonight at 5:30 p.m. According to Planning's Joshua Switzky, the plan ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/new-draft-san-francisco-transbay-development-plan-unveiled-today/ Click to enlarge: Annual household transportation costs in the Bay Area.California residents living in sprawling suburban developments could save billions of dollars every year if they lived in denser, urban zones and along transit corridors, according to a study released today by smart growth and transit ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/new-study-quantifies-high-personal-costs-of-building-ca-cities-for-cars/ Marlene Tran speaks with MTA Board Vice Chairman Rev. Dr. James McCray, Jr. Photo: Sasanna Yee When the MTA Board approved wide-ranging changes to Muni service at its meetings this fall, most of the public comment was from residents who didn't want rerouted bus ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/dec-5-service-changes-catch-chinatown-vis-valley-muni-riders-by-surprise/ Any proposal to fund new U.S. infrastructure investment by taxing financial transactions -- such as Rep. Pete DeFazio's (D-OR) bill taxing Wall Street oil speculators -- would require international participation to prevent the trades in question from migrating overseas, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said today. House Speaker ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/pelosi-passing-a-wall-street-transport-tax-would-require-overseas-buy-in/ President Obama may be optimistic about continued U.S. economic growth as 2009 ends, but the reality on the ground in urban America -- which an estimated two-thirds of the population calls home -- is undeniably, disturbingly bleak. ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/a-warning-from-america%e2%80%99s-cities-the-recession-has-only-just-begun-to-hit/ Senate environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and fellow lawmakers yesterday pressed the Obama administration to take a more active role in ending the current political stalemate over federal transportation funding, but the sense of urgency they sought emerged only intermittently during an 80-minute session on infrastructure. Deputy ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/%e2%80%98this-needs-attention%e2%80%99-senators-seek-shot-in-the-arm-on-transportation/ Despite the growing national attention to the dangers posed by distracted driving, full accountability for drivers who kill or maim pedestrians while fiddling with electronic devices is likely a long way off. As today's post from Streetsblog Network member Sustainable Savannah notes, law enforcement officials too often seem to see things from the ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/blaming-the-pedestrian-again/ Endangered Franciscan Manzanita Plant Found in Presidio Could Delay Doyle Drive Project (ABC 7) Fatal Car Crash in SOMA Neighborhood Early This Morning, Investigation Open (BCN via SF Appeal) Port of Oakland Environmental Rules Could Put 1,000 Truckers ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/todays-headlines-222/ No cars anywhere in sight near U.N. Plaza. Photo: Matthew Roth Since the MTA began diverting private automobiles off Market Street in late September, Muni riders and bicyclists have been experiencing the benefits first hand. Now, the MTA has confirmed what many Market Street users already suspected: Muni ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/mta-market-street-pilot-is-improving-conditions-for-muni-bicyclists/ America's transportation and infrastructure policies affect literally everyone who moves from place to place in the country, but often they are under-discussed and over-simplified by the mainstream media. To help broaden the debate, Streetsblog Capitol Hill is kicking off a new Q&A series called "The Four Questions." ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/streetsblog-capitol-hill-qa-four-questions-for-rob-puentes/ Houston has long enjoyed its status as America's oil capital, the type of city where the local Petroleum Club threw a $100,000 gala during a period of then-record high gas prices. But things are changing, thanks to a light rail system that is exceeding ridership ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/oil-centric-houston-to-experiment-with-coal-powered-electric-cars/ Without question, Portland's Greenstreets program is the benchmark for American cities seeking to manage storm water and runoff from the street level before it enters the sanitation system pipes. Now, San Francisco is on its way to constructing its first on-street stormwater facilities in two places in the Bayview and ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/san-francisco-starts-building-green-streets-for-stormwater-management/ Transportation advocates were caught off-guard last month when the ANSWER Coalition and other leftist groups declared that extended parking meter hours represented an assault on the poor and working class, despite the overwhelming evidence that the poor and working class are predominantly more reliant on transit than cars for transportation. ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/commentary-transportation-advocates-should-support-hotel-workers/ While President Obama grappled with political concerns during his trip to China this week, General Electric was busy signing technology-sharing agreements with Beijing partners -- including a high-speed rail pact that positions GE to leap ahead of its competitors in the race for business from the Obama administration's bullet train rollout. ... http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/general-electric-inks-high-speed-rail-deal-with-chinese-government/