Month: February 2009

Though David Brooks might argue in his New York Times column that Americans want to live in small towns and suburban dreamscapes, the fact is more and more of us live in metropolitan areas, and discussions about what we want should have to do more with the context of those metropolitan areas.  Brooks should be looking at the quality of the public spaces where people live, and the walkability and ease of transit in those neighborhoods.

Last week, I wrote about an Oakland cyclist, Brandon Thomas, who was critically injured in a hit-and-run crash on San Pablo near 55th Street. We got an email update on his condition from his mother, Stella Thomas:

We've got a lot of important work to accomplish at Streetsblog San Francisco. As traditional mainstream media continues to suffer, Streetsblog will play a vital role in keeping the citizenry informed and putting the heat on the MTA, the MTC, the Mayor, the Supes and other agencies to dramatically improve conditions for bicyclists, pedestrians and public transit riders in the Bay Area.

Yesterday was a big day for livable streets and progressive transportation advocates -- and not just because of what happened in New York City.

BART Board Will Not Raise Fares This Year to Balance Its Budget (KCBS) And It’s Questioning the Independent Shooting Investigation (Merc, ABC7) NIMBY Complaints Over Peninsula HSR Line Continue (CHSRB, VTA Watch) Sausalito Launches Study on How to Improve Bike Facilities (Marin IJ) Bike, Pedestrian Improvements Planned on Palo Alto’s Oregon Expressway (Palo Alto Daily) … Continued