Month: July 2010

Earlier this week, Ken Archer at Greater Greater Washington posted this revealing graphic showing the relationship between the amount of driving we do in the United States and the death toll on our roads. Even as conventional traffic safety techniques have made driving less deadly, the rise in miles driven knocked back those improvements. It wasn't until our collective mileage flattened out that safety gains could be fully realized. Thousands of lives were saved when the growth in driving came to a halt.

More headlines at Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Fearing a potential defeat by voters on a crowded November ballot, and saying he wants to see faster reform at the SFMTA, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu announced a compromise with Mayor Gavin Newsom late Tuesday night before casting the swing vote against a Muni charter amendment he had originally co-sponsored with three of his colleagues.

A new coalition launching in the coming weeks is mobilizing groups with deep roots in their communities to take on Proposition 23, a measure on the November ballot that seeks to overturn AB32, California’s landmark greenhouse gas regulation bill.  Communities United Against the Dirty Energy Proposition represents those who suffer the worst effects of greenhouse gases but often have the most trouble being heard.

It may be the middle of summer, but if you're paying attention, it's already election season. With a string of primaries leading into November's main event, voters will consider transportation issues from now through the fall. In some races, like for California governor, it's one of many hot-button topics being debated by the candidates. In others, transportation is right there on the ballot.

Eric Fischer Charts Muni Vehicle Movement for the Month of June (Via Pedestrianist) Supes Muni Reform Measure Defeated as Deal is Reached with Mayor (City Insider) Meantime, Supes Send Real Estate Tax to Voters; Drop Business, Parking Tax (SFBG, The Appeal) Hunter’s Point Redevelopment Plan Approved in 10-1 Vote by Supes (SF Gate) AC Transit … Continued

"We know we don’t have the votes."

When most San Franciscans turn on a faucet, they'll see water that's traveled as far as two hundred miles from Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. But that's not the case for some locally-minded gardeners, for whom careful water stewardship is as important as selecting their crops.

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, the landmark law that set federal standards to make public places universally accessible. Two decades later, the ADA has improved access for millions, but in many places, the spirit of the law seems lost on those who shape the streets.