The New “CityTarget” at Geary and Masonic: Driving Is Encouraged

Do Geary Boulevard and Masonic Avenue need more car traffic? The marketers of the newly-opened “CityTarget” store seem to think so.

The mailers announcing the opening of the supposedly urban-style store (clearly, it’s more like the downtown Metreon store than the suburban, parking-locked store in Serramonte) advertise the fact that it offers free parking — three times, in fact. This comes after Target emphasized to neighbors at community meetings in 2010 that it would encourage “alternative transportation.”

Granted, they did include a picture of a fixed-gear road bicycle with some unsecured stuff placed on its front rack, though it’s unclear if the bike is supposed to be a product or a mode of transport. There’s also a bench with some books and coffee cup on it that could, theoretically, represent a bus stop.

But even if Target doesn’t want to be too explicit about suggesting that its customers take a bike or bus, or provide a visual reminder of what its 650-space parking lot actually looks like in an urban setting, the company makes its message perfectly clear: “CityTarget” has free parking.

H/T Jesse Enlund

Streetsblog SF will be off until Tuesday.