Cast Your Vote for the 2013 SF Streetsies — and Give to Streetsblog!
Ah, 2013, we hardly knew ye. But the year certainly had its memorable moments — a few good transportation improvements here, a few nonsensical and alarming statements from city officials there.
Now is your chance to vote on the best and worst of 2013 with Streetsblog SF’s second annual Streetsie Awards. Polls are open until Friday at midnight. Streetsblog will be taking a break from publishing for the rest of this week. We’ll post the awards round-up next week, and be back to our regular schedule on January 2.
And if you haven’t already, please make a donation to Streetsblog SF and help us cover the movement for more livable San Francisco streets in 2014!
Best Transportation Improvement
- BART's lift on the rush-hour bike bans (27%, 90 Votes)
- Bay Area Bike Share (25%, 83 Votes)
- The Oak Street post-separated bike lane (25%, 83 Votes)
- Muni's new 5L-Fulton Limited service (14%, 45 Votes)
- The pedestrian-friendly redesign of Jefferson Street in Fisherman's Wharf (5%, 15 Votes)
- SF's first painted bulb-outs on Sixth Street (5%, 15 Votes)
Total Voters: 331

Best Quote From a City Official
- SFMTA Director Ed Reiskin: "The most cost effective investment we can make in moving people in our city is in bicycle infrastructure." (41%, 128 Votes)
- Sup. Jane Kim: “We should treat cars, in many ways, like a weapon. It has the same impact." (31%, 96 Votes)
- <a href=http://goo.gl/etLBTvMayor Ed Lee's Transportation Advisor, Gillian Gillett: "Let’s be San Francisco and take down the freeway.” (28%, 85 Votes)
Total Voters: 309

Worst Statement From a City Official
- SFPD Sgt. Richard Ernst parking in a bike lane to blame victims killed on bike, saying it was his "right" to be there. (40%, 123 Votes)
- Oakland's Rachel Flynn on bringing cars back to Latham Square: “We don’t know how to measure pedestrian and bicycle activity.” (20%, 63 Votes)
- SFFD on "allegations from special interest groups": Sidewalk extensions "cannot possibly make our streets, pedestrians and bicyclists safer." (19%, 57 Votes)
- Sup. David Chiu championing the watered-down Polk St. plan: "This moves forward the biking vision for the city." (9%, 28 Votes)
- DA George Gascón sending "a message to cyclists" that "they’re held accountable to the same standard" as drivers. (7%, 23 Votes)
- Sup. Mark Farrell coming out against parking meters: "On this matter, I am very, very sensitive." (5%, 14 Votes)
Total Voters: 308

Most Frustratingly-Delayed Project
- Geary BRT (47%, 140 Votes)
- Better Market Street (37%, 109 Votes)
- <a href=http://sf.streetsblog.org/2013/07/11/van-ness-brt-delayed-2-more-years-after-caltrans-pushes-wider-car-lanes/Van Ness BRT (16%, 49 Votes)
Total Voters: 298

Worst Place to Park Cars
- In bus lanes, bike lanes, and wherever else civil servants feel like (65%, 187 Votes)
- Inside MacArthur BART Station (14%, 41 Votes)
- The Ferry Terminal Plaza (14%, 39 Votes)
- <a href=http://sf.streetsblog.org/2013/11/04/eyes-on-the-street-bike-lane-becomes-golf-fan-parking-at-lake-merced/In the bike lane on John Muir Drive, for driving golf fans (7%, 20 Votes)
Total Voters: 287

NIMBYs of the Year
- Save Polk Street (58%, 173 Votes)
- The Marina boat owners who want to keep cars on a bike/ped path because, as one man said, "marinas on the east coast, where I also live, have adequate parking." (15%, 44 Votes)
- ENUF and the parking warriors who protested the wrong ordinance. (11%, 34 Votes)
- The North Beach merchant leader who wants to stop a community-vetted plan for Columbus Ave. adopted three years ago. (9%, 27 Votes)
- The pro-parking, anti-sidewalk activists on Potrero Avenue (6%, 18 Votes)
Total Voters: 296
