[Carfreeliving]
Prop E and pedestrian, transit and bicycle priority.
Tom Radulovich
tom at livablecity.org
Tue Jun 14 13:36:08 MDT 2005
I was the MTA section of the city charter today, the language
establishing transit first (and also ped and bike first) is quite
strong. It directs the MTA to manage the Department of Parking and
Traffic to:
* Provide priority to transit services in the utilization of streets,
particularly during commute hours;
* Facilitate the design and operation of City streets to enhance
alternative forms of transit, such as pedestrian, bicycle, and pooled
or group transit (including taxis);
* Propose and implement street and traffic changes that gives the
highest priority to impacts on public transit, pedestrians, commercial
delivery vehicles, and bicycles;
* Integrate modern information and traffic-calming techniques to
promote safer streets and promote usage of public transit; and
* Develop a safe, interconnected bicycle circulation network.
Simply getting MTA to deliver on its charter mandate would be
revolutionary! Newsom takes credit for helping pass Proposition E; we
should convince him to enact its pro-pedestrian, -bicycle, and -transit
provisions.
On Jun 14, 2005, at 10:27 AM, Jumana Nabti wrote:
> Funny, I was thinking of writing a letter to him about just this topic
> after a SPUR talk I went to that both energized and frustrated me. I
> don't know why that idea fizzled I think I even started drafting
> something up..
> but, what would it take to really get him behind it? letters to the
> editor? a letter with signatures? a press conference? personal meetings
> with him? a whole campaign?
>
> jumana
>
>
> --- Dave Snyder <dave at livablecity.org> wrote:
>
>> Both of Jeremy's and Mike's comments are dead correct.
>>
>> And I think your timeline, Mike, is correct. It'll happen anyway in
>> about 20 years, but it could happen in 5 with the right leadership,
>> which we have yet to see. As far as I know, nobody has even asked the
>>
>> Mayor to do this.
>>
>>
>> Dave
>>
>>
>>> I was thinking the same thing about the pit bull thing, about how
>>> people are all in a tizzy about something that almost never happens.
>>
>>> (what's new, eh?) Beyond the emotional reaction of people hearing
>>> of a cute kid getting killed by his own dogs, there has to be
>>> something else. I guess it's the fear that many people have felt at
>>
>>> some point that they could be attacked when around these types of
>>> dogs. But is that much different than the fear that we have all
>>> felt at some point that we could get indiscriminately creamed by a
>>> car or truck while walking or biking? I have 3 family members who
>>> have been struck while walking in SF, one of them instantly killed
>>> in front of his son and daughter-in-law. Surely the vast majority
>>> of people have much more direct experience with a traffic related
>>> injury/death than a dog mauling, or pretty much every other injury
>>> type combined!
>>>
>>> With regards to political leadership, I agree. In so many ways,
>>> everything is in place for someone to champion the issue and make SF
>>
>>> *the* city in North America with the most sustainable transportation
>>
>>> system...we just need a champion. The most obvious person would be
>>> Mayor Newsom, who has demonstrated that he is not afraid to go out
>>> on a limb and take on a controversial/difficult issue. I think he's
>>
>>> the one who could do this, especially since he seems to have decent
>>> relations with the business community who is often afraid of losing
>>> lanes, parking, whatever. Perhaps a supervisor, but with district
>>> elections, they are not in as good as position as the mayor to do
>>> so, who has city-wide accountability.
>>>
>>> I think he should go for it in this term, but if not, then certainly
>>
>>> early in a (presumed) second term...he'd have 4 years to sell the
>>> idea to the city, and direct departments to get moving. With term
>>> limits, he would not have to worry about reelection, but really,
>>> this idea of accelerating the changes to the city transportation
>>> system should be a pretty easy sell and one that I believe would be
>>> evident to all but the most calloused folks, given a decent effort
>>> to frame the issue well. A well thought out effort would put the
>>> city, and thus the person who championed the issue, even more on the
>>
>>> worldwide map.
>>>
>>> I feel very fortunate to have the job I now have, but I'd love to be
>>
>>> part of a focused, city-wide effort to really sell and hammer home
>>> these ideas we basically know will work. We can let these changes
>>> happen over a span of 20+ years, or we can do it in a span of 5
>>> years (with the right approach). We just need a good,
>>> widely-respected sales person with some power, basically (in my
>>> opinion).
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Jeremy Nelson" <jeremy at livablecity.org>
>>>
>>> 06/10/2005 03:12 PM
>>> Please respond to
>>> <jeremy at livablecity.org>
>>>
>>> To
>>> <Mike.Sallaberry at sfgov.org>
>>> cc
>>> "TLC Car Free Living" <Carfreeliving at livablecity.org>
>>> Subject
>>> Traffic Safety "Marshall Plan"
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi Mike-
>>>
>>> Hope you're well. Just wanted to take a moment to respond to your
>> last
>>> post. You wrote: "There's a lot of energy out there to really push
>> the
>>> transportation scene in the right direction, and while I'm all for
>> this or
>>> that department/person getting criticized when criticism is
>> deserved, I feel
>>> sometimes that that energy/focus is misdirected [...] So, it
>> frustrates me
>>> when I hear misguided criticisms pointed our way."
>>>
>>> My earlier post about London's rapid successes in reducing
>> pedestrian and
>>> bicyclist deaths and injuries was mainly critique of San Francisco's
>> lack of
>>> an implementable plan with specific goals and timelines for
>> improving
>>> traffic safety and reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries (ala
>>> London's plan). My main complaint was with the lack of vision and
>> political
>>> to will among elected officials, not with DPT line staff.
>>>
>>> My point was that without any San Francisco elected officials
>> articulating a
>>> vision to develop such a plan and showing the boldness to spend some
>>> political capital to implement it, the safety of our streets (real
>> and
>>> perceived) for non-motorists will improve only marginally, and then
>> only in
>>> an ad hoc, willy-nilly, and incremental fashion. This will be true
>> DESPITE
>>> the best intentions and efforts of talented, hard working
>> transportation
>>> engineers such as yourself and your colleagues at DPT.
>>>
>>> Ultimately, the blame for this lack of vision and leadership lies
>> with City
>>> Hall. Consider: Earlier this week a child was mauled to death by a
>> pit
>>> bull, and while every needless death is a tragedy, you wouldn't know
>> from
>>> the immediate and highly visible reaction from the Mayor's office
>> ("Pit Bill
>>> Task Force"?!) that just ONE person every THREE years dies from a
>> dog attack
>>> in San Francisco (KTVU Channel 2). Contrast: The very same week, a
>> vigil
>>> was held at Main & Harrison to commemorate the THREE people who have
>> been
>>> killed in ONE year at this single intersection.
>>>
>>> Too bad we can't get the same level of political leadership for
>> "preventing
>>> future pedestrian and bicyclist deaths and injuries from collisions
>> with
>>> cars" that we get for "preventing future deaths and injuries from
>> attacks by
>>> dogs". One way a visionary politician could show this kind of
>> leadership is
>>> by spending some political capital to develop a citywide traffic
>>> calming/traffic safety "Marshall Plan" with phased goals for
>> reductions in
>>> pedestrian and bicyclist deaths and a "zero tolerance" goal by 2025.
>>>
>>> Until we have that kind of political leadership, watch out for pit
>> bulls
>>> while crossing the street. Best-Jeremy
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Carfreeliving-request at livablecity.org
>>> [mailto:Carfreeliving-request at livablecity.org]
>>> Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 11:01 AM
>>> To: Carfreeliving at livablecity.org
>>> Subject: Carfreeliving Digest, Vol 5, Issue 6
>>>
>>>
>>> Send Carfreeliving mailing list submissions to
>>> Carfreeliving at livablecity.org
>>>
>>> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>>>
>>
>> http://livablecity.org/mailman/listinfo/carfreeliving_livablecity.org
>>> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>>> Carfreeliving-request at livablecity.org
>>>
>>> You can reach the person managing the list at
>>> Carfreeliving-owner at livablecity.org
>>>
>>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>>> than "Re: Contents of Carfreeliving digest..."
>>>
>>>
>>> Today's Topics:
>>>
>>> 1. sf weekly article (Mike Sallaberry)
>>>
>>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 1
>>> Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 10:51:32 -0700
>>> From: Mike Sallaberry <Mike.Sallaberry at sfgov.org>
>>> Subject: [Carfreeliving] sf weekly article
>>> To: "Carfree Living" <carfreeliving at livablecity.org>
>>> Message-ID:
>>>
>>
>> <OF52D09F3A.0489F149-ON8825701C.00608FEA-8825701C.0062385F at sfgov.org>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>>>
>>> http://www.sfweekly.com/issues/2005-06-08/news/smith.html
>>>
>>> Lately, I've had a feeling in my gut that we are indeed at a tipping
>> point
>>> when it comes to getting bikes mainstream in SF. There seems to be
>> so
>>> much going on in a number of different but inter-connected arenas
>> these
>>> days, all pointed to one or both goals of getting people out of
>> their cars
>>> and onto bikes. Pretty exciting! I hope we will continue to add to
>> this
>>> momentum...
>>>
>>> And in a related note, I was recently thinking how my last few
>> postings
>>> have been, shall we say, buzz-killers. My goal was not to squash
>>> enthusiasm or pour water on any well meant fires, but to promote
>>> accuracy...perhaps to a fault. There's a lot of energy out there to
>>> really push the transportation scene in the right direction, and
>> while I'm
>>> all for this or that department/person getting criticized when
>> criticism
>>> is deserved, I feel sometimes that that energy/focus is misdirected.
>>>
>>> Given the history of transportation engineering in the US, I can
>>> understand how people may still think DPT is the "bad guy" but I
>> work here
>>> everyday and hear and see all the discussions and efforts to make
>> this
>>> city's travelways work, and I'm actually really impressed by the
>> level of
>>> mature and well-meaning efforts we make to make the travelways in SF
>> work
>>> for everyone. So, it frustrates me when I hear misguided criticisms
>>> pointed our way. Like I said, if we deserve criticism, we deserve
>> it, but
>>> when we don't, I'm not going to just sit there and take it.
>>>
>>> Having said all that, I know it's hard for folks to know all the
>> details
>>> of what every department does. I do appreciate all the energy and
>> well
>>> meaning efforts that people contribute to making this city more
>> livable,
>>> and really, without those efforts, it would be so much more
>> difficult, if
>>> not impossible, to get these positive changes in. So, thanks for
>> all your
>>> efforts, and let's keep this train a rollin!
>>>
>>> Mike
>>>
>>> Michael Sallaberry, P.E.
>>> Associate Transportation Engineer
>>> San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic
>>> 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 345
>>> San Francisco, CA 94102
>>> (415) 554 2351
>>> (415) 554 2352 (fax)
>>> Bicycle Hotline (415) 585-BIKE
>>> http://www.bicycle.sfgov.org
>>> -------------- next part --------------
>>> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
>>> URL:
>>
>> /pipermail/carfreeliving_livablecity.org/attachments/20050610/
>> b87e527e/attac
>>> hment-0001.htm
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Carfreeliving mailing list
>>> Carfreeliving at livablecity.org
>>
>> http://livablecity.org/mailman/listinfo/carfreeliving_livablecity.org
>>>
>>>
>>> End of Carfreeliving Digest, Vol 5, Issue 6
>>> *******************************************
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Carfreeliving at livablecity.org mailing list
>>> to facilitate and promote car-free living in SF
>>> To unsubscribe:
>>> mailto:Carfreeliving-request at livablecity.org?subject=unsubscribe
>>> or, for all options, go to:
>>
>> http://livablecity.org/mailman/listinfo/carfreeliving_livablecity.org
>>> _______________________________________________
>> Carfreeliving at livablecity.org mailing list
>> to facilitate and promote car-free living in SF
>> To unsubscribe:
>> mailto:Carfreeliving-request at livablecity.org?subject=unsubscribe
>> or, for all options, go to:
>> http://livablecity.org/mailman/listinfo/carfreeliving_livablecity.org
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Carfreeliving at livablecity.org mailing list
> to facilitate and promote car-free living in SF
> To unsubscribe:
> mailto:Carfreeliving-request at livablecity.org?subject=unsubscribe
> or, for all options, go to:
> http://livablecity.org/mailman/listinfo/carfreeliving_livablecity.org
>
>
More information about the Carfreeliving
mailing list