[Carfreeliving] Prop E and pedestrian, transit and bicycle priority.

[Dave Snyder]

You're right, Mike. It's the rate of change. Your estimate earlier -- 
five years versus twenty -- was also about correct.

Jumana asked what it would take to get the Mayor to get behind such a 
plan. Mike asked earlier why I was so upset about the bicycle plan. 
This issue touches on questions.

I had expected to be able to take the bike plan to the Mayor and say, 
"implement this!," but the bike plan -- and the same can be said for 
the TA's 30-year countywide transportation plan -- doesn't tell us 
what is necessary to get the changes done in five years. They are 
both accurate depictions of the status quo. A better bike plan would 
have defined a complete bicycle network, and put a dollar amount on 
it; it would have defined a complete public school bicycle safety 
education program, and put a dollar figure on it; a better 
transportation plan would have had a "visionary option" of reducing 
the total number of car trips by 5% in ten years (which would be a 
larger drop in auto mode share), and put a dollar figure on it. 
Lacking these better plans, if we can get the Mayor to be the leader 
we want him to be on this, the first thing he'll have to do is order 
a plan, to determine how much it would cost, where the money might 
come from, and what the priorities should be to reach that mode shift 
goal and realize the massive concomitant social benefits.

I have been mistaken in assuming that rank-and-file planners have the 
opportunity to present such a vision if they're not asked to do so by 
the political leadership. I do have all the confidence in the world 
that the rank-and-file planners we have in these agencies, the MTA, 
DPT, SFCTA, are capable of producing such plans. It's our job, as 
advocates, to get their bosses to insist on more vision! I appreciate 
your hanging out here, Mike, in this forum, with us advocates, even 
though you have to endure constant haranguing about what you and your 
agency colleagues aren't doing. That's an important 'bridge' role 
you're performing.

Dave



>The thing is that DPT is already doing all of those things on a 
>daily basis.  It's the rate of change that is in question.  Cranking 
>up that rate is not something I see happening without someone 
>selling and taking responsibility for such changes to the people in 
>this city.
>Mike
>
>
>
>Tom Radulovich <tom at livablecity.org>
>Sent by: Carfreeliving-bounces at livablecity.org
>
>06/14/2005 12:36 PM
>To
>Carfree Living <Carfreeliving at livablecity.org>
>cc
>Subject
>[Carfreeliving]         Prop E and pedestrian, transit and bicycle priority.
>
>
>
>
>
>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.
>
>_______________________________________________
>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
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/carfreeliving_livablecity.org/attachments/20050614/d0770c7b/attachment.htm