Alemany protected bike lanes OPEN! Pedestrian Improvement in 2022!

COMMUNITY TO CELEBRATE NEW ALEMANY MAZE BIKEWAY 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—On Sunday, February 28, District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, community members, and state and local transportation agency representatives will gather to celebrate the installation of protected bike lanes along Alemany Boulevard and San Bruno Avenue at the US 101/I-280 interchange. The Alemany Interchange Bike Lanes Project includes new crosswalk striping, protected bike lanes, green painted bike left-turn boxes, and a lane reduction on Alemany Boulevard, making it safer and easier for people to bike and walk between the Portola and Bernal neighborhoods. 

These improvements were suggested by area residents from the Portola Neighborhood Association and later planned through the Alemany Interchange Improvements Study, a community-based effort funded by Caltrans and the SFCTA, which led the study.  The Phase 1 project was delivered by the SFMTA in partnership with Caltrans and SF Public Works. Funding for the project was provided by San Francisco’s half-cent sales tax for transportation.  

This celebration will mark the completion of the first phase of the Alemany Interchange Bike Lanes Project. The second phase of improvements, which includes a multi-use path and new signalized crossing of Alemany Boulevard near the Farmers Market, is scheduled for completion later this year.

What: Alemany Maze Bikeway Celebration and Bike Tour

Who: District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, Portola Neighborhood Association, SF Bicycle Coalition, SFMTA Director Jeff Tumlin, SFCTA Director Tilly Chang, Caltrans 

When: Sunday, February 28th, 2021 at 11:15 a.m. 

Where: Meet at Alemany Farmers Market Entrance at 11:00 a.m. Brief remarks will begin at 11:15 a.m. This will be followed by a community bike ride to the Lunar New Year Celebration hosted by the Portola Neighborhood Association at 2675 San Bruno Ave. 

COVID Precautions: Please remember your mask and maintain distance with others at this event.

For More Information Contact: Paige Miller paige.miller@sfcta.org or 415-930-3132 

Palou Ave Streetscape project gets approval, on-street car storage getstighter

http://www.sfexaminer.com/bayview-nets-major-traffic-safety-changes-time-new-development/

SFMTA and SFPW have been holding neighborhood meetings for Palou for some years now. I have gone to many of them, and there have always been conflicts between people who store their cars on the road and those who want more infrastructure for biking, walking, and transit. I’m afraid neither agency really met people - especially those who drive - where they are. Staff stood up strongly in support of cyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, and newer residents while the existing community who predominantly drive mostly stood up by itself. Unfortunately, the reason that many in the community don’t believe or trust staff is that they don’t feel like they’re represented and that staff only want to listen to their modeling and needs for new users.

Angled Parking

A complaint that came to staff a few years ago was that removing angled parking at Newhall was a bad idea. Staff pushed back, but as is everyone’s right, some folks wouldn’t take no for an answer and collected 500 signatures to keep it. I’m not sure those eight angled parking stalls benefit 500 people, but good for neighbors getting so many signatures. In the end, there is really only one new location that could be converted to angled parking and that's at Palou and Dunshee. At Newhall, where angled parking exists now, the complaint was that it would be taken away to make room for a bus bulb. Fair enough. Maybe at Dunshee we could consider back-in angled parking (as it’s generally safer) to replace the angled parking lost at Newhall. All other locations on Palou have driveway curb cuts, and so angled parking probably wouldn't work (or at least wouldn’t add capacity). Near Crisp, cars are already parked perpendicular, so this area’s parking is maximized.

Multi-car households need on-street parking (but will more condos necesarrily make this worse?)

Cars parked on the sidewalk in Bayview

Yes, five (and more) car households are a reality, and while everyone deserves to have an independent way of getting around, the reality is that dense urban living doesn't lend itself well to each household having so many vehicles. Something that people may not realize however is that new condo residents would not have that many vehicles, if any at all. These new condos will have space on-site for 0.5 cars per home, which to someone who has 2-5 cars may seem ridiculous, but to those buying the condos is probably just right (otherwise they wouldn’t be buying them). This speaks volumes to the inherent lack of understanding on both sides of the people who are already here and those who are coming and how their needs should be addressed. At the end of the day, I’m not sure that a slight decrease in on-street parking capacity will change things much. New residents, even in old neighborhoods, will likely have fewer cars and be more likely to take transit than existing residents, so for those who remain and have their five vehicles, new residents should lead to more parking on its own. This all said, why aren’t we looking at underutilized off-street sites that might work as overflow parking lots. Probably because people insist on parking as close to their houses as possible, even if that means parking their five cars keep their neighbor from finding a space for their one car. People become extremely selfish when parking is involved - we’ve all heard people talk about “their parking space” in front of their house, for instance.

Improving Transit to relieve our parking woes

Improving all public modes of transportation, including transit and bike for those who can use them, should slowly lead to people reducing their reliance on cars, but it’s going to take years to notice any reduction in vehicle ownership in the Bayview. That said, for those for whom owning/driving/parking a private vehicle is the only solution, improvements to transit/bike means fewer cars on the road and more space to park your vehicle. But it’s “chicken and egg” as far as I see it - transit in Bayview is not perceived as reliable and realistically won’t be until there are more people who use it regularly and discover that it works well. In the meantime, most people won’t give up using their cars and won’t start taking transit until such time as transit is reliable. The Palou project is supposed to improve transit, but until it is shown to (or more importantly, perception about its reliability improves), car ownership rates won’t budge. Sadly, the reality is that people don’t trust SFMTA to deliver improvements.

Culture and geography leads to more cars

We all know that our culture encourages people to own car. A car not only means convenience and the freedom to go where you want when you want, but a car can also show status - a bus or bike simply can’t (though some of my biking friends would disagree on the latter). I happen to live in a one-car household and so I ride my bike most places (over 17000 miles in the last three years!). It works for me and my personality, but my husband has tried and it’s simply not for him. For him, it’s more about the convenience and freedom (and not arriving at work a little sweaty). For me, riding my bike is also about freedom (from traffic) and the convenience of always finding parking at my destination. For shorter distances, it’s generally faster on my bike, too. I don’t expect everyone to ride a bike or take transit, but for those who don’t/can’t, realize that me riding my bike means there’s one less car competing for that parking space you need.

Our geography in the Bayview (and Visitacion Valley, Portola, Excelsior, and all points far from the center of the city) leads to greater car ownership if people want to reliably get to their jobs. Hills don’t climb themselves, and the Bayview has lots of them that for most people, riding a bike is just too much. Our here, having a car is seen as necessary for a lot of reasons, and no matter how much you improve transit, it’s going to take a long time for that necessity to abate.


At the end of the day, the streetscape will be improved much as SFMTA and Public Works wants. Car owners will jostle for space but will be asked to do so with less.

Bay Area Bike Share comes to Bayview and Portola

Bay Area Bike share came out to the Bayview this week to get suggestions from the public as to where we thought bike share stations should be located.

If you're interested in making a suggestion, please look at the enclosed map. Blue boxes represent areas where there will be a Bike Share station. The box areas are sized such that no station will be more than a five-minute walk from the next station, and are located such that they are all connected with no "islands".

Yellow markers on the map are placed at locations at which they have determined a station could be located. We were asked tonight to weigh in on those yellow marker locations and if possible, suggest alternatives.

Flags were placed on the map by attendees tonight - green flags represent locations that got an up-vote, red flags a down-vote. After studying the map, please send suggestions to expansion@bayareabikeshare.com or submit comments at http://suggest.bayareabikeshare.com/ Stations will hold between 15-19 bikes and will take up 50-60' of curb space. They have attempted to minimize removal of parking. For instance, stations in the Portola would likely not be placed on San Bruno Ave.

The bikes themselves are heavy, distinctive, and are made with proprietary parts, meaning they won't often get stripped of parts because parts can't be sold so as to be used on retail bikes. The bikes don't have a basket, so taking the grocery shopping would be tough, but they do have a funky spot up front to put a bag if your load is light. They have a headlight and taillight that activate when the bike moves. They are only one gear, so you'll likely only see them on the flat-ish bike network.

The goal of putting bikes in the Southeast is for riders to commute on them, either entire trips or to BART, and to make short recreational trips.

SF 2024 Olympics could be AWESOME!

Photo: Flavin, Kevin (US - San Francisco/SF Bid Committee)

For those who believe as Chris Daly does that a 2024 Olympics in San Francisco would be ruinous for San Francisco, I suggest they travel to London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to see what the 2012 Olympics has done and is continuing to do to a part of that city that was very much like ours. Only by visiting it can you really understand how amazingly rejuvenating this kind of project can be for a neighborhood. The operative word here, of course, is "can". It can also be a disaster, but if done properly, it can be freaking awesome! In London, the surrounding older community is not negatively impacted - in fact it seems to be coming up and into its own with shops and restaurants being opened up by people already living there. The new community is full of open spaces, new affordable housing, and fantastic transit connecting the old and the new with the city center.

In San Francisco, plans are already in the works for housing, transit, and other expensive infrastructure in the Southeast part of the city. It is mindbogglingly shortsighted of "progressives" like Daly to want to stop this kind of project that will do nothing short of accelerate and fund construction of these projects, getting people who need housing into it faster, and getting them where they're going faster. During Daly's disastrous tenure on our city's Board of Supervisors, he did nothing but stymie real progress in this city. Now as a suburbanite, he wants to continue his record of stagnation.

This is not the America's Cup. This is not building housing only for the rich or the gentry. This is about getting low-income and working-class people into homes in the Southeast and improving transit and infrastructure for all, and using a catalyst like the Olympics to do it within our lifetime.

We should know this Thursday if San Francisco has been chosen as the USA's Olympic bid city. More on the Olympics bid at SFGate.

WINTER WONDERLAND

Bayview Opera House Presents:
WINTER WONDERLAND
3rd Annual Event

FREE ADMISSION
ICE SKATING for KIDS $1 (includes skates rental)
SANTA'S VILLAGE
REAL SNOW
FOOD AND CRAFT MARKET
LIVE MUSIC

Winter Wonderland takes place at Mendell Plaza and Oakdale & 3rd Street in San Francisco. The event is wheelchair/ADA accessible.
Street Parking or MUNI T-3rd Palou Ave, Buses 24, 23, 44, 54.

Winter Wonderland gives families and community members a way to gather and celebrate the winter holidays. Like last year, there will be real snow and an ice skating rink. The Holiday Market offers local food choices at reasonable prices as well as gift/craft vendors. Santa will arrive with a motorcade courtesy of the Bayview Police Station.

Children can participate in arts activities, complete an arts passport, visit Santa and receive a filled stocking.

The event is modeled after German holiday markets, featuring hot spiced wine, sausages and other holiday favorites from abroad and from Bayview.

This event is funded by the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development's Invest in Neighborhods program, the San Francisco Arts Commission's 3rd on Third event series, Grants for the Arts, the Neighborhood Arts Collaborative, and Supervisor Malia Cohen's Office. BMagic, 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic, Bayview Underground Food Scene, the SF Police Department, the SF Department of Public Works, the Community Ambassadors, Bayview Merchants Association and the SF Recreation and Parks Department are our valued event partners.

Please inquire with info.bvoh@bvoh.org how you can become a commercial event sponsor and the benefits we offer.

Special Event Sponsors:
AECOM Parsons JV
Brown and Caldwell in partnership with CH2M Hill and Black and Veatch
MWH/URS JV
MyTeamSF

Quint Street Construction Projects Target Local and Disadvantaged Contractors and Workforce Training Organizations

First of two outreach meetings features construction site tour

San Francisco County Transportation Authority, Caltrain and the San Francisco Department of Public Works will be holding a Contractor and Workforce Training Organization Workshop

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

4p.m.-6p.m.

Southeast Community Facility

1800 Oakdale Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94124

(note: this is not an event for job seekers)

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), in collaboration with Caltrain and the San Francisco Department of Public Works, will hold a community workshop on two upcoming Quint Street projects in the Bayview neighborhood. The three agencies hope to attract construction contractors and workforce training organizations for the projects, which are scheduled to begin construction in 2015.

The upcoming workshop, scheduled for Tuesday, September 30 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Southeast Community Facility (1800 Oakdale Avenue), is the first of two informational workshops about the potential contractor and workforce opportunities associated with the projects.
"As a member of the Caltrain and San Francisco County Transportation Authority boards, I am working to ensure that the Southeastern Neighborhoods and all San Francisco will gain the most benefit from the Quint-Jerrold bridge replacement project, including the creation of jobs and boosting our local economy thorough our investments in transportation infrastructure,” said Malia Cohen, District 10 Supervisor. “I commend these agencies for convening early outreach community meetings to maximize participation by our local contractors and workforce training providers."

The Quint Street Bridge Replacement Project will be constructed first and involves replacing the Quint Street Bridge with a berm and retaining wall to facilitate a potential new Oakdale Caltrain Station.

The Quint-Jerrold Connector Road Project construction will follow, creating a new road linking Quint Street just north of Oakdale Avenue to Jerrold Avenue along the west side of the Caltrain tracks.

A tour of the project site will take place immediately following the workshop. For more information about the Quint Street projects, visit www.sfcta.org/quint.

About the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (www.sfcta.org)
Created in 1989, the SFCTA is responsible for long-range transportation planning for the city, and it analyzes, designs and funds improvements for San Francisco’s roadway and public transportation networks. The SFCTA administers and oversees the delivery of the Prop K half-cent local transportation sales tax program, serves as the designated Congestion Management Agency (CMA) for San Francisco, under state law, and acts as the San Francisco Program Manager for grants from the Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA). The SFCTA administers the countywide vehicle registration fee and is the Treasure Island Mobility Management Agency. 

The SFCTA Board consists of the eleven members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, who act as SFCTA Commissioners. Commissioner John Avalos is Chairman of the Board, and Tilly Chang is the SFCTA’s Executive Director.

5th Annual Superhero Street Fair

Saturday, September 27
Islais Creek
1700 Indiana St (south of Cesar Chavez)
1:00 - 11PM

The SuperHero Street Fair was created to recognize individuals and organizations throughout San Francisco and the Bayview Community for their outstanding contribution to the arts and/or community action. San Francisco is home to many visual artists, music performers and community activists. These people call Bayview and the Bay Area home, either working or living here. We wish to provide a platform to showcase the achievements of these people and enjoy a day of celebration and community. There are art exhibits, live theater and poetry, live and electronic music, food, and an awards ceremony recognizing specific individuals and organizations for their contribution. Ceremonies include the Mayoral proclamation of "SuperHero Day" in San Francisco.

A portion of the proceeds benefit local organizations for their outstanding achievement. The organizers of this event also assist in cleaning up the area, a spot often neglected but deserving of attention. The organizers are from this neighborhood, having lived here for over 15 years, and WE LIKE IT! Bayview has been improving over time with the assistance of the city, private and public organizations, and individuals.

We hope you can come by and enjoy the festivities. To infinity and beyond ...

BRITE General Meeting

BRITE will be hosting Supervisor Malia Cohen at their General Meeting
September 27
10:00 am
Bayview Library
5075 3rd St

They will be continuing the dialogue regarding crime and gun violence abatement; security camera presentation; Meals on Wheels outreach and more.

Jerrold Ave center turn lane

A few weeks ago SFMTA installed an ill-conceived new center turn lane on Jerrold between Quint and Phelps that is dangerous for drivers, pedestrians, and especially cyclists.

I received a call yesterday from Liveable Streets project manager Philip Louie to discuss it, and he left me even more displeased than I had been before.

Basically SFPUC had requested the new striping, in his words, to help their workers walk (jay-walk) across the street more safely by giving them a refuge area in the middle of the street. Wouldn't a midblock crosswalk have been a better option if trying to address pedestrian safety? Since when is a bidirectional center turn lane an approved pedestrian refuge? Since it has gone in, I've seen all manner of vehicle using the center lane as a travel lane because they're now pushed too close to the parked cars at be curb to drive through there safely. Check out the video I recorded the other day of a truck making a turn from Quint onto Jerrold and then never leaving the new center turn lane. Note the SFPUC workers standing in the narrowed travel lane and the empty angled parking on the north side of the street taking up space that could have been recovered and used for a bike lane.

He admitted the design was probably not the best, but my guess is that this is what SFPUC had designed and wanted, and SFMTA did no work to look at alternatives and just did what SFPUC proposed because it was cheap and easy.

Their idea of neighborhood notification was to put up small signage on a few light poles in the area, a technique that is useless if trying to engage motorists or cyclists and may as well not even be there. The project was brought before the SFMTA board, but because no one knew about it, it passed. It never showed up on MyStreetsSF or on Envista, so there was no way for anyone to find out about this unless they were walking through the area while the signs were up.

His attitude was that because traffic counts were so low on Jerrold, it really didn't matter that it's not the best design. I'll admit, I blew my stack at this because it speaks to the way we get shafted time and again like this from one city agency to the next. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but this was blatantly a "they should be happy we're doing anything for them" kind of attitude.

They're unlikely to change it unless they get negative feedback from users. For the record, my proposal to calm traffic speeds is to remove the underutilized angled parking on the north side, and install bike lanes to act as a buffer between parked cars and traffic, and a mid-block crosswalk for SFPUC workers to cross the road more safely.

I have asked Mr. Louie to send me the following information:
- when the SFMTA board heard and approved this
- where funds came from to do the work
- how much it cost
- what alternatives were looked at
- where this design originated (ie. was this what SFPUC asked for)
- when the follow-up traffic speed study will be done
- whether site-specific jobs like this are required to be posted on Envista or MyStreetSF
- data on traffic speeds and counts and dates and times measurements were taken,
- along with what MTA considers low volume.

If you're also not happy about the outcome or the lack of outreach to the community, I encourage you to contact Mr Louie by email at Philip.Louie@sfmta.com and cc his boss, Ed Reiskin at Ed.Reiskin@sfmta.com and let them know.

Free Dental Exams for Children

Join UCSF at the 7th Annual Southeast Community Facility Health Fair

Saturday October 4th
10:00AM – 2:00PM
1800 Oakdale Avenue

FREE UCSF PEDIATRIC DENTAL SCREENING & HEALTH EDUCATION

·        Free oral screenings and applications of fluoride varnish for children (with parental/guardian consent)
·        Free Dental education
·        Provide a positive early experience for children with the use of fun games in a friendly setting.
·        Referrals to our clinic at 707 Parnassus - where all public dental insurance is accepted, such as Denti-Cal and Healthy Families.
·        Free giveaways!

BUFS Guest Chef Event

Dine out for a good cause!

Sunday September 28th
6pm-9pm
4800 Third St.

Guest Chef series featurs world renowned Chef David Lawrence of 1300 on Fillmore! Each dinner purchased will benefit San Francisco's Community Youth Center (CYC). Tickets are tax deductible.

Prix fixe Menu with Wine Pairing $100.00 (+$6.49 fee)

Prix fixe Menu without Wine Pairing $75.00  (+$5.12 fee)

Meet and Eat! Mingle with your fellow foodies, the B.U.F.S team and local restaurateurs. The SOULFUL 3-Course Prix fixe menu will have a mixture of classic and exclusive "1300" dishes. There will also be live entertainment and wine pairing provided by Bayview's own Gratta Winery!

MENU

Grilled Crimson Pear Salad, Humboldt fog Goat Cheese Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Spiced Pecans

 Or

Barbecue Shrimp “N” Creamy Grits

Entrees

Black Skillet Roasted Catfish, Andouille Sausage & Shrimp Jambalaya Cornbread Panzanella Salad

Or

Grilled Ribeye Steak, Local Yellow Wax and Sugar Snap Peas, Sauce Beurre Rouge

Dessert

Apple Cobbler Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

About CYC:
Founded in 1970, the mission of Community Youth Center of San Francisco (CYC) is “to empower and strengthen high-need youth and their families by providing comprehensive youth development through education, employment training, advocacy, and other support services.”

About BUFS:
The Bayview Underground Food Scene produces, promotes and advocates curated, fun food and beverage activities in San Francisco's Bayview district as a community building strategy. BUFS was conceived in 2012 and has since hosted several events.  BUFS has hosted several events including the Bayview Underground Community Market, a bi-weekly pop-up market that features local micro businesses and fosters community engagement and support of locally 'grown' services, products and food.

About Andrea Baker Consulting:
Andrea engages community stakeholders, facilitating visioning and planning discussions throughout various phases of business and community development. She develops and implements neighborhood revitalization, economic development, and business strategies that encourage and build dynamic and vibrant commercial corridors in emerging neighborhoods. Moreover, she is particularly adept at identifying innovative and unique business concepts and operators to comprise the programming of mixed-use ground floor commercial spaces.

SFUSD Upending Student Assignment Rules at Brown

You may have heard in the news today that at tonight's SFUSD Board meeting, there will be a fast-tracked vote on the Superintendent's proposal to revise the student assignment policy regarding Willie Brown Middle School. The School Board meeting will be held tonight at 6PM in the 

IRVING G. BREYER BOARD MEETING ROOM

555 FRANKLIN STREET, FIRST FLOOR

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94102

According to the Chronicle, 

In a last-minute scramble, the superintendent and school board are hoping to lure families with a valuable incentive: first dibs at any city high school if they attend Willie Brown for the three years of middle school.

According to the agenda for tonight's meeting, the new student assignment policy gives priority to students applying to Brown in the following order:

1. younger siblings of students who are enrolled in and will be attending the school during the year for which the younger sibling requests attendance;

2. students attending 5th grade at one of the following four elementary schools: Dr. George

Washington Carver, Dr. Charles Drew, Bret Harte, Malcolm X Academy (Bayview preference);

3. students who reside in 94124 (94124 preference);

4. students who reside in CTlPl census tracts;

5. students attending 5th grade at one ofthe following four elementary schools: Gordon J. Lau, Miraloma, George R. Moscone, Edward R. Taylor (Brown preference)

6. all other students.

In addition to modifying the order of priorities for students applying to Brown, we believe that modifying the student assignment policy to create a high school priority for students who attend 6th, 7th, and 8th grade at Brown middle school will help Brown attract a robust and diverse student body.

Therefore the revisions outlined on page 12 ofthe attached student assignment policy (PSI 01) modifY the high school choice process to give preference to applicants in transitional years in the following order:

1. younger siblings ofstudents who are enrolled in and will be attending the school during the year for which the younger sibling requests attendance;

2. students graduating fi'om Willie L. Brown, Jr. Middle School (Brown) who were enrolled in and

attended Brown in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade;

3. CTIPl, with a minimum of 20% ofseats reserved at each high school for students who live in

CTIP1 census tracts;

4. all other students

This new tiebreaker would become effective in the 2018-19 school year when Brown's first cohort of students graduate from middle school and apply to high school.

Water Works

A free fun-filled afternoon of hands-on activities and workshops
Attend to win one of two Toto low-flow toilets worth $250 each!

Saturday, Sept 20

Southeast Treatment Plant

Jerrold Ave at Phelps St

10AM - 2PM

Palou Ave Streetscape Improvement Project

Please check the http://www.sfdpw.org/index.aspx?page=1722 site for updates, project cost, etc, and especially look at their Barneveld to Crisp presentation and their Barneveld to 3rd presentation for details on their proposals. Contact Frank Filice with comments.

Some results from their first meeting, which focused on Palou Ave between Barneveld and 3rd St, include:

Bike Lanes on Oakdale and parking impacts between 3rd and Lane

• If you have a bike lane you lose parking
• If you have a sharrow you don’t lose parking

Other adjacent projects:

• PGE utility replace project Palou to Evans in 2015

Newhall to 3rd (1600 block) - How to make more functional and help with queuing buses and vehicles
Opportunity at Community Garden and Phelps Mini Park
Greening Opportunities to break up the pavement
Pedestrian Safety

• Improve visibility at intersections for cars and pedestrians
• Improve the function of the 5 way at Quint/Silver intersection for drivers and pedestrians?

At the second DPW/SFMTA meeting regarding the Palou Ave streetscape improvements, bikes, pollution, vacant SFUSD and SFWater lots the 1300 block of Palou, trees and streetscape, re-routing  the 23 bus, and pedestrian safety improvements (crossings and bulbouts) were all hot topics.

This meeting focused on Palou Ave east of 3rd St only, but they welcomed comments regarding the entire stretch.

Re bikes, SFMTA wanted input on eliminating the sharrows on Palou (west of 3rd) and directing all bike traffic onto the Oakdale Ave bike lanes. At Lane, east of 3rd, it would travel two blocks south via sharrows, then continue with bike lanes on Quesada to Crisp to eliminate bus/bike conflict.  This is not part of the current scope, so it wasn't clear where funding would come from. Quesada is also not currently part of the bike plan, so further SFMTA study would have to be undertaken to put it in there.

The Palou roadway under consideration for this change is currently 18' in each direction. A comfortable vehicle lane is 12' and a bike lane is a minimum of 4'. Looking at vehicle demand vs capacity, we were told a single 12' vehicle lane on Palou would be enough to handle traffic for the next 20 years (DPW will check demand projections). To some of us, it seemed to make sense not to move bikes over to Oakdale and Quesada, but instead to do a 6' buffered bike lane all the way along Palou and a single 12' vehicle lane that would calm traffic and give the desired separation of bikes from cars and buses, thus eliminating conflict. To keep the lanes vehicle only and 18' wide means we continue to have either a 1½ lane width street or one lane here, two lanes there.  Thoughts? See their website for some images to illustrate.

In the future (20-25 years), as bus demand increases due to the shipyard development, they're talking about narrowing 15' sidewalks to 12' and putting in dedicated bus lanes on Palou (for reference, think of the red painted lanes on Church St). It seems to me this would be an appropriate time to remove bike lanes from Palou and move them over to Quesada.

Re pollution, there was concern about diesel truck traffic during the construction phase, but it seems it would only take a few months to do the actual work and air quality monitoring would be done during the work.

Pedestrian safety included "thumbnails" - 4-6' wide curbed oval spaces that force drivers to better notice intersections, corner bulbouts that narrow roadways at intersections, improved markings and lighting.

As for trees and streetscape, the desire is for a more treelined street, but concern was raised over maintenance.

All seemed happy with the reroute of the 23 bus so that it no longer had to make that funky loop down Phelps to Jerrold to Toland to Oakdale.  Instead, it would travel on Palou to Selby, then to Oakdale, bypassing the Produce Market. This fits in with the Produce Market's redesign plan in which they will be closing off to traffic on Jerrold between Rankin and Toland and re routing traffic flow to Innes and Kirkwood around the market.

As for the vacant lots in the 1300 block of Palou, DPW said they'd contact SFUSD to see about incorporate their work into a possible development of their unused property into a community garden for nearby schools.

For more information or to register your opinions, please don't hesitate to check the materials from both meetings on the http://www.sfdpw.org/index.aspx?page=1722 site and send questions and comments to project manager Frank Filice at frank.filice@sfpdw.org

The next meeting will likely be in early 2015 and will focus on the conceptual designs that have been influenced by comments from the community, so be sure to speak up now!

Coastal Clean-Up

Visit Parks Conservancy to register

SAN FRANCISCO—EAST 
We need more people here! Nearly 80% of the trash we collect in San Francisco comes from the East side. Contact: Aquarium of the Bay, (415) 262-4725

• Agua Vista Park—Register >>
  Site Captain: San Francisco Port
• Candlestick Point/Yosemite Slough North—Register >> (Need more help here!)
  Site Captain: Literacy for Environmental Justice
• Candlestick Point/Yosemite Slough South—Register >>
  Site Captain: Literacy for Environmental Justice
• Candlestick Point/Executive Park—FULL
  Site Captain: The Fairmont Hotel
• Heron’s Head Park—Register >> (Need more help here!)
  Site Captain:SF Rec & Park - Greenagers
• India Basin Open Space—Register >>
  Site Captain: Baykeeper
• Islais Creek—Register >>
  Site Captain: Schools of the Sacred Heart and Kayaks Unlimited
• Mission Bay/Bay Front Park—Register >> (Need more help here!)
  Site Captain: Sea Scavenger and The Hilton Hotel
• Pier 94—Register >> (Need more help here!)
  Site Captain: Golden Gate Audubon Society
• Warm Water Cove—Register >>
  Site Captain: Green Trust San Francisco

SF State University wants to expand at Hunters Point

From SF Business Times,

San Francisco State University seeks to lease more than 60,000 square feet of space in the former Hunters Point shipyard as part of an innovation district that Lennar Urban is planning for the site.

More at SF Business Times

h/t S. Guerrero

Butchertown Gourmet

From Tablehopper,

More exciting news coming out of Bayview: Xan deVoss of Fox and Lion Bread and Barbara Gratta of Gratta Wines are joining forces to open ~BUTCHERTOWN GOURMET~. It’s going to be a micro marketplace, with a bread bakery and wine bar (each running under their own name), plus a shared grab-and-go case with sandwiches, basic grocery items, and some items to pair with bread and wine. There’s also talk of some pizza nights.

Read more at Tablehopper

When they open this Fall, you'll them at 5273 3^rd Street at Williams Ave in the Bayview.

h/t E. Shaddix

Geneva-Harney BRT Feasibility Study CAC meeting

The next meeting of the GHCAC will take place:

Thursday, August 21
6:00pm to 8:00pm
Community Meeting Room
Visitacion Valley Public Library
201 Leland Ave, San Francisco, CA.

The agenda for this meeting should be posted in the next few days.

For information on the study, visit SFCTA.

The Geneva-Harney Bus Rapid Transit line is a proposed service envisioned to provide existing and future neighborhoods along the San Mateo-San Francisco County border with a bus connection to the border area’s key regional transit system hubs. The corridor extends from Balboa Park BART/Muni Station in the west to Hunters Point Shipyard in the east, including a connection to the Bayshore Caltrain Station. The study conducts conceptual feasibility planning and design work and initiates a cross-jurisdictional, community consensus-building process to prepare the bus project for implementation.

Foghorn Bayview

From Tablehopper,

Bayview continues to percolate with new projects, and come this winter, ~FOGHORN BAYVIEW~ will be sounding its horn. The project is from Eric Nyeste (Proof Grainworks), who some may recognize from the Bayview Underground Food Scene, and his friend and architect, Josh Wallace (Mock/Wallace Architects).   

The duo envision a neighborhood place that is going to offer breakfast and lunch, one that is primarily “high-quality Southern” in feel. 

Read more at Tablehopper and check out Foghorn Bayview's Facebook page for updates on their new space at 4608 Third St.

h/t E. Shaddix

Gun violence, bickering, and finger-pointing continues in Bayview

From SF Examiner,

"When an area like the Bayview is suffering the absence of permanent solutions to its most vexing problems, another task force could be seen as just another diversion," said Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi.

In response, Supervisor Cohen wrote an op-ed in Sunday's SF Examiner, writing,

The proposed task force will bring a more collaborative and transparent effort to address the causes of these acts and help put an end to cyclical gun violence. Concertedly, this task force will coordinate regular community programs and work to identify at-risk youths, who can eventually end up as perpetrators of these acts.

Supervisor Cohen continues,

The very day The San Francisco Examiner story came out [“Cohen’s gun task force questioned,” Aug. 7], my opponents issued a press release calling for their own Stop The Violence in The Bayview photo opportunity. 

Their flagrant and insincere use of tragedy in the Bayview for their own political gain is exacerbating the problems rather than working with me, the mayor, Police Chief Greg Suhr and others to create and implement real solutions.

An interesting use of words, referring to those who called for their own Stop the Violence in the Bayview event her "opponents".  That event, mentioned here in the Examiner, was organized by SEIU Local 1021.  Sure, it was organized and promoted by people who have in the past and are currently seeking the job of District 10 Supervisor, but this is the only way in which these people are Supervisor Cohen's "opponents".  Her colleague, Supervisor David Campos, certainly not a political opponent of hers, spoke at this event, but so did Bayview Police Captain Robert O'Sullivan, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi,  and her own aide Mawuli Tugbenyoh.  While some of these people may have different approaches to the problem, where the problem is concerned, none of us should look upon someone who's trying to solve the problem as an opponent - we're all in this together and as such, need to work together to find solutions.   Thus, in referring to them as "opponents" in the Examiner, Supervisor Cohen has herself turned these shootings and the problem of gun violence into a political game piece.  Turning it around and blaming her "opponents" for the political gamesmanship she herself is playing is just, well, politics, and does nothing to help the situation or solve the problem at hand.

Many of the people who came out on Thursday were the same people who protested at City Hall last month, asking for the Mayor and Supervisor Cohen to make solving the gun violence problem a more visible priority.  These are the same people who, according to longtime Bayview resident Dianne Smith, have "invited [Supervisor Cohen] on numerous occasions to collaborate with us in seeking practical solutions".  As ABC7 news reported,

In the meantime, many people in the Bayview are frustrated and angry and wondering when the next shooting will come.

Sadly, as much of this was being published and read and debated, that day came, as two more young men were killed on a sunny summer evening the Bayview, with the gunman still at large.  More on that at SFGate.