tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75690468385989861402024-03-05T07:49:13.466-08:00BIKE NOPAAll about bicycling and livability in San Francisco's North Panhandle neighborhood.Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.comBlogger564125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-431546926302132012015-07-27T11:48:00.000-07:002015-07-27T11:48:40.462-07:00<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Save the Date: September 23, 2015, 7-9pm </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>You're invited to a book launc</b><b>h party (finally)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
Hello again BIKE NOPA followers. In late September 2011, I filed one of my last posts here, explaining that I wanted to devote more time to completing a book I had begun a few years earlier. At long last the historical biography <b>MARIE EQUI, Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions </b>is finished. The printer has the manuscript, and copies will be available in September. I'm happy to have the book published by Oregon State University Press.<br />
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Please help me celebrate with a big book launch party -- drinks, appetizers, music, reading, and signing.<br />
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<b>Book Launch Party, Wednesday September 23, 7-9 pm </b><br />
<b>1687 Market Street, San Francisco, at Gough</b><br />
<b>Presented by The Green Arcade</b><br />
<b>Hosted by McRoskey Mattress Company</b><br />
<b>$3 door/free with book purchase</b><br />
<b>Remarks at 7:30 pm</b><br />
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<b>I hope to see you there. </b><br />
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For more info on my book, book blog, and other writings: <b>michaelhelquist.com</b><br />
Stop by and give a LIKE to my Facebook page: MichaelHelquistwriter for updates on events.<br />
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If you want to read more right now, here's the description from my publisher's current catalog:<br />
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<b><i>MARIE EQUI: Radical Politics & Outlaw Passions</i></b><i> </i>explores the fiercely independent life
of an extraordinary woman. Born of Italian-Irish parents in 1872, Equi endured
childhood labor in a gritty Massachusetts textile mill before fleeing to an
Oregon homestead with her first longtime woman companion, who described her as
impulsive, earnest, and kind-hearted. These traits, along with courage, stubborn
resolve, and a passion for justice, propelled Equi through an unparalleled life
journey. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Equi self-studied her way into a San Francisco medical
school and then obtained her license in Portland to become one of the first practicing
woman physicians in the Pacific Northwest. From Pendleton, Portland, Seattle
and beyond to Boston, New York, and San Francisco, she leveraged her
professional status to fight for woman suffrage, labor rights, and reproductive
freedom. She mounted soapboxes, fought with police, and spent a night in jail
with birth control advocate Margaret Sanger. Equi marched so often with
unemployed men that the media referred to them as her army. She battled for
economic justice at every turn and protested the U.S. entry into World War I,
leading to a conviction for sedition and a three-year sentence in San Quentin.
Breaking boundaries in all facets of life, she became the first well-known
lesbian in Oregon, and her same-sex affairs figured prominently in two cases
before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> <b>MARIE EQUI</b></i> is
a finely written, rigorously researched account of a woman of consequence, who
one fellow-activist considered “the most interesting woman that ever lived in
this state, certainly the most fascinating, colorful, and flamboyant.” This much-anticipated
biography will engage anyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, women’s
studies, the history of lesbian and gay
rights, and the personal demands of political activism. It is the inspiring
story of a singular woman who was not afraid to take risks, who refused to
compromise her principles in the face of enormous opposition and adversity, and
who paid a steep personal price for living by her convictions.<o:p></o:p></div>
Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-88431754030605953652012-01-10T10:40:00.001-08:002012-01-10T10:55:45.829-08:00Write the Letter, Make the Difference for Better Biking on Fell and Oak<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnfTYgm3RsuEc6wrt__aMJC3mJVzbFjBUbpo2udcEY0g4E22th8qfv03xqRpHYx8VjM7kGASABlJqq0f2lLkVxVSOlY9U-d893FJxZZ_dJ0J8LtkPyFpXH1T4U6U5Wqes8DTiuGHSQrOF/s1600/green+bike+lane+Fell+003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnfTYgm3RsuEc6wrt__aMJC3mJVzbFjBUbpo2udcEY0g4E22th8qfv03xqRpHYx8VjM7kGASABlJqq0f2lLkVxVSOlY9U-d893FJxZZ_dJ0J8LtkPyFpXH1T4U6U5Wqes8DTiuGHSQrOF/s400/green+bike+lane+Fell+003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696075485501826370" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >One block of green-striped bike lane is not enough -- not when cyclists of all ages are inches away from motorists often traveling 30-45mph. We can all make cycling safer on Fell and Oak with separated bike lanes that benefit the whole neighborhood as traffic calming measures. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >The SFMTA, the SF Bicycle Coalition, NOPNA, ASNA and other community groups have weighed in on the importance of safer cycling between the Wiggle bike route and the Panhandle. Changes to the current configuration of traffic for all users will be necessary, but safety and the city's commitment to alternative transportation must become priorities.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >Please take a few minutes and jot a few thoughts in support of a safer bikeway along Fell and Oak between Scott and Baker -- three blocks that can give a huge boost to safety and livability in the city. Send you message to the <b><a href="http://www.connectingthecity.org/tag/felloak/">Mayor and SFMTA Director Ed Reiskin.</a> Urge them</b> to follow-through on his commitment to safer biking for San Francisco with real, specific actions. Get a few tips <a href="http://www.connectingthecity.org/tag/felloak/">about your letter here.</a> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span >Add your experiences with biking this routes, and why changes are needed. Urge Director Reiskin and his staff to not get overly sidetracked by the resistance from a few about possible parking removal. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><a href="http://www.connectingthecity.org/tag/felloak/">Add your voice today</a>: SFMTA is close to closing public input for this phase of the planning process. Send your message and help improve biking conditions along this essential route.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span ><br /></span><br /></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-77179533090885306012011-11-29T17:19:00.000-08:002011-11-29T17:40:34.369-08:00USF Campus Bike Plan To Be Unveiled December 1st<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz54VvmcEpxFdEiijSNs6oorizgGffqipyNsrfv-TC8jf3vaNrvpnQqSV4RlkFlBYGwfIqRJEktvCONmbKX1Pq2OzGxZVKwn28HZ6CoEzmON_kEoxx1QTmVRi56MNgSu4BFYcg2RfapLGp/s1600/USF+pedals+pic.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.usfca.edu/uploadedImages/Images/Approved/560x320/campus_overhead.jpg" /></div></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Photo: usfca.edu</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /><b>San Francisco’s bikes-for-transportation momentum </b>gets another boost on December 1st when the University of San Francisco unveils its Campus Bicycle Transportation Plan. This past semester more than 600 students, faculty and staff registered their concerns and ideas for building a strong bicycle culture on campus in a study conducted by Stephen Zavetoski, PhD and his students. <br /><br /><b>Primary concerns on campus include a lack of bike parking</b> in convenient locations, lack of covered, secure bike parking, and too few facilities such as showers and changing rooms. Respondents also registered support for safer, protected bike lanes along the primary streets used to reach USF, including Fell and Oak between the Wiggle bike route and the campus which lies just west of Masonic Avenue. The San Francisco Transportation Agency is currently studying proposals for safer bike travel on Fell and Oak between Scott and Baker, an essential link for cyclists traveling east-west. A proposal for traffic-calming and safety enhancements on Masonic Avenue has already cleared a public hearing and is now under environmental review.<br /><br /><b>According to Zavetoski, the presentation on December 1st</b> will include a full set of recommendations for increased bicycling at USF based on the study data. “These will include improvement of on-campus amenities as well as recommendations for information and education campaigns that can lower some of the perceived barriers around traffic safety and hills.” Zavetoski is the Sustainability Director in the USF College of Arts & Sciences. For more information, see <a href="http://www.usfpedals.org/">USFpedals</a>.<br /><br /><b>USF Campus Bicycle Transportation Plan Presentation</b><br /><b>Dec 1 2-3:30 pm</b><br /><b>Maraschi Room, Fromm Hall</b></span><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>University of San Francisco Campus <a href="http://www.usfca.edu/campusmap/">map</a></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><br /></b></span></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-3448016520681732842011-10-25T15:43:00.000-07:002011-10-25T16:23:25.671-07:00Funds Approved for Masonic Avenue Environmental Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNI5wD2QZWtBgIQiZIn0n3nJNnhaS-8qdY9nQGK7thHE9QO4QbwGSL46GYhedS5ySsyAzzzzVv30IobItDMNYPeAbKV6iun6G5ka6Zis-PP7z9bdr-HlMs4sF7bqgOElS_K3PHrlqcsdrH/s1600/fix+masonic+logo+jpg.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNI5wD2QZWtBgIQiZIn0n3nJNnhaS-8qdY9nQGK7thHE9QO4QbwGSL46GYhedS5ySsyAzzzzVv30IobItDMNYPeAbKV6iun6G5ka6Zis-PP7z9bdr-HlMs4sF7bqgOElS_K3PHrlqcsdrH/s400/fix+masonic+logo+jpg.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667572201238473762" /></a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>This morning the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) Board approved</b> funding for an environmental review of the Masonic Streetscape Improvement Project. None of the board members expressed hesitation or concern with the proposal to transform Masonic with a "Complete Streets" re-design, including a landscaped median and landscaped sidewalks, bus bulbouts, and a pair of raised, separate bike lanes. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>A few audience members</b> -- including Andy Thornley of the SF Bicycle Coalition -- were ready to testify to the merits of the proposal and affirm the extensive public outreach that accompanied the project design process, but none seemed necessary. None of the board members commented on the project and no audience members expressed opposition. Although <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2011/10/county-transportation-authority-board.html">he raised concerns a week earlier</a> -- possibly due to a lack of briefing about the project -- </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Supervisor Scott Weiner supported the project this morning. He </span><span class="Apple-style-span">responded by email to <i>BIKE NOPA </i>yesterday afternoon<i>, </i>writing that he that he thought Masonic was "a good project."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>As a result of today's vote,</b> the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will receive $41,000 to oversee and fund the environmental review which will mostly be conducted by the city's Planning Department. The study will be underway for six months, according to SFMTA staff. In June 2012 staff expect the proposal to be submitted to the SFMTA Board of Commissioners with a recommendation for approval. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >For more stories about the Masonic project, <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20Better%20Masonic%20series">check here.</a> </span></div><div><br /></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-2158821950364294022011-10-24T07:58:00.000-07:002011-10-24T16:00:21.777-07:00County Transportation Authority Board To Consider Funds for Masonic Project<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwyOYNvA2fozem7kk3aDwauVyJygxxWWg91LxDvTfIiTS5n5H5PHp5jkvGMQlObYNf0mBESFCUPUeNQRBW2R01S0BEmZfIIe4W0uB0YvSpXBcw1Ivdv_t9MVtQJwI6CpWCIBjonpL-h7Q/s1600/Masonic+stock+shots+011.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwyOYNvA2fozem7kk3aDwauVyJygxxWWg91LxDvTfIiTS5n5H5PHp5jkvGMQlObYNf0mBESFCUPUeNQRBW2R01S0BEmZfIIe4W0uB0YvSpXBcw1Ivdv_t9MVtQJwI6CpWCIBjonpL-h7Q/s400/Masonic+stock+shots+011.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667159022367602274" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Masonic residents favor a safer, more user-friendly corridor for all</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Photo: Michael Helquist</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>The re-design of Masonic Avenue could move one step closer</b> to implementation Tuesday morning depending on the vote of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA). The Authority's board will consider approving $41,000 of Prop K funds for an environmental review study for the Masonic Streetscape Improvement Project. The board will consider the proposal without a recommendation for action from a committee that reviewed the measure earlier. (The full San Francisco Board of Supervisors serve as the SFCTA Board). </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Last week two members of the SFCTA Plans and Programs Committee </b>-- Supervisors Scott Weiner and Carmen Chu -- expressed considerable concern about the removal of parking from Masonic as part of the design plan. They also questioned whether the public had been adequately notified of the project and whether the public was engaged in the planning process. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi assured them of the comprehensive outreach undertaken, but the two supervisors apparently remained unconvinced and the committee sent the funding request to the full Authority board without recommendation. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Questioning whether the public has been adequately informed</b> can be a legitimate inquiry from someone unfamiliar with developments for a major transportation corridor. Or it can be a knee-jerk reaction to any alteration to public use of public space, especially when parking is involved. For the Masonic improvements, the record of public outreach and notification is so overwhelming that the full Board has little reason to repeat the hesitations of a few committee members. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) </b>conducted one of the most thorough outreach efforts to date to engage the public with plans to make Masonic better and safer for all users. The MTA convened three community meetings over several months with attendance reaching more than 100 for the third one. Participants reviewed every facet of four different designs, refining some and rejecting others. For each meeting Masonic residents and those on nearby blocks were contact door-by-door. For the last meeting the MTA also mailed notices to more than 1400 Masonic households and to those who reside one block away. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>The previous Masonic project manager, Javad Mirabdal</b>, now retired, met personally with each of the nearby neighborhood associations to discuss the project. Members from the Ewing Terrace, University Terrace, Anza Vista, and North of the Panhandle groups all discussed with him the impact of design changes -- including removal of parking. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>The neighborhood associations also got the word out.</b> The North Panhandle's NOPNA distributes its newsletter to the more than 3500 households located between Masonic and Divisadero, Turk and Fell. Several issues provided updates on the Masonic proposals. Advocacy organizations like the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition with 12,000 members, WalkSF, Fix Masonic and others repeatedly informed its membership of the design options. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Various websites tracked each development of the Masonic plan,</b> including <i>Streetsblog</i> and <i>BIKE NOPA. </i>This site alone published more than a dozen articles about the planning process -- as well as covering the pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities that occurred on Masonic in the last two years. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>In addition to neighborhood associations, </b>the Masonic plan received a vote of support from the San Francisco Day School, located at Masonic and Golden Gate, and the Blood Centers of the Pacific at Masonic and Turk. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>The degree of public engagement with the Masonic proposal</b> has been remarkable and a testament to the public's desire for safer, traffic-calmed, user-friendly thoroughfares. The SFCTA staff has recommended approval of the funding request and has submitted a full accounting of public outreach at tomorrow's meeting. The argument for approval is persuasive. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span">San Francisco County Transportation Authority</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Tuesday, 11 am</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span">City Hall, Room 250</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20Better%20Masonic%20series">Check here for the series</a> of articles on <i>A Better Masonic.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Correction: </i>The earlier version of this story mistakenly listed Supervisor Jane Kim as one of the committee members who voiced concerns about the Masonic Project. My apologies to Supervisor Kim. </span></div><div><br /></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-29970726194711626902011-10-06T15:38:00.000-07:002011-10-06T17:46:43.380-07:00It's Gone At Last: Lyon Street Eyesore Removed after 3+ Years<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ONex8-Zt-8dWteq4UyeMRZ9_kKiAtSms8O6bfuhSVT4aELmfx39HhhPJf888JSXW0RKyJVZHpUBwcAUr087TyG-WCckCrE2wGOpttqmIEteyUl3s1GGItTOXFfvb7ZUJJPBhJ4BrslYb/s1600/Lyon+st+5.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 342px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ONex8-Zt-8dWteq4UyeMRZ9_kKiAtSms8O6bfuhSVT4aELmfx39HhhPJf888JSXW0RKyJVZHpUBwcAUr087TyG-WCckCrE2wGOpttqmIEteyUl3s1GGItTOXFfvb7ZUJJPBhJ4BrslYb/s400/Lyon+st+5.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660514422467068914" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;">The NE corner of Lyon and Golden Gate hasn't been clear like this for a very long time</div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjj9xVANaruy0b-2s_iuL6k2cycGI7FH_R0fq4abEIiUA_Wy-D2GPBLGJWpfRjYiXiv8WyR5-sZwqKDJYLGEExeVG8gxwZRVgilYxAw1k4rBP77vGXnkX9BlxpCxEKhZN7Ov9j-rMyd13f/s1600/Lyon+st+2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjj9xVANaruy0b-2s_iuL6k2cycGI7FH_R0fq4abEIiUA_Wy-D2GPBLGJWpfRjYiXiv8WyR5-sZwqKDJYLGEExeVG8gxwZRVgilYxAw1k4rBP77vGXnkX9BlxpCxEKhZN7Ov9j-rMyd13f/s400/Lyon+st+2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660514421659870594" /></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Just after the morning downpour, the scaffolding was dismantled</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYW8bJhlWg1g5LAVAnw1dvWnAfN8GSAxEKR9-aIjzWIv5K_sumqTWMNa1o-C7_Gxt0h1HdwKOzUONDGgVYbYNGfwnx3UL9axlCaGFsbrybF1GPsgnjsoLLDlhdfRVQF8CX0CogH-FZFa84/s1600/Lyon+St+6.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYW8bJhlWg1g5LAVAnw1dvWnAfN8GSAxEKR9-aIjzWIv5K_sumqTWMNa1o-C7_Gxt0h1HdwKOzUONDGgVYbYNGfwnx3UL9axlCaGFsbrybF1GPsgnjsoLLDlhdfRVQF8CX0CogH-FZFa84/s400/Lyon+St+6.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660514412837623154" /></span></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >New and nearly completed emergency exits on Golden Gate side of building</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_Qoo3RW-9tINHxyY7Nwf00xx6CWniVEoRpEp8ObDN7feyyT3XSi2sMHCoAUJkW4undlGBliEJQaHm6ovOOTORyQrpLQwvy32AlvfWYQ_Or6Sy1JDBgM3RlhyphenhyphenpWhFv1AIM-TgI43-6q7J/s1600/NOPA+Street+Structure+003.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_Qoo3RW-9tINHxyY7Nwf00xx6CWniVEoRpEp8ObDN7feyyT3XSi2sMHCoAUJkW4undlGBliEJQaHm6ovOOTORyQrpLQwvy32AlvfWYQ_Or6Sy1JDBgM3RlhyphenhyphenpWhFv1AIM-TgI43-6q7J/s400/NOPA+Street+Structure+003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660514411659815346" /></span></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >All this structure for a fire escape the last three years </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>At the end of the day it was simple:</b> remove the ungainly, ill-suited scaffolding eyesore and replace it with standard regulation fire escapes. For NOPA neighbors it was the blight that wouldn't go away. Until today. Now at last the Lyon and Golden Gate corner is clear of the obstruction. The sidewalk is safer for pedestrians, two spaces are open for street parking, and, most importantly, the apartment building residents have a safer exit from the building should a fire strike. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>BIKE NOPA has been covering this story for more than a year</b>, beginning with <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2010/01/street-eyesore-takes-up-residency-in.html">a post in January of 2010.</a> Three more followed to urge a resolution and mobilize neighbors who had really had enough of what came to represent frustrations with the city's permit approval process and, apparently, reluctance of the owner to foot the bill and do the right thing. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Sometimes a more livable street comes about from what's removed</b>, not what's added. Time for a celebration all around.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-87997493322285823782011-09-29T20:33:00.000-07:002011-09-30T09:34:37.209-07:00BIKE NOPA Takes A Break -- Book Deadline Prompts Shift<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkX9T3jB_TKX2r3PB7TGk6V5jMdd7CE3S8kNZLmh4KA9zccY9IacqmkHHt5J8xLxMEG_YtPL2EbtLapT_AVTX6dqmZ7o8ort7RKZ0g1-WLfI-916F6SQvwvPz6gadQGPTL-djoNrQ4jDdv/s1600/Equi+OHS+neg+23491.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkX9T3jB_TKX2r3PB7TGk6V5jMdd7CE3S8kNZLmh4KA9zccY9IacqmkHHt5J8xLxMEG_YtPL2EbtLapT_AVTX6dqmZ7o8ort7RKZ0g1-WLfI-916F6SQvwvPz6gadQGPTL-djoNrQ4jDdv/s400/Equi+OHS+neg+23491.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658026739591510914" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Dr. Marie Equi, 1872-1952 Oregon Historical Society #23491</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Dear Readers</b>,</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The time has come for a break</b> and to shift more time to another passion: completing a biography begun a few years ago. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>I started BIKE NOPA more than two years ago </b>to increase awareness in the North Panhandle about the feasibility of bicycling for everyday transportation. Part of my impetus resulted from the initial hesitation of neighborhood leaders to endorse more bike lanes through NOPA in 2009. (In that case it was lanes for McAllister and Masonic -- proposals that were later dropped from the city's bike plan). I thought neighbors were perhaps unaware of how many cyclists live in NOPA and need safe routes for travel or of the diversity of neighborhood riders. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>I started a gradual campaign</b>, taking notice of the streets around us and profiling the cyclists who live next door or nearby. I launched the series <i>Women on Wheels </i>and <i>Dads on Bikes. </i>I interviewed older and younger riders, professionals and entrepreneurs, women as well as men, marathon riders and crosstown commuters. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>I never expected that NOPA would generate so much content</b>. With just 30 or so square blocks, this is a small neighborhood. But bordered by four vehicle-dominated thoroughfares -- Fell, Oak, Divisadero and Masonic -- and sporting an essential link in the city's cross-town bike travel, NOPA's realities reflected many of the top questions San Franciscans face about how to use our public spaces. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>In two years NOPA has seen a slew of developments</b> that led to dozens of stories here: </div><div><ul><li>a partial re-design of Divisadero that revitalized the corridor</li><li>a successful push-back of city plans for freeway-style signs (SFgo) on Fell and Oak</li><li>a surge of advocacy for a safer approach to Divisadero on the Wiggle bike route </li><li>the launch of the first neighborhood-based block party all about bikes (<i>BIKE THE BLOCK</i> in September 2009)</li><li>start-up of the first neighborhood-based monthly bicycling group, NOPA VELO </li><li>the arrival of Sunday Streets to NOPA in September 2010</li><li>a push for a safer Masonic for all road users, a grass-roots campaign that few expected to succeed until last May when the plan cleared a public hearing</li><li>an effort to reclaim Panhandle Park as a destination for neighbors and visitors, one that deserves capital improvements and better stewardship </li><li>a vision to transform Fell and Oak between Scott and Baker (and then beyond to Stanyan) for safer transportation with new separated bike routes</li></ul><div><b>Everyday journalism requires a huge amount of time.</b> To get the story right, to earn the trust of public officials and advocates, and to help push an agenda of enhanced livability demand a responsibility I take seriously. For this work I think it's essential to develop a voice and a point of view -- one that readers approach with confidence whether they agree or not. I've really enjoyed the challenge.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Now I'm shifting my time to the story of Dr. Marie Equi</b>, a woman of conscience and conviction who never let social or political norms keep her from the pursuit of her passions. She worked in New Bedford textile mills as a teenager in the 1880s, fled to Central Oregon a decade later to homestead with her female companion, managed to scandalize a rural outpost by horse-whipping a local minister in the streets, studied for medical school in San Francisco and became one of Oregon's early woman physicians. She kept her ties to the Bay Area and joined a <i>doctor train</i> from Portland in April 1906 to help earthquake-stricken San Franciscans, earning her a medal from the U.S. Army. (Her homestead companion had married and settled her family in one of NOPA's landmark houses along Fell). </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Marie became publicly identified as a lesbian</b> in Portland after her passionate affair with a young heiress led to front-page stories of a family dispute over her new companion's inheritance. From the personal to the political, Marie engaged the times. The public tumult of the early 20th century led Marie on a course from hearty progressivism to staunch anarchism. She championed the rights of the underpaid and the unemployed, of women in need of birth control information. In labor disputes, she often wrestled with cops and refused to follow court orders. She developed a reputation. The birth control advocate Margaret Sanger once wrote that Marie was "a rebellious soul -- generous, kind, brave but so radical in her thinking that she was almost an outcast in Portland." </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Marie objected to the capitalistic motives that led the U.S. to enter World War One</b>, and for this she was tried by the government as a subversive and sentenced to three years at San Quentin prison. Through all this, Marie remained so devoted to her profession that friends referred to her simply as "Doc." </div><div><br /></div><div><b>How could I not want to tell the full story of Marie's life and times?</b> She died in Portland in 1952, but 60 years later her struggle to be politically active, romantically involved, and fully engaged in her profession is spot-on relevant to many of us today. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>My deadline approaches </b>(please don't ask when). I'm fortunate to have a wonderful editor at Oregon State University Press. She is a huge supporter of my bike advocacy. (OSU Press published "Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities" by Jeff Mapes). But she'd also like to get the story of Marie Equi on the market. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>I'm not abandoning BIKE NOPA.</b> There are stories I'm too committed to following, like the implementation of the Masonic Re-design. I'm sticking with it until San Franciscans can stroll and bike and live along a transformed corridor made more livable for all. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>I have been blessed with great readers and sources</b>, allies and friends while writing BIKE NOPA. I hope you all know how much your interest and support have meant to me. One request: as I pursue greater dialogue with my keyboard and monitor, please do suggest coffee breaks and lunches. (The isolated nature of writing bugs me). </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Curious about Marie Equi, the "stormy petrel of the Pacific Northwest"? </b>Here's some of what I've written about her:</div><div><ul><li><i><a href="http://www.glapn.org/6050equi.html">A Woman of Consequence, Dr. Marie Equi</a></i></li><li><a href="http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/entry/view/equi_marie_1872_1952_/">Marie Equi in the Oregon Encyclopedia</a></li><li><a href="http://stormypetrelnowe.blogspot.com/2006/05/ohsu-lecture-on-dr-equi-now-online.html"><i>Stormy Petrel, </i>An Online OHSU Lecture </a></li></ul><div>For <i>Lesbian To The Rescue: Marie Equi and the Oregon Doctor Train</i>, a slide and lecture first presented in San Francisco for the 2006 earthquake centennial, expect a repeat on April 18th of 2012. </div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><p> </p></span></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-23276741994967899692011-09-26T16:47:00.000-07:002011-09-26T17:06:49.726-07:00Masonic Avenue Redesign Fading As A City Priority<div><br /></div> Bryan Goebel, editor of <a href="http://sf.streetsblog.org/2011/09/26/masonic-avenue-redesign-plan-slipping-into-city-bureaucracy/">Streetsblog</a>, and Michael Helquist<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8Di3b1vyAii0PlHw7-IyKaHP0YhvcnbmrKjrYnL8R8_f5zAtkbuygaPc28AcBvYUVr_Cy1hBX6tEZFaqNUqOpXbR9ZBWJ3hyrkf4_dwHgh8E26qOACgYR3ZFoBvMJ6HUJGAnG4sZxEFb/s1600/Masonic+plan+drawing.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8Di3b1vyAii0PlHw7-IyKaHP0YhvcnbmrKjrYnL8R8_f5zAtkbuygaPc28AcBvYUVr_Cy1hBX6tEZFaqNUqOpXbR9ZBWJ3hyrkf4_dwHgh8E26qOACgYR3ZFoBvMJ6HUJGAnG4sZxEFb/s400/Masonic+plan+drawing.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656819288657091058" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;">Image: SF Planning Department's City Design Group</div></span><br /><b>On Bike to Work Day last May, Mayor Ed Lee told Streetsblog</b> that he would look into speeding up funding for a sorely needed redesign of Masonic Avenue, one of San Francisco's most notorious arterial streets. The project seemed to be a priority for him, especially in the wake of two high-profile collisions that took the lives of <a href="http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/08/26/candlelight-vigil-pays-tribute-to-bicyclist-killed-by-drunken-driver-in-sf/">Nils Yannick Linke</a> and <a href="http://sf.streetsblog.org/2011/05/12/growing-push-to-redesign-masonic-ahead-of-sfmtas-proposed-timeline/">James Hudson.<br /></a><br />“It’s very <a href="http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/10/01/gateway-or-boulevard-sfmta-narrows-options-for-fixing-masonic-avenue/">deserving of attention</a>, particularly when it comes to pedestrian safety," Lee told Streetsblog on May 12.<br /><br />“It’s time we take back Masonic Boulevard,” Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi proclaimed that same day at the Bike to Work press conference on the steps of City Hall. "It’s time that we actually step up the city’s game in making sure that Masonic is safe for bicyclists and pedestrians."<br /><br />Now, nearly four months after the Masonic redesign was <a href="http://sf.streetsblog.org/2011/05/13/masonic-ave-boulevard-redesign-headed-to-sfmta-board-for-final-approval/">approved at an SFMTA engineering hearing</a>, the plan is plodding its way through the vast city bureaucracy, its funding is uncertain and it is in danger of winding up on the shelf like so many other good projects unless City Hall puts some political muscle behind it.<br /><br />The project hit a snag recently when the SFMTA was denied a $700,000 grant from Caltrans to pay for the design costs. A $41,000 request to complete an environmental impact report (EIR) is expected to be approved by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority soon. But a funding source for the biggest chunk, $18 million for construction, has still not been identified.<br /><br />"The SFMTA is working with the Department of Public Works to refine the design cost estimate, and will apply to another funding source for design funds. A funding request made for construction funds is still pending. Meanwhile, other construction funding sources are being evaluated," said SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose.<br /><br />That doesn't sound particularly hopeful.<br /><br />Advocates who have been pushing for a safer Masonic for more than seven years now have widespread neighborhood support for the redesign, which would dramatically re-engineer the street, adding a landscaped median, bus bulbs, a 6-foot wide raised cycletrack and other amenities to benefit pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders.<br /><br />Just a few years ago a safer, more livable Masonic was a project that pedestrian, transit, and bicycling advocates – along with city officials -- wanted to see implemented, but few thought possible. At first Masonic was part of the citywide bike plan that the SFMTA is now implementing, but the vital north-south corridor was dropped from the proposal, partly because it seemed unlikely to get broad public support. Yet nearby residents have surprised city officials with significant backing for a transformed street.<br /><br />As early as 2008 more than <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2010/08/better-masonic-neighbors-petitioned-in.html">500 Masonic Avenue neighbors petitioned the city</a> for a traffic corridor that worked better for all users. They ranked a dozen priorities to increase safety, traffic flow and improve the appearance of the street. The grass-roots group Fix Masonic rallied neighborhood associations, parents of kids at nearby schools, and district supervisors to support the plan. Together with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Walk SF, and other advocacy groups, Fix Masonic helped secure funding for a feasibility and design study. By June of 2010 the SFMTA started a series of three community meetings to get public input and support for a revitalized Masonic, employing many of the traffic calming strategies proposed two years earlier. By October of last year, Masonic project manager Javad Mirabdal described the Masonic design as a <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2010/10/city-planners-propose-once-in-lifetime.html">“once in a lifetime” opportunity.</a><br /><br />Although some westside residents preferred a less ambitious version for a changed corridor, the majority who participated in SFMTA and neighborhood association surveys preferred the <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2010/10/city-planners-propose-once-in-lifetime.html">Complete Streets option known as the Boulevard.</a><br /><br />If implemented, the Masonic proposal could transform city neighborhoods, ensure a safer, more attractive means of transportation for all users, improve environmental impacts along the corridor, and boost property values and city revenue. The re-design of Masonic could reflect a determination by the city to step up to a higher level of livability in San Francisco.<div><br /></div><div>It's time for Mayor Lee, and others at City Hall, to put their words into action, and for new Director Ed Reiskin to use the visionary and political skills that got him the job at the SFMTA to ensure that the Masonic Avenue redesign gets implemented soon instead of it getting mired in city bureaucracy.<br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-25522689121104114282011-09-11T20:20:00.000-07:002011-09-11T22:48:42.010-07:00Summertime Weather Swells Turnout for NOPA's Sunday Streets<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pAHLjMKDx15A6A3oAQeyggRkSQU-DLS7SITxHl8_torUVl5iyAw8rQe1o_46cXvHhL05Ibx5tUlnWwx6n_pqgBjIPiIl3enEJCRbgzhmx4VLdKx0OKqCe7Rqc0kHCisrO8Uh-3fgLiJI/s1600/Cyprians+art+Sunday+streets+2011+011.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 348px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pAHLjMKDx15A6A3oAQeyggRkSQU-DLS7SITxHl8_torUVl5iyAw8rQe1o_46cXvHhL05Ibx5tUlnWwx6n_pqgBjIPiIl3enEJCRbgzhmx4VLdKx0OKqCe7Rqc0kHCisrO8Uh-3fgLiJI/s400/Cyprians+art+Sunday+streets+2011+011.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651345838759315858" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> </span><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmichael7820%2Falbumid%2F5651304086285366513%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCILZjb_qh_qahAE%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>This time the weather was perfect</b> -- sunny, warm and only a slight breeze -- for Sunday Streets in the Western Addition, NOPA, Alamo Square and the Fillmore. Today thousands of neighbors and friends from all over San Francisco gathered on several blocks open to walking, biking, games, painting, live music, dancing and claiming a sofa seat in the middle of the street. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Thanks to the organizers </b>-- the amazing <a href="http://livablecity.org/">Livable City</a> with Sunday Streets director Susan King, program coordinator Beth Byrne, the hundreds of volunteers with the <a href="http://www.sfbike.org/">San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, </a>and collaboration with the <a href="http://www.sfmta.com/cms/home/sfmta.php">SF Municipal Transportation Agency</a> -- for an amazing event where everyone could enjoy public spaces and envision a safer, more equitable way to share our streets. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">For views of Summer Streets in NOPA 2010, check<a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2010/09/sunday-streets-surpass-summer-skies.html"> here.</a></span></div><div><br /></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-39516333014095038072011-09-07T22:32:00.000-07:002011-09-07T23:08:01.977-07:00Sunday Streets Returns to NOPA: Block-by-Block Route & Programs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisviDgljfCefNyV0Pe4xxSowZh8y-Gd7V-5GTCqV9BOWVHb_vXRteNtoLfqA2qKdCFGlK8xcjdT5vuBWELLh_o68OYe95EvaMbsx__g7V5FRwYyd1-rWl0mkbJj6yr09UmtPNSE-mVRFNI/s1600/Sunday+Streets+block+2011.bmp" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 293px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisviDgljfCefNyV0Pe4xxSowZh8y-Gd7V-5GTCqV9BOWVHb_vXRteNtoLfqA2qKdCFGlK8xcjdT5vuBWELLh_o68OYe95EvaMbsx__g7V5FRwYyd1-rWl0mkbJj6yr09UmtPNSE-mVRFNI/s400/Sunday+Streets+block+2011.bmp" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649860264779189650" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Only once a year can you see nine blocks of NOPA like this</b> -- streets wide open for walking, biking, painting, live music, kids events, dancing, more live music, bike rental and repair, hanging out with neighbors in the middle of the street and much more. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>This Sunday, September 11, <a href="http://www.sundaystreetssf.com/">Sunday Streets</a> returns </b>with hopes for even better weather than last year's drizzly debut. From 11am to 4pm blocks of Central, Grove, Baker, and Fulton will be free of vehicles. Check out the<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/bikenopa/documents/fullsitemap911.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1"> info here (pdf)</a> about the route and all the events in NOPA and to east in Alamo Square and the Fillmore. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Advisory for those with vehicles: </b>don't park on any of the nine blocks along the route through NOPA after 11pm Saturday night. Cars will be towed. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-55779049530315266692011-08-22T16:07:00.000-07:002011-08-24T22:40:59.283-07:00New Green Sidewalk Thriving: Lessons Learned<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sebEVwcq7PaYcbMU96_kn0afJzwq31G190stJSp7B8ypxmaBuuvoWmTYh_s1-rE0gDBFGvxvMmiVJBb4NLF1EiRj2q81q_pqp2STI6GSj5_rtc0LwEDYDUuYLVaGDQodCZZmehqWmI4I/s1600/August+22+pics+005-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}">
<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sebEVwcq7PaYcbMU96_kn0afJzwq31G190stJSp7B8ypxmaBuuvoWmTYh_s1-rE0gDBFGvxvMmiVJBb4NLF1EiRj2q81q_pqp2STI6GSj5_rtc0LwEDYDUuYLVaGDQodCZZmehqWmI4I/s400/August+22+pics+005-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643821346123320866" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG4ySOn0qE5Ti0Z4w3TjPXvjqZPuqvtigqWZSHvLb5W0t-ioL7pNiXUnt__4DL8w0d8EEvsquphnavWwOUVWsQwQmZg3pC_HDsCaw9S9XlNC10Vpb2Q2kfd2j-s7c0-LN6xdsu7Nd_213/s1600/August+22+pics+001-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 345px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG4ySOn0qE5Ti0Z4w3TjPXvjqZPuqvtigqWZSHvLb5W0t-ioL7pNiXUnt__4DL8w0d8EEvsquphnavWwOUVWsQwQmZg3pC_HDsCaw9S9XlNC10Vpb2Q2kfd2j-s7c0-LN6xdsu7Nd_213/s400/August+22+pics+001-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643821339591187602" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Photos: Michael Helquist</span></div><div>
<br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><p class="MsoNormal"><b>The concrete’s gone, the plants are in, purple spikes and yellow blossoms flash</b> along the sidewalk. Once it starts raining, the permeable aspect – letting the rain water reach the aquifer instead of the sewer – begins. It’s green, healthy and just the start of what we can do together for a more sustainable future.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Any good project deserves reflection and evaluation. What went really well, what surprised us, what might we have done better, and how well did the city permit process work?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Planning<span></span><o:p></o:p></b></p><ul type="disc" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-type: disc; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">For a large project, get input from friends and neighbors – we held a Design Lab last fall to exchange ideas</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Attend the city’s <a href="http://www.sfbotanicalgarden.org/Grey2Green/"><i style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 129, 73); ">Grey2Green</i><span class="Apple-style-span"> workshop</span></a></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Enlist the help of a landscape architect* to prepare drawings to-scale, select materials and plants, order at wholesale outlets and guide the planting</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Have several pairs of eyes read the city’s sidewalk use restrictions</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; "><a href="http://greenturkandlyon.blogspot.com/2011/05/turk-lyon-closer-to-greener-friendlier.html" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 129, 73); ">Host an event</a> to present plans (and a fundraiser, if needed, to cover costs)</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Remember to plan for every stage – including removal of the dirt</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2011/07/green-turk-lyon-launch-saturday-july-23.html">Make it a work party</a></span> – so much better with music and food provided</li></ul><p class="MsoNormal"><b>From Grey2Green<o:p></o:p></b></p><ul type="disc" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-type: disc; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Expect concrete cutting and removal to cost at least $5.50 per square foot<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Schedule the concrete work to coincide with street cleaning hours and avoid the risk of damaging vehicles parked nearby during demolition<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Expect to remove a lot of dirt – it will be sand or clay<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Prep the required edging a few days before – the workday will be busy enough<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Place new plants with soil and mulch one inch below the sidewalk or curb surface – <span></span>this will help contain the rain water and irrigation</li></ul><p class="MsoNormal"><b>After the Planting<o:p></o:p></b></p><ul type="disc" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-type: disc; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Celebrate and <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2011/07/green-turk-lyon-launch-saturday-july-23.html" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 129, 73); ">post photos online</a>, thank everyone<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Depending on the season and weather, water frequently to get plants thriving</li></ul><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Now We Know<o:p></o:p></b></p><ul type="disc" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-type: disc; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Really do plan for dirt removal – we thought of everything but this<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Read the <a href="http://www.sfdpw.org/index.aspx?page=652">city regs</a> one more time – especially about the edging & courtesy paths<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Do the prep work with the edging materials ahead of time – we rushed to saw<span> 4"x6"</span> beams and drill holes right before the workday started<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Keep at the fundraising – unexpected costs will occur<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Work can proceed in two phases – we left another stretch of sidewalk for the future</li></ul><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Working the System<o:p></o:p></b></p><ul type="disc" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-type: disc; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">City staff are friendly & enthusiastic,** but sometimes difficult to contact initially</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">You can’t get begin the work without a permit; allow 2-4 weeks</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">An initial inspection is required</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Be sure to get a final inspection – the city sign-off increases liability protection</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">City website – <span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.sfdpw.org/index.aspx?page=652">DPW Bureau of Urban Forestry</a></span> -- needs to be more user-friendly</li></ul><p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Much Did It Cost?<o:p></o:p></b></p><ul type="disc" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-type: disc; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">We removed 160 square feet of concrete at $5.50 per square foot<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">We purchased almost 100 plants and shrubs – we bought more mature plants<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Plants and soil were obtained from a wholesale firm through our landscape architect<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Total cost: approximately $3400<b><o:p></o:p></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Total donations: approximately $3400***</li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; "><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Was It Worth It? </b>Stop by Turk & Lyon and then start plans for your own Grey2Green project</p><p class="MsoNormal">* <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>James Munden, senior landscape architect, at <span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.mflasf.com/">Marta Fry Landscape Associates/MFLA Studio</a></span>, made all the difference to the success of this project</p><p class="MsoNormal">** <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Thanks to Markos Major, DPW Bureau of Urban Forestry for getting us through the permit process</p><p class="MsoNormal">***<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Huge thanks to major donors Rev. Sally Bingham; Oz Erickson, President of the Emerald Fund and all those who supported this project from start to finish and at points in-between</p><p class="MsoNormal">Note: article first published at <a href="http://greenturkandlyon.blogspot.com/2011/08/lessons-learned-howd-it-go-at-turk-lyon.html">Green Turk & Lyon. </a></p><p class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></div></span></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-5043930850888498592011-08-16T07:00:00.000-07:002011-08-16T07:00:00.328-07:00Sunday Streets Set for Western Addition/NOPA September 11th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxpM1X9YH7uVfCrS7g2otPfHCn45qAhByTSjL-MtfxP6paZegt2Prv6zMfs7uh9dtCSZm7BwmKs7Xnq18IiwMgL2MF4n3KWZswIrLkiPE-rLFy2UjbsRIpv_F-gwRXbnHlsy7hluphybC/s1600/Sunday+Streets+Western+Addition+Sept+19+2010+042.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}">
<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 370px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxpM1X9YH7uVfCrS7g2otPfHCn45qAhByTSjL-MtfxP6paZegt2Prv6zMfs7uh9dtCSZm7BwmKs7Xnq18IiwMgL2MF4n3KWZswIrLkiPE-rLFy2UjbsRIpv_F-gwRXbnHlsy7hluphybC/s400/Sunday+Streets+Western+Addition+Sept+19+2010+042.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640040919943131538" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;">Adding more pink, Sunday Streets NOPA 2010 Photo: Michael Helquist</div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWWlnRgtSMFm4iaHzHKCOcM5pvq-Aq_FTakaBM55IEDQEWfII_8HZeRBw1JYuP8nd7kJ5GiAuRhYmSu2Thyphenhyphenc3PyPBu7vta7jTlfyoa1kkz85W0jcYUZB2eGiyuK89kMBo9Wy68wswmt6e/s1600/Sunday+Streets+Western+Addition+Sept+19+2010+056.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWWlnRgtSMFm4iaHzHKCOcM5pvq-Aq_FTakaBM55IEDQEWfII_8HZeRBw1JYuP8nd7kJ5GiAuRhYmSu2Thyphenhyphenc3PyPBu7vta7jTlfyoa1kkz85W0jcYUZB2eGiyuK89kMBo9Wy68wswmt6e/s400/Sunday+Streets+Western+Addition+Sept+19+2010+056.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640040917118900594" /></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Which bands will play outside Matching Half Cafe this year? </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Photo: Michael Helquist</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWBM6yygvwXKUVF-HsX3f2v9hu6rlvKCcgHbZGBrR4E05kblPHA00Ux2Sz3ktJBFaSTEr-HEKOeQux0Q6IvYksKYcSi7ir-AjA3ii6buAOlgrGltQGoAssN16_OeSGOi-HJAob1rUWsst/s1600/Sunday+Streets+WA+2011.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWBM6yygvwXKUVF-HsX3f2v9hu6rlvKCcgHbZGBrR4E05kblPHA00Ux2Sz3ktJBFaSTEr-HEKOeQux0Q6IvYksKYcSi7ir-AjA3ii6buAOlgrGltQGoAssN16_OeSGOi-HJAob1rUWsst/s400/Sunday+Streets+WA+2011.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640040916100671538" /></a></span><div style="font-size: small; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Western Addition/NOPA Route for Sunday Streets Sept. 11, 2011</span></div><div style="font-size: small; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>No sooner did the "clear the streets" call come at the close</b> of the Civic Center/ Tenderloin Sunday Streets yesterday than organizers shifted into gear for the September 11 street celebration in the Western Addition, NOPA, Alamo Square, and the Fillmore. (Perhaps it was low-gear with a day or two off). </span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>A few route changes accompany this year's event</b> after the successful, if drizzly, debut in the area in 2010:</span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >the west-end still begins in the Panhandle and travels north on Central and then east on Grove to Divisadero with a spur up the Baker hill to stop at McAllister. This year the crossover street, the east-west transition, is Fulton. Still a hill to ride and walk but not the steep slalom Golden Gate presented last year </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Alamo Square will be more directly involved -- hello neighbors! -- with Fulton sidling Alamo Square park</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Fillmore defines the east-end from Fulton to Geary but the route doesn't extend further north or further east</span></li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>The new route is more compact, manageable and focused.</b> Programs and scheduling are largely left to the wishes and initiatives of residents, local businesses and organizations. But Sunday Streets will provide the usual kids activities, dance, exercise sessions, skate time, bike programs and lots of music. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>More information to come but Save the Date and plan your events. </b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Details:</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Sunday Streets Western Addition</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Includes North Panhandle, Alamo Square and Fillmore neighborhoods</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >September 11, 2011</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >11 am to 4 pm</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >www.SundayStreetsSF.com</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Parking Restrictions</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Sunday Streets works so well because it opens the streets to walking, biking, people-watching, bands and kids play. But that means no parking from 11pm Saturday September 10th until 4pm Sunday September 11th. Remind yourself, remind your family and friends. Vehicles will be towed and who needs that?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div></div><div>
<br /></div></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-38449506408848549932011-08-12T07:00:00.000-07:002011-08-12T07:00:11.149-07:00One Year Ago: 22-Year-Old Yannick Linke Struck and Killed by Speeding Motorist on Masonic Avenue<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjQmQNJ19oO4y0OrZ4YKjz5vrifyOHGKJvcX-22pYwQMyHynpcLG07XV68S7w8xF7tBJTPXHleh1RMDwrohYDu0oDVTpeFA_PgvLjOI2NMNCCMBrmbnaHtkA4rDFggUaO915XqLrJOren/s1600/P1030882.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}">
<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjQmQNJ19oO4y0OrZ4YKjz5vrifyOHGKJvcX-22pYwQMyHynpcLG07XV68S7w8xF7tBJTPXHleh1RMDwrohYDu0oDVTpeFA_PgvLjOI2NMNCCMBrmbnaHtkA4rDFggUaO915XqLrJOren/s400/P1030882.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639799020254646194" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;">Yannick Linke's grave in Berlin. Photo: Petra Linke</div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6hNCya5tkMZI6lT3cAbkHq3KCh2UiZQCi1r0j2vlZX7LPLXKxRAnHBC5T-2wln-OEY14PPTN5sQ1DHPLVjZ1LimE5eB7qZtBSXWTJNRRUM_LExYHyN9HLnXDVmP4qOUsc4G8VCZX2sAa/s1600/Yannick_1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6hNCya5tkMZI6lT3cAbkHq3KCh2UiZQCi1r0j2vlZX7LPLXKxRAnHBC5T-2wln-OEY14PPTN5sQ1DHPLVjZ1LimE5eB7qZtBSXWTJNRRUM_LExYHyN9HLnXDVmP4qOUsc4G8VCZX2sAa/s400/Yannick_1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639799010642896402" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;">"We are stardust. Billion year old carbon. We are golden." -- a favorite lyric for Yannick Linke </div></span></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Z9IoELEJMN87npvIJ_lVQ0tcSjuvoUeJ26FfbK5kelyCR6AN-dt_QTQoOx5yQispHHUX3-IUvCrNQy7EK-IbLpBiTIcvHPw6T5isQIDJxaLbtE9OMazBfDdPAJBIgaM6oLAIpw8VheW5/s1600/Yannick+memorial+July+2011+002.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Z9IoELEJMN87npvIJ_lVQ0tcSjuvoUeJ26FfbK5kelyCR6AN-dt_QTQoOx5yQispHHUX3-IUvCrNQy7EK-IbLpBiTIcvHPw6T5isQIDJxaLbtE9OMazBfDdPAJBIgaM6oLAIpw8VheW5/s400/Yannick+memorial+July+2011+002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639799003817394146" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;">Flowers placed on Masonic sidewalk at Turk by Petra Linke </div><div style="text-align: center;">in honor of her only son. Photo: Michael Helquist</div></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>One year ago Yannick Linke, a 22-year-old German college student </b>and visitor to San Francisco, was struck and killed by a speeding motorist while riding his bicycle on Masonic Avenue. He had arrived in the city a few days earlier to visit friends as part of a holiday trip to the United States. On August 9th, four days before his death, Linke celebrated his birthday. </span></div></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Petra Linke, Yannick's mother, visited San Francisco for the first time</b> three weeks ago and stopped at the site of her son's death. Amid the roar of the traffic and afternoon fog, she laid flowers at the same location where her daughter Sophia had placed candles a few months earlier. City crews long ago removed the <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2010/08/bicyclist-remembered-ghost-bike-and.html">ghost bike</a> locked to a utility pole at the site and the wind chimes placed to commemorate the young man at a<a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2010/08/neighbors-advocates-gather-for-tribute.html"> memorial</a> two weeks after his death. For that occasion, more than 100 bicyclists and community members gathered in grief to pay their respects at Masonic and Turk. For her visit, Petra Linke requested the company of bicyclists who had participated in last year's memorial when she walked to the intersection. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Petra Linke had timed her visit to coincide</b> with a preliminary Superior Court hearing for the charges brought against the motorist who struck and killed her son while driving south on Masonic. (Lawyers for the Linke family <a href="http://sf.streetsblog.org/2011/01/18/family-of-bicyclist-killed-by-drunk-driver-files-wrongful-death-lawsuit/">filed a wrongful death lawsuit</a> against the driver, 36-year-old Joshua Calder in January). He has been ordered to stand trial for vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run, and driving under the influence. As reported in the <i><a href="http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/08/alleged-driver-ordered-stand-trial-german-bicyclists-death">San Francisco Examiner</a></i>, Assistant District Attorney Todd Barrett stated in court that Calder had the alcohol equivalent of seven drinks in his system in addition to THC from smoking marijuana. The defense attorney, Daniel Barton, argued that although Calder had been drinking, his alcohol blood level was within legal limits. Calder has pleaded not guilty. Soon after the collision, he posted the $500,000 bail. Judge Newton Lam ordered the defendant to return to court for a formal arraignment on September 1st. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Petra Linke wrote from Berlin last week </b>of her plans on her son's birthday: </span></div><div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" >I would like to say I miss Yannick and the whole family does. It is very hard to live without his funny and very much interesting view on music, travelling, his studies. I will go to his grave on Tuesday, his birthday, and I will put shells from Florida and New Jersey. And a birthday candle. I hope for justice. </span></blockquote></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); " > </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLFF8Fwx041VEGqr85ugGmcX0cyfPHvN8XSHcI4qhdfSUKC02m4XGDPOm2jN-lYJKz4cw6EhPNnR8y_iyyeQKp2Qiytg_xoGZ4ol_aTTDkvOJM1Rp7OGUFtyQHDzgBWAzXgLvQYx-IMWR/s400/Yannick_7+new.JPG" /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;">Yannick Linke, traveller Photo provided by Sophia Linke</div></span>
<br />Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-33162079125046855302011-08-11T07:00:00.000-07:002011-08-11T19:00:00.813-07:00What to Expect of the New Target Store and the City Center Upgrade? Is Better Enough?<div>
<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFC2cisuVbsUs5b_NrZGeC_L-QzKrmkRdrSLugqpVuHRLHioGzWCZfTEXuy8Nz37Tn0Wo1YbDrOyr3Jt6W_rBSFLPqvXdoJfsACKJxUGcsx-c-Z7z9e0sG1pyed7xpkcffLKv7OWPHJHY/s1600/Target+images+002.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}">
<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFC2cisuVbsUs5b_NrZGeC_L-QzKrmkRdrSLugqpVuHRLHioGzWCZfTEXuy8Nz37Tn0Wo1YbDrOyr3Jt6W_rBSFLPqvXdoJfsACKJxUGcsx-c-Z7z9e0sG1pyed7xpkcffLKv7OWPHJHY/s400/Target+images+002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639465600089462978" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;">Image: studioneleven</div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Change is coming to the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> complex at Geary and Masonic</b>, and most everyone seems to agree it’s good. A new Target outpost will bring a lot of color – heavy on the red – to the space once claimed by the bland Mervyn’s department store. The <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> campus will undergo a make-over as well with a new “refined color palette” for the exterior. Anza Vista residents and those from nearby neighborhoods want a more attractive and vibrant complex. Some welcome Target specifically; others just want the gaping Mervyn’s spot filled. Both Target and <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> received a positive nod from the Planning Commission last month, with a few reservations. On Thursday, August 11<sup>th</sup> <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> will return to the planning board with modifications on outdoor design treatments.</span></div><div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Here’s what neighbors and shoppers can expect</b> in March 2013 when Target is expected to open its second <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city> store:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Target will fill 106,135 square feet on two levels – a combination of the old Mervyn’s and Good Guy’s spaces</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Office Depot is downsizing significantly – shrinking its footprint by<span> </span>14,000 square – and Target might expand into the vacated area</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">All 601 parking spaces will remain; bike parking will increase just a bit from 28 to 42 spaces plus a bike storage area</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">New signage – 15 foot directional signs in the parking lots -- will help rescue shoppers now bewildered by the trek to and from stores </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Ten months of full construction </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">A more-noticeably branded center with outlet names showcased on the exterior</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">A proposed soaring sign tower -- from the current</st1:placetype></st1:place> 20 ft to 35 feet -- unless the Planning Department requires a scaling back, as expected</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">A moderate amount of new landscaping to green some of the perimeter and parking lots</span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> will not be improving the ivy-covered blighted median</b> along its Geary side. “We haven’t gone outside our property,” Adam Miller of <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> explained to a July 15 gathering of interested neighbors. And there won’t be much greening of the parking expanses since designers are reluctant to dig very deep on the multi-layered lots. Motorists can expect green walls – vertical landscaping – along the Geary exterior. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>The Planning Department and the Municipal Transportation Agency negotiated</b> two neighborhood investments from the development: new signal lights on Masonic. One will guide southbound left-turn traffic at O’Farrell to improve access to the rear parking lots. And one at <st1:place st="on">Ewing</st1:place> for the small Ewing Terrace residential area. The projects represent a $500,000 expenditure. Target is considering financial assistance to the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, the Jewish Vocational Services, and other local organizations – but no word on helping GLBT groups, even after the ongoing controversy over financing anti-gay candidates in Minnesota and trying to block same-sex marriage advocates from sidewalks along a few of its California outlets.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Once it clears the Planning Commission</b>, Target and City Center will seek building permits and approval by the Board of Supervisors.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-34308544831240372432011-07-27T07:00:00.000-07:002011-07-27T07:00:14.110-07:00And At The Other End of the Block: Lyon St Eyesore Still Set To Come Down<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTPgXAM-VBul9NRGN0IU9Zhr9XK5YJ9SY_ggWnlkO6dH-opwaXC123V_XgyPr-Yyz92HptChklwS4mL9061rYc-SZ2Cgjo5ZKBq88b_WUF1xCK9insIU8pQr_-puQFz5OOAeRrbg1BTC6/s1600/Lyon+Street+Structure+Sept+2010+001.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTPgXAM-VBul9NRGN0IU9Zhr9XK5YJ9SY_ggWnlkO6dH-opwaXC123V_XgyPr-Yyz92HptChklwS4mL9061rYc-SZ2Cgjo5ZKBq88b_WUF1xCK9insIU8pQr_-puQFz5OOAeRrbg1BTC6/s400/Lyon+Street+Structure+Sept+2010+001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633809224472650482" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >For years this structure has loomed over the sidewalk and claimed two parking spaces</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMmG2x-Qoi1tO1sBcnLt8FCh8HRmOAgJ7r6sFlFUxK6hvHSPmguFPcSognaDcCasLD4-XYahigi39O0MFya5yYmb1obB_z1Q9wbv0bqhcFK37RK_SkUqmhIAPV8eBFtdsBbD4rxp72kCT/s1600/Lyon+Street+Structure+Sept+2010+015.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMmG2x-Qoi1tO1sBcnLt8FCh8HRmOAgJ7r6sFlFUxK6hvHSPmguFPcSognaDcCasLD4-XYahigi39O0MFya5yYmb1obB_z1Q9wbv0bqhcFK37RK_SkUqmhIAPV8eBFtdsBbD4rxp72kCT/s400/Lyon+Street+Structure+Sept+2010+015.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633809218521504162" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >It has nothing to do with scaffolding for painting; it's a "temporary" fire escape</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Now that the corner of Lyon and Turk boasts</b> new green, <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2011/07/green-turk-lyon-launch-saturday-july-23.html">landscaped sidewalks</a>, what about the opposite end of Lyon, down the hill at Golden Gate Avenue? Will neighbors on the 800 block of Lyon and passersby ever be relieved of that eyesore of a scaffolding posing as a fire escape? Apparently, yes, according to Pat Boscovich, a developer working for the property owner. As <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2011/04/north-panhandle-eyesore-on-track-for.html">previously reported</a>, Boscovich has been pushing to get this job completed for the owner, the neighbors, and to be done with the project altogether. He confirmed on Tuesday that the work is on track again. </span></div><div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" >I have received a copy of the contract between the property owner and the construction firm hired to install the new fire escapes. This should have been done two months ago, but evidently the first contractor hired went out of business.</span></blockquote></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Boscovich explained that the manufacture of the two new structures</b> -- one for the Lyon street side of the corner apartment building and one for the Golden Gate side -- are being completed now, and he expects the first one, along Golden Gate, to be installed within two to three weeks. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXNAxax7IO_rFDKAn4ViTeXqvJI09ArAPg25j1XAyH0LwHVbk5fjua256AT15Ej5j-DmYUfNTURo2Z8-QPBym-abh4hn2-dz65BEuRiwP1xgqFLfJ9o0Dp5Swhn6N13gY2G_FT71mwfBL/s1600/Turk+%2526+Lyon+Prep+%2526+Workday+104.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXNAxax7IO_rFDKAn4ViTeXqvJI09ArAPg25j1XAyH0LwHVbk5fjua256AT15Ej5j-DmYUfNTURo2Z8-QPBym-abh4hn2-dz65BEuRiwP1xgqFLfJ9o0Dp5Swhn6N13gY2G_FT71mwfBL/s400/Turk+%2526+Lyon+Prep+%2526+Workday+104.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633808673631621458" /></span></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >At the top of the Lyon hill</span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFPibVP8DTs4ZnanaYkgDtGvIW8gbAkmZ7dJFPF26sKRAPNM1yW9vBh9UBdupI3Av8tJxiiUFdLWkd3atGxjx_Z903Y9N0Fq6kRhQSTEX_cMX8gqYnamaEaS7m2KxyY9jqIkZNy0FHbk4/s1600/Lyon+Street+Structure+Sept+2010+001.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-40842102316753413872011-07-24T20:18:00.001-07:002011-07-25T06:51:31.691-07:00Green Turk & Lyon L(a)unch Saturday July 23, Huge Success<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmichael7820%2Falbumid%2F5633102061322407153%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCMOFkpWHmNWXGg%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>More than 40 people made San Francisco a greener city</b> Saturday by turning grey to green at the corner of Turk and Lyon in NOPA. Friends, neighbors, and members of St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church came together for a long day in the dirt -- digging out sand and, unexpectedly, clay from below the newly exposed concrete sidewalk strips, adding 40 bags of new soil, settling in nearly 100 plants, and topping the new beds with fir bark. From start to finish a solid 8 hour day for those who remained to celebrate the tapping down of the last Berkeley sedge. A green lunch fueled volunteers mid-day along with live music.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>St. Cyprian's Church and NOPA neighbors initiated the project</b> last year during a Design Lab that developed proposals for how the church and community might work together more closely on neighborhood projects. One of the ideas was to green the sidewalks, making the corner where St. Cyprian's is situated more inviting and sustainable. In the months that followed students from the University of San Francisco undertook research of the city's permeable sidewalk permit process. This spring the Green Turk & Lyon Project was launched to take the project to completion. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Neighbors pitched in right away.</b> James Munden, Senior Landscape Architect with Marta Fry Landscape Associates, developed drawings of how the Turk and Lyon might look a bit more green. Intrigued with the possibilities, more than 60 people contributed to a fundraiser at Chile Pies restaurant in May while others donated in the following weeks. St. Cyprian's completed the city's application process, paid the permit fee, and received permission to get the project underway in mid-July. Last Saturday volunteers pushed the project to completion.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Of the many who made the Green L(a)unch possible, special thanks</b> to <a href="http://www.mflasf.com/">Marta Fry Landscape Associates</a>, Duncan Ramsay for the terrific poster image, <a href="http://wiggparty.org/">The Wigg Party</a>, <a href="http://www.yerbabuenaacupuncture.com/">Yerba Buena Community Accupuncture</a>, John Dennis, San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, Department of Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry, the <a href="http://www.jugfest.org/jugfest/">California Jug Band Association</a>, Erich Sylvester, Will Greene, and Kelsey Schleusener.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-50994432743075641112011-07-10T17:37:00.000-07:002011-07-11T07:48:11.580-07:00B2B Efforts Help NOPNA Snag Meeting with the Mayor, New District 5 Alliance Forming<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> <img src="http://www.sfmayor.org/Modules/ShowImage.aspx?imageid=267" alt="Mayor's Newsbox 2" /></div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee was so impressed with neighborhood organizers</b> who helped deliver a less rowdy but festive Bay to Breakers footrace this year that his office invited the North Panhandle Neighborhood Association to host his first district-wide meeting on July 21. The mayor requested the meeting to discuss two measures due on the November ballot: pension reform and the $248 million streets repair bond.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Jarie Bolander, President of NOPNA,</b> said the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services asked him to organize the meeting along with leaders of nine other neighbors and merchants associations. "It seemed like a natural follow-up," Bolander said, referring to the <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2010/08/b2b-at-100-eight-neighborhood-groups.html">successful collaboration among the many groups </a>who worked for months to improve the Bay to Breakers after <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2010/06/b2b-at-100-nopa-residents-upset-with.html">widespread complaints</a> followed the 2010 race.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Bolander also described the formation of a new District 5 organization</b>, tentatively named the District 5 Merchants & Neighborhood Alliance. The new group will include representatives of ten existing neighbor and merchant groups and would serve as a link between them on district-wide issues. Bolander said they would likely seek non-profit status in the months ahead and function with shared leadership on a rotating basis.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>For the July 21 meeting with the mayor</b>, Bolander will offer a brief introduction and serve as moderator. The mayor will discuss the two ballot measures and solicit feedback from participants. Representatives from several city departments will also be present at the meeting.</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Pension reform has, of course, become an issue nationally.</b> In San Francisco, much of the "city family" of elected officials and business and community leaders have agreed on one strategy to go before the voters, but there remains the possibility that Public Defender Jeff Adachi will advance an alternative proposal. No one disagrees with the need for extensive reconstruction and repair of city streets, but the prospect of paying for the work through a bond measure continues to trouble some observers. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >NOPNA/District 5 Meeting</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Thursday, July 21</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >7pm - 9:00 pm</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >SF Day School</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >350 Masonic @ Golden Gate (enter on Golden Gate)</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Secure bike parking available</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >SF Day School is on Muni line #43 Masonic and is one block from #31 Balboa and the #5 McAllister</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TZv_u9tER4FsmS-g4P4zk-plk0dDrGodbiPlplXVrcdQpiTL7A5m6MpoWeKYlHGJWSe5um6Wqt4MZD2IxJweDFcIX4UY7QO_9FxpIu9s71fDY4AV3k_zI3f7rFVc0hyphenhyphenhwVJhWJV3LHJ_/s400/Bay+to+Breakers+8+Groups+logo.png" /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></div><div><br /></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-74848578283116390342011-06-28T07:00:00.000-07:002011-06-28T07:00:03.544-07:00The Man for Masonic: James Shahamiri, New Project Manager for Troubled Corridor<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVM22oMJGjLjh-alP4_BmqkfUdfmxealzF6TblQLkJW1c8YOzk76_Sy_p_aoCSFafMufJhqLs01xZflqfIYdGUSmRzTsLux4iFYt733zAhauZk96rl2KR94-jv3hY_LE3S6b0wcpRIM1a/s1600/James+Shahamiri.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVM22oMJGjLjh-alP4_BmqkfUdfmxealzF6TblQLkJW1c8YOzk76_Sy_p_aoCSFafMufJhqLs01xZflqfIYdGUSmRzTsLux4iFYt733zAhauZk96rl2KR94-jv3hY_LE3S6b0wcpRIM1a/s400/James+Shahamiri.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622330381321764210" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Photo: James Shahamiri</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUR4h9XygC6sjlBY44GkK-ys674m2NYkYR8_V_OL_rdldejjGOKqQkluuUfQP085b-7U3rx1sDdQ2RLzU18BOdosCAMLrkNDoXdo5PVFoy0DMI0RH9EBhIbMD2atJROdqukOpE1QuulYF/s1600/Boulevard+plan+view+rendering.bmp" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUR4h9XygC6sjlBY44GkK-ys674m2NYkYR8_V_OL_rdldejjGOKqQkluuUfQP085b-7U3rx1sDdQ2RLzU18BOdosCAMLrkNDoXdo5PVFoy0DMI0RH9EBhIbMD2atJROdqukOpE1QuulYF/s400/Boulevard+plan+view+rendering.bmp" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622327392317040482" /></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Image: SF Planning Department</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>James Shahamiri, a civil engineer, thought he’d be designing buildings</b> or bridges by now. Instead, he found his “true passion” lies with transportation. He credits a remarkable internship with the City of Oakland’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program for the discovery a few years ago. Shahamiri has been a transportation engineer with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) for three years where he has worked on several projects, including his favorite, the re-design of 7th Avenue and Laguna Honda Blvd.<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" >I remember riding that route every weekend back in my youth. Coming back and improving those streets for bikes was pretty cool, and definitely something I never would have thought I’d have a hand in when I was younger.</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Bicyclists and motorists who use the western end of Fell street</b> ride through one of Shahamiri’s other projects, the partial re-design of traffic and bike lanes between Scott and Divisadero and along the ARCO station. In the midst of much contention over parking removal, global oil politics, and the right to safe travel, he helped SFMTA install what no one, including himself, considers perfect, but most have come to agree is a decided improvement. Shahamiri is completing work now on the new bicycle lanes on Phelan Avenue by City College. Although he’s been enjoying his new bicycle, Shahamiri is not a bike-only guy. He relies mostly on Muni to get around the city and sometimes skips the bus to walk instead.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /><b>Earlier this month Shahamiri became manager for the Masonic Streetscape Project</b> following the retirement of Javad Mirabdal who led the community design process for Masonic through a successful public hearing. The following excerpts are from his first interview since taking the new position.<br /><br /><b>You’ve been involved with the re-design of Masonic for some time, including work with the grassroots group <a href="http://www.fixmasonic.org/">Fix Masonic</a>.</b><br />My role during the initial Fix Masonic meetings, going back to 2008, was to provide input and support for the community at the early planning stages for a larger project that eventually became the Masonic Streetscape project.<br /><br /><b>Last year you helped develop different options for a re-design of Masonic. How did the Boulevard plan with removal of all on-street parking become one of the alternatives?</b><br />The Boulevard option became one of the <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2010/08/better-masonic-four-options-for-masonic.html">four possibilities</a> based on community feedback we received during the first Masonic Streetscape meetings. People really wanted a new look and feel for Masonic, something to transform it from the urban freeway it is today into not only a safer place to walk, bike, or drive, but also a more pleasant place to be.<br /><br /><b>Were you surprised that there was little organized opposition to the Boulevard proposal leading up to the public hearing in May?</b><br />To be honest, yes, it was a bit of a surprise. In a city like San Francisco, parking is a difficult thing to remove. The Boulevard option was a bold proposal, but the community has been asking for dramatic improvements to Masonic for many years now. Through the <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2010/11/majority-in-sfmta-masonic-avenue-survey.html">community process</a>, I think everyone understood that in terms of priorities, parking was toward the bottom of the list.<br /><br /><b>The Masonic study was a collaborative effort among city departments that historically have not worked together closely. Is a new norm developing for how to tackle large re-design projects?</b><br />Interdepartmental collaboration is becoming the norm. Having a design team composed of members of various city agencies really helps the city deliver the best possible project. Each agency brings their experience and expertise to the table. This enables the design team to consider ideas and solutions that might not have been apparent if each agency worked in isolation.<br /><br /><b>After the public hearing last month, project staff said 4-6 months would likely pass before the SFMTA Board of Directors would consider the Masonic plan. Why such a long time to get this legislated?</b><br />Because this is a full streetscape project and not simply a restriping of the roadway, environmental review needs to consider many items. Aside from the traffic analysis, things like air quality, noise and construction impacts also need review.<br /><br /><b>But the bicycle and traffic design changes were covered in the environmental review that preceded the lifting of the bicycle injunction. Why additional review now and who is conducting it?</b><br />The options for Masonic that were analyzed and cleared in the Bicycle Plan review are not identical to what the Boulevard option proposes. Because there are differences, further analysis is needed. … The environmental review is being conducted by the Planning Department.<br /><br /><b>What has to happen before design changes appear on the street?</b><br />After the project is environmentally cleared, it will go to the SFMTA board for the legislative approval necessary for the parking and traffic changes needed for the project. Once this approval is received, detailed designs and construction can begin.<br /><br /><b>Are you and the SFMTA staff seeking funding now before the project has been approved? </b><br />Yes, SFMTA is seeking funding for both detailed design and construction through several sources right now.<br /><br /><b>Others interested in the Masonic project suggest that an initial phase could involve the landscaped median, removal of parking, and bike lanes striped but without a cycle track treatment or the bus bulb-outs and sidewalk landscaping. </b><br />We’re assessing our implementation strategy. It really depends on how the funding works out. The complete build-out of the Boulevard proposal will cost about $18 million, which could be challenging to secure all at once. That said, we’re trying to get the project built as quickly as possible.<br /><br /><b>Waiting two years or more for actual changes on the street frustrates everyone who feels the street <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2011/05/two-more-injury-collisions-on-masonic.html">remains unsafe</a>. What more will be done by the SFMTA to improve safety in the meantime?</b><br />I think we’ve done a good job implementing measures on Masonic to increase compliance with existing traffic laws and regulations. We’ve heard many great ideas from the community, and we’ve implemented most of them. We’ve lowered the speed limit to 25 MPH, installed radar speed signs, <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2011/04/sfmta-begins-re-striping-masonic.html">re-striped the lane lines</a> and added “25 MPH” markings, and re-timed the traffic signals for 25 MPH progression. In the near term, we’ll also be upgrading several traffic lights to add pedestrian signals and improved signal visibility for motorists.<br /><br />I won’t say there’s nothing else we can do, but there aren’t many more low-cost improvements to be made. The next step is really the re-design of the roadway itself, to make it self-enforcing in terms of user behavior. That’s the track we’re on now.<br /><br /><b>In your experience as a traffic engineer, how much enforcement – and how frequently scheduled – is needed to stop the speeding on Masonic? </b><br />I really can’t speak for SFPD. I know they have stepped up their enforcement of Masonic Avenue in the past year.<br /><br />I’m a big fan of the “three E’s”: Engineering, Education, and Enforcement. Without all three, it’s difficult to change people’s behavior. Streets need to be designed for the expected behaviors, users need to be educated on how to use the street, and lastly, the expected behavior needs to be enforced. If one or more of these steps is missing, it’s tough to get to the goal of safe, inviting streets for all.<br /><br /><b>Masonic area neighbors and livability advocates want to help push the project forward. How do you see them helping?</b><br />I’ll start by saying that the Masonic Streetscape project is a direct result of the efforts by community members and livability advocates. Without all their <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2011/02/mta-to-adopt-traffic-calming-urged-by.html">hard work and pressure</a>, Masonic would not be the priority it is today.<br /><br />There is still a lot of work to be done before the project goes on the ground. The community and advocates need to keep doing what they’ve been doing: maintaining a collaborative, unified vision of how they want Masonic to look and feel. It’s this community-driven vision that’s ultimately moving this project forward. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>For other stories in the <i>A Better Masonic</i> series, <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20Better%20Masonic%20series">check here</a>.</b> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span><br /></div></div></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-54221732998907500762011-06-24T07:00:00.000-07:002011-06-24T07:00:04.498-07:00Families For A More Livable City: Pedal Power Projects & Bike DIY<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img src="http://www.eco-sf.org/images/stories/other_images/SliderCob.jpg" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" >Reptilian projects await...and pedal-powered ice cream too</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Photo: The Ecology Center of San Francisco</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>One more family outing in the city this weekend:</b> The Ecology Center of San Francisco (ECOSF) hosts a free monthly event called Bakers Alley at its School Farm site to learn and trade ideas about sustainable living skills and urban farming. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Kids -- and parents too -- gather for a community potluck </b>and bake pizzas in an earthen oven this Saturday while they talk about bikes and bicycling in the Bay Area. Group leaders will demonstrate DIY bike repair and encourage folks to consider their bike's potential as a pedal power machine. The larger context is ECOSF's commitment to work with groups and organizations that seek more a livable (bikeable and walkable) urban infrastructure for San Francicsco. Who doesn't want to know how to make smoothies and ice cream while pedaling a bike?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >ECO-SF's Bakers Alley: Bike Maintenance & Pedal Power</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Saturday, June 25, 11 am to 5pm</span><br /></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >@ The School Farm, 555 Portola Dr, San Francisco</span></b><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><b>Enter campus via O'Shaugnessy Blvd & Portola</b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" >"And more location details from ECO-SF: </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Next to the athletic field at the School of the Arts and the Academy of Arts and Sciences. Close to 36, 44, 48, and 52 Muni lines. From the parking area on O'Shaughnessy, walk down the hill to the right towards the athletic field. Limited parking is available further down driveway at loading dock, just keep driveway clear and please do not park on the grass. We'll be on the farm the behind the bleachers across the field."<br /></span></span></div><div></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b>Info: Davin, (415) 846-8164</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><br /></span></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-35751066167905621052011-06-23T07:00:00.000-07:002011-06-23T07:00:10.835-07:00Sweet Sailing Through The City<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19422107?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/19422107"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" >Mission Bicycle Company</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" > from <a href="http://vimeo.com/fourspfilms">4SP Films</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>I meant to post this film from <a href="https://www.missionbicycle.com/">Mission Bicycle Company</a> months ago.</b> When I ran into Jefferson McCarley, Mission Bike store manager, last week at The Summit in the Mission, I remembered how much the film expresses the sheer joy of bicycling. Jefferson tells his own bicycling story so well that his enthusiasm and appreciation make <a href="http://www.sfbike.org/">Connecting the City</a> a no-brainer. I first met Jefferson at a SF Bicycle Coalition event a few years ago when I was a new member, and I thought this is a very cool organization to have someone like him as a really active member. </span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>This short documentary about "self-expression and freedom on two wheels"</b> is partly about a great bike shop in the Mission, not in NOPA, that I like to visit. But it also tells the story of two cyclists and what being on two wheels means to them. There are clips of biking in the Panhandle and NOPA so there's the neighborhood connection (if you're wondering). These are beautiful bikes, some hand-crafted with take-notice colors. Check out the one cyclist Jake Swartz built at Mission Bike.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" >"As long as I'm riding my bike and at least I have that one moment by myself...there's just me sailing through the city." I'm there.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></span><img src="https://www.missionbicycle.com/sites/default/files/resize/remote/78a379ee979964ae8a4e89f0563b44f5-640x496.jpg" /></p><p>Photo: Mission Bicycle Company</p>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-6909960571284849782011-06-21T16:58:00.000-07:002011-06-21T20:02:01.406-07:00NOPA Streets: Baker Bike Lanes Re-striped, SFMTA Beats Its Own Schedule<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyiRnSR3nOF4jnchWax9lM-1pwTzSHrDHO9twG2h9Jh-Pvz5XkyRqdrGcRLQ6ry0CIVBKQE9uvN2TfK_IRDF945f8zqkcfSL_nHuXy0msdHT-Ujfq-2yThlirJncJgY7Fa0z4c18uAQvj/s1600/Baker+bike+lanes+paved+007.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyiRnSR3nOF4jnchWax9lM-1pwTzSHrDHO9twG2h9Jh-Pvz5XkyRqdrGcRLQ6ry0CIVBKQE9uvN2TfK_IRDF945f8zqkcfSL_nHuXy0msdHT-Ujfq-2yThlirJncJgY7Fa0z4c18uAQvj/s400/Baker+bike+lanes+paved+007.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620828336609177570" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Every other block re-striped following recent re-paving</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlhupoW0Azclj9oozGAhzRy1yci5UFaOf7-daPraiWGjRodC2oqGrq_UuKEflRbMfCCTP4GsCu9lkmscjVRGR5Zas5Z3DwPblw4oBUgvwU6CBDDM7XPRQGdsHmZLBBhVb3rDrHDkkjDli/s1600/Baker+bike+lanes+paved+001.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 202px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlhupoW0Azclj9oozGAhzRy1yci5UFaOf7-daPraiWGjRodC2oqGrq_UuKEflRbMfCCTP4GsCu9lkmscjVRGR5Zas5Z3DwPblw4oBUgvwU6CBDDM7XPRQGdsHmZLBBhVb3rDrHDkkjDli/s400/Baker+bike+lanes+paved+001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620828330288423026" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Baker to the south, ready to complete the lane striping</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Less than a week ago the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)</b> <a href="http://ibikenopa.blogspot.com/2011/06/nopa-streets-baker-lanes-to-be-re.html">said crews could not re-stripe </a>the traffic and bike lanes on Baker between Fell and Turk for several weeks, sometime in July. But today three blocks of traffic lanes have their bright white stripes and the bike icons and markings have a fresh coat of thermoplasty -- although a few areas of the bike lanes await their turn. Thanks to Damon Curtis of SFMTA for coordinating the bike lane striping and the paint crews. They always seem to love being out on the street striping bike lanes. Be sure to say hello where ever you see them.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>The smooth and striped blocks are primed to host thousands of neighbors</b> and visitors on foot and wheels when <a href="http://www.sundaystreetssf.com/">Sunday Streets</a> returns to NOPA on September 11th. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Note: </b>Yes, blatant and intentional product placement in the photos.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-28113345057160775542011-06-16T09:41:00.000-07:002011-06-16T10:07:55.017-07:00NOPA Streets: Baker Lanes to be Re-striped in July<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7wY3O-P7JfcpzVf4e9v33zwC3WQzdD5vu0rdWm7CRedzc1IMZhHYqnr_pE8ustoBgABCyubPzrgx1b8tEAhP8sam5X5Gqvt17x6C8JlNQwySKf1O9zg2a9WFdhKaZkjw4CB_WcOu3saD/s1600/Baker+Street+Repaving+June+29+2010+004.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7wY3O-P7JfcpzVf4e9v33zwC3WQzdD5vu0rdWm7CRedzc1IMZhHYqnr_pE8ustoBgABCyubPzrgx1b8tEAhP8sam5X5Gqvt17x6C8JlNQwySKf1O9zg2a9WFdhKaZkjw4CB_WcOu3saD/s400/Baker+Street+Repaving+June+29+2010+004.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618859817423268754" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >A few Baker blocks were re-striped following re- paving in April</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>SFMTA crews will re-stripe three blocks of Baker street sometime in July</b> once two large bike plan projects elsewhere in the city have been completed. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition confirmed via Twitter yesterday that the city will complete the Baker job after the Phelan Avenue and Illinois Street bike lane projects have been striped. NOPA residents and commuters have asked about the delay between paving and striping on Baker since several weeks have passed since the new asphalt was applied. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>The three blocks left to re-stripe </b>are Fell to Hayes, Grove to McAllister, and Golden Gate to Turk</span>. Also, Grove between Baker and Lyon will get similar treatment following the recent much-needed repair and re-paving completed there. </span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><br /></u></span></div></div></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-46301612858411390362011-06-14T16:35:00.000-07:002011-06-14T23:26:37.914-07:00“Urban Acupuncture” Prescribed for Fell & Oak; SFMTA Anticipates New Bikeway Trial by Summer 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8NjWJSKE1ratqEWzvouzS3JJpdpJDBWtSQRVqQ4Abbh37jwj_Aw2ldNnXfXzXoXJakE8MAwu7nvUMVhf8DFiQWkir1wakHKC-fcTtL3mLkv95Uh3lOOyizTnJ_4OZ0reqnBFF439xTVz/s1600/Fell+ARCO+All+Clear+June+10+2010+005.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8NjWJSKE1ratqEWzvouzS3JJpdpJDBWtSQRVqQ4Abbh37jwj_Aw2ldNnXfXzXoXJakE8MAwu7nvUMVhf8DFiQWkir1wakHKC-fcTtL3mLkv95Uh3lOOyizTnJ_4OZ0reqnBFF439xTVz/s400/Fell+ARCO+All+Clear+June+10+2010+005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618224103924808962" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span">This block between Scott and Divisadero would be one of three on Fell to get a separated bikeway</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>City traffic engineers expect to implement new, separated bike lane</b>s along three blocks of Fell and Oak streets as a trial that could begin as early as spring 2012. Although the final aspects of the proposal await community input and public review, financing with Prop K funds for the planning and design phase is expected to be approved by July. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The street re-design will likely involve removal of on-street parking or removal of a travel lane for the three blocks of Fell and Oak between Scott and Baker. City planners believe an upgraded treatment along the stretch is necessary as an essential link between the Wiggle bike route on the east end to the Panhandle path starting at Baker. The discussion occurred this morning during a meeting of the Policy and Governance Committee of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Cheryl Brinkman, a member of the Board of Directors</b>, introduced the new bikeways discussion with an answer to what she sometimes hears from residents, “Why Fell and Oak?" “If you’re a cyclist, you know exactly why Fell and Oak,” Brinkman said. “It’s the flattest, most direct connection. It’s vital for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>The SFMTA Board has already made it clear that Fell and Oak should be a priority</b> and has directed staff to develop a plan and a design to implement the change. Bond Yee, SFMTA Sustainable Streets Director, told the committee (chair Jerry Lee, Bruce Oka and Brinkman) that he expected a decision in late June or early July to move forward. He expects a final design in “a little over a year.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Mike Sallaberry, SFMTA Sustainable Streets Division Planner,</b> explained that the agency expects to propose a trial design once extensive community outreach has been concluded. “Substantial buy-in from the public is critical,” he said. Brinkman added that the trial phase will be an opportunity to assess any public fallout over the plan. Sallaberry said that to date it is not clear whether the public prefers removing a parking lane or a travel lane. But he said he was encouraged by the public response so far. “There’s a proactive feeling about this project. No one has said ‘no way.’” During the trial phase, staff would complete an environmental review of the project. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Following the committee meeting, Mike Sallaberry spoke with BIKE NOPA</b> in more detail about the project. He suggested opening this segment of the Fell/Oak couplet to more street users was like “urban acupuncture” that would improve the flow of traffic in this part of the city. He also touched on other aspects of the design options:</span></p> <ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span class="Apple-style-span">If the project stays on schedule, the permanent installation of the separated bikeways could begin in November of 2012</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span class="Apple-style-span">The bike route would likely remain on the south side of <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Fell street</st1:address></st1:street>, but placement on Oak remains uncertain with benefits and obstacles on both the north and south side</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span class="Apple-style-span">A two-way bi-directional lane is a possibility for just one of the two streets</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span class="Apple-style-span">SFMTA will wait to secure funding for the implementation before beginning its outreach to the affected communities</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span class="Apple-style-span">Although several neighbors have expressed interest in a bikeway all the way from Scott to Stanyan, the SFMTA believes the better strategy is to implement the shorter segment first. “If we did the whole length now, it would delay the whole project,” Sallaberry explained. “We want to expedite the gap now.”</span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-15779998814793180782011-06-12T16:39:00.000-07:002011-06-13T17:00:45.537-07:00NOPA Streets: Bike Sharrows for McAllister<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRn7uJpOhN-KPiUoPmccrbuTmJpkjLMHZcIF3tBS1_AYl4KyuDpCeKOOQq1Fml4dVLGelVjj_OZjA25jBkru2hvwheaXPkFVE91yFpUHJjF4jlNo33gZKAj-NIu_6WTzWjKfR5c7rnAYv/s1600/McAllister+Sharrows+June+2011+002.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRn7uJpOhN-KPiUoPmccrbuTmJpkjLMHZcIF3tBS1_AYl4KyuDpCeKOOQq1Fml4dVLGelVjj_OZjA25jBkru2hvwheaXPkFVE91yFpUHJjF4jlNo33gZKAj-NIu_6WTzWjKfR5c7rnAYv/s400/McAllister+Sharrows+June+2011+002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617482680745721714" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span">Sharing the road westbound on McAllister before the hill</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWcO3sl06m55rAO30Fno75l_TZzQumySB1mvla443ZOneGSemNXjBHoLpDZ2rp53x4tApisXeLkvNlkxlZlidEcDj59RZVFkzXjFYY6sWcerZnclvxVijpJRI22rnJ3jF6xl5Ap60gaFN/s1600/McAllister+Sharrows+June+2011+001.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 199px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWcO3sl06m55rAO30Fno75l_TZzQumySB1mvla443ZOneGSemNXjBHoLpDZ2rp53x4tApisXeLkvNlkxlZlidEcDj59RZVFkzXjFYY6sWcerZnclvxVijpJRI22rnJ3jF6xl5Ap60gaFN/s400/McAllister+Sharrows+June+2011+001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617482682331383282" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXwbecgH-QwVtIKpIH5dafcv8gY5jOTVA1dwgEy4ks1gnRJNwk3AnibfkH_pLnkeihi_a-m3YCdDaW3TRzC4E5RkhLIBHmKZSeNtwh998RNbN92Wi1bv5HyIv6_lAm14-1Fn_LAvq_1M1/s1600/McAllister+Sharrows+June+2011+005.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 188px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXwbecgH-QwVtIKpIH5dafcv8gY5jOTVA1dwgEy4ks1gnRJNwk3AnibfkH_pLnkeihi_a-m3YCdDaW3TRzC4E5RkhLIBHmKZSeNtwh998RNbN92Wi1bv5HyIv6_lAm14-1Fn_LAvq_1M1/s400/McAllister+Sharrows+June+2011+005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617482673556248002" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>Sharrows in the westbound lane to Baker</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>McAllister is the most recent street to get bike sharrows</b>, the shared lane markings that remind motorists to accommodate cyclists who are also using the street. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) stenciled the sharrows last week on much of the westbound lane from Market to Baker streets. Presumably the markings will be extended the full length of the McAllister bike lane to Masonic, including the eastbound lane.* The street additions are part of the extensive bicycle safety efforts by SFMTA that has included miles of sharrows and striping of new bike lanes across the city. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>McAllister is the preferred route for many cyclists</b> traveling to the Civic Center and Market street from NOPA. (Others slalom down Golden Gate from Broderick, an efficient thrill ride now more risky with the uneven pavement west of Divisadero). Although Muni management has fretted about bicyclists slowing buses on McAllister, cyclists are often the ones trying to get around slow-going buses. In 2009 McAllister was one of the proposed routes for a new striped bike lane, but the project was put on hold awaiting a better design and strategy for creating bike space. For now the new sharrows provide visual cues to drivers and encourage cyclists to take the lane when necessary to avoid the door zone. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >* UPDATE: Or not. Seems McAllister is a bike route only in the westbound direction due perhaps to its one-way orientation from Market to the Civic Center. Whether this makes much sense, especially with "inner McAllister" soon to switch to two-way traffic, is another question.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569046838598986140.post-91499950228655129572011-05-31T17:16:00.000-07:002011-06-07T09:56:39.056-07:00Turk & Lyon Closer To A Greener, Friendlier Future<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPl9QBBOTe_NsAWSap6KB0d8N47qh2NaYR3KwkN4jV6C0ImQv-qqS7Rhj9WV8JralRd5XDUgesY2IPVCao9IMNfZ80iNfPq_PPWb2aLEi_R9L4zG39bYNwhyphenhyphen94Ca3yT5g117vA94fYzz6/s1600/Turk+drawing+jpg.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPl9QBBOTe_NsAWSap6KB0d8N47qh2NaYR3KwkN4jV6C0ImQv-qqS7Rhj9WV8JralRd5XDUgesY2IPVCao9IMNfZ80iNfPq_PPWb2aLEi_R9L4zG39bYNwhyphenhyphen94Ca3yT5g117vA94fYzz6/s400/Turk+drawing+jpg.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613040308729856130" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;">Green Possibilities for Turk Street near Lyon </div></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Image: James Munden, Marta Fry Landscape Architects</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVNeSIpnevesK5dmkb-DwcAR7rx8o1LgI7Ub4kPixVhNOHvfbao5zVn-bgsjR1i1PF7gsiOJ0ObhF5A1HAtRceQE3SUBIaAGIpoN85PZdLaKw3ptGnsDyqp17aWP9JZj_CrRkVZtmS5y3/s1600/GRN+TL+Fundraiser+Group+shot.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVNeSIpnevesK5dmkb-DwcAR7rx8o1LgI7Ub4kPixVhNOHvfbao5zVn-bgsjR1i1PF7gsiOJ0ObhF5A1HAtRceQE3SUBIaAGIpoN85PZdLaKw3ptGnsDyqp17aWP9JZj_CrRkVZtmS5y3/s400/GRN+TL+Fundraiser+Group+shot.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613040304434524338" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;">Green Turk & Lyon Fundraiser at Chile Pies Photos: Dale Danley</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iildDUxqrybzFp6IJRwR8-Rx3rx5XGlRE81E4JhPmvhbmv7l2IYiuyHxw9ODghrx6x4V0FpIg4i3LmM-dI4vKUzbsT4pm-VH7Z5DLkmM4XlES50Hewh74d72TP-VP-w9InKabo2i8bY0/s1600/GRN+TL+Jarie+and+Michael.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iildDUxqrybzFp6IJRwR8-Rx3rx5XGlRE81E4JhPmvhbmv7l2IYiuyHxw9ODghrx6x4V0FpIg4i3LmM-dI4vKUzbsT4pm-VH7Z5DLkmM4XlES50Hewh74d72TP-VP-w9InKabo2i8bY0/s400/GRN+TL+Jarie+and+Michael.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613040297328635410" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;">Jarie Bolander (left), NOPNA President, Recalling First Contact with Honoree</div></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">(We worked it out)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Thanks to everyone who joined the party and fundraiser</b> at Chile Pies (& Ice Cream) last week -- all 60 of you and those unable to attend who also donated to the Green Turk & Lyon project. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Your support helped raise $1100 that will bring greener sidewalks, benches and bike racks to the southeast corner of Turk and Lyon. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>For me the best part of the evening </b>was being among so many friends and advocates who contribute every day to a better neighborhood, district and city. We are all privileged to work together. An occasion like this is always the result of help and contributions from many people. Special thanks to --</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi</b> for designating me District 5 Person of the Month for June and especially for all his efforts to support individuals and groups in this amazing district</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Vallie Brown</b>, Ross's legislative aide, who takes good ideas and guides them to implementation</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Trevor Logan</b>, owner of <a href="http://greenchilekitchen.com/">Green Chile Kitchen</a> and <a href="http://greenchilekitchen.com/chilepies/">Chile Pies</a>. His generosity and support of the fundraiser has been remarkable</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Kalie Nickless</b>, manager of Chile Pies, who made all arrangements incredibly easy</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>James Munden</b>, neighbor and landscape architect with Marta Fry Landscape Architects, whose images of the Green Turk & Lyon project inspire us to create a model for green permeable sidewalks in NOPA</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span">The <b>members of St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church</b>, led by Pastor Will Scott, for their ongoing engagement with the community and eagerness to transform the sidewalks along the church property for a green neighborhood respite</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>NOPNA, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Sunday Streets, Walk SF, Fix Masonic and NOPA VELO</b> for co-sponsoring the fundraiser</span></li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Next steps for the project will be a community meeting</b> in July to review designs, workplans, and a timeline for removing the concrete and enlivening the Turk and Lyon corner. Date and time will be posted here on BIKE NOPA. More detailed information is <a href="http://greenturkandlyon.blogspot.com/">available here</a>. Take a look at the corner this Saturday night, June 4, before <a href="http://liveatcyprians.blogspot.com/">a special concert</a>, an <i><b>Evening of Song</b>,</i> at Cyprian's.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Interested in volunteering or want more information?</b>: greenturkandlyon@gmail.com</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>To donate to the projec</b>t: so far we're set up to accept checks made out to St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church; please write on memo line: "Turk & Lyon Project". All donations will go to a separate Turk & Lyon account. Thank you!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div></div></div>Michael Helquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790571330038061382noreply@blogger.com1