Car-Free After 26 Years: Alamo Square Flea Market and Indie Mart This Saturday

For the first time in 27 years the hugely popular Alamo Square Flea Market offers a new attraction to the neighborhood: wide open blocks along Scott and Grove streets. Traditionally, the eclectic market lured neighbors and shoppers city-wide who crowded the sidewalks around three-quarters of Alamo Square Park. Motorists inched along the blocks as pedestrians wove in and out to cross the street. This Saturday, from 9am to 3pm, Scott from Fulton to Hayes and Grove from Scott to Divisadero will be closed to vehicles, although residents on Grove Street can enter and leave their driveways or garages. Organizers explained the reasons for opening the blocks are to ensure safety, reduce crowding, and "build our community." The market will also be bike-friendly with free valet parking provided on Grove Street.

The Alamo Square Neighborhood Association (ASNA) hosts the flea market. This year ASNA teams up with the Indie Mart for even greater appeal. In the words of Indie Mart, "a mash-up" with "Young meets old! Mission meets Alamo! Indie meets vintage." All together for a party with 120 vendors, estate merchandise, antiques, DIY activities for the whole family (from terrariums to cookie decorating), crafts, dog adoption, BBQ food trucks, and even ice cream sammies. Everything for someone, something for everyone. One great weekend coming up with Flea Market Saturday and Sunday Streets, well, Sunday.

Alamo Square Flea Market &

The Indie Mart

Saturday, August 21

9am to 3pm

Alamo Square Park

Scott, Fulton and Hayes Streets

www.alamosq.org/flea

www.indie-mart.com

Another Neighborhood Says No to SFgo: Hayes Valley agrees with NOPA and Alamo Square (But Will Consider More Modest Design)

SFgo sign standard formerly on Oak Street, now in storage

SFgo wants to erect signs on Gough and Franklin to direct drivers to parking garages

Hayes Valley neighbors want more of this, less of speeding motorists

Hayes Valley residents oppose placing "freeway-style" SFgo signs on Gough and Franklin Streets with arguments similar to those cited earlier by North Panhandle and Alamo Square residents. In an April 2nd letter to the Municipal Transportation Agency's (MTA) SFgo managers, the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA) presented six objections to the proposed "changeable message signs":

• the signs would cement Franklin and Gough as "one-way couplets moving cars swiftly" when the city's Market and Octavia plan as well as the Hayes community's vision for the streets includes greater shared spaces and possibly two-way traffic
• the main purpose of the SFgo signs appears to be suggesting that parking will be easy in the neighborhood; HVNA prefers people not getting in their cars at all and instead walking, bicycling and using public transportation
• the signs (with messages about parking) would be most relevant during events -- brief periods that do not justify placing permanent fixtures on local streets
• the size and style of the signs "look like freeway signs meant to be viewed by motorists speeding at 45 mph or greater"
• a parking sign for the Civic Center Garage should be placed closer to the Performing Arts Garage with a more modest and less imposing scale and design
• rather than a single focus on parking availability, the signs should also advise motorists to slow down and recognize that people on foot and bike are using the streets

Jason Henderson, Chair of the HVNA Transportation and Planning Committee, drafted the letter to SFgo following a March presentation to the group by SFgo Assistant Manager Cathal Hennessey. Like the North Panhandle and Alamo Square neighborhood associations earlier this year, Henderson expressed his organization's support for the MTA's Integrated Transportation System (ITS) with upgrades to the city's traffic signal network by laying fiber optics underground. Nevertheless, he wrote, "I must inform you that HVNA overwhelmingly objects to the changeable messaging sign SFgo is proposing." He concluded, "We envision a longer term deployment of ITS that integrates transit first policies, cordon congestion pricing, and traffic calming rather than one that indirectly or unwittingly encourages driving."

SFgo managers undertook the March and April outreach to Hayes Valley residents, businesses, and arts organizations as a result of the project's experience in the NOPA and Alamo Square neighborhoods. Last August the freeway-style signs (without the message boards) were erected on Oak and Fell Streets near Divisadero with minimal notice to residents or to Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi's office. The sign standards met with immediate protests and a campaign to bring them down. Neighbors believed the signs gave a "freeway driving" message, negated the traffic-calming improvements underway on Divisadero, and would distract drivers more than inform them, thus creating more risk for people on foot and bicycles. The North Panhandle Neighborhood Association and the Alamo Square Neighborhood Association voted to oppose the SFgo signs and took their message to Mirkarimi's office and to MTA's Executive Director Nathaniel (Nat) P. Ford. In late February of this year SFgo removed the Oak and Fell signs. A street-level, portable message sign was proposed for Fell Street to direct drivers to Concourse Authority Garage in Golden Gate Park but to date nothing has come of the idea.

Cheryl Liu, SFgo Manager, told BIKE NOPA, "We learned about doing outreach, and we will go back to the Hayes Valley group with new options." She said SFgo was receiving design assistance from SFPark -- another MTA program -- and two sign variations will likely result. "One will be somewhat like the current ones in SOMA and another will be a smaller, lower sign for other areas." Liu was encouraged by the option that HVNA proposed: a lower standard placed on a bulbout without an arm reaching over the street.

Arts organizations in the Civic Center and Hayes Valley area are especially interested in SFgo signs, according to Liu. "They want the signs to display parking messages, giving motorists updates on the number of available spaces in nearby garages." But HVNA member Henderson said his group has something more in mind in addition to parking updates. "We do see some use for the variable message signs," he wrote in an email. "For example, signs that say "next time take transit" or "congestion is here everyday, please take transit" or bicyclists have right to full lane" and "watch for pedestrians." SFgo will present the new design to HVNA later this month. Henderson is taking a "wait and see" position, but Liu concluded, "It's likely the signs will happen."

After NOPA, Alamo Square, and now Hayes Valley, Liu said they're not looking to other neighborhoods, "We learned our lesson." Yet SFgo will consider erecting a sign to direct motorists to the Japantown garage, and the program hopes to place eleven message boards north and south of Market Streets.

B2B at 100: Six Westside Groups Charge City Allows Repeated Code Violations; Seek Meeting with Mayor and Stakeholders

No one has a problem with the footrace and its early spectators

B2B at 100: An ongoing series about neighborhood efforts to reclaim Bay to Breakers as a foot race and party that San Franciscans can support and celebrate for all the edgy, quirky, and fabulous things it has represented for most of its 99 year history.

Six neighborhood and merchant associations have had enough of the city-sanctioned havoc that accompanies the Bay to Breakers after-party. In a June 15th letter sent to Mayor Gavin Newsom, the groups describe "escalating illegal and dangerous conduct"that threatens their neighborhoods with "increasingly brazen acts of illegal activity, violence, San Francisco Municipal Code violations, and Health and Safety violations." They charge that the city continues to issue permits to the race organizers with full knowledge of the mayhem that has resulted the last several years.

In an introductory message to Newsom, Jarie Bolander, President of the North of the Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA), asked for leadership from the Mayor to end the "epidemic of defacing public and private property, harassing neighbors and using homes as urinals." He added that several other organizations have already reached out to the neighborhood collective, including AEG and Save the Bay to Breakers, to plan a safer celebration. Bolander concluded, "We all want to see the centennial Bay to Breakers celebrate our uniqueness and not our sleaziness."

Along with NOPNA, the other organizations seeking mayoral leadership and citywide involvement in the B2B solution represent the most influential neighborhood groups of the inner west side:

• Alamo Square Neighborhood Association
• Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association
• Lower Haight Merchants and Neighbors Association
• Haight Ashbury Improvement Association
• Divisadero Merchants Association

In the group's letter to the mayor -- with copies to Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi and the full Board of Supervisors -- the neighborhood leaders assert their broad reach. "We represent tens of thousands of constituents, hundreds of small businesses, and many of the city's most prominent historic streets and homes, spanning over 100 city blocks."

The associations cite the relevant state and city codes that govern public nuisances, including public urination, that are flaunted every year after the footrace has concluded. By granting permits each year to the race organizers -- with full knowledge of the previous years' experience -- the city, in effect, is allowing the illegal behavior.

But the neighborhood groups make it clear their primary concerns are with the violence that holds residents hostage. They have no complaint with the "lively, boisterous, and uniquely San Francisco event." Their concern is with the "growing presence of drunk, angry, and disrespectful participants who think nothing of threatening elderly folks, urinating, defecating, and fighting in the streets." They also cite "countless reports" of residents being threatened and "mobs verbally attacking residents, children being screamed at, women afraid to venture outdoors, and individuals breaking into yards and side entrances." They conclude, "We will not allow 'business as usual' and wait for a resident or participants to get seriously injured." Their concerns reflect sentiments also expressed during last month's NOPNA meeting, reported here, as neighbors described the mayhem as "combustible" with "a spark to violence just waiting to happen."

The neighborhood associations wish to partner with the city, race organizers, sponsors and participants. They hope to get the race back to its roots and prevent the "intolerable behavior" that has become a dangerous part of its reputation. The groups seek a meeting with the mayor "within the next few weeks."

Note: Read the letter (pdf document) to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors. NOPNA's Bolander also attached to his email message to the mayor, a summary of a survey of North Panhandle residents with their reactions to this year's Bay to Breakers.

Check the other B2B at 100 articles here.

New NOPNA Logo "Captures the Essence of the Neighborhood"

Leela Gill knows the North Panhandle neighborhood. Within the 30 square blocks that the neighborhood association, NOPNA, considers its boundaries, Gill has made a home for the last two decades, one that she shares with her husband, Charles Higgins, and her two sons, Trevor and Parker. When NOPNA President, Jarie Bolander, urged the organization to get a new logo, Gill had a good idea for what might represent her neighborhood. "Being able to ride a bike anywhere, walk anywhere, and be in a beautiful green park area represent aspects of our hood that people appreciate. We are lucky to live in the heart of a dynamic city with such an eclectic environment and this logo captures this essence in many ways."

The new logo presents an active neighborhood with residents eager to be outdoors walking and biking and being together. Geographical references include a green path for the Panhandle and the "block" NOPNA font that suggest the 30 square blocks -- from Fell to Turk and Divisadero to Masonic -- that define the neighborhood. Gill also likes the yellow font "because it is bright, friendly, and welcoming -- these are characteristics we hope people feel when they are in our neighborhood."

Nearby neighbor Gus Hernandez* submitted the winning design. He told BIKE NOPA that he wanted the image to reflect the strong identification the neighborhood has with its location, primarily Panhandle Park. His other recent work includes an illustration used for the header of the Alamo Square Neighborhood Association's website. He collaborated on that project with his partner, Sam, who designed, directed, and implemented most of the site.

Jarie Bolander is eager for NOPNA to use the new logo for all of its marketing materials. "Gus' logo captures the essence of the NOPNA neighboorhood because it blends all the elements that make NOPNA unique." When San Franciscans celebrate Sunday Streets in NOPA, the Western Addition, and Japantown on September 19th, they can expect to see the bright image along the blocks through the North Panhandle.

*For design services, contact Gus Hernandez here: gushernandez1@gmail.com

Further Fixes for Fell Street / ARCO Station Hazard

Two more fixes for the traffic tangle on Fell Street at the ARCO gas station have joined the proposal developed by the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA). All three plans try to ensure safe passage for pedestrians and bicyclists while accommodating motorists who want to gas-up at the ARCO station at Fell and Divisadero.

Michael Smithwick, a long-time Alamo Square resident and livability advocate, envisions keeping motorists in the traffic lane at all times, even while waiting for an open spot in the ARCO lot. He proposes keeping the bicycle lane and sidewalk clear of vehicles by using a sidewalk extensions and four-foot high, flexible lane dividers. His plan involves four elements:

• constructing a bulbout sidewalk extension immediately adjacent to the ARCO station entrance and installing a bike rack
• removing one parking space closest to the ARCO station and replacing it with a bulbout with room enough for a tree and a bench
• placing flexible posts for a distance of about 10 feet on Fell to separate the bike lane from the traffic lane in the area where motorists are most prone to block the bike lane
• installing a sign curbside at the new "bike rack bulbout" to warn drivers not to block either the bike lane or the sidewalk

"This approach would force cars to stay in the traffic lane as they approach the current entrance to the ARCO station rather than "squeezing" over to block the bike lane," Smithwick explained. He expects the "no squeezing" situation will encourage motorists to continue on their way when the wait for gas is backed up rather than endure the discomfort of blocking the lane of traffic.

Smithwick has more up-close experience with the day-to-day realities of Fell Street than most traffic engineers and livability advocates in the city. He's lived on Scott Street near Fell for twenty years and has served as Transportation Committee Chair for the Alamo Square Neighborhood Association (ASNA) the last ten years. He remembers when Fell had four lanes of speeding rush-hour traffic with residents' cars parked on the sidewalk since curbside parking was prohibited. "This was a nightmare for pedestrians, who often had to step out into speeding traffic just to get by," Smithwick recalled. "Finally by partnering with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, the neighbors convinced the MTA to replace the fourth traffic lane on Fell with a buffer of parked cars and a bike lane." The predicted Armageddon somehow never happened, he added, and traffic calmed a bit, bicyclists didn't have to ride on the sidewalks and pedestrians could. When Oak Street residents noticed the positive effects on Fell, they pressured the MTA to implement the same trade of a traffic lane for a parking lane on their street.

Smithwick's proposal challenges the notion that pedestrian and bicyclist safety should remain threatened by a traffic design that offers little direction to motorists who simply want to purchase gas. Critics of his plan might counter that a bike rack is hardly needed where bicyclists have no reason to congregate and that only the truly weary -- or perhaps MTA's bike counters -- would settle on a bench along the noise and pollution along Fell Street. But those are minor points within a larger vision that seeks safe passage for all.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has a different solution in mind. Program Manager Marc Caswell said the SFBC is thinking about bike travel on both Fell and Oak Streets in the short-term and long-term. "We're open to looking at several options, including a bi-directional bike path on Fell between Scott and Broderick that is segregated from vehicle traffic, andwe expect to push on this idea soon," Caswell stated. This proposal becomes even more attractive if the bidirectional path was extended westward along Fell to Baker Street and on to Stanyan. Such an extension would reduce the risks of cyclist and pedestrian congestion on the Panhandle path and allow cyclists to avoid the dangerous Baker to Scott segment of Oak Street.

"There's no reason MTA couldn't be thinking about this option now," Caswell noted. He volunteered, however, that "full (traffic) segregation is not necessarily better." With better traffic design, he suggested, "points of conflict" where motorists might turn across a bike lane can work well without undue risks. Caswell added that the MTA should consider options for a short-term fix without installing impediments to longer-term, more ambitious changes.

The ARCO station is the large lot on the lower left with driveways and

parking spaces being considered in the MTA plan to the right.

James Shaharimi, Bicycle Program Assistant Engineer for MTA, triggered this most recent discussion of the long-time traffic problems on Fell at the ARCO station last month. His proposal was presented in a post here. It involves the removal of three, too-small-to-be-legal parking spaces leading up to the ARCO driveway so that motorists can queue up along the curb and wait for an available gas pump without blocking the bike lane or sidewalk. The MTA would also erect signs to advise motorists to not proceed until there is a space open and to not block the sidewalk.

At first reading it seems that the MTA plan would open space for only three vehicles to wait in line while forcing the fourth, fifth or more motorists to block both the traffic lane and the bike lane mid-block while awaiting their turn. But the three 12 foot parking spaces are interspersed with four driveways, totaling 95 feet of potential open space. The removal of three parking spaces might permit five or six or more vehicles, and it might clear both the traffic and the bike lane of gas-seeking drivers.

Which of these options might Fell Street residents closest to the ARCO station endorse? Depending on final configurations of the plans, each might make it somewhat difficult for them to use their own driveways. But that's not much different from what they encounter already. Valerie Hartwell, another long-time ASNA member and Fell Street resident, explained that she sometimes waits twenty or thirty minutes to drive into or out of her garage due to the ARCO line-up.

No one is served well by the current situation on Fell Street, but the complexity of the problem -- accompanied by a lack of political will -- has allowed the hazards to remain. Perhaps no longer.

Program note: James Shaharimi will present MTA's thoughts on the Fell/ARCO traffic problem at the November North of the Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA) meeting. Neighbors and friends and everyone interested are welcome.

Thursday, November 19th

Poleng Lounge Restaurant, 1751 Fulton, between Central & Masonic

On-street bike parking (the parking meter routine; will there ever be bike racks?)

7pm social; 7:30 meeting

Also on the NOPNA meeting agenda: Cheryl Brinkman of Livable City will discuss bringing Sunday Streets through NOPA in 2010.