Mayoral Candidate David Chiu Takes District 5 Transportation Tour, Backs Cross-town Separated Bike Lanes and the Boulevard Design for Masonic

Dennis Yee of Martini Cleaners is on board with Chiu campaign

Chiu noted Divisadero's unfortunate "skinny sidewalks," toured with Dan Nguyen-Tan

Chiu assured Walt Bell of Black Dog Trading Company he wanted to help small businesses

Chiu with Remy Nelson at the city's first parklet outside Mojo Bicycle Cafe

Board of Supervisors President David Chiu launched his second week as an official mayoral candidate with a “transportation tour” today of District 5, stopping in Japantown and along Divisadero. In the few hours squeezed between meetings at City Hall, Chiu walked, biked, and took Muni to meet local merchants and residents. He described his transportation choices as part of his message to city voters, telling BIKE NOPA, “I am absolutely committed to sustainable transportation in District 5 and all the districts as part of a more livable city.”

Chiu said his transit-first vision for the city includes a safer Masonic Avenue, and he strongly endorsed the Boulevard design developed by city planners with support from several neighborhood groups. “We should make Masonic one of the great streets of this city,” Chiu said. He recognized that “creative financing” will be required to pay for the traffic calming changes proposed for the corridor.

Without hesitation, Chiu also backed the cross-town separated bikeways proposed in an initiative developed by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and supported by Mayor Ed Lee and the SFMTA Board of Commissioners. In District 5, these changes would include bikeways on Fell and Oak streets between Scott and Stanyan. “This is how we start building a more sustainable transportation system in the city,” he said. “When you improve travel for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users,” Chiu added, “motorists benefit as well.”

Taking his mayoral campaign around the city without a car still has its challenges, as Chiu found when he waited for the #22 Fillmore bus from Japantown. With the clock ticking on his time away from City Hall, he jumped on his bike to reach his next stops on Divisadero. Later he commented on the state of the MTA. “Muni is dysfunctional, for many reasons. MTA management has frustrated many of us. We need the transit union to support needed changes. And several parts of the Transportation Effectiveness Project lack implementation.”

The condition of city streets rounds out Chiu’s concerns for transportation policy. He said he looked forward to further consideration of a streets bond measure to secure funds to repair and maintain city streets. Several district supervisors initially backed a streets repair bond measure for the November 2009 ballot before determining that the recession and public sentiment made passage unlikely. City planners are now looking to November 2012 for a similar streets measure, although Chiu said it might appear in the current election cycle instead.

On his tour of Divisadero, Chiu met with three popular merchants. Dennis Yee, proprietor of Martini Cleaners, told Chiu he was generally satisfied with the city in his dealings as a small business owner. After his visit with the supervisor, Yee said he was ready to back Chiu for mayor. “For my dollar, he’s been doing the work the city requires. We need someone who knows the operation going in.” Yee didn’t hesitate to take a campaign sign for his window.

Walt Bell, owner of Black Nose Trading Company, reported that his business was doing well. Six employees work with him in the dog specialty store that offers doggy day care, a dog walking service, and a huge assortment of dog grooming and care products. Bell is also a member of the Divisadero Merchants Association. “Our biggest concerns are the eleven to twelve empty storefronts on the street and the city’s permit process that gets ridiculous.” The complaints are familiar with anyone who has tried to start a business or make changes in operations. As Bell noted, permit expediters are used by those who can afford them because the process is so convoluted and difficult.

Chiu made his last stop before spinning back to City Hall for a budget meeting at the city’s first official parklet, outside Mojo Bicycle Café. In response to another reporter’s question, the candidate said he was “totally in favor” of the city’s several mini street and sidewalk parks. “Parklets represent the formation of community.” Mojo’s owner Remy Nelson reiterated the concerns of his colleague Walt Bell about keeping Divisadero viable for local businesses.

Chiu’s car-free campaign has booked nine more neighborhood tours in March.

Resounding YES to Sunday Streets by NOPA: 96.9% in Survey Want Car-Free Event in 2011

Kid-friendly blocks for biking, bike decorating, face painting and more

"I was blown away by how many people showed up to enjoy car-free space even in the rain."

Eleven car-free blocks an inconvenience? Not at all for 84% in NOPNA survey

Nearly 97% of survey respondents from the North Panhandle want the car-free Sunday Streets celebration to return to the neighborhood next year. The NOPA residents hailed the event that opened neighborhood streets to walking, biking, live music, and games on September 19th. One resident who identified herself as "Diana (driver, cyclist, pedestrian, citizen)" added a comment: "I support community use of the streets, and the more reason to come together the better." The online survey was conducted by the North Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA) last month and sent to members. Thirty-two completed the survey. The survey was emailed to several hundred neighbors.

NOPA neighbors have been supportive of Sunday Streets ever since the prospect of bringing the event was first proposed early last year. In addition, Jarie Bolander, NOPNA president, said the association received only one complaint about the removal of parking and the restricted street access. Eleven blocks along Central, Grove, Baker, and Golden Gate were closed to parking from 11pm Saturday to 3pm Sunday. In the NOPNA survey, 84% said the removal of parking caused no inconvenience while 12% said the situation was manageable. NOPNA helped arrange for 200 free parking spaces for residents along the route, but only 20 of those were actually used. Similar high percentages of neighbors said they were "very satisfied" about event promotion, behavior of participants, and the quick and thorough clean-up.

Respondents suggested changes for next year's Sunday Streets in the Western Addition:

• devise a less-fragmented route, perhaps from the Panhandle to Fulton to Fillmore streets
• include Divisadero for a mix of residential and commercial activity
• add more activities along the connection between NOPA and Fillmore
• allow more food stalls and food trucks
• add even more live music and give the route a music theme
• get neighborhood more involved and inform neighbors that they can hold garage sales
• "more sun next time please"
• post No Parking Signs earlier-- 8 days rather than the 72 hours required -- as a courtesy to those neighbors who use their vehicles infrequently

One neighbor concluded, "Sunday Streets will get even better during the second year." All the routes for the 2011 program have yet to be determined, but a return to the Western Addition is definitely anticipated according to event organizers.

NOPA Meets: Yes on Sunday Streets, No on SFgo, Let's Talk on Fell/ARCO Tangle

A North Panhandle view: a balance to the streets talk at NOPNA meeting.

More than 60 NOPA neighbors gathered last night to consider a range of livability and transportation issues. The bottom line on the hot agenda items:

• enthusiastic support to bring next year's Sunday Streets celebration into the neighborhood
• big thumbs down to the SFgo signs, both of the freeway-style signs on Fell and Oak
• "not so sure with so many options" judgment on MTA's plans for the Fell/ARCO traffic mess

The November meeting of the North of the Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA) offered a packed agenda for members, visitors from the Alamo Square Neighborhood Association (ASNA), and reps from city agencies and various non-profits.

Deemed the big draw of the evening, Cheryl Brinkman of Livable City graciously awaited her last-on-the-agenda speaking slot. She told the audiience how much Sunday Streets organizers are looking forward to having a route through NOPA next year. Although it's too early to confirm actual streets and dates for the walk-bike-enjoy-the-streets celebration, Brinkman did confirm September was the month for the NOPA area ride. "Yours will get the best weather." A call for how much support exists for the proposal brought a round of applause.

The unpopular SFgo signs discussed extensively here already (search "SFgo") received little attention, but NOPNA Board President Kevin Rafter restated the association's stance. After confirming that the Oak Street sign will come down, he commented on the Fell sign. "NOPNA's position is that we should not have a sign there at all." Can't get much more clear than that.

Mike Sallaberry, Associate Traffic Engineer for the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) tackled the problems with Fell Street at the ARCO station. Sallaberry and his MTA colleague, traffic engineer James Shahamiri, distributed a two-page list of eight different options (with pros and cons for each!) for how to manage the often conflicting needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists at this busy spot. Sallaberry first developed these options more than two years ago -- an indication of MTA's awareness of the conflicts here on Fell. None of the eight options are clear and obvious standouts for implementation, but even in an imperfect traffic engineering world, choices must be made with the daily safety risks at the site.

Sallaberry emphasized two important considerations for any discussion of this block of Fell Street:

• nearly every width on that block is already at its minimum, so there is no chance to narrow -- or widen -- a travel lane, a bike lane, a parking lane, or a sidewalk.
• immediate implementation of several possible options must wait until after the court injunction against the Bicycle Plan is lifted.

He also noted, in a handout, that the long-term option might be "to encourage a different land use on that lot with a different (or no) driveway design." The other short-term possibilities include the three that received the most attention:

• Remove three or more parking spaces in front of the ARCO driveway "to create a lane for ARCO-users to wait to the left of the bike lane". The pros: motorists would be more likely to wait outside the bike lane as well as the travel lane and it would be cheap and easy to install. The cons: residents may oppose and the parking lane would be more narrow than ideal for turn lanes and motorists would likely move into the bike lane to make the turn into ARCO.

• Create a two-way bike lane along the curb by moving parked cars away from the curb by 5 feet, or, alternately, remove all parking on southside Fell and build a two-way bike path. Pros: cars would block the vehicle lane and not the bike path; cyclists might feel safer with this physical separation from moving vehicles; and a two-way path also improves the east-bound bike traffic, encouraging cyclists to use it rather than Oak Street. But the cons: two-way paths "have design and safety challenges" (the handout did not explain these further); parking changes would likely be opposed but might be mitigated by opening other nearby spaces; and motorists still might block the driveway at ARCO.

Michael Smithwick of ASNA strongly encouraged MTA to devise a plan that was equally sensitive to pedestrians and bicyclists. Smithwick's proposal was featured in this earlier post; it entails (a) a bike lane where it is now but with a permanent structure (a tree, a bike rack) right before the ARCO driveway blocking any passage by vehicles, and (b) flexible barriers separating bike and vehicle traffic. Motorists awaiting their turn at ARCO would have to remain in the travel lane. MTA suggests that the trouble with a proposal like this is that motorists might still block the driveway and barriers make it more difficult for cyclists to leave the lane when necessary.

Almost everyone agreed that signs advising motorists to do or not do something at this location would be ineffective. The deft phrasing of traffic engineer suggests, "The effect of signage on adusting behavior is limited."

Next steps: MTA reps will consider the input from the NOPNA meeting and then propose further discussion with "stakeholders" before settling on a final plan. The fact that MTA originally proposed bringing one proposal to the NOPNA meeting and then presented a review of eight without stating their own strong preference suggests that they clearly listened to the concerns and ideas put forward by NOPNA, ASNA, and SFBC. Marc Caswell, SFBC Program Manager and NOPA resident, is the Bike Coalition's point person on the Fell Street challenge. We look forward to updates from him and the MTA to move the Eight Options to One Solution.

For those readers who want even more detail, check here for a PDF of the full document of various options. Note: this is not an official MTA document and is not posted on the MTA web site. But, after distribution last night at the NOPNA meeting, it's now public. (And, it presents a good overall analysis).

NOPA Notes Not to Miss

The not-so-lovely rear view of a SFgo sign in SOMA.

Traffic engineering that works for no one.

Five trees down on Fell Street at Broderick.

It's easy enough to speed along and lose track of previously reported, but unresolved, issues. Here's an update:

Pedestrian Fatality

• Two months have passed since Melissa Dennison was struck and killed by a motorist while crossing Fell Street at Broderick. The District Attorney has yet to determine disposition of the case, i.e. whether the motorist will be charged.

SFgo Signs on Fell and Oak

• They're still standing although MTA has agreed to remove the Oak Street sign and seems generally inclined to at least move, if not remove altogether, the one at Fell just west of Divisadero. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi's staff has researched options for placement and design and are now ready to present their findings in a meeting scheduled for next Monday, Nov. 23rd. Two representatives from each of several neighborhood associations, including NOPNA and Alamo Square, have been invited. To date there is no public hearing scheduled.

Speeding on Fell and Oak Streets

• Chief Traffic Engineer Jack Fleck assured NOPNA neighbors on Sept. 17th that his office would conduct further studies for traffic slowing on the Fell and Oak couplet. MTA Director of Parking and Traffic Bond Yee made a similar committment to the neighborhood on October 20th that the agency "will evaluate travel speeds and potentially reduce traffic signal cycle length during evening hours" to address concerns about speeding. So far, no further word from the MTA.

Sunday Streets through NOPA

• See this previous post and map for the proposed route of Sunday Streets through the NOPA and Alamo Square neighborhoods. Find out the latest developments from Cheryl Brinkman, President of Livable City, at the next NOPNA meeting this Thursday, Nov. 19, 7:30-9:00 pm, at Poleng Lounge, 1751 Fulton at Masonic. (Visit with your neighbors prior to the meeting, 7-7:30 pm).

Traffic Tangle on Fell near ARCO Station

• Several possible solutions have come forward since this earlier post: partial parking lane removal, vehicles limited to waiting in the traffic lane only, and a longer-view consideration of dedicated bike lanes to serve both Fell and Oak. Join the discussion at the next NOPNA meeting (see above) when James Shahamiri of the MTA presents one of the proposals.

Street Trees

• The Dying Trees of Turk Street. Condition not much better; these trees give all the appearance of now being dead. No water management plan and now a much-reduced Urban Forestry staff to get the work done. Last Friday a third of the city's tree maintenance crew were laid off, as noted in SFGate here. (Good News from a very limited perspective: the Mayor's goal of planting more than 25,000 trees has been reached).

• Removal of Trees from Fell Street. They're gone, the five Ficus on the north side of Fell at Broderick, to make way for needed sewer work below. No replacements yet.

• The Battered Trees of Divisadero Corridor. The city intends to remove 34 battered and misshapen trees along Divisadero between Haight and Geary and replace them with Flowering Pear and American Plane trees. NOPA neighbor David Tornheim desired more public review of the process and obtained a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 23 rd, 5:30 pm, City Hall, Room 416. (for more info, contact Chris.Buck@sfdpw.org ). My own walk-by and examination of at least a dozen of the trees slotted for removal suggested the city was responding to those trees too damaged to retain. A better question for DPW is what tree maintenance plan will be in place once the corridor is completed and the trees need care and watering?

Sunday Streets Comes to Central City: Western Addition, Alamo Square, and NOPA Prime Candidates for 2010

photo by Larrybobsf from Flickr

For the first time the wildly popular Sunday Streets will grace the thoroughfares of the Western Addition including the sights of Alamo Square and NOPA, if current planning holds through the decision process. Cheryl Brinkman, President of the Board of Livable City, and one of the primary organizers of Sunday Streets, reported that a Central City route will be included in next year’s street celebrations.

“The Civic Center and Tenderloin streets remain uncertain,” Brinkman explained, “but a western loop through the Western Addition, Alamo Square and NOPA has been outlined as a strong possibility.” Although she cautioned, "there's no done deal yet," the plans now call for the loop to include segments of Baker, Fulton, and Steiner Streets and Golden Gate Avenue.

Western Addition Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

The Western Loop: Beginning at the western end of the route, Brinkman said they hoped to link up with the Panhandle Path at Fell and Baker. From that point walkers, bikers, neighbors, and visitors will continue north on Baker for three blocks to Fulton, turn right and continue east crossing Divisadero to Steiner. From Steiner the route heads north to link up with the Kimball Playground at Geary before returning on Steiner to Golden Gate for a return to the Civic Center. Of course, Sunday Streeters can start at either end of the route or anywhere in between.

Brinkman said the organizers are encouraged that residents in NOPA and Alamo Square have expressed interest in having the street festival include their neighborhoods. As a result, she said, “We’re working to make it happen.” Brinkman added that part of the Divisadero Corridor might be added if merchants are interested and other factors permit it.

The Central City route with its western loop brings new attractions and features to Sunday Streets: hills, for one. Sooner or later the summer festival had to include San Francisco’s basic vertical realities, and Fulton Street west of Webster will add more cardio to the walk or ride. The western loop will also include many more residential blocks than have previously been part of the mix.

After two years of experience, the organizers are adept at anticipating difficulties and calming concerns. For instance, the western loop will permit a drive through for McAllister Street traffic, including the #5 Fulton bus. With a Sunday event, planners must also consider the impact on churches with services that day, but Brinkman said this hasn’t been a significant problem.

“In the Bayview and in the Mission our routes this year passed many churches. But we worked with them and found that if we gave them enough notice and a chance to inform their congregations, there was no problem.” Brinkman added, “Some of the churches kept their doors open during services and a few held services outdoors for all.”

Parking problems? Somehow it’s never as bad as many fear. Organizers for last year’s Bay to Breakers run, for example, secured free parking at the Department of Motor Vehicles lot on Fell Street to address concerns from NOPA motorists. When the time came, only three vehicles were parked in the lot.

Baker and Divisadero Street merchants will likely find Sunday Streets a real boon to their businesses. Earlier this year Valencia Street merchants couldn’t wait for the second round of Sunday visitors after the first Sunday Streets included their blocks.

Central City festivities will likely occur in August and September or September and October of next year, according to Brinkman. Sunday Street routes are usually repeated on two consecutive months. “There’s just too much work to do a separate route for each Sunday event.” In 2010, organizers expect to launch nine Sunday events with five routes.

Brinkman encourages residents along the routes to send their suggestions for activities they’d like to have on their neighborhood blocks. In the past Sunday Streets has featured exercise classes, yoga, hula hooping, bike skills courses for kids, rental bikes, bike repair stops, lots of bands, and, of course, non-stop people watching. Send ideas and requests to sundaystreets@gmail.com .

For NOPA neighbors: Brinkman will present Sunday Streets plans at the November NOPNA neighborhood meeting. (Thursday, November 19, 7pm social, 7:30 meeting at Poleng Lounge, 1751 Fulton between Masonic and Central).

Note: Mayor Gavin Newsom proclaimed Sunday Streets an annual celebration and made the Municipal Transportation Agency the official sponsor. Livable City manages day-to-day operations, and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition handles the volunteer program under contract. Volunteers are needed for marketing, social networking, and a range of other activities. (The organization really wants help upgrading its website!) Contact sundaystreets@gmail.com .

Bike Your Block Too: Tips for Bike-Themed Block Parties

Presidio Community YMCA at their best

Electric bike station

the fun-cycle!

bike service stop

and the stunt man!

An hour into NOPA’s popular BIKE THE BLOCK party last month, a few neighbors announced, “We’ve got to do this next year” and “We should do this every month.” But the comment that grabbed our attention the most was “I wish we could do this in my neighborhood.” Well, you can!! Here are some suggestions for bringing a BIKE THE BLOCK party to your street.

Keep it Simple. Everything about your block party will be easier – from obtaining a permit to programming events – if you keep your first time out basic and simple. First, select ONE block that has as many of these features as possible:

• no MUNI line
• not a major thoroughfare
• no businesses on the block that depend on car parking
• no churches on the block that use the street for double parking if you’re planning a Sunday event
• mostly flat with decent pavement surface
• good social interaction among neighbors on the block
• several households with kids of biking age
• previous experience with hosting block parties
• a supportive neighborhood association.

Next, Recruit Neighbors to Help. A great many neighbors can be recruited to help, especially if you’re enthusiastic and sell the idea. Emphasize how cool it would be if kids could ride bikes safely in the street, how important it is for neighbors to get to know each other better, how we can all get more exercise, and how there will be events for kids AND adults. Other tips for getting volunteers and support:

• Go door to door and visit neighbors on the block. It’s not that hard and nothing beats the face-to-face contact for presenting your block party idea
• Get tangible support from your neighborhood association, such as a mini-grant for the permit fee or the porta-potties. Ask to use its email list and newsletter, contact its parents’ group, and propose and publicize the party at neighborhood meetings.
• Join the SF Bicycle Coalition (if you haven’t already) and request help meeting cyclists in your neighborhood. Cyclists will be a very supportive group and may help with the planning and programs.
• Get your local pre-school, elementary and/or high school involved and ask students and their parents to help.

Program Wisely and Moderately. Once you have a location, a date, and a few key volunteers, start to program your party. With the popularity of cycling, it won’t be difficult. Part of our motivation was simply to open the block for kids to bike safely in the street. We also wanted to offer several special attractions that were new and interesting and were likely to create a buzz. Plan on several bike stations spaced the length of the block with more of the adult activities on one end and kids’stuff on the other. Here are some possibilities, from the adult to the kid stations:

• Bike repair: do this and cyclists will love it. Services can be pumping air in tires, a quick lube job, a polish, or more expert wrenching and adjustments. SFBC members are great for doing this. Recruit your nearby bike shop for gear and volunteers.
• Bike showcase: show ‘n’ tell for bikes and accessories, especially bike trailers for kids and/or cargo.
• Bike parking: if you expect a big turnout, talk with SFBC about the best way to provide bike parking.
• Bike stunts: we were lucky to get a volunteer and folks loved it.
• Kids skill course: you could do-your-own, but working with the Presidio Community YMCA Youth Bike Program was a huge plus for us. These are great bike people who work well with kids and parents.
• Bike decorating: all ages but kids really get into the stickers, ribbons, flowers, streamers, and balloons. A bike parade lets them show their bike finery. You can find a variety of stuff at Scrap (www.scrap-sf.org) for under $10.
• Bike art: younger kids love it and allows them to have their own activity too.
• Bicycle businesses: We were lucky to have a neighbor who works with a local electric bicycle outlet and they joined the fun. See who’s nearby in your neighborhood: bike portrait photographer, bike balloonist, etc.
• Information table: promote sponsor organizations and provide bike-related info and free bike stuff like tire patch kits and stickers
• Fun-cycle: if you can book this seven-person circular bike, you’ve got a hit! Fun-cycles can be rented at a few bike outlets in town.
• If you’re the main organizer, do yourself a favor and don’t assign yourself to one job or location. Allow yourself to roam so you can answer people’s questions and show some on-the-spot appreciation for the volunteers and welcome visitors.

Publicize Your Event. Use every means of publicity and promotion you can. Your block can accommodate hundreds of people. Don’t worry that too many will join the fun.

• Design an attractive poster. Recruit a volunteer graphic designer. Then mount the poster in every legal place in the neighborhood (not on utility poles).
• Ask the sponsor organizations to mention the party on their websites.
• Use all the social networking at your command.
• Ask bike bloggers to promote your event.
• Ask your supervisor’s staff to include your event in the district newsletter.

A few more program notes:

• We found 3 hours was enough time for all the events. Allow for one hour before for prep and one hour after for clean-up.
• A block map designating specific locations for each activity will help you in so many ways from planning to set-up on the day of the event.
• Keep it a bike-themed block party with bike-only events.
• For us, it was easier to have all-free events, even the coffee and pastries provided by a local café and volunteer baker. We wanted a new niche as a bike party (not a street fair).
• Our party was on a Sunday and we started at 10 am (not too early for residents but about the time kids are ready for action).
• Recognize and thank everyone repeatedly, especially the organizations and vendors that helped. Part of our goal was to encourage collaboration among the local neighborhood association, the YMCA, a local school, and SFBC.

A bike-themed block party is first and foremost a block party. To keep this post from becoming even longer, a future post will cover basic block party issues: how to negotiate the permit process, neighborhood notification, parking, and city requirements.

Sunday Streets in 2010 to Include NOPA?

Western Addition neighborhoods will be included in the hugely popular “Sunday Streets” next year, according to Susan King, Sunday Streets Coordinator for Livable City. Final details on the routes and dates for the livable streets celebration are set to be announced sometime before the Thanksgiving Day holiday, if not sooner.

Just two years ago route selection for Sunday Streets came down to the streets of least resistance with merchants fearing loss of revenue if their commercial corridors were closed to traffic or, as livability advocates prefer to say, streets open to people. But now Fisherman Wharf and Mission district proprietors compete to get their blocks placed on the special routes.

Mayor Gavin Newsom proclaimed Sunday Streets a permanent facet of San Francisco summers early in September. He announced that 2010 will see “more routes, longer hours, more San Francisco neighborhoods, and more programs.” The Municipal Transportation Authority (MTA) will serve as the lead agency of the program while Livable City, the non-profit transportation sustainability group, will provide a perhaps larger role with managing the multiple-street event.

A route through the Western Addition was considered for the 2009 Sunday Streets celebrations, but other districts – the Mission, the Bayview, and Golden Gate Park/Great Highway -- received the nod instead. Next year expect the Western Addition as well as the Tenderloin to be in the mix.

Will NOPA streets be on the Western Addition route? Too early to say. The routes are decided by MTA staff with input from a Steering Committee of several organizations. Susan King of Livable City added, "Route selection is determined by a number of factors, including community input." Choosing a continuous car-free route for walking, biking, and playing is a complicated undertaking in this city of street fairs, music festivals, and marathons to say nothing of building and street construction. But King notes, “It makes sense to go where the community wants it, if factors such as other events, MUNI lines, and street conditions can be worked around."

Following NOPA's well-received BIKE THE BLOCK party last month, several neighbors suggested a repeat next year and a few hoped Sunday Streets would find its way to NOPA as well. NOPA residents who would like San Francisco's newest fun and sustainable tradition to travel through this part of town should express their support and ideas to the NOPNA Board of Directors at board@nopna.org and write "Sunday Streets" as the subject line. The Board will forward comments and perhaps its own recommendation to Livable City.

Divisadero Week Two: from 64 to 16 Weeks

Instead of a year and a quarter of construction on Divisadero, how about just 16 weeks? The city allotted sixteen months for the Divisadero makeover, but the crew working for Synergy Project Management expect to complete the heavy construction in fourteen weeks. Add another two weeks for the landscaping of the median and planting of new street trees. Less dust, noise, and disruption; NOPA and Alamo Square neighbors are all for that. (The quicker pace construction doesn't indicate poor planning on the part of the Department of Public Works, DPW; they must allow for contingencies for a project this size).

To ease the strain on Divisadero merchants, DPW and its contractor are not only switching the work from one side of the street to the other as noted here last week. The workers also tear up and complete only two contiguous blocks at a time. "It's one of DPW's regulations," explained Neal Patel, Community Planner for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Patel is currently trying to ensure that similar work on Valencia street from 15th to 19th retains safe and adequate passage for cyclists during the construction.

This week's work opened up the west side of Divisadero from Oak to Page, getting it ready for median widening and resurfacing. Also, a new and better NW corner at Grove was smoothed over Friday morning, making passersby sigh a bit that the sidewalks themselves would not be replaced.

Pedestrian and livability advocates resort to more than a sigh, as noted in Friday's Streetsblog post by Michael Rhodes. Tom Radulovich, Executive Director of Livable City, and Manish Champsee, President of Walk San Francisco, express regret that the renewed Divisadero will see no end to its "90 year legacy of skinny sidewalks."

MTA to Reconsider Oak & Fell SFgo Signs, Will Listen to Mirkarimi

MTA Executive Director Nat Ford and MTA Traffic Engineer Jack Fleck will reconsider the SFgo signs currently placed at Fell and Oak Streets west of Divisadero, according to two of the participants in a meeting yesterday with the transportation authority representatives. Ford and Fleck also said they welcomed input about the SFgo signs from nearby residents and they would look to Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi to guide their decision.

Manish Champsee, President of Walk San Francisco, and Tom Radulovich, Executive Director of Livable City, met with Ford and Fleck yesterday as part of their regularly scheduled sessions to discuss livability issues. Champsee said the two MTA reps seemed particularly ready to reconsider the Oak Street sign if the community objects to it. Radulovich said he recalled them saying that "if there are objections to the sign, they will drop it." He added, "They indicated that they are looking to the supervisor to guide them, to help them filter community input."

The Fell Street sign poses different challenges to the MTA than its twin on Oak. The MTA feels it has an obligation to the Concourse Authority in Golden Gate Park to erect some kind of sign structure on Fell Street to alert motorists when the concourse garage is full and to direct them to other parking options. While the Concourse Authority may be concerned about frustrated customers -- and lost ticket sales -- Richmond, Sunset, and Haight neighbors have voiced their frustration with motorists flooding their streets looking for parking, creating both congestion and risky driving by distracted drivers.

But even the Fell Street sign might not remain at its current location, or with its current design, if NOPA and Alamo Square neighbors mount a campaign against it, as several neighbors have discussed since last week's meeting of the North of the Panhandle Neighborhood Association. Both Champsee and Radulovich said Ford and Fleck appeared open to a more appropriate and more attractive sign that was a better fit for the neighborhood. And they might consider moving it from the Divisadero intersection. Again, the two MTA representatives suggested they would look to the supervisor for guidance.

In effect, the MTA directors appear to be granting Supervisor Mirkarimi -- and presumably other supervisors who might find the freeway-style signs riling their own constinuents -- the option to say no to SFgo, or at least to the "visual message displays."

The challenge for District 5 neighbors will be to recognize the legitimate concerns raised by those further west (in the Haight, the Sunset, and the Richmond) as well as those further east (in NOPA and Alamo Square). A review of the location of the Fell Street sign as well as the design and scale of any display may identify a solution mostly satisfactory to all. To this end, Vallie Brown, Supervisor Mirkarimi's aide, said tonight that she has scheduled a meeting to be held within the next two weeks for the supervisor to specifically discuss the SFgo signs and traffic calming measures with Nat Ford and Jose Luis Moscovich, Executive Director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority.

Brown has encouraged all neighbors to summarize their concerns and suggestions and send them to her at Vallie.Brown@sfgov.org . She will compile their messages for Supervisor Mirkarimi to review prior to his upcoming meeting.

Corner Make-Over Set to Improve NOPA Livability

When does a fully re-developed lot improve NOPA livability? Certainly when the property sits at a prominent corner, when it's been vacant and untended for many months, and when three families can take advantage of NOPA's central location and easy transit in the new residences proposed.

The demolition and construction at 2000 McAllister, at the NW corner of Central, has yet to begin, but with even minimally attractive exteriors and landscaping, this corner will likely enjoy a new vitality with the planned three-family, four-story complex to be built.

What the neighborhood loses -- already lost due to the defunct business -- is the corner laundromat that operated here for at least the last dozen years. Neighbors who once relied on this location now have to use other laundromats a few blocks away. NOPNA does its best to support small businesses in the area, and no one wants to see any of them depart. But, this one already has.

Illegal trash dumping and grafitti have plagued this corner for years. As NOPA's resident grafitti guard, Doug Diboll, notes, taggers love big, wide spaces, and the laundry's windows and long expanse of fence along Central offer a huge canvass. Hopefully not for much longer. Neighbors should also expect to see new street trees (required for new construction) to fill in the cracked sidewalk cuts

Construction notes and hearing process. This lot is zoned for RH-3/40x development and fits the neighborhood residential uses and building heights. Neighbors with concerns about the demolition and construction should contact the Planning Department before September 24, 2009. Contact: David Lindsay, 415 558 6393.

Sunday Streets to be Permanent

Look for more Sunday Streets next year in new locations with a guarantee that the wildly popular "street openings" will become permanent.

After the first Sunday Streets last year, an open question was whether the experiment would be continued in 2009. A resounding YES: in fact, six this year. The first five have exceeded expectations, and this Sunday's last installment will likely be the same. Now the city is so pleased with the outcome that Sunday Streets will be made a fixture of summers in the city.

This Sunday take the "Penguins to Penguins" route -- from the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate park, along the Great Highway, to the San Francisco Zoo -- for a great morning and afternoon. This is a special weekend for San Franciscans who aren't Burning on the Playa or traveling out of town; there's so much more of the city for us! Just being on a car-free Great Highway is a treat in itself. But also check out the Urban Cycling Workshops and Freedom from Training Wheels sponosred by SF Bicycle Coalition and the Presidio YMCA Bike Program; demonstrations of the latest in electric bikes, dance workshops, roller blading, strolling on the highway, 150 free bike rentals and free bike repair.

And Bands -- lots of Bands. Thanks to the support of Warren Helman, Sunday Streeters will find Brothers Comatose, the Barbary Ghosts, and Allofasudden mixing it up the sound of the surf at three locations: Sloat Blvd., Lincoln Way, and Taraval St. Read more about the ocean vibes in today's Examiner.

To get a taste of what's coming, take a look at August's "perfect weather/great times" Sunday Street. .... 10 am to 2 pm. Sunday. Last chance in 2009.

UPDATE: Check for more extensive coverage on the permanence of Sunday Streets posted by Streetsblog.