Christmas Day Riders in NOPA

A perfect San Francisco bicycling day with a Must-Stop & Pose in NOPA:

Flickr Photos: Patricia Decker

Happy Holidays from Michael & Dale and Lucca too

Photo: Nathan Frankel

Our best holiday wishes to all our BIKE NOPA visitors!

SFPD Lt. Lyn Tomioka on her "Non-Criminal Incident" Description of Monday's Serious Pedestrian Injury Near City Hall

On Monday morning local media reported that SFPD Spokesperson Lt. Lyn Tomioka described a collision near City Hall in which a driver struck and seriously injured a pedestrian as "not a criminal incident." The account in Streetsblog noted that Tomioka made the comment although "the exact location of the crash and the direction of the vehicle and pedestrian were not yet available." To many pedestrians, bicyclists and their advocates, SFPD officers sometimes seem too quick to conclude that motorists are not at fault when events like Monday's collision occur. And on occasion the comments by SFPD representatives appear to justify these beliefs.* Today Tomioka explained what her characterization does and does not mean.

"When I said this was a non-criminal incident, I meant that the driver did not run a red light and did not leave the scene," Tomioka said. "It was not a hit-and-run and there appeared to be no drugs or alcohol involved." In such situations, SFPD can request voluntary blood draws of drivers to determine alcohol and drug use, according to Tomioka. While she said this particular driver "cooperated with all our requests," she did not specify whether a blood draw occurred.

She added that the description "non-criminal incident" does not necessarily mean that it was no one's fault. However, she indicated that SFPD officers spoke with witnesses Monday who stated that the driver was not at fault. Tomioka was not present when the collision occurred and she did not go to the scene. She emphasized that an investigation of all the factors involved will be undertaken.

"We don't know if the woman (the 54 year old pedestrian) stepped out into the street in the middle of the block" or otherwise endangered herself, Tomioka explained. "But it was a very serious injury that resulted."

Tomioko also spoke of the effect such collisions can have on motorists. "It is also horrible to be the driver who hits an individual under circumstances over which they have no control. In some cases, the one who caused the injury may not be the person at fault."

Tomioka countered the perception that SFPD lacks objectivity when it comes to incidents involving non-motorists. "People often think in a city like San Francisco that the police are biased against pedestrians and bicyclists, but I don't think that is accurate. There may be a few officers who say things they should not in these cases, but I think the general philosophy is there are two parties in an incident and unless we witness the collision we do not assume which one might be at fault. We don't want to say a person jaywalked and was hit and at the same time we don't want to point a finger at the driver."

We asked Tomioka about the common use of the term "accident" for occasions when motorists may not break the law (e.g. run red lights) but drive carelessly and hit, injure, or kill pedestrians and bicyclists as a result. "I think the more appropriate term in California is collision," she replied. "However, when you have someone at the scene who is very upset, you might use the word accident while trying to comfort that person as 'it was an accident, no one intentionally did this.'" She added, "I don't know the appropriate word always, but I don't think people are malicious when they suggest an incident or collision was an accident."

* On two recent occasions SFPD officers appeared to exhibit a rush to judgment (or at least an inappropriate comment) and bias; the first was reported here in BIKE NOPA; the second here by Streetsblog editor Bryan Goebel.

SFBC Reports, Gets Repaired NOPA Sinkhole

Emerging sinkhole on Golden Gate between Masonic and Central

17th & Dolores Streets,

before the patch paving of crosswalk

What started as a smooth but deep dip in the pavement along Golden Gate Avenue became a crumbling crevice and a real hazard to pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists earlier this month. Fortunately, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's (SFBC) Good Roads volunteers were spinning through NOPA on their first-Saturday-of-the-month ride December 5th. The group of eight stopped, circled the emerging sinkhole with white spray paint to alert others of the defect, noted the nearby address, and later reported it to 311. Within days, a work crew from the Department of Public Works (DPW) repaired the hole and smoothed the surface. The "pothole intervention" is one way that SFBC and bicycle advocates work to improve city streets for all users.

In operation for nearly two years, the Good Roads campaign has turned in more than 1500 potholes, cracks, and sunken manholes found on city streets, especially along bike routes. The SFBC has developed a good working relationship with DPW, and together they manage to make much of the city's bike network safer and smoother for cyclists. While many streets in the city require complete resurfacing for safe use by cyclists and motorists, the pothole repairs take care of immediate problems.

Neal Patel, SFBC Community Planner, notes that Good Roads volunteers help the city do what it lacks the manpower for -- being "eyes on the street" to identify pavement problems needing repair. "We bring a small group of people together to identify a large number of hazards in a short period of time in one geographic area," Patel said.

The Good Roads Campaign benefits more than bicyclists. During their monthly excursions, the riders also report damaged crosswalks, missing utility covers in the streets and sidewalks, and gaping holes in lanes of traffic. For example, the SFBC volunteers requested advanced re-paving for two blocks of 17th near Potrero due to excessive pavement cracking, wide patch-paving for the Dolores Street crosswalk at 17th Street in the Mission, and replacement of missing manhole covers on Palou Avenue in the Bayview.

The Good Roads Ride is open to bicyclists who want to make San Francisco safer for everyone. Volunteers visit a different neighborhood every ride, and first-timers are always welcome. Check the SFBC Good Roads site or contact neal@sfbike.org for more information. The next ride is Saturday, Jan. 9th -- delaying by a week the usual first Saturday ride for those recovering from the holidays.

It's Official: Sunday Streets Coming to NOPA

great graphic from Livablecity.org

photo by Michael Helquist

photo by slowpoke_sf on Flickr

photo by steverhodes on Flickr

The buoyant, smile-inducing, bike spinning, pedestrian-safe celebration known as Sunday Streets will course through NOPA in 2010. Fine-tuning of the new Western Addition route is underway, but the blocks expected to involve NOPA include Central Avenue, Grove Street, Baker Street, and Golden Gate Avenue. Mayor Gavin Newsom announced today the dates and neighborhood locations for nine Sundays from March through October next year. NOPA's chance to host part of the route will come on September 19th, when the city is most assured of sunny, warm weather.

Next year's Western Addition/Alamo Square/NOPA route will be the first foray into mostly residential neighborhoods for Sunday Streets. Cheryl Brinkman, president of the board of Livable City, noted how successful Sunday Streets was this year in the Mission's commercial area. She added, "We hope with NOPA and the Western Addition to have the same success with a primarily residential route. It's a great opportunity to give residents a respite from car traffic on their streets and see what they make of it."

Kevin Rafter, President of the North Panhandle Neighborhood Association, thinks the event is right on target. "NOPNA is always eager to support events that build community and get more neighbors out on the streets. We know that so many of our neighbors bike to school, work, and in-between so this event makes a lot of sense to us. We're eager to make this event a success in NoPa."

At the same time, NOPA's merchants can expect a big boost in business from Sunday Streets.* The Central Avenue and Fulton Street cafes, restaurants and stores, the "Baker Street Beat" sites for foodies, corner grocery stores, and Divisadero outlets of every sort will have the chance to meet, greet, and serve San Franciscans from all over the city. One segment of the route being considered would stop at the Divisadero Farmers' Market, and manager Dmitrius Spartos couldn't be more psyched about it: "This event is all about having fun while honoring San Francisco's path towards a sustainable urban ecology, and farmers' markets are a definite part of that equation. It makes sense to join forces."

NOPA's own BIKE THE BLOCK party this past September was inspired by Sunday Streets, and our one-block focus attracted hundreds of neighbors and friends. Bicyclists will certainly be prominent among Sunday Streeters, but the event reaches out to everyone. Marc Caswell, NOPA neighbor and Program Manager for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, is eager to have Sunday Streets come to this part of town. He also takes a larger view of the occasion: "Events like this allow people to re-envision public space and help show that streets have more uses than transporting vehicles."

The route through NOPA will permit two-way travel on the selected streets and will be open to festivities from 10 am to 3 pm. Organizers will provide extensive advance notice to residents, businesses, and churches located on the affected blocks to help them prepare for the occasion.

The full list of dates and locations include:

March 14: Embarcadero

April 11: Along the Great Highway

April 18: Bayview

May 23: Bayview

June 20: Mission

July 11: Mission

August 22: Great Highway/Golden Gate Park

September 19: NEW: Western Addition

October 24: NEW Civic Center/Tenderloin

In addition to this ambitious expanded version of Sunday Streets, the mayor and SFMTA will launch a pilot project next year to bring car-free days in one or more neighborhoods, somewhat similar to the Sunday closure of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park. Presumably, these "block party"-type events will not entail the rather steep application fees to close the block to car traffic.

BIKE NOPA will feature further news on Sunday Streets in the months ahead. Also check for information from these sites: Livable City, the SF Bicycle Coalition, Alamo Square Neighborhood Association, MTA, and NOPNA at www.nopna.org . BIKE NOPA first suggested including NOPA in the 2010 roster in this Oct. 6th post.

* For those new to Sunday Streets, the event is not envisioned as a giant street fair with vendors taking the place of parked vehicles. People enjoying the streets usually frequent nearby stores, restaurants, and cafes or find the curb a good spot to watch the passing scene.

Are NOPA Holiday Lights Green Enough?

Let's not even go there. LED fixtures or not, enjoy the lights of NOPA, including a special engagement by Betty Boop.

Extravaganza on Hayes Street between Masonic and Central.

Ms. Betty Boop comes to NOPA (close-up of house above)

Happy Holidays.

MTA Cites Bike Injunction for Delay on Fell/ARCO Hazard

Photo by Michael Helquist

The Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) has decided to wait until the bicycle injunction is lifted before implementing risk reduction interventions on Fell Street before the ARCO service station. Mike Sallaberry, Associate Traffic Engineer for the MTA, wrote in an email that several of the alternatives under consideration were "deemed undoable" under the court injunction. If the Superior Court lifts the injunction at a scheduled June 2010 hearing, or later, the MTA will then consider the full range of options -- including barriers or soft-hit posts along the bike lane.

The hazards of this stretch of Fell Street have been well-known to the MTA and certainly to bicyclists and pedestrians for a long time. The agency has undertaken thorough studies of the problem,* and one set of recommendations did result in the Fell Street bike lane in 2002. But studies of the traffic hazards at the ARCO station have not resulted in interventions.

Andy Thornley, Program Director for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition responded at some length to this new delay. "We don't know why the SFMTA would be timid about commencing a trial of safe-hit posts as a barrier to vehicles intruding in, and on, the Fell Street bike lane. It really doesn't need any more legal permission to emphasize and reinforce what's already been legislated for over ten years," he wrote in an email.

With a nod to possible concerns that the barriers might pose a liability risk to the city, Thornley countered with the SFBC's view of a far greater risk. "If anything the City's liability exposure is much greater for the ever-more likely prospect of someone being hurt or killed while riding a bike on Fell Street than any challenge to gluing some white plastic sticks on the white bike lane stripes." He concluded with the sentiments also expressed by the great number of cyclists who travel to, through, and from NOPA and use the Fell Street lane. "It's time -- it's long past time -- to defend the bike lane and the thousands of people who travel in the bike lane."

In October of this year, MTA developed a proposal to remove three parking spaces on the south side of Fell to guide motorists into a waiting zone out of the way of traffic and bicyclists. Once that option was introduced in a BIKE NOPA post, NOPA and Alamo Square residents and staff of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition suggested alternatives including removal of more parking spaces to create a buffer zone, enforced waiting for motorists in the traffic lane only, and a bike lane protected by a flexible barrier. At a November 19th meeting of the North Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA), MTA's initial proposal was grouped with the other alternatives for discussion and no specific actions were outlined. At that time, bicycle and livability activists were hoping the bike injunction would be be lifted in early December. Instead, only ten new bicycle lanes were permitted along with new bike parking and several trial proposals. Another hearing was scheduled in June of next year to consider the merits of the case further before, possibly, lifting altogether the injunction that has blocked a full roster of bicycle improvements for more than three years.

San Francisco's first protected bike lane on Market Street between 9th & 10th. Photo by Bryan Goebel

Although the MTA plans to hold off on a protected barrier for Fell Street, the agency is currently experimenting with these same devices on Market Street between 9th and 10th, as reported by Streetsblog here. And, of course, this trial has been implemented under the constraints of the court injunction.

Photo by Bryan Goebel

* For review of the SFMTA studies, see

http://www.sfmta.com/cms/uploadedfiles/dpt/bike/fell%20street%20report%2011_22_04.pdf

http://www.sfmta.com/cms/uploadedfiles/dpt/bike/rewrite%20of%20memo%20for%20website%2011_22_04.pdf