"Better Streets" is worse for traffic in the Mission

Rob's note: This public comment was submitted to the city's Better Streets program, another front organization for the city's anti-car movement:

----- Original Message -----
From: Marc J. Zilversmit
To: info@sfbetterstreets.org
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008
Subject: Comment on Cesar Chavez

Dear Sir/Ms,

I want to compliment you on the aesthetics of your designs for Cesar Chavez. Any of them would look very nice, but I fear that they will not be functional.

There are many of us in the Noe and Bernal neighborhoods who use Cesar Chavez and worry about the clogged traffic. We also worry about the traffic impact and spill-over into local neighborhoods. When the C.C. Puede group started meeting, they kept voting us down and politely rejecting all of our suggestions.

I know that there have been meetings, but I don't think drivers on the street have been adequately notified. I've driven on Cesar Chavez frequently in the last few weeks. I didn't see any visible signs inviting drivers to comment on the plan. If there were signs, they were too small for drivers to see and were apparently aimed at pedestrians. So I think any sample of feedback is skewed. You should attempt to place large signs on the street to invite input from drivers before you proceed. The signs should be as large as the signs that you put up after you are done changing the street (e.g. "Your tax dollars funded these improvements").

Additionally, I notice that you suggest that left-turn pockets might improve traffic flow. I have tried to work with the San Jose-Guerrerro Coalition to mitigate the impact of the un-noticed changes that were implemented on that street. Every time I suggest dedicated left-turn pockets, they reject the idea. If dedicated left-turn pockets are a viable option to improve traffic flow on Cesar Chavez, they should also be included in the San Jose-Guerrerro projects. Turn pockets just seem like a convenient argument that are used to get rid of lanes and then later discarded.

If your traffic studies indicate that traffic flow is improved by turn pockets, why can't they be put in place on San Jose-Guerrerro?

Also, since the next freeway exit south of Cesar Chavez is San Jose-Guerrero, I think that people traveling into the Mission and Noe Valley areas will start using the San Jose-Guerrero exit more frequently. That street is already congested because of the lane removal and because the street is shared with the trolley cars South of 30th Street.

Please consider the effects of your decision on San Jose Guerrero.

Please do a better job of notifying drivers of your proposals.

Thank you again for your attention to this matter.

Marc J. Zilversmit
Noe-Bernal Drivers