The city's plan to screw up Masonic
According to the city's own numbers, Masonic Ave. isn't unsafe for anyone, but forget about the facts, that busy street---it carries more than 32,000 vehicles a day----is going to be "calmed" whether we like it or not.
"Implementation of the Boulevard design awaits a final report due by the end of the year, followed by an approval process and a search for funding." The search for the $20 million to pay for the project shouldn't take long, since the San Francisco County County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) has a guaranteed share of the sales tax the city uses for transportation projects: "The Authority Board consists of the eleven members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, who act as Authority Commissioners. Commissioner Ross Mirkarimi is Chair of the Authority Board..."
As a supervisor, Mirkarimi has made the Bicycle Coalition's agenda his priority, when he wasn't pushing destructive projects like the Market/Octavia Plan and helping UC rip off the old extension property on lower Haight Street.
When Mirkarimi contributed an obvious falsehood to the Masonic Ave. debate by comparing the city's plan for Masonic to the recent makeover on Divisadero, was he lying or just being dumb? Hard to tell with the Murk.
Even though the city's plan will take away 167 parking spaces on Masonic between Geary Blvd. and Fell Street to make bike lanes, the MTA's project director made this statement: "[Javad]Mirabdal emphasized that the traffic calming package for Masonic "'is not a bike project.'"
Since cyclists are the only beneficiaries of the plan and motorists are the big losers, this is an obvious lie.
Taking away all those parking spaces means that the city won't be able to create, as it does now, an extra traffic lane during commute hours on Masonic, which will permanently have only two lanes for north-bound and south-bound traffic.
Labels: Anti-Car, Bicycle Coalition, Masonic Avenue, Michael Helquist, Old Farts on Bikes, Parking, Ross Mirkarimi, SFCTA, Traffic in SF
posted by Rob Anderson @ 10:38 AM
17 comments
17 Comments:
Utopia!
Let me guess: you're related and/or married to Michael Baehr, who argued---with no factual basis, of course---a few years ago that not many tourists drive in SF.
It's true; my husband got me pregnant (we call it "mpreg") a few years ago and we are now raising a bike nut daughter. She's only 10 and already cutting off drivers and posting on D5D. I'm so proud!
motorists are the big losers - truer words were never said, they are a bunch of losers. Except on their waistline.
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/drivers-at-fault-in-majority-of-cycling-accidents-28489
Rob, please identify all of the ways this study is wrong for us if you have time.
Thanks.
"Rob, please identify all of the ways this study is wrong for us if you have time."
The sample provided is too small, and it's from another country. According to the latest numbers for SF in the year 2008 (City of San Francisco 2008 Bicycle Collision Report, available from MTA), cyclists are responsible for half of their injury accidents due to speeding, running stop signs, and riding the wrong way on one-way streets.
Cry Rob a river...
Looks like a good plan to me! Unlike you Rob, I actually live in the neighborhood and would very much like to see these improvements take place. Stop drinking urine man!
I too live near Masonic, Doc, and you really should stop dipping into the pharmaceuticals. I don't get the many references to urine by you bike people, but maybe that preoccupation has something to do with this medical problem.
Rob, you are posting strawmen (and women) to argue against. This is getting ridiculous.
The topic is Masonic Ave. Do you have anything to say?
You are posting as Leah and Michael Baehr and then engaging in conversation with "them". And even if you aren't the one posting as them, you are still acknowledging these fake commenters to further some sort of "point".
And to the point of Masonic, if the neighbors feel that traffic is dangerous (your numbers don't show near misses or the sense of anxiety that comes with walking near speeding traffic), then they have every right to demand that something be done. Maybe those commuters shouldn't have a mini-freeway through a residential area. Maybe the neighborhood wellbeing is worth more then 1 min saved on the drive home to Marin.
I would have no way of knowing that the Leah Baehr comment was fake or not, but the comment from Michael Baehr is apparently authentic, since it links to his website.
The accident numbers for Masonic I refer to are the city's, not mine. See pages 29, 31 and 32 in the city's presentation from the first community meeting on Masonic. In fact Masonic isn't really unsafe for anyone. It's all bullshit fostered by the Bicycle Coalition because cyclists aren't "comfortable" riding their bikes on Masonic. That is, the interests of a small minority of narcissistic cyclists trump those of the thousands of cars, trucks, and buses that use Masonic every day.
It's a neighborhood group spearheading the change. It's not the SFBC. Grow up.
And I'm a reporter for fox news now, btw.
The "neighborhood group" you're referring to is Fix Masonic? Bullshit. Marc Caswell admitted months ago that Fix Masonic is a front group for the Bicycle Coalition.
"Grow up" and accept your falsehoods about Masonic Ave? What does Fox News have to do with anything? Why comment when you have nothing to say? Just because you can do it while you're at work?
I was just proving how easy it is to say I'm someone I'm not. I really doubt the Baehr care what you are saying on here.
They should just close the all of the schools on Masonic and use the Masonic Street resident's property taxes to buy land and build new schools for the children attending schools located on Masonic Street. Then it will be okay for cars to be more important than bicycles that are just in the way and not trying to go anywhere.
Regarding tourists driving everywhere in San Francisco, it's true. There is no thriving bicycle rental companies with thousands or tourists preferring to bike across the little-know Golden Gate Bridge than drive across it. And adding 100 parking places on Masonic would solve all of San Francisco's parking problems for the next coming 20 years.
PS. I'm who got Mike mpreg. I enjoy seeing Rob at coffee, even if our opinions differ.
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