There’s an SFMTA hearing today at City Hall, 10 AM, Room 416, to discuss the bike lanes, traffic calming, left hand turn pockets, and eliminating some left hand turns.
Expect the typical NIMBY and you-ruin-my-commute opposition. Why not swing by and give some counter arguments?
For some historical perspective:
1874: Precita Creek, future path of Army / Cesar Chavez, via David Rumsey (West is up). Serpentine Avenue — the old northern boundary of the Bernal Rancho – had yet to be straightened out. You see reference to the sewer they are about to put in — the one that is about to be replaced over the next few years.
And some of the efforts at widening Army St over the years in conjunction with the mid century highwayfication of SF.
1940, @ Harrison:
1962, between San Jose and Guerrero
I just want to be able to ride my bike down Cesar Chavez and not think I’m going to die, OK?
Why anyone would even consider riding their bike down CC is beyond me. Any “traffic calming” on that street is likely to cause gridlock during commute hours and will increase traffic on adjacent side streets. The City should leave it alone and put the money into improving public transit instead.
As opposed to the gridlock from everyone turning left now? Or how the stoplights that simultaneously turn red in groups of 4?
CC is a clusterfuck as it stands – I avoid it like the plague. Turn pockets are going to be a huge help. It might actually make traffic go faster on average.
And I know lots of folks who’d *love* to ride their bikes to Caltrain.
Ride down 26th instead. It isn’t rocket science.
I’m looking forward to the greening, but they should put the bike lane one block north.
Wow! I didn’t realize that Valencia street originally did not intersect with Mission!
That was the plan in the late 1860s, but I think Valencia shot straight through once the street cars were built. Tiffany Ave was named on street plans as early as the mid 1860s.
I bet the when they built car barn at Valencia and Tiffany, it forced Valencia to shoot to Mission. (Duncan didn’t get extended down from Guerrero until the turn of the century.)
(I’m working on a post over at Burrito Justice with the history of that block, hopefully before the end of the year.)
I’d love to learn more about the block between 30th and 29th. In the SFPL photo archives it looks like MacFrugal’s was preceded by an AMAZING Bowling Alley, and before that was a trolley barn? I haven’t been to the library to look at the Sanborns or city directories, etc, though, so this is just what I am gathering from the photos on the SFPL site.
And here are the pictures with the tracks leading into what looks like a trolley barn to me:
http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAB-4632.jpg
http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAB-4648.jpg
With the future 3300 Club as a Bank, on the left.
another: http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAB-4645.jpg
Hey, quit stealing the material for my next article! (kidding)
That’s actually a second car barn. There was another one at the intersection of Mission and Valencia which I *think* was built first.
HDPDV, oh man, you are going to love some of the articles I have in the work. Viva La Lengua!
Nice! I will definitely look forward to it.
BTW, my housemate insists that there is an abandoned trolley tunnel underneath/through Bernal Hill. However, I think he is full of hooey. The only reference to a tunnel in the Bernal area is an aqueduct. Can you confirm?
Think he’s getting confused with the old train tunnel under Potrero.
That being said, I’d kill for a BART tunnel under Bernal and a station at 29th/30th. (Or just the BART station intersecting with a Muni Bernal tunnel – with a Forest Hill type station – I’m not picky).
Oh, and Muni light rail from 30th down Mission and then down CC to the T-Third line, ideally intersecting with 22 St Caltrain. But I digress.
I remember you doing a mock-up of a Bart Station at 30th a while back. I was thinking it would actually be easier to put one in just a little bit further, where Mission and San Jose almost meet. There is already a BART escape stairwell/Ventilation hut thingie there, and the footprint of the shell station would be more or less PERFECT for a BART Entrance.
Just sayin’.
There’s an abandoned train tunnel under Potrero?! Do tell!
Bowling Alley: http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAF-0767.jpg
“City hall lot” between Treat and Harrison? Anyone know the story behind that?
It’s on a lot of those maps. I suspect it’s land the city set aside for public use – parks, etc. I’m pretty sure it’s open on those 1860 surveyor maps too.
Also, it’s left field for the Recreation Grounds!
Damnit, I want to bike to BevMo without getting run over or hitting a homeless dude.
Yes, that’s right San Francisco, improve the route to my liquor store!
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