What goes together better than oranges and medium battle tanks? Nothing, that’s what.
Not exactly sure that the Shermam Firefly tank displayed below saw any action on D-Day (and, anyway, lots of these D-Day tanks ended up at the bottom of the Bay of the Seine), but it’s fun to pretend:
Spotted at the “Lifestyle format,” Starbucks-free Inner Richmond Safeway on Cabrillo.
BMW, the company what has “32 Rolls-Royce Motor Car” dealerships in the U.S., came to town yesterday to promote … BMW.
Hurray!
Deets below. Here’s your boner preview:
“An estimated one-third of all downtown traffic on weekdays is due to vehicles searching for a parking spot.”
ABSURD. DUDE DRIVES UP FROM SAN MATEO TO PARK AT 2 EMBARCADERO. FOR INSTANCE. HE MIGHT SPEND A TON OF TIME GETTING IN AND OUT OF THE FINANCH, SURE, BUT ZERO PERCENT OF THAT TIME IS SPENT “SEARCHING” FOR A SPOT. DO BUS DRIVERS SEARCH FOR PARKING SPACES IN THEIR BUSES? DO BIKE RIDERS? DO UPS DRIVERS? SIMPLY ABSURD.
“San Francisco is the ‘Innovation Capital of the World’ and the car sharing and EV Capital of America,”
ABSURD. JUST BECAUSE YOU SAY SOMETHING OVER AND OVER, THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT TRUE.
“…enables users to pay for parking in advance…”
WHAT? I THINK THIS SERVICE IS FOR RICH, STUPID PEOPLE, THE GROUP THAT WAS TARGETED BY SFPARK.
So, why don’t you have an electric vehicle, Mayor Ed Lee?
Better yet, why not just ditch the car and ride a bike or take transit to get to your appointments?
Otherwise, you’re just all talk and no action.
And exactly how many rich stupids are out there to support a “premium car service” such as this? Maybe out-of-towners who don’t where to park would take “advantage” of this?
And gee, if you only want to go on a trip in a “premium” “sports” “motor car,” if that’s your deal-breaker, well, maybe you don’t really need to go on that trip.
Michael Cabanatuan explains it all for you here, if that’ll help.
At least I understand how Audi Avenue works over there in Union Square - Audi writes a seven-figure check and burnishes its image.
But BMW, what do you get out of this? Who’s going to download your stupid apps?
But I’ve digressed.
Have at it:
“BMW Group Announces Launch of ParkNow Mobile Parking Service and Details DriveNow Car-Sharing Service, Featuring 70 All-Electric BMW ActiveE Vehicles, in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 20, 2012 — At a press conference with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, BMW Group Member of the Board Dr. Ian Robertson today announced the upcoming launch of ParkNow, an innovative mobile parking solution that is a joint venture with Urban Mobility, and provided new details about DriveNow, a unique premium car-sharing service which features a fleet of BMW ActiveE all-electric vehicles. San Francisco serves as the initial U.S. market for each service.
San Francisco is at the forefront of cities working to develop and implement innovative approaches to urban challenges, including traffic congestion and the need for smarter, greener parking systems. There are an estimated 505,000 vehicles in San Francisco, yet only 448,000 parking spaces available at any given time. On weekdays, the total vehicle population increases by approximately 35,000. An estimated one-third of all downtown traffic on weekdays is due to vehicles searching for a parking spot.
“The BMW Group is more than a premium car company, it is also focused on developing and delivering new services to help meet the increasing need for flexible mobility solutions in our cities,” said Dr. Robertson. “The premium car-sharing service DriveNow and parking solution ParkNow will help meet that demand in San Francisco and, ultimately, in other cities. Our introduction of these services in San Francisco represents BMW’s commitment to encouraging the development of new mobility options that will reduce emissions and congestion and improve the quality of life for San Franciscans.”
“San Francisco is the ‘Innovation Capital of the World’ and the car sharing and EV Capital of America,” said Mayor Lee. ”I am pleased that BMW has chosen San Francisco as the first U.S. site for its innovative services and has launched their program entirely with electric vehicles.”
ParkNow, which will be available to drivers beginning in September, is an online mobile parking service that enables users to pay for parking in advance, with guaranteed access and clearly defined rates, based on their personal preferences. Customers can search for parking using ParkNow’s mobile app or website, reserve, pay and then be navigated directly to the parking facility, reducing time spent looking for parking, as well as emissions. There are currently 14 ParkNow locations in and around San Francisco piloting the system. Stations are located around the city, close to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), Muni (San Francisco Municipal Railway)and bike-sharing stations, as well as at San Francisco International Airport, Oakland International Airport and in Palo Alto. Four ParkNow partner operators, ProPark America, Towne Park, ABM Parking and California Parking, will launch over 100 additional ParkNow locations in the coming weeks.
DriveNow which launched in June in San Francisco is a flexible, premium car-sharing program offering the opportunity to drive BMW’s first all-electric vehicle, the BMW ActiveE with zero emission driving. The fleet of 70 ActiveE vehicles is located at eight DriveNow Stations around San Francisco, with two additional stations in Palo Alto and at the San Francisco International Airport coming soon. After registering online or in-person, customers can locate and book an available car using the DriveNow web site or mobile app. They can then return the car to the same – or any other – DriveNow Station, allowing for convenient one-way trips, if desired. Stations are located around the city, close to BART, MUNI and bike-sharing stations. Through a partnership with California-based Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint network, the largest network of independently-owned electric vehicle charging stations, drivers can easily locate a nearby charging station if they need to top-off during the course of their rental, which has no time limit. Parking and charging is free at DriveNow Stations.
All of these initiatives are part of BMW i, a BMW brand focused on developing sustainable premium mobility solutions. Richard Steinberg is the CEO of DriveNow. Gary Neff is the CEO of ParkNow.
BMW is a Launch Partner of the non-profit Green Parking Council. GPC works at the intersection of parking, green building, clean technology, renewable energy, smart grid infrastructure, urban planning and sustainable mobility. By challenging the parking industry to collaborate and create open-sourced, sustainable best practices, GPC encourages exceptional industry transformation through partnerships, creativity and ingenuity.
BMW i Ventures is the automaker’s venture capital company, created to fund budding technology companies working to solve mobility challenges in the world’s most densely populated cities. It has made strategic investments in several companies, including Coulomb Technologies. Coulomb’s ChargePoint is the largest online global charging network, connecting electric vehicle drivers to charging stations in more than 14 countries. The investment by BMW supports the development of infrastructure for plug-in electric vehicles.
Other investments include ParkAtMyHouse, an innovative online marketplace designed to connect home and business owners interested in earning money by renting their space with drivers in need of a convenient, safe and cost-effective place to park. The service has 20,000 unique locations and over 150,000 registered drivers. An international rollout in cooperation with BMW i is currently live in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the U.S. The first i Ventures investment was in MyCityWay, a set of location-aware apps for urban navigation that provide users with information on public transportation, parking availability and local entertainment in San Francisco and 70 other cities across the U.S. and around the world.
The BMW i brand also notably encompasses two revolutionary new vehicles set to launch in 2013 and 2014 – the BMW i3 and BMW i8. The BMW i3 and BMW i8 will become the first two production vehicles to be purpose-built as electric and hybrid-electric using entirely new methods and materials such as lightweight, but ultra-strong carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which is being produced at a BMW factory powered by hydroelectricity in Moses Lake, Washington.
For more information, please visit http://www.bmw-i.com/
BMW Group in America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 114 MINI passenger car dealers, and 32 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at: www.bmwgroupna.com.
From the mind of your Supervisor Eric Mar comes a proposal to have a 5 Fulton Limited during the morning and evenings drives Monday through Friday, plus a 5 Fulton short line from 6th Avenue to the Financh.
Like if the N Judah can get an N Judah Express, why can’t the #5 Fulton get a #5 Fulton Limited, am I right, gf?
So, if this sound good to you, as well it might, be sure to attend the big meeting on August 21, 2012 at 5:30 PM, 461 6th Avenue betwixt Anza and Geary:
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Hurray!
Oh, c’mon, man, is this why tourists ask me where El Camino Real is?
Are you seriously, Google?
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They are seriously and it’s all legal. Check it:
California Streets and Highways Code Section 635(b): State highway routes embracing portions of Routes 280, 82, 238, 101, 5, 72, 12, 37, 121, 87, 162, 185, 92, and 123 and connecting city streets and county roads thereto, and extending in a continuous route from Sonoma southerly to the international border and near the route historically known as El Camino Real shall be known and designated as “El Camino Real.”
So basically, everything that could possibly considered ECR is ECR – that’s what the solons of Sacramento have determined.
News to me.
You’ve won this one, Google.
Wow, this case ended up with a plea bargain for just twelve months in jail?
The case of Nils Linke used to be a BFD.
See?
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But late last month it evaporated into nothingness, into a simple jail term.
So, you can booze it up at world-famous Kokkari restaurant, run over a German tourist despite your gf yelling at you to look out, get out of the car to move the German tourist’s bike off of the road (no, not him himself, just the bike, you leave the dude himself to die), get back into the car after switching seats with the gf, and then drive away, and your punishment, years later, will be, what six months, eight months, in county jail because that’s what District Attorney George Gascon is willing to sign off on. No trial, no nothing, just a plea deal.
So what would Joshua Calder have gotten without the hitting and the running and the seat switching? Three months? Community service?
Mmmm….
Here’s how some people cross six lanes of Masonic at Ewing Terrace:
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Now, is this kind of thing legal? Well sure, if you’re walking – this could be one of those unmarked crosswalk deals.
But it’s not legal to cross here if you’re running. Sorry pedestrian.
(Our FUBARed beyond all reason SFMTA has a plan to put a traffic light in here whenever it can get its grand mal Masonic Street Design off the ground.)
Now a little further up the hill, we lost a ped who was similarly jaywalking earlier this year. I guess we could blame accidents like that the 30 MPH speed limit in front of Trader Joe’s, but that’s not how I’d look at it.
I’d look at it by trying to get inside the peds’ heads to try to think of a way to get them to not kill themselves.
Oh well.
“Masonic Avenue Street Design Study
Engineering hearing on proposed changes, May 13, 2011
Masonic Street Redesign Study final report (PDF)
The survey results from the third community meeting, held on September 30, 2010, at San Francisco Day School (PDF), are available.
About the Project
The primary goal of the Masonic Avenue Street Design Study is to identify how Masonic Avenue between Geary Boulevard and Fell Street can safely and efficiently accommodate the needs of all roadway users, including but not limited to pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and Muni. The project is funded by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority through the Prop K half-cent local transportation sales tax program.
Objectives:
1. Engage representatives of all constituencies within the community who would be impacted by changes to Masonic Avenue including, but not limited to, residents on Masonic Avenue, residents on side-streets, merchants, school representatives, bicyclists, Muni customers and pedestrians.
2. Improve transit operation.
3. Improve pedestrian and non-motorized access to transit.
4. Increase the safety of pedestrian crossings.
5. Increase motorist compliance with traffic rules and regulations.
6. Reduce the number of vehicular collisions, especially those involving pedestrians and bicyclists.
7. Support neighborhood vitality by creating a more inviting and accommodating public realm.
Community meeting presentations
The following presentations from the various community meetings are available from the San Francisco Planning Department website:
First community meeting presentation, June 15, 2010, Day School, PDF, 7MB
Second community meeting presentation, Aug. 10, 2010, Day School, PDF, 7MB
Third community meeting presentation, Sept. 30, 2010, Day School, PDF, 6MB
James Shahamiri
415.701.4732
james.shahamiri@sfmta.com
It’s like this, on the steepest block coming down from Mervyn’s Heights.
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Is this illegal? I don’t know.
Sometimes you’ll see cyclists loitering about Golden Gate Ave and Divisadero during the morning drive. They’re waiting for the timed traffic lights to go green so they can effortlessly zip along at around 20 MPH or so all the way Gough or Franklin without having to stop.
Like this:
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Neighboring McAllister Street also works as a route to downtown, but it has stop signs and less-coordinated traffic lights.
Choose or lose…
Here’s your Lowell High School timeline:
So this is where Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer actually went to high school, on the #21 Hayes line, back in the 50′s. Now it’s the John Adams Campus of troubled City College of San Francisco.
There are fewer drug dealers hanging about these days, but they’ve been replaced by bike thieves…
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Speaking of which, I think this ride has been abandoned for months now. Oh well:
Oh, here’s what Lowell High School looked like in 1917:
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And here’s the same place today:
See if you can match up the bricks with the shot at the top.
(Not much difference excepting for the Toyotas out front and the bright white racing stripe up high. That’s an ADA-complaint elevator shaft hanging off the side these days, one would think. Probably should have been standing about ten feet to the left – that telephone pole in front of the main entrance on Hayes probably is in the same place today as 1917 so it’d be a good tool for alignment. A tilt-shift lens and/or Photoshop would produce an almost identical image as the 1917 shot.)
Campus Information
Built in 1911 as Lowell High School, the John Adams building consists of 64 classrooms and labs, an auditorium, a state-of-the-art child care center, and offices for counseling and administrative services. At this campus, we offer a variety of credit and noncredit courses and programs. John Adams Campus also houses the Dean’s Office of the School of Health and Physical Education. Our mission here is to assist students in accomplishing their educational goal and to ensure student success.
John Adams Campus
1860 Hayes Street
San Francisco, CA 94117 ► Google Map
- #43 Masonic to Hayes/Masonic
- #21 Hayes to Hayes/Masonic
- #5 Fulton to Fulton/Masonic
See? It’s black over white:
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And you can barely see, but the caption up there says “GBUS to MTV.”
Which stands for “Google Bus to Mountain View.”
Enjoy your WiFi-enabled reverse commute, Googlers!
