“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 … motorists.”
ALL RIGHT, EXACTLY HOW DOES THIS PROJECT “ACCOMMODATE THE NEEDS” OF “MOTORISTS?” OH, NOT AT ALL? THOUGHT SO. MOVING ON.
Objectives:
1. Engage representatives of all constituencies within the community who would be impacted by changes to Masonic Avenue…
ALL RIGHT, WHICH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE “MOTORIST” “CONSTITUENCY” WERE “ENGAGED?” ANY AT ALL? YOU KNOW, THE OCTAVIA BOULEVARD PEOPLE “ENGAGED” MOTORISTS AS FAR AWAY AS MONTEREY BOULEVARD, OUT THERE WITH CLIPBOARDS AND EVERYTHING. DID THE MASONIC AVENUE PEOPLE DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT? OH NO.
2. Improve transit operation.
THIS PROJECT WILL UNIMPROVE TRANSIT OPERATION ON AND AROUND MASONIC – THERE’S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT. IT’S GOING TO SLOW DOWN THE BUSES THAT USE MASONIC, INCLUDING THE OCCASIONAL #5 FULTON AND #21 HAYES.
3. Improve pedestrian and non-motorized access to transit.
SO TRANSIT USERS WILL HAVE “BETTER ACCESS” TO REDUCED BUS SERVICE? I DON’T GET THE BETTER ACCESS PART – YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A BUS STOP? ALSO, WHAT’S “MOTORIZED ACCESS TO TRANSIT?”
4. Increase the safety of pedestrian crossings.
YOU KNOW, THE PRIOR PROJECT MANAGER IS ON THE RECORD AS STATING THAT THIS KIND OF THING IS BAD TO DO LIKE NOW BECAUSE IT WOULD HURT THE CAUSE OF PUSHING THE ENTIRE PROJECT THROUGH. KIND OF SAD, REALLY.
5. Increase motorist compliance with traffic rules and regulations.
UH, WHAT, WITH TREES? IF I WANTED TO INCREASE COMPLIANCE WITH TRAFFIC LAWS, I’D JACK THE SPEED LIMIT UP TO 40 MPH. NOW, THAT WOULD HAVE SOME SIDE EFFECTS, BUT IT CERTAINLY WOULD REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF SPEEDING, RIGHT? OR, HAVING HOURS-LONG TRAFFIC JAM UPS DURING THE MORNING AND EVENING DRIVES WOULD REDUCE SPEEDING, IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE GETTING AT?
6. Reduce the number of vehicular collisions, especially those involving pedestrians and bicyclists.
HOW? BY PLANTING TREES? WE’LL SEE. HEY DIDN’T THE RECENT OCTAVIA BOULEVARD / MEDIAN PROJECT INCREASE THE NUMBER OF VEHICULAR COLLISIONS ON OCTAVIA? YES IT DID. HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN THAT?
7. Support neighborhood vitality by creating a more inviting and accommodating public realm.
BY PUTTING IN A MEDIAN AND PLANTING TREES? SO, LET’S TAX AMERICA, CALIFORNIA, AND SAN FRANCISCO TO CREATE A “REALM” ON 3000 FEET WORTH OF STREET PRIMARILY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE WEALTHY PROPERTY OWNERS AND PRIVATE SCHOOL(S) WHAT ARE ON THE STREET? ALL RIGHT.
You see, Octavia used to be a regular old street until Redevelopment (a bad idea from the 20th century) and the failed Octavia “Boulevard” experiment (a bad idea from the 21st century) came along.
“The replacement freeway and Boulevard were charged with ensuring a level of service comparable to the previous structure and configuration. This has been achieved…”
In no way, shape, or form does the newish Octavia Boulevard have a level of service comparable to the old Central Freeway.
And, BTW, did the Central Freeway block Fell, Oak, Page, Haight and Market? Nope. Does Octavia Boulevard? Yep, every day, all the time.
(This is an example of misplaced confidence, of the hubris.)
Now, what kind of signal timing does it take to accommodate a 3000-mile-long freeway ending on Market Street. Well, let’s take a look here. Do you notice that Market street peds have about four seconds to begin the journey across Octavia during the 95-second cycle? Why is that? I mean, that means that any given ped on Market has over a 95% chance of having to stop and wait for all those cars on Octavia to go by. Is that fair? Now, what about cars and streetcars and bikes and buses and whatnot heading outbound on Market – do you think it’s much better for them? Well, it’s not. Just 20-something percent of the traffic signal cycle allows traffic to flow uphill on Market at the Octavia Intersection. Why are the lights so biased in favor of the cars driving through on Octavia, you know, as opposed to Market Street?
Check it (oh yeah, that’s some homeless dude coughing at the end there, not me.)
Now, the term “fork-tailed doctor killer” used to be the nickname of the Beechcraft Bonanza, you know, the plane what killed Buddy Holly on the Day That Music Died. But that whole V-Tail sitch got addressed and now, Beech makes those Bonanzas with regular old straight tails. So let’s recycle this phrase and use it for Octavia Boulevard, why not?
Here’s the fork of the tail:
Now, how can I justify blaming the whole “Boulevard Movement” fad of the aughts for an famous accident that killed that UCSF doctor if the UCSF van driver ran a red light? Well, take a look at this:
Click to expand
See? Sometimes half the lanes of Oak have a red light and the other half have a green. Does that make sense? Well, if you’re struggling to make pathetic Octavia work and you don’t want traffic routinely backing up to Golden Gate Park, well then you yourself would be tempted to do whatever you could to help Octavia flow.
Does this unorthodox design factor in human nature, you know, the nut behind the steering wheel? No, it doesn’t. The fact is that car drivers, those sheeple, follow the pack. If the car to the right goes, then they want to go.
Of course, drivers should do better, but we need to factor in their behavior when we design roads, right?
What we shouldn’t do is to let Hayes Valley insiders, that very small but very influential group, to design anything for the rest of us.
And BTW, why on Earth are left turns allowed on inbound Market onto Octavia? Could it be for the convenience of those Hayes Valley insiders? Check it out. You’d think that Hayes Valley types would be satisfied with being able to make a left at the prior intersection or the next intersection, but no, traffic on Market has to wait on a dedicated signal for a dedicated lane of drivers.
Does that make sense?
Why not this? Why not narrow Octavia dramatically and just give up on the whole boulevard experiment? Just take out the frontage roads and all that on-street parking and those medians and that would be a good start on “completing” the Horrible Octavia Experiment, turning it into a “Complete Street.” Even the Great Designer of Octavia admits now that the boulevard is too wide.
And let’s get rid of that left turn lane that was built just for the NIMBYs of Hayes Valley. Why should Market Street, the more important one, take a back street to Octavia, which is basically a glorified freeway onramp?
And why not give people on Market Street half the time of the light signal and then the people on Octavia the other half? Wouldn’t that be more fair?
“Before the destruction of the Central Freeway, condominium prices in the Hayes Valley neighborhood were 66% of San Francisco average prices. However, after the demolition and subsequent replacement with the new Octavia Boulevard, prices grew to 91% of city average. Beyond this, the most dramatic increases were seen in the areas nearest to the new boulevard. Furthermore, residents noted a significant change in the nature of the commercial establishments in the area. Where it had been previously populated by liquor stores and mechanic shops, soon the area was teeming with trendy restaurants and high-end boutiques.”
You’ve seen him on public television for almost 30 years.
His cooking shows have appeared in over 50 countries.
He has hosted more than 1,500 episodes of his famous show, Yan Can Cook.
He’s written more than two-dozen books. Founded a cooking school in San Francisco; won countless awards and dispelled the mysteries and secrets of Chinese cuisine across the globe.
This is your chance to have dinner and learn all the secrets with a personal cooking demonstration from a master!
If you would like to sponsor the event ($250) Martin will be giving a special private cooking demonstration and lesson prior to the dinner. If you are a foodie – this is the place to learn all the tricks of a master chef and not to be missed!
This isn’t my “preferred option,” but it’s the preferred option, so there you go.
Click to expand
How much will this cost?
Tens of millions, before overruns. $50,000,000 per mile or about $50,000 a parcel depending on how you look at it.
Who’ll pay for it?
Local, state, and federal taxpayers, just like the Bridge to Nowhere (let’s do something for Alaska) and the Chinatown subway (let’s do something for District 3).
Why does the public hearing notice enumerate the dozen-and-a-half parking spaces to be added but then leave out the hundred-something parking spaces that will be taken out?
Because this is a political document written by a politician.
Well, is there a cheaper, safety-only option to go along with the SFMTA’s “preferred option?”
Not that I’m aware of. Safety improvements have been held hostage over the years on account of this big maghilla project. The Project Director will tell you that if you ask him.
Do you have something against wide medians filled with trees that can never ever, ever, ever be removed for any reason at any time in the future, the likes of which can be found on Octavia and Divisadero?
Yes.
Any advice for cyclists in the mean-time?
Yes. Cyclists should stay the hell off of Masonic between Turk and Fulton. Use the wide, underpopulated sidewalks, and, if you want, run the red light at Golden Gate to get a head start on traffic going downhill to Fulton.
Little did you know that when you buy the Bi-Rite Ice Cream, you’re supporting San Francisco’s Version of the Taliban or mutaween (see below). Oh well.
Will the MDNA manage to cross Market Street some day?
Consultants:
1. Alice Carey and Company
Author: Mission Dolores Survey and Update of Context Statement: Bill Sugaya, Director
2. Carol Roland, PhD; Roland-Nawi Associates
Author: Mission Dolores Historic Context Statement
3. Joseph Stubbs, Graphic Artist Mission Dolores Historic Context Statement
4. Vincent Marsh, Architectural Historian
Author: 523 A and B Survey Forms: Golden Gate Lutheran Church (601 Dolores)
And Second Church of Christ, Scientist (651-655 Dolores)
5. Gideon Kramer, KramerGraphics/graphic design & production
6. Jacob Moore, Webmaster
1. $46,500.00: Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development through the San Francisco Historic Preservation Fund Committee. To have Alice Carey and Company complete the survey work in the Mission Dolores Neighborhood. Our context statement will also be updated.
2. $25,000.00: Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development through the San Francisco Preservation Fund Committee. To have Carol Roland-Nawi create an historic context statement for the Mission Dolores Neighborhood.
3. $2,500.00: San Francisco Victorian Alliance. To survey Golden Gate Lutheran Church (601 Dolores), Second Church of Christ, “Scientist” (651-655 Dolores), Mission Dolores Park and Duggan’s Home (3434 17th Street). Both churches are under threat of demolition. The Christian “Science” Church, designed by William H. Crim, currently has a demolition permit pending.
1. Peter Lewis, President
2. Gideon Kramer, Vice President
3. Ted Olsson, Secretary
4. Joe Cain, Communications Manager
5. Steve Haigh, Past-President: Victorian Alliance
6. Jose Luis Leiva, Professor
7. Shelagh Ross,
8. Andrew R. Galvan: Curator of Mission Dolores Church
9. Marius Starkey, Artist
10. Ted Scourkes,
11. Arnie Lerner, AIA
12. Lucia Bogatay, AIA
Writer/Director Jennifer Siebel Newsom brings together some of America’s most influential women in politics, news, and entertainment to give us an inside look at the media’s message. Miss Representation explores women’s under-representation in positions of power by challenging the limited and often disparaging portrayal of women in the media. As one of the most persuasive and pervasive forces in our culture, media is educating yet another generation that women’s primary value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality—not in their capacity as leaders. Through the riveting perspectives of youth and the critical analysis of top scholars, Miss Representation will change the way you see media.
Featured in the Film
•Caroline Heldman, PhD, Associate Professor Occidental College
•Condoleezza Rice, PhD, Former United States Secretary of State
•Dianne Feinstein, United States Senator
•Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder of United Farm Workers Union
•Geena Davis, Actor & Founder of Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
•Gloria Steinem, Feminist Organizer & Writer
•Jackson Katz, PhD, Author & Lecturer
•Jane Fonda, Actor & Activist
•Jean Kilbourne, EdD, Media Critic, Author & Lecturer
•Jennifer Pozner, Executive Director of Women in Media and New
•Katie Couric, Broadcast Journalist
•Lisa Ling, Broadcast Journalist
•M. Gigi Durham, Professor of Media Studies
•Margaret Cho, Comedienne, Actor & Activist
•Martha Lauzen, Executive Director of Center for the Study of Women in TV and Film
•Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, United States Congress
•Pat Mitchell, President & CEO of The Paley Center for Media
•Rachel Maddow, Broadcast Journalist & Host of MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show
•Rosario Dawson, Actor & Activist
•…among many other incredible women and men of all ages!
Runtime
85 minutes
Order DVD
Coming soon.
Social Change Campaign
The distribution of the film will coincide with a social change campaign to re-envision women as leaders in society. Film proceeds will be donated to women’s leadership programs led by our partner organizations, which include Girls for A Change, Girls Inc., The International Museum of Women, Step Up Women’s Network, The Women’s Media Center, and The White House Project. The nation-wide, multi-generational effort will create an educational curriculum for middle and high school students and directed action to demand media responsibility. Donate to the campaign to help us achieve social change for women and girls.
