The San Francisco Citizen

The latest chapter in the long story of San Francisco’s Bicycle Plan began today with this filing from the office of San Francsico City Attorney Dennis Herrera. (Earlier chapters of this tale dealt with local social gadlfly and self-confessed JFK conspiracy theory crank Robert “Crazy Rob” Anderson and his successful efforts to get the city to do an environmental impact study.)

It seems that certain areas just can’t wait for the bureaucratic gears to grind, so a judge is being asked to give the city and county permission to get started sooner rather than later.  

Dennis J. Herrera, San Francisco’s happy warrior:

What areas are those? Well, how about Market and Octavia for starters. But there are other problem areas as well. Try these on for size:

Polk Street between Beach and Market Streets, where 73 motor vehicle-bicycle collisions have been reported since 2003.

The length of Valencia Street, where the 65 motor vehicle-bicycle collisions reported since 2003 include a large proportion of “dooring” incidents.

The Third Street Corridor, where the 32 collisions involving cyclists and motorists reported since 2003 include one fatality of a bicyclist struck by a truck at Third and Marin Streets.

Folsom Street between 13th Street and the Embarcadero, where 52 bicycle-related injury accidents have been reported in the last five years.

Lower Market Street, from 8th Street to the Embarcadero.  Some 179 bicycle injury collisions have occurred along the entire length of Market Street, from Castro Street to the Embarcadero (including the Market and Octavia intersection) over the past five years.

What will Judge Peter J. Busch make of this? We’ll have an inkling by the end of the month.

Today’s filing certainly seems like a well-tailored request…

Of course Apple really wants you to buy their new iPhone3G, but are you game? Last year’s debut of the 1st generation iPhone (oddly refered to as the “2G” in this leaked memo) went well enough. But that was then and this is now.

You gots to get iReady before Good Friday, July 11, 2008, right? That’s what this gal from New Orleans thought, but she recently found a decided lack of southern hospitality at her local AT&T store (despite the fact that Central Pennsylvania is the Alabama of the North).

Unfortunately, this Southern belle’s experience is not unusual.

This is what it looked like year on the Streets of San Francisco:

From the Flickrstream of Jen SFO-BCN,mmmm…SFO bacon

Of course last year, the lines moved swiftly. So swiftly that employees were commanded to hit the sidewalks to start hawking the goods. This year? Not so much. And because of the expected hassles, you’ll be able to activate and buy just one iPhone on Opening Day at AT&T stores.   

All you can do at this point is to just be prepared.

So people get ready to spend a lot of time iWaiting in line on iFriday. If you want.

$700? Yep, that’s what the 16GB model will run you if you don’t want to get the two-year contract from AT&T. But let’s say you play it safe and sign up for AT&T service - some people think that the second-generation iPhone will end up costing you more money. Or maybe you already signed up for the first iPhone - will you be able to easily upgrade? It’s hard to say. (At least you don’t live in Canada, where Rogers rules.)

So much for Twice as Fast, Half the Price. Consult your phone guru for advice here. Some people might actually stick with their existing brick. Good for them.

But not you. You want the latest details on the 3G models from a fake Steve Jobs who gesticulates as if he’s one-quarter Italian. Right? You’re in luck.

Check out the new 3G here.

And if you’re already familiar with the existing iPhone, find out what’s new right here.

Excited? See you in line on July 11, 2008. Let’s hope we’ll get a greeting like this at opening time. But uh oh, are you iReady?  

 You bring the coffee, and I’ll bring the cupcakes.