Aaron Bialick
Aaron was the editor of Streetsblog San Francisco from January 2012 until October 2015. He joined Streetsblog in 2010 after studying rhetoric and political communication at SF State University and spending a semester in Denmark.
Recent Posts
New SFPD Traffic Chief Ann Mannix Hesitant to “Focus on the Five”
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SFPD Traffic Company Commander Mikail Ali has been replaced by Northern Station Captain Ann Mannix, the SF Chronicle reported today. Ali, who held the position for two-and-a half years, has repeatedly promised that the SFPD is committed to its “Focus on the Five” enforcement campaign. But under his tenure, only one station has come close […]
Better Market Street Environmental Review Public Meeting
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From Better Market Street: After finishing a public visioning and planning process, the project is in the environmental review phase. A Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report was issued January 14, 2015. Comments on proposed scope are due by 5:00pm on February 13, 2015. Written comments can be sent to Sarah B. Jones, San Francisco […]
Eyes on the Street: Muni Paints More Downtown Transit Lanes Red
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The SFMTA is rolling out more red paint on transit lanes to keep cars out of Muni’s way. The agency is currently coloring the two-block bus-only lane on Clay Street in the Financial District, which is expected to be done tomorrow. This Muni Forward project, aimed at speeding up the 1-California and 41-Union lines, is also set […]
How SF’s Residential Parking Permit Prices Favor Car Owners
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Residential parking permits in San Francisco are a steal. At just $110 a year, or about 30 cents a day, the costs come nowhere near the market value for use of prime SF real estate. The fee is especially favorable compared to the single-day permit rate, which is 40 times higher. That means people who only occasionally […]
Gentrification Fears Threaten to Derail Mission Street Improvements
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Mission District residents who equate streetscape improvements with rising rents dominated a community meeting discussion yesterday about public space upgrades along Mission Street. It was the Planning Department’s latest public meeting about its Mission Street Public Life Plan, an effort to envision Mission Street “as a vital transit corridor with art, commerce and new public spaces for people […]
Thinkwalks: Wiggle Walk
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From Thinkwalks: Yes, true, the Wiggle is named due to the zigzag of bike route #30 through the neighborhood and avoiding hills. But is there more to it than that? We’ll explore the ‘hood from this, that and askew angles: geology, activism history, water, and native tribes. Highlights include: Market Street punched through rock, 1928 […]
SFMTA Hearing: Polk Street Redesign and More
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Agenda Of note: Polk Street redesign, with bike lanes (protected and unprotected), bulb-outs, loading zones, Parking-protected bike lane on westbound 13th Street, from 11th Street/Bryant Street/Division Street to Folsom Street Bulb-outs on Irving Street between 19th and 25th Avenues Bulb-outs on Holloway Avenue Blue handicap parking spaces Comments can be made in person or by email […]
Polk Street Redesign Delayed a Year, Interim Measures Coming in Spring
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The already watered-down redesign of Polk Street, with a protected bike lane only on one segment, will begin construction in Spring 2016 — a full year behind the original schedule. The SFMTA announced that final approval of the project is approaching with a preliminary hearing next Friday, January 30, followed by a vote at the SFMTA […]
Eyes on the Street: Another Driver Jumps the Curb in the Tenderloin
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No sidewalk is safe. Another driver jumped the curb and crashed into a building at Post and Taylor Streets near Union Square on Sunday. Cheryl Brinkman, who sits on the SFMTA Board of Directors, captured this photo of the aftermath and remarked: “I’ve been keeping a mental list of ‘Things we can’t trust car drivers […]
Thinkwalks Transportation History Ride
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From Thinkwalks: Golden Gate park is a canvas on which the city’s ambitions were sketched. San Francisco was the first major city on the coast. We’ll discover many firsts in the Park because it was where ideas were tested. We’ll see where a major railroad came right into the park, where the suspension bridge was […]
SFMTA Board of Directors Meeting
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Agenda Of note: 11. Authorizing the Director to implement a seven percent transit service to be phased in as part of the Transit Effectiveness Project/Muni Forward service increase; authorizing free Muni for low and moderate income seniors and disabled customers who use a Clipper® card for FY 2015 and FY 2016 effective March 1, 2015; […]
Eyes on the Street: New Bike/Ped Safety Tweaks on Upper Market, Valencia
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The SFMTA recently made some upgrades to bike lanes and pedestrian crossings around Valencia Street and Market Street. Near Octavia Boulevard, the Market bike lanes were widened and painted green, and a buffer zone was added, making it a bit more comfortable for commuters pedaling up the hill from lower to upper Market towards the […]