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
Muni’s Absymal Breakdown Rate: One Reason SF Needs a Vehicle License Fee
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Muni vehicles break down far more frequently than in other cities, after years of the system being starved of the necessary funding to adequately maintain its fleet of trains and buses. Muni’s heavily-used light rail vehicles, which serve 50 million riders every year, have a failure rate that’s off the charts. According to a City […]
Volunteer: Public Life Surveys of Parklets and Plazas
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From SF Planning Dept.’s Pavement to Parks Program: In June 2014, the Planning Department will launch the first citywide Public Life Surveys of Parklets and Plazas. We are also coordinating post-occupancy evaluations of Leland, upper Valencia, and Jefferson Streets. We are seeking volunteers to attend one training and spend at least two hours collecting data […]
SFMTA to Change “Unclear” Sidewalk Parking Guidelines on Website
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The SFMTA web page that provides guidance on “how to park legally” currently tells drivers that “you may park in your own driveway as long as no portion of your vehicle extends over the sidewalk.” The text is accompanied by a photo of someone walking a bike past cars parked in “driveways,” but with their rear […]
Northbound San Jose Ave Goes on Road Diet, Gains Buffered Bike Lane
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The northbound side of speed-plagued San Jose Avenue north of 280, a.k.a. the Bernal Cut, is getting a road diet and buffered bike lane that matches the geometry of the street’s southbound side. SFMTA crews were out today, re-striping the road and installing plastic posts in the buffer zone. The change is far overdue for neighbors who have pushed […]
Fell Street Bike Lane Still Popular Among Bike Commuters, Parked Trucks
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The more than 1,800 people who use the buffered, curbside bike lane on Fell Street every weekday continue to be faced with a familiar hazard: parked trucks. As we’ve reported, drivers, including SFPD officers, routinely park in the Fell bike lane with impunity. The vast majority of violators appear to be accessing three businesses on Fell between Divisadero […]
SFTRU: Mayor Lee Keeps Giving Muni Riders the Short End of the Stick
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Reps from the SF Transit Riders Union today said Mayor Ed Lee’s recent repeal of Sunday parking meters and abandonment of the vehicle license fee add up to an attack on transit riders. “Somehow riders keep coming up at the short end of this stick,” SFTRU spokesperson Daniel Sisson said in a statement. “It is extremely difficult […]
Supervisors Hearing: CEQA Appeal Against Sunday Parking Meter Repeal
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See this article for background. Agenda [PDF] SPECIAL ORDER 3:00 P.M. 29. 140522 [Public Hearing – Appeal of Statutory Exemption Determination – San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s FY2015-2016 Two-Year Capital Budget] Hearing of persons interested in or objecting to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) determination that the SFMTA’s FY2015-2016 Two-Year Operating and Capital […]
Mayor Lee Abandons Vehicle License Fee Ballot Measure
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Today’s Muni “sick-out” reminds us once again that San Franciscans need better ways to get around. The consequences of a transit strike — people stranded and unable to get to their jobs, queues of drivers clogging streets, and dangerous conflicts between impatient drivers and people who are walking and biking alongside — are just a […]
SFBC Benefit: Launch Party for Streets of San Francisco Bike Tours & CityRide
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From SFBC: It’s a party in Hayes Valley! Join Streets of San Francisco in celebrating their new location and the launch of their CityRide Bike Rentals. There will be food, drinks and a raffle with all proceeds donated to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. This is also a great chance to get caught up with […]
SPUR Forum: Implementing Equitable TOD
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From SPUR: Photo Courtesy of Flickr user fairfaxcounty Decisions made by transit and land use planners often don’t take into consideration the site conditions and market characteristics required to support private development. This oversight has resulted in many equitable transit-oriented development (TOD) projects stalling or failing. Hear from two nationally leading practitioners on how to avoid […]
Forum: Transportation for the Masses or the Gentrification of Mass Transit?
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From UrbanIDEA: Out of the shadows of decades of land use and housing rights battles there is an emerging movement for transportation justice that’s reshaping the transportation debate and winning real victories for low income people, riders of color, and transit dependent populations. In the current “Gilded Age” of the Bay Area economy, public investment in mass transit is […]
Calling All Streetsblog Superheroes: Sunday Is Your Last Chance to Give
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Streetsblog’s spring pledge drive ends on Sunday, and we’re two-thirds of the way to our goal of 400 donors. Every contribution makes a difference — please give what you can and support our coverage. Your donations allow Streetsblog to continue to challenge the misinformed and backwards positions staked out by city leaders. No other media source has […]