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
Who’s Parking in the Fell Street Bike Lane Today? Oh, It’s SFPD
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You’d better have a pretty good reason to park a car in the heavily-used Fell Street bike lane during the evening rush hour, forcing commuters to squeeze by alongside three lanes of motor traffic. Police response to an emergency might qualify, but the two SFPD officers who returned to this cruiser from the adjacent Bank […]
SFMTA Unveils Wiggle Plans, Including Traffic Diverter at Scott and Fell
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The Wiggle is set to become a calmer, safer, and greener route after proposals presented by the SFMTA yesterday, with improvements like raised crosswalks, bulb-outs with greenery, textured pavement, and a traffic diverter at Scott and Fell Streets. The diverter, which would prevent drivers from entering the block of Scott between Fell and Oak Streets in the southbound direction […]
Hey, Developers: NEMA Offers Free Bikes for Residents to Borrow
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I spotted a couple the other day riding bright red Public bikes in Golden Gate Park, labeled with the letters “NEMA.” When I stopped to talk, they confirmed my suspicion — they were residents of “New Market,” the partially-completed, 754-unit residential apartment complex at Market and 10th Streets. NEMA has six Public bikes for residents to […]
Mayor’s “State of the City” Offers Tepid Support for Vision Zero
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The mayor’s “State of the City” speech last Friday was a major opportunity for Ed Lee to call for the changes needed to sharply reduce traffic deaths in San Francisco. Lee did endorse the Vision Zero goal, though it wasn’t exactly a full-throated call to action. He also re-affirmed his desire to repeal metered parking on Sundays, ignoring […]
Cesar Chavez Streetscape Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
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From SFDPW:
SFFD Not Sure What Delays Responses: “There Might Just Be More Cars”
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An official from the SF Fire Department explained SFFD’s position on bulb-outs and road diets last week to the SF Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee. According to Assistant Deputy Chief Ken Lombardi, the department’s main concern isn’t about curb extensions, but raised “hardscape” structures like planters or railings that can prevent a fire truck from mounting […]
SFBC Arguello Brainstorming Workshop
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From SFBC: Arguello Boulevard is set for repaving in 2016 for a one-mile stretch connecting Golden Gate Park to the Presidio. This may seem like a long time from now, but early planning gives us the opportunity to think creatively about what Arguello could look like if it were more inviting and enjoyable for biking. […]
City Hall Rally for Vision Zero
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From SFBC: Join a wide coalition of community groups on the steps of City Hall next Tuesday at noon and tell Mayor Ed Lee, the SFPD, the SFMTA and the District Attorney to commit to eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries over the next 10 years and protect the safety of their fellow San Franciscans.
SFPD Commits to “Vision Zero” With Policy Reforms to Back Up the Rhetoric
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[Editor’s note: Streetsblog will not be publishing Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.] The conversation is changing when it comes to the SFPD’s approach to traffic violence. That much was clear at a four-hour hearing at City Hall last night, where SFPD Chief Suhr and Traffic Company Commander Mikail Ali pledged to […]
Mayor Lee’s Spineless Sunday Meter Reversal: Bad for Business, Bad for SF
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After a years-long push to implement a smart parking policy in San Francisco, leave it to Mayor Ed Lee to take us back to 1947. The mayor wants to repeal parking metering on Sundays, undoing the slew of benefits that the policy has brought to the city in its first year. As a recent SFMTA […]
The Life-Altering Impact of Traffic Violence: Jikaiah Stevens’ Story
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Reminder: Today at 5 p.m. at City Hall, a hearing on the SFPD’s treatment of pedestrian and bicycle crashes will be held by the Police Commission and a Board of Supervisors committee. You’re invited to share your thoughts at the Board of Supervisors Chamber, Room 250. We’ve heard the story too many times. A reckless […]
NYC Mayor de Blasio Pursues “Vision Zero” While Ed Lee Displays Zero Vision
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“There is an epidemic of traffic fatalities and it can’t go on… Every one of us thinks: ‘What if that was my child?'” The mayor of a major American city said this today, announcing efforts to pursue Vision Zero, the goal of ending traffic deaths within ten years. Standing at the site where a child […]