Matthew Roth
Recent Posts
Search for Rampaging Driver Who Struck Four Cyclists in Mission, Potrero
| | 29 Comments
Photo: Troy Holden. H/T SFist. San Francisco police are still searching for the driver of a Nissan Rogue who ran down four cyclists last night over the course of several minutes, before crashing his vehicle into a pole and fleeing on foot. The SFPD could only describe the driver as a white male of unknown […]
“Grow Smart Bay Area” Promotes Development as a Tool for Change
| | 15 Comments
Click the map to enlarge. Image: Greenbelt Alliance. Even as our freeways and bridges in the Bay Area are choked with traffic for hours every day, the population in the region is projected to grow from over 7 million now to over 9 million by 2025. Deciding where to build housing to accommodate the growth […]
The ‘Heart of SFPark’ Complete with Vehicle Sensor Installation
| | 6 Comments
Photo: Matthew Roth. When parking expert Donald Shoup publicized his principle several years ago that cities should manage the demand for curbside parking by adjusting the cost so that there was always an available space, he probably didn’t think a large city like San Francisco would move from theory to practice so quickly, nor that […]
BART Mulls Options for Spending (or Saving) Small Budget Surplus
| | 7 Comments
Photo: Matthew Roth BART Board meetings over the past year have been tumultuous, from the public fury over the Oscar Grant killing, which included the arrest of a protester for dousing BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger with red paint, to vigorous debate over whether to spend stimulus funds on the Oakland Airport Connector (OAC), to […]
MTC Confident on Civil Rights Policies, Clipper Card Rollout Begins
| | 8 Comments
The Clipper Card readers at the Lake Merritt BART Station. Photos: Matthew Roth. One development lost in the media feeding frenzy around the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) denying BART’s request of $70 million for the Oakland Airport Connector (OAC) was a letter the FTA sent to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Bay Area’s planning […]
Deadline For TransForm’s Car-Free Challenge Nearing
| | 3 Comments
The deadline to sign up for TransForm’s annual Car-Free Challenge is quickly approaching and the group is hopeful the event will raise awareness about the impact driving has on the climate, particularly in light of the recent oil spill in the Gulf. TransForm’s Marta Lindsey said that numerous participants in the challenge have said the […]
When Obama’s in Town, Don’t Illegally Park Your Media Van
| | 3 Comments
A CBS5 van parks on the sidewalk to cover a "high-speed chase" on Polk Street last year. Photo: Bryan Goebel. One of the jobs I had when I lived in New York City was leading a campaign for Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) against the abuse of parking permits by city, state and federal employees, a rampant […]
San Francisco Department of Public Works Unveils New Website
| | No Comments
Of the many agencies in a city, a department of public works (DPW) isn’t usually the flashiest or most interesting. In San Francisco, however, under the leadership of Ed Reiskin, the DPW has taken the lead on a number of high profile projects like Pavement to Parks plazas and parklets and the Market Street trials, […]
San Jose Hosts Inaugural “ViaVelo” Event Celebrating Cycling
| | No Comments
San Jose recently joined cities around the world in promoting car-free streets by hosting its first ciclovía, the Mattson Technology ViaVelo, which opened a portion of San Fernando Street in downtown to pedestrians, bicycle riders, and skaters. San Jose’s first foray into ciclovía events was a hit with sponsors, elected officials and the throngs of […]
Sunday Streets This Weekend in the Bayview
| | 6 Comments
Photo: dustinj Don’t forget to come out for Sunday Streets this Sunday from 10 am – 3 pm in the Bayview. The route runs from 3rd and King to Bayview Park at 3rd and Carroll. And please add your favorite shots to our Flickr group.
The Little Green Man Doesn’t Know Cars, But He Likes Bikes
| | No Comments
Mark Fiore, this year’s Pulitzer Prize winner for Editorial Cartooning and the first to win for animated cartoons, recently provided this gem. Joe Commuter tries to explain to an alien visitor how mobility works on Earth and how convenient our cars are with their fuel made from "dinosaur squeezin’s." With more than a few jabs […]
FTA Boss: “Paint is Cheap, Rails Systems are Extremely Expensive”
| | 18 Comments
SFMTA Chair Tom Nolan, Mayor Gavin Newsom, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, and Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi at the groundbreaking for the Central Subway. Photo: mayorgavinnewsom. Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff has been shaking up transit agencies across the country in the short year he has headed the FTA, from working with advocates in the […]