In a ballot referendum that we'll be watching with some interest, the city of San Francisco will be choosing whether they want more money for public transit or more downtown parking.
Here's the tricky part. This isn't so much an "either/or" questions as it is two "yes/no" questions. Even if voters vote "yes" for both... well... aside from the voting booth exploding, they won't get both. Those sneaky pro-transit folks fixed it so that the question of whether to give the Muni (is that a better name than SEPTA?) also includes a slap against the parking plan:
In a last-minute move aimed at securing needed support from the more liberal supervisors, the Muni measure was amended to preserve the city's current restrictions on the creation of new parking - a direct hit against the parking initiative.
If both measures were to get a majority of the vote, the board's Muni measure would take precedence because, unlike the Fisher [that's Gap founder, Don Fisher, who has apparently been having trouble finding a parking space] plan, it would be cemented in the City Charter, the bible of local governance.
Take that, people who want to park!
I encourage you to read the article. There's some pretty choice apocalyptic language in there that pretty much equates more parking to the rapture, or at least a serious blow to the city's "transit-first" policy. Here's a sample:
[San Francisco Planning Director Dean Macris] predicted that if the initiative were to pass, there would be "significantly" more traffic downtown, bringing "increases in congestion, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, delays to public transit, and conflicts with pedestrians and cyclists... and locusts, frogs, black flies, the Bay will turn to blood and McDreamy Mayor Newsom will get a really ugly boil on his face."
Ok, so I added that last part.
Wouldn't it be cool if Philly had a "transit-first policy" instead of the current "screw you policy"?
Comments (2)
I read an article in the Times a few months back about how people in SF are absolutely livid over the parking situation. Like, some of them were punching out meter maids! Were's that laid-back west-coast vibe, dude? I think it went the way of the dot come boom.
What the article failed to address, natch, was whether or not their outrage was legitimate. I tend to err on the side of transit first, like you. I mean, it's a major metropolis, although it is smaller than Philadelphia (700k to 1.5 mil city, 4 mil to 6 mil metro). And I've never been there, but my girlfriend recently visited and raved about the public transportation system. If they want parking, they can move to Houston. Then, maybe the cost of living will go down, and I can afford to live there!
Posted by jordon | August 6, 2007 7:42 PM
Trains , Planes or Automobiles !!!!!!
Holy preventing advantage. Where is Steve Martin and John Candy.
Dan this is muddling at its poorest planning. What a mixed mess. How is SEPTA doing with its project to kill the transfer pass.
Posted by Jasper Zeigler Jr | August 7, 2007 8:43 AM