February 16, 2007
Saturdays Are Healthy Too
Let's take you back on the Wayback Machine to last spring when the Board of Supervisors wanted to close down Kennedy Drive like it is on Sunday. They voted for it, Gavin vetoed it, then sought a compromise on the issue by asking for a study. The study was to see if closing the street down on Saturday's would hurt museums attendance, make life miserable for neighbors, and make it more difficult for people to get to the museums. Well, on Valentine's Day, the report came out and said the effect of closing down Kennedy Drive on everything would be pretty much nothing. In fact, it said that attendance went up on Sundays. How you like them apples?
All of this means the proverbial ball is in Gavin's proverbial court. He said he'd listen to the study even if it went against what he thought and the study went against what he thought.
Jake McGoldrick, who was the leading force in closing the street, said he'll bring back legislation to close it next Tuesday. As for Gavin, he's said that he hasn't read the study yet but will soon.
You can read a good summary of the findings at Fog City Journal.
Image from Blazingsaddles.com
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This study matches visitor counts I did years ago that showed the exact same thing: park attendance goes way up on Sundays, and the recreational benefit is undeniable.
For that reason, I assumed no one in government would ever do an objective study. Kudos to McGoldrick (was it him?) for talking Mayor Britney into doing this one.
Don't forget that the proposal that the Mayor vetoed was a SIX MONTH TRIAL, not a permanent car-free space.
No "study" is perfect and opponents of car-free space will kick and scream about this study. That exactly why we need a trial. Its is wrong for Gavin Newsom to refuse to allow a trial, based on his "will of the voters" copout.
SF Voters never voted on a trial. Even if this goes the the ballot, voters will be better informed by having experienced a trial. Most of the key opponents promised to support a trial, after the garage was built, in the voter handbook. There was no garage when the last vote happened. The vote was split betwen: a) those that wanted the car free space with or without a garage, and b) those that wanted the car free space only after a garage was built. More than 50% of the voters (both groups) supported the concept of a PERMANENT car free space after the garage was built, even though the anti-car free space crew dumped 200k into a campaign (outspending the pro car free space effort 10-1).
This can work. MUNI and Rec and Park and DPT can help make it work. There is a garage right under the 1 1/2 mile stretch of JFK (the area proposed to be car free for six months on saturdays). That garage is not even accessible from JFK, only from outside the park. This argument is crazy. Sunday is the most popular attraction in the Park. Lets atleast try to find a way to make this work.
Anyway, we can take it to the ballot... but lets have a trial first so the voters can see what it will actually look like.
Gavin 'Green Mayor' Newsom needs to step up and show some leadershp on this important issue.... it's not going to go away!
The Sunday park closure is a lovely thing. That doesn't justify extending it to Saturdays. There's still no good argument why there can't be one day when people can drive to the park rather than spending their Saturday waiting around for buses.
The study also proves nothing. If the Bicycle Coalition gets its way, there's no evidence that overall park usage will increase. If anything, the SAturday people stay home and the Sunday people spread themselves out over two days.
The bicycle coalition should focus on making bicycle transportation safer and instead of just trying to piss off people who drive. Leah Shahum should resign.
Compromise idea:
Close off the WEST end of the park on Saturdays.
People should be able to drvie to the attractions of the park's east end at least one day of the weekend. It's pretty selfish to demand BOTH days be car-free, IMHO.
The Chron finally got around to writing a story, and of course the museums are in denial again. It looks like another round of lies and money is on the way.
Why are people so upset about a car-free Sat? The parking garage is only 40% full on Sat right now. This is really about free parking and nothing else.
This is cognitive dissonance at its finest. When new evidence is shown that conflicts with the anti-road closure people's belief that auto-free Saturdays is bad they deny it, try to discredit it, and finally start whining that "we should at least be allowed to park one day on the weekend."
Hello! That's why they built a parking garage, so you could park. These people want FREE parking and nothing else.
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Don't let the facts get in your way! You CAN drive to the park attractions on Saturday AND Sunday. There is a brand new, shiny garage for you that's only 60% full on Sundays.
-jon
Closing JFK is a misnomer. Keeping dangerous, polluting autos out of the park OPENS the park to people. Parks are about the safe, peaceful enjoyment of people, and allowing cars to drive their cars through the park is discordant with the definition of a park.
Disabled access is a red herring, the issues have been addressed, and solutions have been planned, and they have been planned without even factoring in our accessable public transit.
Let's include in this argument weekday commuters who selfishly use the park roads as convenient routes to the outlying neighborhoods, when there are so many other choices.
The "mission statement" of a city park no doubt would include providing a quiet, safe, sylvan setting where people living in dense urban settings could go for relaxation and rejuvination. Allowing cars to destroy this vision is just wrong.