by Matt Baume

Well, it would have been nice, but it's not going to happen. A delightful upgrade to a waterfront trail in the Presidio has officially been given the gong.

Back in October, the US Access Board (which establishes guidelines for accommodating the disabled) and the National Park Service zeroed in on the Battery Marcus Miller Covered Way, which we've never heard of and can't find any pictures of but it's apparently beautiful but not as accessible as it should be.

The plan for fixing it up sure sounds pretty: build a nice bridge, replace a route that was destroyed in 2006 by a landslide, improve bike access, and remove the Sand Ladder.

Alas, it is not to be. Everyone loved the bike improvements, but paving roads through the wilderness and removing the Sand Ladder caused consternation. Citing a "lack of community consensus" and "limited resources," the Park Service is basically just giving up on the trickiest elements of the coastal trail improvements.