Posted inCommunity, Elections, Government & Politics, Transportation

SF Lawmaker Faces Growing Backlash for Supporting Great Highway Closure

Many of Supervisor Joel Engardio’s constituents, who live on San Francisco’s west side, said they felt caught off guard by his move to co-sponsor a ballot measure to permanently close the Great Highway to car traffic and turn it into a park.

They said he should have consulted them before backing the measure, and some are pushing him to alter or withdraw it from the ballot.

Posted inCommunity, Elections, Parks & Open Space, Transportation

商戶們反對將海洋公路改建公園的提案

一個代表日落區數十名商戶的團體公開反對一個投票提案。該提案將讓選民決定是否禁止車輛通行三藩市海洋公路(Great Highway)禁車,並將其改造為海濱公園。

該商戶團體表示,關閉公路可能會減慢城市西側的交通,以至於損害該市西側的商業。這可能會減少顧客人流量並延遲待售商品的交付。

(This story also available in English. Click to find it.)

Posted inCommunity, Elections, Parks & Open Space, Transportation

Merchants Oppose Ballot Measure to Turn Great Highway Into Park

A group representing dozens of merchants in the Sunset District is objecting to a ballot measure that would close San Francisco’s Great Highway to cars and transform it into a park. 

The closure could hurt businesses on the west side of the city, the group said, by slowing car traffic to them. That might reduce clientele foot traffic and delay the delivery of merchandise for sale.

Posted inNews, Public Safety, Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data, Transportation, Utilities

Local Planners Say State Failed to Track Safety Incidents on Uber and Lyft

The state agency responsible for ensuring Uber and Lyft rides are safe failed to consistently track the number of accidents, assaults and drunk driving complaints that occur on them, according to a new study by San Francisco traffic planners.

The California Public Utilities Commission did not even consistently collect the most basic industry information, such as ride requests and miles driven, the report from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority shows.

Posted inCity Hall, Elections, Land use, Parks & Open Space, Transportation

Proposition N — Golden Gate Park Underground Parking Facility; Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority

Proposition N would give the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department control of the Music Concourse Garage in Golden Gate Park. The 800-space parking garage is managed by a nonprofit created by a ballot measure in 1998 that raised private donations to help finance the facility. Supporters of Proposition N cite a series of financial scandals and mismanagement of the garage and say the parking lot is underutilized because parking rates are set too high. They want to amend the earlier ballot measure to give control of the facility to Rec and Park.

Posted inCity Hall, Economy & Business, Elections, Transportation

Proposition L — Sales Tax for Transportation Projects

Proposition L is a proposed extension of the city’s current 0.5% sales tax until 2053 to help fund public transportation projects. The measure also allows the city to issue up to $1.91 billion in bonds to be repaid with proceeds from the tax, which the city controller estimated will generate $100 million per year in its early years, increasing to about $236 million by 2052. Revenue from the tax would be used to fund the 2022 Transportation Expenditure Plan, which includes a variety of programs focused on basic transit maintenance, major transportation improvements, paratransit services, congestion reduction, pedestrian and bike safety, and community-based equity planning.

Posted inCity Hall, Elections, Land use, Parks & Open Space, Transportation

Proposition I — Vehicles on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park and the Great Highway

Proposition I would overturn an ordinance that has closed John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park to most private motor vehicles seven days a week and closed the Great Highway along Ocean Beach to such traffic on weekends and holidays. The city would be forbidden from proceeding with plans to eventually close the Great Highway between Sloat and Skyline boulevards — a stretch that is subject to coastal erosion.

Posted inCalifornia, Economy & Business, Government & Politics, Labor, Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data, Transportation, Utilities

Uber, Lyft Must Adopt Measures to Prevent Sexual Assaults, California Regulator Rules

Nine years after becoming the first agency in the nation to legalize ride-hailing — and after thousands of publicized sexual assaults on Uber and Lyft rides — the California Public Utilities Commission for the first time is requiring the industry to adopt comprehensive measures to prevent such attacks.

In a previously unreported vote last month, the commission issued a decision requiring that all ride-hailing firms train drivers to avoid sexual assault and harassment, adopt procedures for investigating complaints and use uniform terminology in their annual reports to the agency so it can accurately monitor them.

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