[Carfreeliving] Re: Traffic Safety "Marshall Plan"

Tue Jun 14 11:27:17 MDT 2005

Funny, I was thinking of writing a letter to him about just this topic
after a SPUR talk I went to that both energized and frustrated me.  I
don't know why that idea fizzled I think I even started drafting
something up.. 
but, what would it take to really get him behind it? letters to the
editor? a letter with signatures? a press conference? personal meetings
with him? a whole campaign? 

jumana

--- Dave Snyder <dave at livablecity.org> wrote:

> Both of Jeremy's and Mike's comments are dead correct.
> 
> And I think your timeline, Mike, is correct. It'll happen anyway in 
> about 20 years, but it could happen in 5 with the right leadership, 
> which we have yet to see. As far as I know, nobody has even asked the
> 
> Mayor to do this.
> 
> 
> Dave
> 
> 
> >I was thinking the same thing about the pit bull thing, about how 
> >people are all in a tizzy about something that almost never happens.
> 
> > (what's new, eh?)  Beyond the emotional reaction of people hearing 
> >of a cute kid getting killed by his own dogs, there has to be 
> >something else.  I guess it's the fear that many people have felt at
> 
> >some point that they could be attacked when around these types of 
> >dogs.  But is that much different than the fear that we have all 
> >felt at some point that we could get indiscriminately creamed by a 
> >car or truck while walking or biking?  I have 3 family members who 
> >have been struck while walking in SF, one of them instantly killed 
> >in front of his son and daughter-in-law.  Surely the vast majority 
> >of people have much more direct experience with a traffic related 
> >injury/death than a dog mauling, or pretty much every other injury 
> >type combined!
> >
> >With regards to political leadership, I agree.  In so many ways, 
> >everything is in place for someone to champion the issue and make SF
> 
> >*the* city in North America with the most sustainable transportation
> 
> >system...we just need a champion.  The most obvious person would be 
> >Mayor Newsom, who has demonstrated that he is not afraid to go out 
> >on a limb and take on a controversial/difficult issue.  I think he's
> 
> >the one who could do this, especially since he seems to have decent 
> >relations with the business community who is often afraid of losing 
> >lanes, parking, whatever.  Perhaps a supervisor, but with district 
> >elections, they are not in as good as position as the mayor to do 
> >so, who has city-wide accountability.
> >
> >I think he should go for it in this term, but if not, then certainly
> 
> >early in a (presumed) second term...he'd have 4 years to sell the 
> >idea to the city, and direct departments to get moving.  With term 
> >limits, he would not have to worry about reelection, but really, 
> >this idea of accelerating the changes to the city transportation 
> >system should be a pretty easy sell and one that I believe would be 
> >evident to all but the most calloused folks, given a decent effort 
> >to frame the issue well.  A well thought out effort would put the 
> >city, and thus the person who championed the issue, even more on the
> 
> >worldwide map.
> >
> >I feel very fortunate to have the job I now have, but I'd love to be
> 
> >part of a focused, city-wide effort to really sell and hammer home 
> >these ideas we basically know will work.  We can let these changes 
> >happen over a span of 20+ years, or we can do it in a span of 5 
> >years (with the right approach).  We just need a good, 
> >widely-respected sales person with some power, basically (in my 
> >opinion).
> >
> >
> >
> >"Jeremy Nelson" <jeremy at livablecity.org>
> >
> >06/10/2005 03:12 PM
> >Please respond to
> ><jeremy at livablecity.org>
> >
> >To
> ><Mike.Sallaberry at sfgov.org>
> >cc
> >"TLC Car Free Living" <Carfreeliving at livablecity.org>
> >Subject
> >Traffic Safety "Marshall Plan"
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Hi Mike-
> >
> >Hope you're well.  Just wanted to take a moment to respond to your
> last
> >post.  You wrote: "There's a lot of energy out there to really push
> the
> >transportation scene in the right direction, and while I'm all for
> this or
> >that department/person getting criticized when criticism is
> deserved, I feel
> >sometimes that that energy/focus is misdirected [...] So, it
> frustrates me
> >when I hear misguided criticisms pointed our way."
> >
> >My earlier post about London's rapid successes in reducing
> pedestrian and
> >bicyclist deaths and injuries was mainly critique of San Francisco's
> lack of
> >an implementable plan with specific goals and timelines for
> improving
> >traffic safety and reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries (ala
> >London's plan).  My main complaint was with the lack of vision and
> political
> >to will among elected officials, not with DPT line staff.
> >
> >My point was that without any San Francisco elected officials
> articulating a
> >vision to develop such a plan and showing the boldness to spend some
> >political capital to implement it, the safety of our streets (real
> and
> >perceived) for non-motorists will improve only marginally, and then
> only in
> >an ad hoc, willy-nilly, and incremental fashion.  This will be true
> DESPITE
> >the best intentions and efforts of talented, hard working
> transportation
> >engineers such as yourself and your colleagues at DPT.
> >
> >Ultimately, the blame for this lack of vision and leadership lies
> with City
> >Hall.  Consider:  Earlier this week a child was mauled to death by a
> pit
> >bull, and while every needless death is a tragedy, you wouldn't know
> from
> >the immediate and highly visible reaction from the Mayor's office
> ("Pit Bill
> >Task Force"?!) that just ONE person every THREE years dies from a
> dog attack
> >in San Francisco (KTVU Channel 2).  Contrast:  The very same week, a
> vigil
> >was held at Main & Harrison to commemorate the THREE people who have
> been
> >killed in ONE year at this single intersection.
> >
> >Too bad we can't get the same level of political leadership for
> "preventing
> >future pedestrian and bicyclist deaths and injuries from collisions
> with
> >cars" that we get for "preventing future deaths and injuries from
> attacks by
> >dogs".  One way a visionary politician could show this kind of
> leadership is
> >by spending some political capital to develop a citywide traffic
> >calming/traffic safety "Marshall Plan" with phased goals for
> reductions in
> >pedestrian and bicyclist deaths and a "zero tolerance" goal by 2025.
> >
> >Until we have that kind of political leadership, watch out for pit
> bulls
> >while crossing the street. Best-Jeremy
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Carfreeliving-request at livablecity.org
> >[mailto:Carfreeliving-request at livablecity.org]
> >Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 11:01 AM
> >To: Carfreeliving at livablecity.org
> >Subject: Carfreeliving Digest, Vol 5, Issue 6
> >
> >
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> >Today's Topics:
> >
> >   1. sf weekly article (Mike Sallaberry)
> >
> >
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >Message: 1
> >Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 10:51:32 -0700
> >From: Mike Sallaberry <Mike.Sallaberry at sfgov.org>
> >Subject: [Carfreeliving] sf weekly article
> >To: "Carfree Living" <carfreeliving at livablecity.org>
> >Message-ID:
> > 
>
><OF52D09F3A.0489F149-ON8825701C.00608FEA-8825701C.0062385F at sfgov.org>
> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> >http://www.sfweekly.com/issues/2005-06-08/news/smith.html
> >
> >Lately, I've had a feeling in my gut that we are indeed at a tipping
> point
> >when it comes to getting bikes mainstream in SF.  There seems to be
> so
> >much going on in a number of different but inter-connected arenas
> these
> >days, all pointed to one or both goals of getting people out of
> their cars
> >and onto bikes.  Pretty exciting!  I hope we will continue to add to
> this
> >momentum...
> >
> >And in a related note, I was recently thinking how my last few
> postings
> >have been, shall we say, buzz-killers.  My goal was not to squash
> >enthusiasm or pour water on any well meant fires, but to promote
> >accuracy...perhaps to a fault.  There's a lot of energy out there to
> >really push the transportation scene in the right direction, and
> while I'm
> >all for this or that department/person getting criticized when
> criticism
> >is deserved, I feel sometimes that that energy/focus is misdirected.
> >
> >Given the history of transportation engineering in the US, I can
> >understand how people may still think DPT is the "bad guy" but I
> work here
> >everyday and hear and see all the discussions and efforts to make
> this
> >city's travelways work, and I'm actually really impressed by the
> level of
> >mature and well-meaning efforts we make to make the travelways in SF
> work
> >for everyone.  So, it frustrates me when I hear misguided criticisms
> >pointed our way.  Like I said, if we deserve criticism, we deserve
> it, but
> >when we don't, I'm not going to just sit there and take it.
> >
> >Having said all that, I know it's hard for folks to know all the
> details
> >of what every department does.  I do appreciate all the energy and
> well
> >meaning efforts that people contribute to making this city more
> livable,
> >and really, without those efforts, it would be so much more
> difficult, if
> >not impossible, to get these positive changes in.  So, thanks for
> all your
> >efforts, and let's keep this train a rollin!
> >
> >Mike
> >
> >Michael Sallaberry, P.E.
> >Associate Transportation Engineer
> >San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic
> >25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 345
> >San Francisco, CA 94102
> >(415) 554 2351
> >(415) 554 2352 (fax)
> >Bicycle Hotline (415) 585-BIKE
> >http://www.bicycle.sfgov.org
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