| CONCOURSE
UPDATE
The Concourse Authority meet Tuesday 1/9 and I’m a bit late in
posting this, BUT considering that the Authority are now 6 months out
on generating or approving minutes of their meetings, I’m not
that late!
Backing up to the October Meeting, the Authority approved a letter to
be sent to the MTA requesting they take over responsibility for preventing
cut-thru traffic in the Concourse. As the letter was not shared with
the public, either in print or orally, I can only report on the result
of MTA’s input as reported at the January meeting:
Code prevents standard DO NOT ENTER signs being used if anyone is allowed
to pass ( such as “EXCEPT MUNI, DROP OFF, OR PICK UP”).
At the same time the current black and white signs are not adequate
for city police to enforce. THE SOLUTION: as presented, NO LEFT/RIGHT
TURN signs with disclaimers are enforceable. Therefore an island will
be placed in the middle of JFK and signs such as these will be installed.
The
Authority heard that a grant had been awarded for bicycle improvements
at Page and Stanyan, BUT due to the lawsuit in progress -- contesting
the city’s suspension of EIR review for bicycle improvements –
improvements involving bicycles should be expected before the middle
of 2008! The same goes for painting bicycle lanes on JFK. It was noted
that the current single white lines, denoting 10 ft. auto lanes, are
being interpreted by many drivers as creating a second lane for autos.
RPD General Manager, Yomi Agumbiade, appeared before the Authority (a
first) to encourage the Authority to reduce their meeting schedule to
once a year. He said that he “had all their interests firmly in
hand” and they should trust him to do their work. After much discussion,
some of the Authority didn’t buy this but did reduce the meeting
schedule to three times a year.
One bit of GREAT news is that under close
inspection almost all* of the newly planted elm and sycamores in the
Concourse Bowl appear to be budding out in preparation for spring. Recall
that the elms celebrated a very early fall last year -- like July. As
the elms came from Oregon and are grafted, many of us have worried that
they had died.
*The
only excepting appears to be in the south east quadrant where a single
elm has chosen to put it’s energy into sprouting new shoots from
the graft.
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January
1. What I'll be working on in the New Year
September
22, 06 Whose in charge of the Concourse anyway
July
12th The Daily Dirt awards the Red
Herring Award to
Coalition for Park Access
(for wealthy folks in cars to attend private parties)
July
8 WHO'S IN CHARGE IN THE CONCOURSE ANYWAY?
June 26,
Ticketing in the Concourse
June
16, Pavin' the Park
June
6th, The Polo - Field of Screams
June
1, Inner Sunset Community Meeting on Homeless
May
31, The Public/Private Partnership in Public Parks
May
28, Art coming to a meadow near you.
May
25
LOST IN
THE FOG or Homeless in Golden Gate Park
May
23, Those That Ignore History...
May
22, Faces
of the Bay to Breakers 2006
May
20, An Open Letter
to the Mayor: How can we take back our Park?
May
19, NO
MUSIC IN THE MUSIC CONCOURSE
May
18, DEDE to allow some
of her Oscars to be viewed by visitors to her museum.
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