Aaron Bialick
Aaron was the editor of Streetsblog San Francisco from January 2012 until October 2015. He joined Streetsblog in 2010 after studying rhetoric and political communication at SF State University and spending a semester in Denmark.
Recent Posts
SF Firefighters Take Campaign Against Safe Street Design to North Beach
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At a community meeting about bulb-outs in North Beach tomorrow evening, some residents and firefighters are expected to speak against the curb extensions on the grounds that they make streets more dangerous. As Hoodline has reported, the leadership of the North Beach Neighbors and the SF Fire Fighters Union have drummed up opposition to bulb-outs […]
SFMTA Retracts Report of 651% Jump in Bike Traffic on San Jose Avenue
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The SFMTA has retracted its report last week of a 651 percent jump in bicycling on northbound San Jose Avenue after a traffic lane was removed to widen the bike lane. The actual increase in morning peak-hour bike counts was 14 percent, said SFMTA spokesperson Ben Jose. In the evening peak hour, the reported 221 […]
In SF, San Jose Ave Bike Traffic Jumps 651% After Road Diet and Buffered Lanes
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Morning bike traffic increased by a whopping 651 percent on northbound San Jose Avenue after a traffic lane was removed and the bike lane was widened with a buffer zone a year ago, according to the SFMTA. As part of the ongoing traffic-calming project, Caltrans last week also removed a highway off-ramp lane leading on […]
SFMTA Bucks Uber, Bans Private Autos From Turning On to Mid-Market Street
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Private auto drivers will be banned from turning on to Market Street between Third and Eighth streets after the restrictions were approved unanimously by the SFMTA Board of Directors yesterday. The board dismissed the last-minute protest from Uber, who complained that its ride-hail drivers would be included in the ban, while taxis wouldn’t. In the […]
Memorial for Wilbert Williams Calls on Caltrans to Fix SF’s Freeway Ramps
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One year ago yesterday, 62-year-old Wilbert Williams was sleeping in a tent next to a Highway 80 off-ramp at Fifth and Harrison Streets at about 1 a.m. when he was run over and killed by a drunk SUV driver who veered off the road. “That morning, I woke up and got ready to see my […]
Fisherman’s Wharf Parking-Free Street Revamp Boosts Sales, Will Expand
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Two years after the city gave Fisherman’s Wharf a people-friendly redesign on two blocks of Jefferson Street, business is booming. Despite merchants’ fears that removing all car parking on the blocks would hurt their sales, they now say it had the opposite effect. The second phase of the project, which will bring a similar treatment […]
Palo Alto Forum: Parking Management for Smart Growth
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From Palo Alto Forward: We seem to want a lot of it, but never seem to get enough of it – What is it? PARKING! Let’s find a better way to manage our parking issues. How can we make it more convenient to get to downtown Palo Alto (and Mountain View, Menlo Park, Mountain View, […]
22-Day Muni-Riding Challenge, Day 10: Checking the Score at City Hall
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We’re nearly halfway into the 22-day Muni riding challenge. How seriously are SF’s elected officials taking their commitment to get familiar with the everyday experience of riding Muni? Eight supervisors and Mayor Ed Lee signed up for the challenge by the time SFTRU kicked it off on June 1. Based on the tally of onboard […]
Tell Bay Area Bike Share Where You Want Stations in the Tenfold Expansion
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With a tenfold expansion secured last week, Bay Area Bike Share launched an interactive online map where you can weigh in on where the next wave of stations should go in SF, the East Bay, and San Jose. The map received 1,500 spot suggestions within the first 12 hours of its launch, said Dani Simons, […]
San Francisco Reboots Program That Could Boost Transit and Livable Streets
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San Francisco agencies have re-introduced the Transportation Sustainability Program, a bureaucratic overhaul that could dramatically expedite improvements for walking, biking, and transit, while discouraging car parking in new developments. In developing the program, SF planners are also nearing completion of the nation’s first major study showing that dedicated car parking encourages driving. The TSP is […]
Mayor, Eight Supervisors Promise to Ride Muni Every Day Until June 22
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The SF Transit Riders Union’s challenge to ride Muni for 22 days kicked off yesterday with late sign-ons from Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisors London Breed and Mark Farrell, who had initially declined to commit. Supervisors Katy Tang and Malia Cohen still declined, and Supervisor Norman Yee has not confirmed a pledge since he tweeted […]
Phil Matier’s Shameless Bid to Drum Up Resentment About Parking
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Phil Matier is apparently perturbed at the “rapid” pace at which SF plans to re-purpose less than 0.5 percent of its curbside parking spaces. In keeping with his habitual windshield perspective, Matier used both his SF Chronicle column and air time on KCBS radio today to spin a narrative about motorists getting “a giant middle […]