Walk San Francisco

104-year-old dies after being hit by mini-van

January 15, 2010 – 1:37 am

This past Monday, the San Francisco Chronicle carried a story about a 104-year-old New York City amusement park strongman who died after being hit by a mini-van.

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The Walker – Thomas Vogl Advocates Walking to Work

January 15, 2010 – 1:28 am

You may have read Meredith May’s article about Thomas Vogl in the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, January 3, 2010 as part of the Ultra-Commuters issue. The following is a write-up that Thomas prepared for Walk San Francisco about his Walk to Work advocacy.

We Walk to Work on Wednesdays (and other days too)
by Thomas Vogl

I live in the Outer Sunset neighborhood and usually cycle to work, but one day I decided to try walking to work instead. It felt great, it was simple, and it made me really want to share the experience with others. So I told my housemates about my “walk to work” day, they liked the idea, and decided to give it a try. Entire streets we hadn’t noticed before revealed themselves to us, we met and conversed with new and interesting people along the way, it energized us, and we all agreed it felt good to just walk. We were grateful for having a healthy pair of legs and that gratitude flowed into our work day.

Because of these initial experiences I decided to walk to work more often and reached out to more people to join us. Since we started two months ago a mini movement has emerged: We’ve made a tradition of walking on Wednesday mornings. Some of start the day by meeting in a café and others join us enroute. We make our way towards City Hall where we split up because some of us have reached our destination while others must continue on.

…And So… (aka The Mission Statement)
I want to share the love of walking and inspire more people to consider walking as an innate right and a viable and enjoyable alternative to transport oneself to work. Walking is enjoyable, free, and healthy, and is even more fun when we walk to work together as “walking buddies”. Walking to work should be encouraged and promoted as an effective and efficient commuting alternative.

… There is More
Apart from the obvious benefits (it is free, good for the environment, an excellent work-out, and very reliable) I would like to share some of the other up-sides that I have experienced when I walk to work:

· Social Connections. Walking to work has given me a chance to spend some quality time chatting face to face with buddies, and making new friends. It’s been a pleasant surprise to see how many people have given me warm greetings and smiles for simply walking by
· Fresh Perspectives. Walking to work has allowed me to see new streets and pathways I would never have noticed before. Commuting in this fashion has given me a new way of seeing how other people live, work, and generally get around and in general is a great way to appreciate San Francisco even more

My Dream
· I see a multitude of Walk to Work neighborhood groups, greeting each other as they cross paths.
· I see an occasional Walk to Work celebration complete with marching band to help further inspire participants and to recruit new individuals to join us.
· I see Walk to Work becoming hip and cool, in the same way bicycling has.
· I see yearly “Walk to Work” Days in San Francisco, like the Bike-to-Work, with lots of people commuting by foot, and pausing at energizer stations for some fluids, encouragement, and camaraderie.
· I see a great increase in the membership of Walk SF as more citizens learn about the organization and its importance to the city.

What Next
I will be setting up an information booth in my office building (the old Hamm’s Brewery Building in Protero Hill) to let people know about my little mini movement. I will give them the opportunity to put their email and neighborhood onto a list so I can help them connect with one another and find walking buddies.

I wish you a happy Walk to Work Day!
Thomas Vogl

If you want to learn more about Walk to Work drop me a line at thomasvogl@hotmail.com

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San Francisco No Walk in the Park For Pedestrians Reports

November 23, 2009 – 9:17 pm

Walk San Francisco urges Speaker Pelosi and Congresswoman Speier to Support Increased Focus on Pedestrian Safety in Upcoming Federal Legislation

San Francisco’s priorities when it comes to pedestrian safety are a little off a new national report along with additional number crunching from a local group shows.

The report lumped San Francisco with most of the East Bay in its analysis of major metropolitan areas. While, the San Francisco-East Bay metropolitan area ranks favorably in the nation based on the report’s pedestrian-danger index, Walk San Francisco used the same data sources to extract some San Francisco-specific numbers. The report found that nationally there are 1.53 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people. In San Francisco, that rate is 2.60 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people, 70% higher than the national average. Nationally, 11.8% of all traffic deaths are pedestrians while in San Francisco, that number is 47.7%.

While pedestrians face a greater level of danger in San Francisco, funding hasn’t kept pace. The report found that nationally only 1.5% of federal transportation dollars are spent on pedestrian projects, and in San Francisco it’s even lower at 0.5% according to the Alliance for Biking and Walking.

“Walkscore.com and Prevention Magazine have both ranked San Francisco as the most walkable city in America,” said Manish Champsee, President of Walk San Francisco. “However, with almost half of all traffic fatalities being pedestrians, we need to do a better job of protecting people when they are walking. It’s time for our funding commitment to match the severity of the problem.”

The report also got the attention of local leaders who are calling for more dedicated sources of funding for pedestrian safety improvements.

“In a city that should be prioritizing pedestrian safety, we need to re-double our efforts to find local funds to augment federal, state and regional monies,” said District One Supervisor Eric Mar referring to the Safe Streets and Road Repair Bond that was originally supposed to appear on last weeks ballot, but was shelved at the last minute. The report, Dangerous by Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths (and Making Great Neighborhoods), compiles a variety of statistics on America’ major metropolitan areas and states. An update of the 2004 Mean Streets report, Dangerous by Design was released by Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership.

The report authors note that most pedestrian deaths are preventable, because they occur on streets that are designed to encourage speeding traffic and lack safe sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian signals and other protections. Fixing these problems is a matter of will on the part of state departments of transportation and local communities, and of shifting spending priorities, the report concludes.

In 2007, Alice Wallace was killed crossing 19th Avenue. She was stranded in the middle of the street as the light turned from green to red because there were no countdown timers or even a Walk/Don’t Walk signal that would have let her know that it wasn’t safe to cross at that time. In the wake of that tragedy, the installation contract for the countdown signals was expedited, the speed limit lowered, and a double-fine zone was instituted. All of these things have lead to a steep decline in pedestrian fatalities along 19th Avenue.

“Fortunately, we have made a number of positive changes along 19th Avenue, including the first two phases of new countdown timers at intersections along the corridor and the double-fine zone, which have already made 19th Avenue much safer for pedestrians,” said State Senator Leland Yee. “However, we must continue to be vigilant in making additional improvements on this dangerous corridor to prevent further collisions, injuries, and loss of life.”

While walking conditions remain perilous across the country, many communities are working to make their streets safe and welcoming for people on foot or bicycle, the report shows. Communities across the country are beginning to reverse the dangerous legacy of 50 years of anti-pedestrian policies by retrofitting or building new roads as “complete streets” that are safer for walking and bicycling as well as motorists. “Here in San Francisco, we could be saving lives and encouraging more residents to engage in healthy levels of activity by investing in crosswalks, traffic calming and other safety measures,” said Champsee. “However, we need to invest more resources in pedestrian safety measures and rid ourselves of policies that hamper our ability to push these projects forward.”

“As Congress prepares to rewrite the nation’s transportation law, this report is yet another wake-up call showing why it is so urgent to update our policies and spending priorities,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America.

Walk San Francisco encourages our federal delegation, Speaker Pelosi, Congress-woman Jackie Speier and Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to support federal efforts to better fund pedestrian safety.

Under the current federal transportation bill, less than 1.5 percent of available funds nationally are directed toward pedestrian safety, although pedestrians account for nearly 12 percent of all traffic deaths and 9 percent of total trips. Between 2007 and 2008, more than 700 children under the age of 15 were killed walking.

Seven organizations served on the steering committee for this report, working closely with T4 America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership. These organizations include the American Public Health Association, AARP, Smart Growth America, America Bikes, America Walks, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and the National Complete Streets Coalition.

ABOUT WALK SAN FRANCISCO
Walk San Francisco advocates for walkability and pedestrian safety for people of all ages and abilities. We are a coalition of organizations and individuals that seeks to improve San Francisco’s walking environment through activism and policy advocacy that educates residents, city agencies, and elected officials regarding the need for morepedestrian-friendly streets. http://www.walksf.org

ABOUT TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA (T4AMERICA)
Transportation for America is a broad coalition of housing, environmental, equal opportunity, public health, urban planning, transportation and other organizations focused on creating a 21st century national transportation program. The coalition’s goal is to build a modernized infrastructure and healthy communities where people can live, work and play by aligning national, state and local transportation policies with an array of issues like economic opportunity, climate change, energy security, health, housing and community development. www.t4america.org

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Major MUNI Service Changes Coming December 5th

November 23, 2009 – 8:39 pm

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will implement MAJOR MUNI CHANGES beginning on Saturday, December 5, 2009. Specifically, service on more than half of Muni’s bus routes and the N Judah on weekends will change. For details on these changes visit www.sfmta.com or call 311 for multilingual assistance. Please post and forward this email to others to help disseminate this important information!

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Dangerous by Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths

November 9, 2009 – 12:13 pm

A new report released today by Transportation For America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership takes stock of how city streets built for speed and not safety can be deadly to pedestrians. “Dangerous By Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths (And Making Great Neighborhoods)” ranks the nation’s 52 largest metro areas based on a calculated Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) and reveals how investment in pedestrian infrastructure could save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of crashes each year.

The report, along with some data from Walk San Francisco, has found that the pedestrian fatality rate in San Francisco is 70% higher than the national average. Nationally, only 1.5% of federal transportation dollars are spent on pedestrian facilities. Locally, San Francisco only spends 0.5% of its federal transportation dollars on pedestrian improvements.

Please see our press release and take action by asking Secretary LaHood to make pedestrian safety a priority.

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Peak2Peak Walk a Grand Success

November 9, 2009 – 12:14 am

Thanks to the over 100 people who participated in our fifth annual Peak2Peak Walk on October 24th. There was some typical San Francisco fog in the morning, though most of the day was beautiful weather. We climbed 15 peaks from Mt. Davidson to Coit Tower and along the way raised almost $6000 towards funding Walk San Francisco’s vital pedestrian safety and advocacy work.

To see photos from the event, please go to the photos section of our Facebook page. Feel free to tag yourself and your friends in any photo that you see. If you have were at the event and would like to share any photos that you took, please click here.

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Extended Parking Meter Hours Study Debated

November 8, 2009 – 11:59 pm

On October 20, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board heard an introductory presentation of the SFMTA’s Extended Parking Meter Hours Study, commissioned by the SFMTA Board last spring during their budget deliberations, in which Muni service was cut and fares were raised while parking rates remained essentially untouched. When the Board of Supervisors threatened to veto the budget, the SFMTA Board called for a study of parking meter hours.

At the following Tuesday’s SFMTA Board meeting, about 50 people spoke for and against the study’s recommendations to extend meter hours in several well-defined commercial corridors. While understandably controversial, it’s an ultimately essential move towards making Muni a reliable and convenient transportation option, reducing the danger of traffic “cruising” for parking for the sake of safer walking, and rebalancing the inequitable state of encouraging cheap driving in a city with a bold commitment for sustainable streets.

Walk San Francisco will continue to work with transit and bicycle advocates to properly balance SF’s transportation revenue options. Read Walk San Francisco’s letter to the SFMTA Board and send your own note of encouragement to them at MTABoard@sfmta.com. To learn more, please listen to this interview with UCLA Planning Professor Dr. Donald Shoup.

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WalkSF’s Response to “Careless Pedestrians” Article in Chronicle

October 15, 2009 – 11:24 am

The following is a response to the C.W. Nevius authored column “S.F. a dangerous city for careless pedestrians”

Mr. Nevius:

I read with interest your column today entitled “SF a dangerous city for careless pedestrians”. First one of the things that I always like to say is “Everyone is a pedestrian, even if all of the walking you do is to and from your car.” The point is that everyone is a pedestrian and many people drive or take transit or ride a bike. Few people get around exclusively by walking, but everyone does walk as part of their means of getting around. Its a question of care and courtesy no matter which mode of transportation you happen to be engaging in.

Having said that, in the SFMTA report that you cited in your column ( http://www.sfmta.com/cms/rtraffic/documents/Collision_report_2007.pdf ) if you look on page 5, in table 3 it notes that “Violations by the Pedestrian” was cited as the cause for 8% of all collisions in 2007. Now to be fair, the report notes that 26% of all injury collisions involve a pedestrian. However, this still means that less than 1/3 of all collisions involving a pedestrian are the fault of the pedestrian with the other 2/3 the fault of the driver.

I do appreciate your advocacy for traffic calming. In addition to naked streets, London is also experimenting with turning off traffic lights ( http://tr.im/BU50 ). While “roundabouts” might not work in much of San Francisco, there is a smaller version of these known as “traffic circles” that are appropriate for neighborhood streets. Berkeley and Seattle have used traffic circles with great success, Seattle seeing many intersections go to 0 crashes. We attempted these in 2004 on Page St., however, they were a failure because the circles weren’t large enough as per best practices in other cities.

Feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this further.

Thanks,

Manish Champsee
President
Walk San Francisco

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Announcing WalkSF’s Fifth Annual Peak to Peak Walk

September 24, 2009 – 11:28 am

Map of Walk

This is no ordinary walk in the park!

The fifth annual Peak to Peak Walk is a 12 mile challenge that will inspire even the most avid walker. You’ll get a unique view of San Francisco’s skyline, stairways, paths, parks, and monuments—all while raising money for Walk San Francisco’s vital pedestrian safety and advocacy work.

Join us as we meander up and down along the spine of the city from Mt. Davidson to Coit Tower, with 15 different peaks along the way. In addition to dirt trails and stunning vistas, the walk also features a delicious gourmet lunch and the chance to win great prizes.

From climbing the slopes of Mt. Olympus in the morning to enjoying the view from Coit Tower in the afternoon, this full-day walk will give you a whole new perspective on San Francisco.

Date:	Saturday, October 24, 2009
Time:	Arrival and sign-in: 8:30 a.m.Depart for first peak: 9:00 a.m. SHARP!
Location:	West Portal – in front of Noah’s Bagels at 28 West Portal Ave.MUNI lines K, L, M, buses #17, #48
Cost:	Early Bird (by October 9): $50Regular: $65 20% off from last year!

What does my registration include?
The walk will be fully guided, and you’ll receive a map of the route when you sign in. Each group leader will carry snacks and be in contact with other groups along the way. Around halfway through, we’ll take a relaxing break for a gourmet lunch in the Panhandle. Your registration also includes membership in Walk San Francisco for one year. We have some fabulous prizes including Sports Basement gift certificates, a one of a kind hoodie from Gama-Go, massage gift certificates, dinner at local restaurants and many others.

What will I need to bring?
You should wear comfortable shoes and bring clothing for variable weather conditions during the day, including fog, wind, and (we hope!) sunshine. We recommend a hat and backpack to carry water, light clothing, and snacks. Although rain in October is rare, heavy fog, wind, and mist in the morning are possible, especially on the higher summits.

How should I prepare for the Peak to Peak?

Different groups will walk at different speeds, but all walkers should be relatively fit and capable of climbing and descending thousands of steps (yes, thousands!).

Sounds great! How do I register?

You can mail/fax us this form (link goes to pdf file) with a check or credit card information or sign up online. The registration deadline is October 22.