----- Forwarded message from Susan King <funking@mindspring.com> ----- JMC and Sue, can you forward this to the Transportation WG to approve? I think we can approve this without going to the GM, since it is in the Transpo WG charter to address the issue of cars in GG Park. If you feel otherwise, feel free to bring this to the GM for approval. peace, susan Resolution Opposing Garage Entrance Inside Golden Gate Park and the Widening of Martin Luther King Dr. to Four Lanes ? WHEREAS Golden Gate Park is intended to be ?designed and managed to afford opportunities for all to experience beauty, tranquility, recreation, and relief from urban pressures? according to the Golden Gate Park Master Plan and ? WHEREAS the Golden Gate Park Master Plan states that ?the order of priority should be to accommodate pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles for the purpose of enjoying the Park? and ? WHEREAS one of the prime objectives of the Golden Gate Park Master Plan is to ?minimize motor vehicle traffic? and ? WHEREAS the plan approved by the Concourse Authority and the Recreation and Park Commission to widen Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to four lanes will generate additional traffic within the park, as studies have shown that widening roads induces additional traffic* and ? WHEREAS increasing the number of travel lanes and removing parking along a roadway are generally accepted by traffic engineering experts to increase vehicle speeds** and ? WHEREAS a widened MLK Dr. would be more dangerous for bicyclists because traffic speeds would increase without the provision of bike lanes, forcing cyclists to share a narrow lane with garage, Muni and right-turning traffic onto Middle Drive East and Academy Drive and ? WHEREAS the Golden Gate Park Master Plan dictates that ?when modifications are made to park roads, the minimum travel lane width should be 16? (12? plus 4? for bikes)? yet the outside lanes in the plan for MLK would only be 12? and ? WHEREAS a widened MLK Dr. would have negative repercussions on park users, especially seniors, disabled, and small children, who would have to now cross 4 lanes of vehicular traffic, particularly dangerous when an intersection is only stop sign controlled, as intersections at 9th and MLK, Middle Dr. E and MLK, and Academy Dr. and MLK and Tea Garden Drive and MLK and ? WHEREAS a widened MLK would negatively affect the large and diverse commercial interests of the Inner Sunset, represented by the Inner Sunset Merchants Association, by worsening already gridlocked traffic conditions and ? WHEREAS a widened MLK would significantly add to the delay of transit in the Inner Sunset area, including the vital service provided by the N-Judah light rail line, the 44 O?Shaughnessy, and the 71 Noriega and ? WHEREAS the Concourse Authority?s plan to widen MLK does not address the Judge?s order to provide a ?dedicated entrance to the garage? as the word ?dedicated? is defined as ?to set aside for special use,? and the garage access lanes would be used by other vehicles without an intended destination in the garage and ? WHEREAS Proposition J, approved by voters in 1998, states that ?an entrance and exit, or entrances and exits (to the underground garage) will be located outside the park,? the Concourse Authority has ignored repeated requests from the community to eliminate this second entrance located INSIDE the park and Judge Warren of the San Francisco Superior Court has ruled that the design of the second entrance within the park is ?presently unacceptable? and ? WHEREAS locating an entrance to the parking garage in the middle of the Park will attract drivers into the Park, where there will be additional conflict with park users and ? WHEREAS promotional materials and ballot arguments for Prop. J gave the strong impression that the Concourse would be closed to motor vehicles, and autos accessing the underground garage would be separated from recreational users of the Park in order to achieve a ?pedestrian oasis? and ? WHEREAS numerous community leaders endorsed Proposition J, believing that garage proponents would hold true to the letter and spirit of the law, resulting in a park where the impact of the automobile is reduced while access for all is improved and ? WHEREAS many of those same community leaders have now joined the coalition opposing the entrance inside the Park and the widening of MLK and ? WHEREAS the new De Young museum is slated to open in October of 2005, and will attract hundreds of thousand of new visitors to the Park, while the only significant transportation improvements have been auto-related, which will result in unnecessary vehicle trips to the Park, directly undermining the Golden Gate Park Master Plan and ? WHEREAS the public process that has been led by the Concourse Authority in planning the new Music Concourse and surrounding area has been marked by a refusal to incorporate or consider comments from businesses and residents surrounding the Park, or from bicycle, pedestrian, and environmental protection groups and ? THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT ? The undersigned San Francisco organizations and individuals request that the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor step in and stop the construction of the second entrance to the garage as well as the planned widening of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. ? ? ? *?citation of studies to come ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | __o SF BICYCLE COALITION ___ __0 | | _`\<,_ Promoting the Bike |___| _ \<,_ | | (*)/ (*) for Everyday Transport (*)+---(*)/ (*) | | | | 1095 Market St. #215 SF 94103 415.431.BIKE www.sfbike.org | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joshua Hart Program Director 415-431-2453 ext. 23 joshua@sfbike.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | __o SF BICYCLE COALITION ___ __0 | | _`\<,_ Promoting the Bike |___| _ \<,_ | | (*)/ (*) for Everyday Transport (*)+---(*)/ (*) | | | | 1095 Market St. #215 SF 94103 415.431.BIKE www.sfbike.org | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joshua Hart Program Director 415-431-2453 ext. 23 joshua@sfbike.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | __o SF BICYCLE COALITION ___ __0 | | _`\<,_ Promoting the Bike |___| _ \<,_ | | (*)/ (*) for Everyday Transport (*)+---(*)/ (*) | | | | 1095 Market St. #215 SF 94103 415.431.BIKE www.sfbike.org | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joshua Hart Program Director 415-431-2453 ext. 23 joshua@sfbike.org ----- End forwarded message ----- -- John-Marc Chandonia (jmc@sfgreens.org) http://www.dolorespark.org/