Alamo Square Park is a few blocks outside Duboce Triangle, but this touching sign was too compelling not to share.
We love our dogs in this area.
KAIU
Gentle, loving, beautiful companion and friend
November 1994 – September 2008
She will be sorely missed
What a good dog“When you are sorrowful look again into your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” -Kahlil Gibran
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Fisherman’s Wharf is not exactly in Duboce Triangle, but it’s worth keeping abreast of this project to revamp the tourist magnet because the process is pretty interesting. And, hey, you’ve probably gone there a few times.
Jan Gehl is world-renowned for his firm’s work to revive key city places. So it’s not surprising that there’s a lot of excitement from some quarters about his visit to San Francisco. His firm has been studying Fisherman’s Wharf for a bit now. Gehl himself presented the preliminary findings of their study this past Wednesday. Streetsblog has fairly comprehensive coverage of the event here.
Jan Gehl Reflects on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf [Streetsblog]
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The Chronicle is reporting today that the recent financial bailout bill includes federal tax benefits for bike commuters. So if you commute by bike, or would like to, talk to your employer about taking advantage of this new program.
Starting in January, workers who use two-wheelers as their primary transportation mode to get to and from work will be eligible for a $20-a-month, tax-free reimbursement from their employers for bicycle-related expenses. In return, employers will be able to deduct the expense from their federal taxes.
Bailout gives tax break to bicycle commuters [San Francisco Chronicle]
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When we collected feedback on the current state of the Duboce Park N-Judah stop before developing the Duboce Triangle Transportation Improvement Plan, we heard from a few people that they would like to see the shelter improved. Residents cited its lack of protection from the elements, dirtiness and feeling of isolation/unsafeness, particularly at night. Though they also appreciated its distinctiveness.
In fact, the structure is officially historic, so any improvements must respect its history (i.e., no tearing it down completely). Some suggestions we’ve heard for improvements are to put glass in on the side open panels, to protect from the rain and wind, and to put in glass on one or all of these back panels (shown in the third photo), so that people waiting inside can see what’s happening outside. The thinking is that being able to see would make the structure feel more safe. There has also been a call to install a transit map in the shelter.
What are your ideas? Reactions?
Kind thanks to the gentleman shown in these photos for his participation.
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One of the plastic bollards that normally protects the N-Judah station and Duboce and Noe was out of commission last Friday. It has not been replaced as of Monday morning. We don’t know what happened — anyone see something? — it’s a good excuse to bring up that one of the goals of the Duboce Triangle Transportation Improvement Plan is to improve safety and comfort at the Duboce Park station.
Those bollards warn off drivers from entering the tunnel area, and help guide drivers away from people waiting to board. The plan, and also the Church and Duboce Track Improvement Project, calls for expanding the boarding island so that it is a raised, concrete area where there is currently just paint/thermoplast. DTNA is in talks with the MTA about figuring out additional safety measures to protect people waiting at the station (since you have to wait at the exposed tip if you need to pay when you’re boarding). We of course welcome your ideas. Bollards? Other devices? Nothing at all?
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The Upper Market Community Benefits District (CBD) has been working on a Streetscape/Pedestrian Improvement Plan for the last few months. Its work builds on the city Planning Department’s Upper Market Streetscape plan, which has no funding for direct implementation, but rather relies on developer incentives.
DTNA has been working closely with the organization on the Church Street component of the plan as part of our Duboce Triangle Transportation Improvement Plan. The CBD has been part of all of our regular meetings with the MTA, which has been very helpful for ensuring that we’re all working towards the same goals.
But the plan is much larger than just Church Street. It includes the full CBD area: Church Street between Duboce and Market, Market from Octavia to Castro, and Castro from Market to 19th Street. The plan has not been finalized but you can read the recommendations that will soon be brought to the CBD board for approval. They include:
Click here to read the full plan.
Keep in mind two things: these are still recommendations, and the plan has no funding for implementation. Some items on Church Street may be covered through the Church and Duboce Track Improvement Project, but nothing else is currently guaranteed.
Clearly, there’s lots of momentum in the greater Upper Market area, including NOPA, to redesign our streets. Some of these ideas will be put into action soon — including the Church and Duboce Track Improvement Project. Some later, and some maybe never. But if you’re at all interested in seeing our streets improved, this is a great time to join your neighborhood association and get involved in these efforts. Join DTNA here.
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Spotted on Castro Street on the border between the Castro and Noe Valley. An unusually nice bench for a bus stop.
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Noe Valley recently celebrated the installation of a test crosswalk at 24th and Castro. According to the Noe Valley Voice:
The pace of Noe Valley slowed down a bit last month, after city work crews finished laying DuraTherm pedestrian crosswalks at the intersection of 24th and Castro streets. The white brick design was chosen by the Noe Valley Association (the neighborhood’s community benefit district), which had won a grant to install the crosswalk as a test case in San Francisco.
Design matters when it comes to street landscaping, and Duboce Triangle tends to be especially interested in great design. So, what do you think of the test crosswalk design? Is this something you’d like to see in Duboce Triangle? If so, where? If not, why?
Read the full story of Noe Valley’s long effort to get these crosswalks installed here.
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One of the less neighborhood-feeling parts of Divisadero in NOPA.
A lot’s been going on in the Lower Haight and NOPA, just to the
northwest of Duboce Triangle. If you haven’t walked north on Divisadero
in a while, you might be surprised to see that a bunch of new shops and
restaurants have opened, even within just the last few months. Despite
the numerous gas stations and parking lots, Divis is slowly becoming a
pedestrian-scale neighborhood shopping area. (There are also a few real
estate development proposals for the street, and nearby blocks, that
will impact the experience of the street. And a great new farmers market on Sunday mornings.)
Right now the actual street isn’t helping this transition much. Some
parts of the street feel like a neighborhood shopping street, and
others make you feel like you were accidentally dropped on an anonymous
throughway in L.A. So the neighborhood has come together to develop a
plan for enhancing the street’s neighborhood appeal. The city plans to spend $3.4 million on greening, wider
medians, safer crosswalks and much on Divis between Waller and Geary.
The project is going to start construction in 2009.
For Duboce Triangle residents, this means that there’s going to be a lot of construction going on around the neighborhood in the next few years, but hopefully all for the best, and all driven by community visions. Anyone up for some deep dish pia at Little Star?
Official project information [Department of Public Works]
Divisadero Street overhaul planned [Examiner]
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