regional

It’s always great to see new walking paths become available. Here’s an interesting one, the “Immigrant Point/Coastal Connector Trail” in the San Francisco Presidio. Called the “1,000 Steps,” (there are actually 217!) it’s a stairway that winds its way through a beautiful area from an overlook near the Golden Gate Bridge down the hillside.

From the Presidio Trust:

The Presidio’s Latest “1,000 Steps:” New Trail Links Immigrant Point and the Coastal Trail

Presidio of San Francisco (February 6, 2009) — “Imagine passing through a beautiful forest, while catching stunning glimpses of the Pacific Ocean and Marin Headlands, then emerging into coastal scrub,” says Amy Deck project manager for trails with the Presidio Trust. Presidio visitors now have the opportunity to do just that as the new Immigrant Point/Coastal Connector Trails opens to the public this week.

The Presidio’s “1,000 steps” may not be the longest trail in the park, but it creates a needed safe and well-defined path from the sandy, forested area below the Immigrant Point Overlook and picnic area to the Presidio’s wild western coastal bluffs. Previously, visitors wanting to reach the popular California Coastal trail had to forge their own way across the hillside, creating “social trails” that can cause erosion and harm natural areas.

Work on the new trail began in mid-November. With the help of the recent spring-like weather, it took just two months to complete. The pathway links several major trail corridors: the California Coastal Trail, the Batteries to Bluffs Trail, the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, and the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It also provides access to Baker Beach, the Immigrant Point Scenic Overlook and Picnic Area, and Rob Hill Campground.

The new trail includes stairs and a small bridge, among other features. Stunning sunsets over the Pacific Ocean can be glimpsed from the pathway.

Continue reading SF Presidio New Trail Links Immigrant Point and the Coastal Trail


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From San Francisco Cityscape:

If any city could use a streetcar, it’s Oakland. Oakland could use a lot of things, sure. But streetcars aren’t a tool for mobility so much as economic development. And for that reason, they can be funded creatively — say, by employing a value-capture strategy. But that’s not our job. We make maps. And in this case, OK — we are trying to get folks thinking at least a little bit about the potential of a streetcar to help revitalize Oakland streets. Oakland’s been down this road before, with a modest proposal that was still too much for certain Oakland politicians. But as another politician said: Hope is not sitting on the sidelines.

Proposal for a modern streetcar system connecting the disconnected and underdeveloped districts of Downtown Oakland, and connecting downtown to the redevelopment zones of Broadway Auto Row and Oak to 9th. An existing official proposal has failed to gain traction; in the past, we’ve proposed a more modest circulator shuttle. But the urban core of the East Bay deserves better. Fortunately, cities across America have found ways to fund similar systems from a mix of public and private sources, including tax-increment financing (over the long term, redevelopment will add to the tax rolls). This network could be rolled out in phases, starting with the City Center-to-Jack London segment proposed in the BART study. It would require only a few blocks of dedicated right-of-way, in a contraflow lane along Madison Street. While streetcar lines could generate development, they would also generate tax revenue by supporting existing businesses, and would help make Central Oakland a more livable place for current as well as future residents and workers.

All I really have to say to this is, “yes.”

Oakland Streetcar Proposal


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High speed rail may be coming to the California. Voters will decide whether to fund $9.95 billion worth of bonds for construction of the high speed rail network between San Francisco and Los Angeles, with eventual service to San Diego and Sacramento.

The California High Speed Rail Authority says the trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles will take about two and a half hours and will cost about $55. That sounds really good, right?

I’m all for high speed rail linking major centers in the state, as long as the system will actually garner enough ridership to be worthwhile and will be designed well. I realize public transit systems never make money, but I think we need to be sure not to build a system that will have few riders and will up losing massive amounts of money just to operate regular service.

I haven’t pored over the plans or predictions yet, so I’ll be interested to see what kind of ridership is projected and whether it’s conceivable that people are going to give up an hour and a half flight for a two and a half hour train trip. I know I would (I mean, if I had to go to SoCal), since the time spent at the airport getting through security and waiting for the plane generally adds a couple hours to a trip anyway. Plus trains have views and you can walk around and socialize. And purchase microwaved veggie-dogs (right?).

Here in San Francisco we’re saddled with a massively expensive and poorly conceived regional transit system, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). When it was designed in the 70s, all the technology was new and untested, and everything was custom designed and built — it’s all proprietary, meaning BART can’t use any off-the-shelf rail gear, making everything they do significantly more expensive than it should be. And then there’s the issue of how effective (ineffective) the BART routes are at actually attracting riders. It’s just a mess and now that it’s here there’s no way to get rid of it.

So yes, high speed rail sounds like a great plan in the abstract. But the devil is in the details, and if we get a system of unproven proprietary rail technology, we could end up with a “BART blunder” on a massive scale. At 9.95 billion, this will be the largest public works project in California history.

Love the idea, nervous about the details…


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