http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca?format=rss Tribe.net. Local Connections http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#7883fc6d-447c-4758-a842-c118e209335c Tax island is now completely gone. Mon, 07 Jan 2008 03:02:53 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#7883fc6d-447c-4758-a842-c118e209335c cary 2008-01-07T03:02:53Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#196f5c06-ef55-4898-a9fe-cfd182a64b5b Who will water the tree? Better buy a longer hose because the city can't even water the trees that they just planted let alone the existing Urban Forest. This is what happens when you hire a greening czar who doesn't know squat about greening. The first question ought to be about maintenance...but in this city plant the %$#^ tree and figure out how to pay to maintain it later, MUCH LATER. DPW made an agreement with the SJ/G Coalition to water the newly planted greenery on the median and now the SJ/G folks have to drag their own hoses into the middle of the street to keep those trees alive. GAVIN...get out of your #$^$% car and take a real look at this city. But the GAV describes the maintenance of the existing UF as a detail that he doesn't know anything about and that's why he hired a greening czar. So there you have it...one dead tree unless you buy a longer hose. Sun, 18 Jun 2006 20:56:35 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#196f5c06-ef55-4898-a9fe-cfd182a64b5b Laurel 2006-06-18T20:56:35Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#509c2f7d-2fe8-4dac-9f45-045f7ecb9e5a i was wondering more about who would water it? my hose just isn't that long! Sun, 18 Jun 2006 17:46:43 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#509c2f7d-2fe8-4dac-9f45-045f7ecb9e5a Elmo loves Ken 2006-06-18T17:46:43Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#532dcd2b-1e31-4ac6-8054-aac8ac8b8dd0 "i kind of like the tree tho." Don't get too attached to that sapling. Somebody will probably accidentally run into it soon. Mon, 12 Jun 2006 19:18:28 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#532dcd2b-1e31-4ac6-8054-aac8ac8b8dd0 Dan 2006-06-12T19:18:28Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#ea468f34-c9bb-437d-9489-4a19921e0336 i saw them working today planting on the island barrier on san jose ave just south of cesar chavez. near mitchell's. meanwhile, i live almost at the corner of coleridge and virginia, and that thing is a pain in the butt. it does slow traffic some, but people still run thru those stop signs anyway. i kind of like the tree tho. Sun, 11 Jun 2006 05:59:00 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#ea468f34-c9bb-437d-9489-4a19921e0336 Elmo loves Ken 2006-06-11T05:59:00Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#ce0ed7fd-1581-4e81-965c-403595c19796 Tax Island sprouted a tree and a new coat of white paint which covers the red letters TAX ISLAND. Our tax dollars hard at work. In the meantime some tree basins on Mission St. are still emtpy and so are the promises that the Bureau of Urban Forestry made to fill them. Fri, 09 Jun 2006 03:25:12 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#ce0ed7fd-1581-4e81-965c-403595c19796 Laurel 2006-06-09T03:25:12Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#a43ccd55-ba68-4a4c-8f7f-59b277b45373 Stop signs don't work very well. The more stop signs you put up the more people will ignore them because they become too commonplace. Everybody wants a stop sign, and at first the politicians were putting them in all over because that's how you get re-elected. But then accidents went up, not down. This was especially true in the Sunset district, so they eliminated most 4-way stops and the accidents went down. Mon, 22 May 2006 19:52:51 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#a43ccd55-ba68-4a4c-8f7f-59b277b45373 David 2006-05-22T19:52:51Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#76955d95-1773-48f3-954e-699b93668a6c There's not really a roundabout there- no room for one. I'm familiar with the roundabouts in Boston. There is still a stop sign, so traffic has to slow to a stop, as it did before. When I was polled by the city about what to do about fast drivers on the hill, I requested a stop sign at Folsom and Stoneman St-- but was told that a stop sign there would not be considered. The city had their own ideas, and weren't really interested in the input they were soliciting from residents. Mon, 22 May 2006 18:52:17 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#76955d95-1773-48f3-954e-699b93668a6c Dan 2006-05-22T18:52:17Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#f97b8297-a159-4ec0-8917-a0cf702e8203 "I agree that the money could have been better spent on improving Mission St." When the original meetings were held, people complained about the fast drivers on the hill. The neighbors demanded something be done. One option was speed bumps, but they were considered a poor choice by the DPW for some reason. The traffic calmning islands were adopted instead, due to their success in Australia and elsewhere. Expect to see many more traffic islands. The traffic island thing is an interesting experiment to see if Americans are self-less enough to deal with them because using a traffic island (otherwise known as a roundabout) means that people have to take their turn driving through if there is more than one car present. This means that bossy, arrogant Americans will have to let others pass, something that used to be considered common courtesy, but that today is considered being a wimp. I think Americans will adapt. Mon, 22 May 2006 17:49:19 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#f97b8297-a159-4ec0-8917-a0cf702e8203 David 2006-05-22T17:49:19Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#d533a63c-5587-43f6-917d-6822ac2aba4b Yes, the island is at Virginia and Coleridge. I was exiting my parked car just below that intersection, on Virginia, and was nearly hit by a car, which was swerving arond that island. That street is too narrow for an island-- and a painted line would have been sufficient. I agree that the money could have been better spent on improving Mission St. Mon, 22 May 2006 15:14:30 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#d533a63c-5587-43f6-917d-6822ac2aba4b Dan 2006-05-22T15:14:30Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#df967bfc-7dcf-485c-ac47-4fdddc03c292 Do you mean Virginia and Coleridge? Sat, 20 May 2006 17:16:02 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#df967bfc-7dcf-485c-ac47-4fdddc03c292 Laurel 2006-05-20T17:16:02Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#7c8f6cb4-3e97-4391-b445-1c1c13ff8ef8 David: The North West Bernal Alliance opposed the final solution of putting an island in the middle of this intersection and the planting of a single tree as did others in the neighborhood but it seems that the traffic calming folks at DPT had different ideas. How Tax Island came to be is a mystery and NWBA has requested that DPT provide information on the final process and how much the installation of TI cost the tax payers. At the DPT sponsored neighborhood meeting at Coleridge Park Homes folks requested that the money for this project be used for Mission St. but apparently money can't be moved so easily. It looks like DPT/DPW have plans to green Tax Island as well, so NWBA has requested when this is going to take place, with what materials and who is going to be responsible for the maintenance. Aside from the above concerns neighbors are also wondering if emergency vehicles aren't hindered by such a barrier. Sat, 20 May 2006 17:13:51 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#7c8f6cb4-3e97-4391-b445-1c1c13ff8ef8 Laurel 2006-05-20T17:13:51Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#40f37298-5878-48ad-9a42-3e3ec0cc17ef They were sponsored by a shock absorber company in cooperation with firestone and midas. Wed, 10 May 2006 15:27:54 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#40f37298-5878-48ad-9a42-3e3ec0cc17ef Dum 2006-05-10T15:27:54Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#34d939b6-db5e-4379-95ea-8937d8b0d840 can't wait to run over it in the middle of the night. ohhhh the expectations. Tue, 09 May 2006 02:15:57 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#34d939b6-db5e-4379-95ea-8937d8b0d840 Diggity 2006-05-09T02:15:57Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#99895986-f5ff-43bd-b885-df7529addfec "I see more logic for the new island on Valencia by St. Luke's-- though the placement there maximizes the number of cars that will run over it, right where the southbound lane shifts to accommodate the bike lane.." The traffic calming project is something that has gone on for over 5 years, where intersections and streets were studied at length to see how it would be possible to slow down the cross-neighborhood traffic by people who don't live, shop or work in the area, but simply drive through it at high speeds. So, far from being some kind of capricious placement of barriers, every barrier was carefully thought out and planned with community input. There has been a traffic calming committee for almost a decade, and they reported their activities constantly to neighborhood groups such as the Northwest Bernal Alliance, the Precita Park neighborhood group, etc. Here's a link to the first major study, back in 2001: http://www.sfgov.org/site/dpt_page.asp?id=13558 Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:59:21 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#99895986-f5ff-43bd-b885-df7529addfec David 2006-04-25T20:59:21Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#1eec1f24-8b89-4a59-8cd1-4cb74f089311 I think the graffitti on it says "tax island." They are going up all over the place, I think for "traffic calming." If you run over a few of them, it will slow you down. Eugenia and Coleridge are too narrow to need an island for crossing pedestrians. I see more logic for the new island on Valencia by St. Luke's-- though the placement there maximizes the number of cars that will run over it, right where the southbound lane shifts to accommodate the bike lane.. Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:29:52 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#1eec1f24-8b89-4a59-8cd1-4cb74f089311 Dan 2006-04-25T17:29:52Z http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#1416a1a9-ef99-4099-a237-a522602cb492 Does anyone know what this is for? It looks like every truck will run over it. Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:33:01 GMT http://bernal.tribe.net/thread/2e3ecd8d-3476-4122-ba4c-6524cfcb5cca#1416a1a9-ef99-4099-a237-a522602cb492 cary 2006-04-25T16:33:01Z