Muddy February

It's February, more than halfway through our rainy season in San Francisco. In the Panhandle, a chronic, recurring eyesore is getting people's attention - standing water, usually found in and around tire tracks. The problem's concentrated along the short pathways leading from Oak and Fell St to the park's main east-west pathways.

I did a quick, subjective assessment of these conditions today (looking only at the short entry paths, and not trying to get a handle on similar problems along the main pathways). Here's the result, showing that the poor conditions are pretty widespread, especially along the north side, and that the worst mud puddles are at Ashbury.



I've got more questions than answers. What have we done about this in the past? How much of a problem is it to the community? Does this resolve after the rainy season, or do we deal with this year-round in some spots? What's causing it? If vehicles, then which ones, and what are the alternatives? If those vehicles are going to continue to enter the park, how can we mitigate the damage?