Not-so-muddy May: re-assessing our entry paths

Central @ Fell: This is improvement

See for yourself - the short paths that lead into the Panhandle Park at each cross street are showing across-the-board improvement. Muddy ruts at these entrances, apparently caused when city vehicles access the park by these narrow paths, have long been an eyesore and annoyance to neighbors. I took stock of conditions in February, and found poor/very poor conditions at about half of the paths. Now, despite our super-wet spring, Sunday's Bay to Breakers, and yet another rain shower on Monday, the paths looked pretty good when I visited Tuesday evening.

My standards may be too low - these access paths are far from perfect and need a good sweeping, especially after the hordes using and abusing the park on Sunday. Several paths also need re-paving or repair. But the deep ruts and persistent puddles are way down. It could be from the change of seasons, from better or less use of the paths by trucks, or from the Rec and Park staff paying more attention (perhaps spurred on by complaints from neighbors). Whatever the cause, the change is welcome and reduces an eyesore. Even the big trucks that entered the park last week with porta-potties and trash containers didn't leave much evidence of damage.

Still muddy @ Ashbury from Fell

Here's the summary, showing Feb and May results side-by-side. There are fewer problems overall and no major problems east of Masonic. The worst problems are near Ashbury, which is likely a trouble spot because it's used most frequently by trucks for routine maintenance of the restrooms and playground.

Keep an eye on conditions at the entrance you use the most, and talk to your gardener about it, or use the 311 system to report the problem. It is possible to make a change.