2003 article sheds light on path upgrade

It's been hard to recall exactly when the multi-use path was last rebuilt. Thanks to a local archivist, the answer was recently placed in my hands: it was 2003, and I wrote an article about it for the July/August issue of North Panhandle News.

Highlighted by some bicycle clip-art and accompanied by ads for Car Los and Club Waziema, the article led with a comment about "seven months of stop-and-start construction." (San Francisco public construction projects were as slow 11 years ago as they are now.) The article also references DPT (now MTA), and the recent approval of Fell Street bike lanes. There's an intriguing mention of signage and stencils that would be "designed to steer walkers to the south pathway and cyclists to the north pathways," but that are, mysteriously, "still in development."

Glancing through the rest of the newsletter brings back memories of District 5 Supervisor Matt Gonzalez, Annie Bourdon doing outreach for City CarShare (which then had a fleet of 85 cars), and Leila Fakouri's application to open Madrone Lounge, "primarily an art space."

 

New Park Rules

Two sets of signs were installed in and around the Panhandle this month. 

The first set of signs is directed to those arriving at the park pathways from Oak and Fell Streets. They advise visitors that park hours are 5 a.m. to midnight. The new park hours were codified this year in Park Code 3.21, a change that was approved amid a great deal of controversy. The legislation specifically permitted travel through and across the Panhandle, though that exception is not noted on the signs. 

The second set of signs was installed over the weekend by SFMTA. Although they are much greater in number, they'll mainly be noticed by people parking their vehicles on the park's perimeter. They impose No Parking for vehicles over 22 feet long or 7 feet high, from 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m., everyday. The "oversize vehicle" rule restrict people's ability to park campers, RVs, and other large vehicles overnight next to the Panhandle. While overnight habitation in vehicles was already prohibited, enforcement was never very effective. The no parking rules for oversize vehicles have been implemented in specific locations around the city, and the Panhandle is part of the second batch of locations.

Panhandle workday coming up next weekend, Sat June 14

Our next Panhandle workday will happen next weekend, on Saturday, June 14. Come join us for fresh air, community, and a great start to your weekend.

Saturday, June 14
9 am - 11:30 am
Panhandle Community Workday
Meet near the Playground (Oak @ Ashbury)

Also, enjoy a few pictures from yesterday's picnic - a great way to complete the Panhandle Park Action Project. We feasted on Guillermo's tacos, set up a tent and some extra benches next to our rain garden, and enjoyed our neighborhood park.

RPD gardening crew that keeps the park in shape: Guillermo, Charlie, and Daniel