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Decision to delay ‘Sunday Streets’ passes to full Board of Supervisors
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San Francisco’s Government Audit and Oversight Committee agreed on Monday to forward to the full Board of Supervisors a proposal to delay the ‘Sunday Streets’ event pending an economic impact and vehicle traffic analysis. A second proposal, also initiated last Wednesday by Supervisor Peskin in regards to ‘Sunday Streets,’ that would require the Board to approve temporary street closures for certain athletic events was kept in Committee. Supervisors Ammiano and Maxwell diplomatically stated their preferences to not pass unnecessary legislation on the matter and their hopes of finding a workable resolution so that the events can move forward.
If passed by the full Board of Supervisors, the economic impact and traffic analysis would have to be completed before the events could take place, blocking months of planning and community meetings already performed in preparation for holding the 4-hour events between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on August 31st and September 14th. Small business representatives from Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 stated that they were not against the idea of ‘Sunday Streets,’ but they were unhappy about feeling excluded from the planning process and objected to the dates currently scheduled for the pilot events. Labor Day Weekend was compared by some of the businesses' representatives, who spoke during public comment, to the Christmas holiday shopping season for other retailers.
The analysis would attempt to provide some numbers that reflect the economic impact on small businesses located along the route and, presumably, one mile north of the event at Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. The analysis would also require the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) and San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) to cooperate on an analysis of the traffic impacts of the 4-hour Sunday morning closures to motor vehicles along 4.6 miles of car lanes. As currently written, an analysis will not give consideration to the public health, environmental, and community building benefits, and the number of smiling, happy San Franciscans resulting from the increased public recreational space along the waterfront and positive interactions with neighbors and different neighborhoods. I’d like to remind the Supervisors that money cannot buy happiness.
The Committee’s meetings are held at 10 a.m. on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month, preventing many of the prime beneficiaries of the event from appearing to speak in support of ‘Sunday Streets’ because of the need to earn a living and to be at work. Supervisor Peskin stated at the beginning of the Committee meeting that he was not trying to delay the event for political purposes. Rather, he indicated he was trying to be responsive to his constituents in his district.
One of the public commenters mentioned the idea of closing the southbound lanes of The Embarcadero instead of the northbound lanes to vehicular traffic. This idea would leave cars to drive at unsafe speeds as they do every other day of the week along The Embarcadero, endangering pedestrians and bicyclists who might want to cross over from the southbound lanes to the Embarcadero Pedestrian Promenade along the waterfront. Not only is the safety of participants impaired by this idea, but the increased public access to the treasured waterfront is a crucial component for the event’s success. Perhaps vehicles could drive northbound on the southbound side of The Embarcadero as a workable, safe compromise for the 4-hour period on the 1.4 miles of that particular roadway affected by ‘Sunday Streets.’
Many local businesses in the Bayview, Dogpatch, Mission Bay, South Beach, Rincon Hill, and the Financial District neighborhoods could benefit from ‘Sunday Streets’ because the event excludes food vendors and instead provides information directing people to the neighborhood restaurants and services. Rincon Hill residents are well aware that most of the service businesses that cater to the workweek office population close their doors at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon and do not re-open until 7 a.m. on Monday. The lack of casual dining options in Rincon Hill in the evenings and on the weekends leaves few opportunities for neighbors to interact and to establish ties that are very important for a community to function well. ‘Sunday Streets’ would provide a particular place and a particular time for neighbors to gather for free and to interact, building the relationships that will save lives when San Francisco experiences its next major disaster. Holding the event on Labor Day Weekend helps to ensure even more neighbors are free to participate as opposed to weekends when house chores or weekend hours at work might infringe.
Is 4 hours on a couple of Sunday mornings redirecting motor vehicle traffic up 3rd Street to detour around the ‘Sunday Streets’ event worth helping to facilitate community building and physical activity in Rincon Hill and the other neighborhoods along the route? Is it worth providing an opportunity for San Franciscans typically separated by socioeconomic status to engage in activities together that do not depend on personal financial resources in order to participate? The Board of Supervisors will let us know soon where each of them stand on these questions.
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