That said, Dolores Park Works did not advocate for nor review these particular signs before they appeared via SF Rec and Park. As Chair of the Dolores Park Works Steering Committee, I question the sign’s efficacy as a response to the recent horrific violence that unquestionably demands an effective coordinated city gov, police and community response. Simply put, casual day-time drinking and smoking has scant correlation to violent late-night crime. Additionally, the distorted, contextless “Please help keep Dolores Park Clean” and conspicuously missing attribution and emergency contact information further discredit and undermine its marginal utility.
On the flip, the sign’s reminder that the park closes from 10pm to 6am everyday is indeed helpful with respect to stemming violent crime. Perhaps the sign’s designer should have started and ended there.
With respect to a coordinated effective response to the violence, Crystal Vann Wallstrom, Dolores Park Works Advocacy Director, is following-up with police and city government and posting factual and community-centric response editorial posts on this blog. If you haven’t, please subscribe via email (in the sidebar) or RSS and follow @dpworks on Twitter so you don’t miss an update.
What do you think of these signs? Let us know in the comments.
Dolores Park Works will be leading a clean-up tomorrow, Wednesday, 3 pm. Come join your neighbors and friends, Rebecca Prozan, candidate for district 8 supervisor and volunteers from GirlSource. We are meeting at our newly painted tool locker, behind the tennis courts (18th st. and Dolores) Stop by, say hi or pitch in for an hour or two. Please help keep our park clean.
“Since 1998, GirlSource has been providing meaningful employment and leadership opportunities for low-income, high-school-age girls in San Francisco. Our paid job program offers technology training, supplemented by individual guidance to help girls finish high school, go on to college, and launch their careers.”
So we’ve officially heard from SFMTA on traffic calming measures for 19th and Dolores. I received a letter this weekend from Thomas Folks, Senior Engineer with SFMTA. They have conducted their investigation on adding a STOP sign and a traffic signal at the dangerous 19th & Dolores. Both are out.
A STOP sign is not appropriate because:
“STOP signs are primarily used to define right-of-way where it may be unclear. This intersection is presently controlled by a STOP sign on 19th [on Cumberland], thus vehicles on this street must stop and yield…installation of an all-way STOP could also lead to incomplete stops and increase potential for rear-end and collisions.”
As for traffic signals, they are a no-go because they apparently not warranted and there is no money for it anyway:
“The evaluation is based on state and federal guidelines, and considers a multitude of factors including intersection geometry, traffic composition and volumes, pedestrian activity, and collision history. …Pedestrian and 19th Street traffic volumes are below what would typically be required to justify signalization….There are many prioritized intersections in the City currently waiting to be signalized with limited funding.”
So the solution for now is what is provided here. SFMTA is in strong support for the SF Planning Department’s Mission Streetscape Plan, mentioned here. They also suggest that speeding an noncompliance (not stopping for peds) is best controlled by rigorous police enforcement, which SFMTA is asking of the police department.
We love it when art and community come together to beautify our neighborhood and represent its culture. Huge props to the San Francisco Arts Commission, artist Francisco Aquino a.k.a. Twick and Precita Eyes.
We have packed them in for Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. This Saturday the Dolores Park John Huges tribute continues with Ferris Bueller’s Day Off . You know you need to be here.
Dolores Park Works is a nonprofit volunteer organization that celebrates our park by improving and preserving Dolores Park’s beauty on behalf of her diverse patrons.
