Note: GJEL Accident Attorneys regularly sponsors coverage on Streetsblog San Francisco and Streetsblog California. Unless noted in the story, GJEL Accident Attorneys is not consulted for the content or editorial direction of the sponsored content.

Kyle Grochmal, advocate and Streetsblog contributor, lives in the Mission and travels regularly to Alameda by bike and AC Transit bus, which he catches from the Salesforce Transit Center. His late evening bike rides home from the Center should be relatively stress-free, thanks to the protected bike lane on Howard. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, at least on the 500 block of Howard, as he explained on Twitter:

.@templenightclub opened a parklet then turned a protected lane into priority parking for a nightclub. This is insanity. It endangers our vulnerable street users – such a service worker in front of me – and encourages drunk driving. Fix this @sfmta_muni @SF311. cc @MattHaneySF pic.twitter.com/zNaIMNthZg

— Kyle Grochmal (@KCGrock) April 2, 2022

The bike lane has to wrap around the parklet and is unprotected on this block, except for some plastic safe-hit posts. However, as noted in the tweet, it’s often blocked by scofflaw parkers. The worst problems are “Friday and Saturday, biking back on Howard,” he told Streetsblog. “A number of times there are cars in the bike lane. It happens regularly.”

“The safe-hit posts are spaced so far apart that it’s quite easy to pull cars into it,” he said.

“Thanks for bringing this to our attention,” wrote Pearce Cleaveland, marketing director for Temple, in an email to Streetsblog. He stressed that he agrees it’s not safe for people to park there. “We’ve immediately addressed this with all of our employees, both daytime and nighttime (who are expressly told not to park there), as well as any vendors visiting our building regularly.”

Irene Hernandez, who was working at the Mirus Gallery in the same building as the Temple on Tuesday afternoon, said “no employee parks here. We all take BART or pay for parking.” That conforms to Grochmal’s observations. And the lane was empty when Streetsblog observed it in the afternoon, when only employees are present at the venues.

The lane on Tuesday afternoon. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

Meanwhile, on the Temple Night Club web site there are no instructions from the club and bar about how to take transit to the Salesforce Transit Center-adjacent venue.

A shot of alcoholic beverages from the club’s website.

However, the website does encourage people to park on Howard.

Streetsblog reached out to Supervisor Matt Haney’s office. An official with his office said the Supervisor is aware of the issue and is consulting with SFMTA. Streetsblog also contacted SFMTA by email for more information and will update this post.

“We will also be reaching out to SFMTA and our local law enforcement reps, who we work closely with, to ask for some additional enforcement,” wrote Cleaveland. “Additionally, we are having some notices printed for our security to place on any vehicles who we DO discover might be blocking these lanes.”

In Streetsblog’s view, this is yet again a testament to the failure of SFMTA’s default quick-treatment demarcation of bike lanes, the plastic safe-hit post. The whole point of parking-protected bike lanes is the row of parked cars is supposed to keep cyclists physically safe from collision with moving automobiles. But if a parklet or anything else forces the bike lane to be right next to moving traffic, then there needs to be something that can actually stop a scofflaw motorist from parking on it. It also should be robust enough to directly and physically stop an errant motorist from running down a cyclist–that means SFMTA needs to install a Jersey Barrier or a similar barrier.

Grochmal was also frustrated by the lack of parking enforcement by SFMTA and the police. “It’s ridiculous that we don’t get enforcement at night,” he said. The Twitter thread is also pretty damning of SF 311, which had this to say:

So Grochmal tags 311 with photos of the violations and all the necessary details they need to tow the cars, but they tell him to call?

Meanwhile, Grochmal is especially concerned about essential workers who are forced to bike and scoot way out into traffic thanks to the combination of the parklet and the cars blocking a truly sub-par section of bike lane. “It’s these late-night service workers who have to scoot or bike and don’t have other options. Transit is reduced at night. And it’s during a time when they are most likely to encounter drunk drivers,” he said.

“Trust that we find this very concerning as well, and will continue to address with vendors, guests (where applicable) and employees,” wrote Cleaveland. “Safety of our employees, guests and whole community is of the utmost importance to Temple.”

The post Temple Night time Membership Parklet Endangers Howard Avenue Cyclists – Streetsblog San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

By Johnny Funcheap

Special to The Examiner

Mardi Gras Parklet Crawl

San Francisco’s Carnaval festival and grand parade doesn’t happen for another few months (May 28-29), but that doesn’t stop the organizers from celebrating early and bringing a bit of Carnaval to Fat. Samba your way through the Mission to the beat of Brazilian drummers, Aztec dance troupes and bands playing lively soca, cubmia and rumba during the free Mardi Gras Parklet Crawl. Performances take place throughout the historic “Calle 24” Latino Cultural District at 10 parklets clustered around 24th Street, BART and along Valencia and Mission streets (map). Tuesday, 5-9pm, SF Free. carnavalsanfrancisco.org

(Courtesy The Village Project)

Mardi Gras SF style

If you see a bunch of people wearing beads and colorful costumes following a brass band pumping out New Orleans style jams through the streets of the Fillmore, then you’ve just found Mardi Gras San Francisco Style. The 16th annual festival kicks off with a free outdoor community concert performed by Grammy-nominated Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic and blues diva Tia Carroll. Sandwiched between the concerts the Gumbo Band gets things moving, brassing out blues, jazz and dixieland to kick off the traditional second line processional starting at Golden Gate Avenue., letting their good times roll all over Fillmore Street. Tuesday, 5-10 pm, Fillmore Center Plaza, 1475 Fillmore at O’Farrell, SF Free but RSVP required. funcheap.com

(Courtesy Great Star Theater)

‘Rocky Horror Circus Show’

This definitely isn’t your parents’ “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Normally when you see this cult classic film you get a “shadow cast” of performers acting out scenes in front of the movie screen and prompting the crowd to join in. But “The Rocky Horror Circus Show” doesn’t just settle for traditional group singalongs and rice throwing. Instead, you’ll be treated to a full-on naughty circus show with a tight-wire Time Warp, contortionists, pole dancing and aerial acrobatics at an historic 1925 Chinatown theater. Come ready for a wild high-flying night filled with sweet transvestites and virgins being sacrificed. Note, masks are required, but pants may not be. Thursday to Saturday, Through March 19, 9 pm, Great Star Theater, 636 Jackson St., SF $25. greatstartheater.org

(Courtesy Garden Media)

100,000 pick-your-own tulips

Saturday is National Sock Monkey Day, along with Absinthe Day and Cheese Doodle Day. But thankfully it’s also Flower Bulb Day, so San Francisco’s Union Square is getting covered with a massive colorful garden of about 100,000 tulips that are yours for the picking. As part of a promotion to celebrate International Women’s Day — and to advertise flower bulbs from the European Union that are grown in the United States — you’re invited to pick a free bouquet as a gift to a woman who has inspired you. Why can’t there be 100,000 free sock monkeys, too? Saturday, 1-4:30pm, Union Square, SF Free. funcheap.com

(Courtesy de Young Museum)

Free Saturdays: de Youngsters day out

If your kid thinks museums that feature 17th-century paintings are basic, this might change their mind. This week the de Young is adding in tons of family-friendly and hands-on activities so kids will have to try extra hard to seem bored. Play an “I Spy” game of historical hints, learn how to create hip-hop beats and write your own rap song, or make art you can eat with “The Great Tortilla Conspiracy.” Yup, here’s a chance to put art directly on tortillas! Plus, the inspirational ’80s fashion design exhibition “Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love” will be free with tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. Saturday, 9:30 am – 5:15 pm, de Young Museum: Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, SF Free for Bay Area residents, but tickets required, deyoung.famsf.org

Visit Funcheap.com for a hand-picked list of more fun, free and cheap things to do in San Francisco.

The post Parklet crawl and Rocky Horror circus: What to do in San Francisco this week appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

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