San Francisco's Storm Water System Hides Sustainable Secret

  Mayor Ed Lee's proposed transfer of tens of thousands of city-maintained trees over to homeowners, reminded me of something I learned in a Geology class at City College about San Francisco's original water supply, and how long ago a secret was buried.

The residents of San Francisco have always taken the lead in the 'greening' of The City, But what if we could help restore our urban watershed, and provide for our water needs at the same time?

Therein lies the secret...


  We pay a large amount of money to pump water out of Powell Station every year. This is because of the natural spring (formerly known as Hayes Creek) that begins under NOPA that still gushes water under San Francisco, flooding Powell Station with thousands of gallons of water monthly.  This source of water once provided much of the water to San Francisco's urban

The Case for High Speed Rail in California

graphic: Sacramento Bee

There was an excellent article in the Sacramento Bee showing an example of how California's population centers make it ripe for investment in regional rapid transit.

Share-gating 101, Bring Your Own Hot Dogs

Share-gating.  The new way to get around the MUNI bike ban. (via WigglyGiggle)

Bike Share Flashmob Spin Class

A London spin class seized the opportunity for an outdoor, early morning workout; courtesy of London's bike-share program.

Bicyclists Included in New Cell Phone Ban Bill

State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) courtesy LA Times

Bicyclists across California may soon find themselves $20-$50 poorer if cited for using a cell phone while operating a bicycle under proposed legislation that increases the fines associated with driving while using a cell phone. The portion of the bills language that includes bicycles has been left out until now.  Sponsored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), the bill also stiffens fines for automobile drivers from $309 for a first offense, to $509 and an added point on the drivers' record.
The bill was successfully passed on a 24-12 vote and will be sent to the Assembly for further deliberation.
This author would next like to see bicycles included on the list of vehicles subject to red-light camera enforcement.  Drivers can injure bicyclists and pedestrians while distracted, and bicycles not following the rules of the road pose a threat to pedestrians, whether they like to believe it or not.  A 40lb bicycle with a 150lb operator traveling at 15 MPH can do significant harm to a pedestrian crossing its' path traveling at 2 MPH.  The numbers don't lie.  Let's all do our part to ensure safety for all on our streets.