two-way on one side, whether having something straight down the middle, having something with parking on one side and the cycle track on the other side -- we have not engaged in those discussions. what we have engaged in in a larger sense is it to talk about the importance of dedicated bike lanes for everyone. in the city service, we asked for the first time this past year, do you bike? how often? why, why not? if there's something that would help you bike more frequently, what would it be? the most popular response was a bicycle lane that was separate from traffic. protected from the vehicular traffic. this is an issue for the disability community as well. there is often the

misperception that the disability community only six -- consist of people who use wheelchairs are used canes because they had envisioned disabilities. the disability community is a very broad. it is about 20% of our population here in san francisco. it includes people who have chronic illnesses, orthopedic problems -- of back pain, lead paint, new problems, heart disease, lung problems. the hidden disabilities, mental disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, are all included in this community. just as it is not a homogenous committee in terms of who we are, it is not a homogenous committee in terms of the perspectives on various city projects. unfortunately, not prepared to speak to this specific design. but i am prepared to say that saybike lanes are very

important for people in the disability committee who do buy, because the safety would be more likely to bring them out to practice short trips and get the benefits of the exercise from the biking. that is the portion of the disability community that is important . isbike lanes -- dedicated bike lanes are also important the people in the disability community who do not bicycle. we will get enough people biking that it will reduce the pressure on our parking spaces and our public transit. i want to be very clear that this is not a conflict between the disability community and the banking community. we have many interests that are aligned. commissioner buell: thank you very much. before we go to general public

comment, i will like to ask the mayor's office in supervisor mar's office to weigh in on this issue. can we get someone from the mayor's office? >> good morning, commissioners. my name is johanna, the environmental policy advisor for mayor lee peter i am here to speak on behalf of mayor lee in strong support of this project to the mayor feels that golden gate park is a world-class park and deserves a world-class bicycling in facilities and opportunities for people to be active, get out, and be healthy. i live about three blocks from the institutions at golden gate park. i take my two sons bicycling every sunday in the park, but i only do when the street is closed to vehicles because that is the only time i feel safe bicycling with my two children. so personally i look forward to the opportunity to take the mother days of the week when there is a bike lane.

last year when the board voted unanimously to adopt a city-wide goal of 20% of bike trips by 2020, and this is a goal that we strongly support. the mayor is a strong supporter of san francisco's bicycle transit-first policy in the city's action goals. increasing bicycling with an increase in protected bike lanes would further the city's goal of cleaner air, more people taking public transit or other alternative modes of transportation. we have seen a lot of other cities around the country that have been increasing their biking infrastructure. and we have also seen it that bicycling is not only good for the environment and for help, but is actually good for business. i believe you have seen the letter of support that the mayor submitted. he points out a couple of examples where we have seen increased activity in the areas where we have calmed traffic and

installed new bike lanes. we put in a parklet on divisadero that didn't -- that removed two parking spaces. we day and evening activity, by 37%. on in valencia street, where we have put in a number of new bike lanes, 65% of the merchants have said they had a positive impact on their business. we do expect that there will be an increase in activity in the park as a result of the bike lanes. i have been working closely with the mta, rec and park, on the plans for the jfk protected bike lane. we have looked at the concerns about parking removal. the mayor shares those concerns, so the asked the mta to do everything they could to minimize the parking losses. we feel very comfortable, though it is not desirable to lose those 55 spaces would tend near the institutions, we feel that the pros outweighed the cons on

the parking site in terms of increasing activity to the institutions and the park. the mayor shares the concerns about possible impact on pedestrians and disabled park users. the mayor's office on disability has been working with the mta on the project generally. but as susan mentioned, not this specific design. but we feel the current design minimizes in the expected negative impact. as the mta pointed out, we have seen cases in other cities around the country where they have seen a decrease in pedestrian and bicycle conflicts. i know that mta commissioner or the board member who is a wheelchair-user is also a very strong supporter of this project. we fell that jfk protected by way would be a tremendous benefit to the park and the community, and we urge your support today. thank you. commissioner buell: thank you very much.

>> good morning, commissioners. i am from the office of supervisor mar. i believe that you have already received this letter from supervisor mar. it is to reiterate his suppor he is also a regular bicycle commuter, rides jfk frequently. personally, i am also a bicycle commuter in san francisco and often ride that route. i have had the unpleasant experience of riding in the gap right now that is between the parked cars, and i have had the experience of a car driving behind me and honking at me while i was not in the roadway. we think this project would be a tremendous benefit. it would really promote cycling as a way to commute. thank you. commissioner buell: thank you. commissioner lee, did you have a question? >> yes --

commissioner lee: yes, for the mta. there was a driver accident where a pedestrian was hit. i wonder if there is some out region can be doing? i think it is really important to educate drivers and bicyclist that they have to slow down. i was wondering if you have reached out to two other surrounding areas, like our group, and there's also one in the sunset, to educate drivers? as they go through the park, as they go through north and south, to educate and to get traffic to slow down. what kind of resources are you planning to put into addressing that issue? >> i think i can speak to that. next week is a bicycle safety week, and there are a lot of

bicycle safety classes being offered around the city but in this project offers an excellent opportunity to do the kind of outreach that you're talking about, where we can really get into how to share the road and how to interact and get the message out about everybody needing to proceed slowly so that we can actually shared the space. we talked with the institutions, san francisco bike coalition, about creative ways to get information out to people. for instance, at the point of sell when they buy a ticket, for the sf bike coalition to help us with have taught to officers fm the traffic company about being there during the transition and also leveraging that as an opportunity to talk about safety for all users. we certainly love to sort of broaden our reach out to some of the neighborhood organization that you're talking about. i think this is a great opportunity to do that. commissioner lee: great, thank

you. >> public comment. i haven't zachary, a just and, of commack and -- zachary, justin, bob, and ike. you can come forward, please. two minutes. >> that is all i need. ok. my name is ed zachary. i hope it is not obvious this is my first public comment. i am days student at sfsu. i would like to say that i am not a huge bicyclist. i do enjoy it. i grew up in los angeles, know the value of a car. but a buffer zone is a wonderful idea. it would make me feel more comfortable bicycling in the city. i always they want to bicycle more, but it is difficult to

start. i also have a bike. but as an environmental fights later, it is a great idea. it will help with reducing traffic. it will increase at people going outside and enjoying the park in general. also, i feel like the parking issue is a little bit trivial. the whole point is to reduce people from using their cars in the first place. it is great to keep as many spaces as possible because everyone still drive their cars. i feel like it is not as important when the purpose is to get people on the bike, like do not worry about the spot because it will work itself out one way or another. people will not be driving as much. one more thing, i was reading about the funding, and there is

the -- [bell rings] commissioner buell: that is the 30-second warning. >> the transportation fund for clean air, i feel like that is completely within the realm to support this project. and do it. thank you. >> justin and ike. >> good morning, commissioners. my name is justin. my family and i live in the mission, and we do not own a car, and we get around by bicycle as much as possible. my wife and i take our 3-year- old daughter on bikes, and we go through golden gate park. we're members of the california academy of sciences. we go do there. we go to birthday parties. we use jfk drive to get to ocean beach for beach days. so i am is strongly in support of this project. we need to do everything we can

to make cycling safer, especially in the park. it anywhere in the city, and the park. i really think this will help encourage other families to also use their bicycles as well. so thank you for hearing this issue, and i strongly hope you supported. thank you. commissioner buell: thank you. >> bob. >> i am bob, and i oppose this design as it is now. it has not done adequate safety analysis. plus, it has not really done out reach appropriate for people with energy and functional limitations. having an evening meeting works against people who are transit- dependent. you have to walk a long distance from a bus stop to get there. so to say you had public outreach is somewhat irrelevant to some limited constituencies. i want to remind you of an early slide you showed, the one about chicago, where is working.

if you go back to that sly, you'll see that there is a bicyclist in the wide buffer zone. so right away, they're showing an example where the pedestrian safety zone is at risk. staff said it will be three to 6 feet wide. no commitment. a lift lateral deployment takes 8 feet. that is only for accessible spaces -- for van-accessible spaces. but we can part in any of these zones. it is a maximum of 6 feet, meaning somebody is two feet into the bike zone. use of a bicyclist in that same buffer zone ford pedestrians. my point is, the thought has not been there. let me make it personal but right now, there are five of you. that means four yes votes. two big you could say this needs better design. [bell rings] if any of you folks had, let's

say, a big amusement park like one in missouri and you're going to put in some bike lanes in europe told it would put seniors and people with disabilities at risk. when you risk your assets? would you put at risk if you're told there were safety problems? would you say let's build it or would you say let's redesign? you may be immune from liability, but if your money was at stake, would you do this? commissioner buell: thank you. >> ike and then tatiana, john, and leah. >> good morning. i am the director of operations for the california academy of sciences. we do support this, to clarify a few things. first, i am an avid cyclist. i am getting used to san

francisco hills. our parking garage filled up quickly on the weekends and during the holidays could usually fills up during lunchtime. i live in the neighborhood and sea traffic backing up on the streets. we try to do a good job with the public. we try to encourage the use of alternative transportation. 71% of our staff can use sustainably. almost four million a year of our tenants drive. most of those folks are from outside of san francisco county. we ask that we keep in mind that parking is at a premium bid to a degree, it does feel like we are dividing up crumbs when it comes to five spaces vs seven, but it is important. also, the average length of stay for our guests is about four and

half hours. putting parking limits on the weekends may not serve anyone's interests. we have those in our staff that do drive. oftentimes they are our front- line staff. they live in the city via the use lunch breaks to try to find another parking spot, which is counterproductive. also, we wanted to share that visitors have said parking is their biggest turn off. we want to make sure that we keep in mind the 70% of our visitors -- 70% of our operating income -- income, and the operating impact on people with jobs and parking in the neighborhoods will be felt. with that, we thank you for listening, and we support this project. thank you. >> next. >> good morning, commissioners.

thidequate width for deploying a side left door ramp. i and, as all wheelchair users will have to exit and enter the ramp from the bike lane. this plan fails to provide any tactile paths of travel information. those who are blind, low vision. members of that disabled constituency can easily walk into either the active bike lane or an active traffic lane. this is dangerous for people with disabilities, seniors, and others. thank you. >> john, daniel, leah, and then bruce. lawrence lee and daniel tomasavich.

>> good morning. john daniel. i heard comments about people that may be disabled and do not look disabled. i am in that category. i am on medicare, social security, for disability because i got aids about 20 years ago, full-blown aids. i asked my upstairs neighbor, a nurse, what i should do, and one, it was travel. i had 17 t-cells left, so it was time to go to europe were used to live as a kid. she also suggested bicycling. right now, welcome in 1999, i got hit by a car in a the bike lanes when they went in on valencia's street. they gave me the illusion of being said, but a car hit me in the bike lane at the corner of

valencia and cesar chavez. that to teach me to walk again. i have structural problems with my feet. i ended up in the hospital three months ago with a blood infection caused by an open sore on my toe because of this church or problems in my feet. i have already had won a reputation to my right foot and am looking forward to another one on the left. they're checking it every month with x-rays to see of it needs to be cut off because of the bone infection. these are important things. this has gone on since 1999, in my case. i am just say, i am tired of smelling secondhand smoke from cars. [bell rings] i have a car. i realize that we are in denial of our complicity in wars for oil, because they're no weapons of mass destruction found in iraq. and what the hell are we there for? we're here to placate people in cars, and asian of car drivers, and they are in complete denial that we have blood on our hands being in iraq. if you're talking about

compromising with people who drive cars, 50% of our balance of trade deficit is due to the import of oil. [bell rings] that is before you start to talk about the import of cars and car-related products. commissioner buell: thank you. >> next. >> good morning, commissioners. is it the executive director of the san francisco bicycle coalition. we represent 12,000 dues paying members. we work with hundreds of thousands of people across the city who are already biking or are interested. i want to share an impressive number. the mta had counted that just in the last four years, biking in the city has increased 56%. we are seeing a boom. our goals with this project and with our work with the mta and park and rec and the office of disability is to make sure that there are more safe opportunities to ride. that is what this about, safe,

welcoming, inviting biking opportunities. i want to thank the staff who has worked so hard on this. there are similar project you have heard about from portland, new york city, and chicago. they are ahead of us. they are doing and on the ground. we're seeing improving results. more people are biking. conditions are safer. that means for people biking and people walking. that is a great thing, a win- win. i have a big pack of support here, some great supporters, and a lot of people cannot make it. i have 200 e-mails of support. and a few we have with extra special stories. i want to share one of the women who cannot be here. ashley and her husband live in the presidio, both teachers. they have two small children bike a route regularly. but she says, however, the park fills dangers and unfriendly. we have been shouted at to get off the road by people in cars. families on bikes should feel

safe in the park. if not in the park, where can you feel safe? a buffer will make me and other bikers will say and make it obvious to drivers that we belong on the road. i will stop there. i want to share these with you. there are so many folks out there who are trying to make it safe and in fighting for the people who would like to ride, even if they are not riding yet in your park. thank you. commissioner buell: thank you. >> hello. i am bruce, a 30-year resident of the richmond district. i am and member of the academy of sciences, a member of the fine arts museum in san francisco. member of the san francisco bicycle coalition. it also one of the unlucky people who has to drive a car to mountain view for my employment, so i drive three days a week. it is not fun. i wish i were not dependent on the car, i am.

but i do not see any reason why we have to tolerate it in the park. sundays are great day to ride in the park. it is gloria's. my wife and i come out. i wish my kids could have done it also. they're not run. my oldest daughter lives in brooklyn, and she makes fun of me because prospect park now is a great place to ride. and golden gate park still is not. we have world-class parking. we should keep -- we have a world-class park, and we should keep it that way. that is all. thank you. commissioner buell: thank you. >> i am lawrence lee, a resident. from there, i bike downtown to go to work. i bike west through the part to enjoy some dirt under my feet,

to find peace and the sculpture garden, sometimes to go to a late-night party at the museum. i really love those museums on those institutions. their 21st century institutions. not only with the architecture but the programming at the academy of sciences, working on educating people about climate change. and the museum offers a discount if you discountmuni -- if you take muni. this is the 21st century proposal that needs to happen now. it needs to turn into a 21st century park which meets the needs of today's residents, giving a safe place for children and adults, like myself, to learn to bike safely, to practice their skills so they can get out to the streets. i actually feel safer on market street than i do going through jfk. it is because of the level of uncertainty.

i. rided -- i have rode my bike in the dark, and people honk at me. people drive at high speeds. that does not happen on market street. [bell rings] a 21st century park also integrates recreation into our daily lives. and biking is a perfect example of how something fun that one does on the weekend can also go into our daily lives. finally, a modern park will maximize its space, so i think the need is there for this bike track, the space is there, and i urge you to approve it. thank you. commissioner buell: thank you. >> good day, commissioners. my name is daniel.

i live in the sunset district. i strongly oppose this jfk drive cycle track plan, because it is a bad design. everyone enjoys going to golden gate park. bicycles use jfk drive without problems. the road is wide enough for the bicyclist to ride safely. mta has not addressed pedestrian safety. pedestrians need to walk over bicycle lane buffer zones, in front of the parked cars and moving vehicles to reach the middle of a crosswalk. bicyclist do not make a complete stop at intersections, often missing at the district by a few inches. golden gate park has not been tested in san francisco. people with disabilities, if they find parking, they will need to park 12 feet from the curb in the streets. how can they safely reach the sidewalks? the plan eliminates a vehicle curbside parking. many residents cannot ride a bicycle. they depend on cars. 100 parking spaces along to if

they drive will be removed. nt is not offering the same amount of parking elsewhere, and it will be impossible for many people to visit the park in the future. mta did a poor job on out reach. no way to perform the public. how will the police and other vehicles access jfk drive? safety is important for all users. mta has only one group in mind. pedestrian, runners, and people with disabilities were left in the dark. mta said they decided on a single sidewalk track plan. that is misleading. they created a survey for one group, showing that the survey is totally biased. the plan of $451,000 is not developed. it would be better if there was a petition to put it on hold until police, fire, emergency and the public is considered before any further improvements

are considered. [bell rings] >> thank you. next. >> good morning. i live in the area and across the panhandle four times a week, where i dodge vehicles, where i dodge bicycles every day. in four years as chair of the physical assets council, this is probably the most important issue in terms of safety for people with mobility impairments, especially since this could be replicated throughout san francisco. but it only came to us on friday. and then only because of a of te parking spaces and not the design itself. it won't come before the full council until tomorrow. it comes before the access it comes before the access committee today.