SAVE SAN FRANCISCO's TREES and PREVENT HEAVIER TRAFFIC and INCREASED POLLUTION

SAVE SAN FRANCISCO's TREES and PREVENT HEAVIER TRAFFIC and INCREASED POLLUTION

Started
September 16, 2015
Petition to
Petition Closed
This petition had 599 supporters

Why this petition matters

Started by Mary Anne Kayiatos

Petitioning San Francisco City Government Officials

SAVE SAN FRANCISCO's TREES and PREVENT HEAVIER TRAFFIC and INCREASED POLLUTION

San Francisco will be losing 194 mature trees by the Spring of 2016. The public only became aware when 30-day notices were posted on the trees to be cut down.

San Francisco already has an extremely low tree canopy of only 13.7% as compared to 25%, which is desirable for a Western City. In comparison, Los Angeles currently has roughly a 50% cover, Newark, NJ, has about 62% cover, Chicago nearly 62% and Boston about 68%.

All these trees are being sacrificed for the construction of a public project called the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), which will be in the middle of Van Ness. It will cost $260 Million and be under construction for approximately 3+ years. The detrimental traffic situation created will affect the entire Bay Area during construction, only to end up with two less lanes for vehicles when completed. Residents and small businesses along Van Ness will suffer tremendously. Approximately 107 parking spaces will be eliminated, and there will be only two places where left turns will be allowed. Besides the increased congestion on Van Ness, this will create more traffic problems on the already overburdened parallel streets.

The City Government claims this project will save 30% in bus commute time, however, this is only because the local buses that run along Van Ness will make 9 stops instead of 16 stops. This will be physically challenging for senior citizens and the disabled, who will have to walk several blocks and cross to the middle of an extremely busy street to board a bus.

The city says it plans to plant many more trees. However, California is in a severe drought environment, and small newly-planted trees need frequent watering to get established in our urban eco-system. Mature trees already have well developed root systems and do not need watering.

Mature trees are extremely beneficial to a healthy environment. They provide oxygen, reduce pollution and noise, sequester carbon dioxide -- thus fighting climate change and storing heat of the sun, providing cool shade. They provide a crucially stable habitat for birds, bees, and butterflies and greatly improve the quality of life for urban dwellers.

There is an Alternative Design (#2) that would build the BRT curbside. This would be a far better choice because it would save 194 mature trees, and not cause the traffic on Van Ness and parallel streets to become much worse than it already is. The curbside plan would not cost $260 Million, and San Francisco could use those funds saved for making improvements to all the roads we travel on every day that are riddled with potholes and rough patches.

Please sign this petition to tell the SF Government Officials to build the BRT at curbside, saving 194 trees, preventing heavier traffic and increased pollution. And in the future to consider the fate of mature trees when planning projects, keeping the public better informed throughout the process.

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This petition had 599 supporters

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