F-line Defenders Say "Leave Our Streetcars on Market Street"
October 28, 2009
Streetsblog reckoned that Newsom is probably not serious, and then tried to nudge him away from the thought by quoting a variety of transportation “hitters” as saying 1) it won’t work and 2) he doesn’t really mean it.
Curbed SF covered it too, in generally the same way, even using one of Todd Lappin’s great photos (which is featured in our 2010 calendar) to illustrate the piece.
But what we like the best is the comments on these and other blogs, including our own. Not much love given to Muni’s bus lines, but some fierce defense of the F-line streetcars.
- “How tone
deaf to the aesthetics of cities can people be? The street car line is
the only good thing to happen to Market street in the many decades of
taking millions upon millions of Federal highway funds…”
- “Banning the historical streetcars on Market would be a political nonstarter. If it does go through, I want to take a match to Gavin’s flammable hair.”
- “Enough already, Gavin! This is just ridiculous — the F Line is about the only thing left that still gives Market some cosmopolitan character, and the city spent tons of money to put it in. And it stops for red lights, unlike most bicyclists.”
- “I can understand the removal of cars and diverting some of MUNI’s bus service, but the removal of the “F” line is idiotic. I’ve seen streetcars in major arteries (without cars) work very successfully.”
- “I don’t understand how people like me (too old with ancient knee injury) are supposed to get downtown to support local merchants if you take away the streetcars.”
- “Bad idea. Maybe ban buses on Market, but definitely not the street cars. Instead, can we ban half-naked bums who poop on the sidewalk? Now that would be progress for Market Street!”
- “I”d love to get buses off of Market Street. let’s build a few more streetcar lines..”
- “IMHO, the historic streetcars are one of the best thing to have happened to Market Street in years.”
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“This is the first time that I have seen near consensus in a comments field on this blog! If that’s not an indictment of this idea I don’t know what one is!”
This idea of removing the F from Market Street really stinks out loud; I wonder why Gavin came up with such a thing. Add my name to the growing list of individuals who despise the idea.
Too bad about the lack of props for buses. While I'd love for more of them to become streetcars, the truth us we need those buses, and we need them to collect on Market Street in order to have a functioning transit system. Nobody is going to walk a block to Mission to see if the 71 might be coming faster than the F.
I'm from a small east coast city with smelly buses (only). Visited SF last month. LONG LIVE THE F LINE! Great transportation in a great city.
The Mayor of San Francisco is having dreams of grandeur. I was a rail enthusiast who grew up with streetcars in San Francisco and I supported the move to keep streetcars active and on Market St. If streetcars were to disappear, then it would be a major loss for the City as it was when the cable cars were shut down from 1982-1984.