Streetscape Kudos

Coming back to town at one commenter's request, here is a very complete review of our soon-to-be-completed Avenew streetscape project.  I don't know Planner Dan and never heard of him before, but from some of his technical terminology and analysis it is apparent that he is in the urban planning business.  And overall, he is impressed with what is happening on B'game Ave.  You should read through the whole blog entry.  My favorite bit is

At about 10 feet, the walkway is wide enough to accommodate leisurely strolling and more purposeful pedestrians. Conversations among pairs or groups can be had while allowing plenty of room for others to pass. The walkway hugs the buildings, as it should. While a few narrow tables with chairs occasionally sit against the buildings, the main furniture zone is out toward the curb where it belongs. 

That also means there is plenty of room for the newly-legal canine dinner companions which have been common on the Ave for a long time.  His commentary on the crosswalks is also insightful

The crosswalks use the same pavers as the sidewalks. It looks good, but I prefer to keep crosswalks simple. Continental striping on asphalt, made famous on the cover of the album Abbey Road by the Beatles, is very easy for motorists to see and is universally understood to denote pedestrian crossings. They are also inexpensive to build and easy to maintain. And, what could be cooler than looking like a Beatles album?

It also gives me a chance to post a picture of myself and two friends in that famous crosswalk on Abbey Road!  Just another day in the life.

 

 

Comments

[Peter Garrison]

Is the photographer barefoot?

[hillsider]

Not everybody agrees that the new sidewalks are wide enough!

Editor,

Caution: diners, bag ladies from Hillsborough, huge umbrellas, baby buggies, dogs, bikers, skateboarders, meter cops, construction laborers and out of towners are cramming (whenever it’s gonna be done already) Burlingame Avenue to the point of no return. Is this scene a bad thing? Consider the taxes that the stores can pay to the street repair fund. Yes, for many of the day-to-day activities around here, this massive growing roadblock is a bad thing. Consider the travel jams on the sidewalks now. Where to walk? In the streets? On the right side? Easier shouted than done on Burlingame Avenue.

An article on gothamist.com references a user on Reddit who said, “there will be 2-3 people walking side by side, taking up the entire width of the sidewalk. We’ll be walking towards each other and, without fail, they won’t shrink to make room for anyone to pass. Is this a chicken kind of thing? First person to move loses?”

We are playing chicken out there. It’s bump or be bumped, Burlingame.

Willi Paul

Burlingame

[Peter Garrison]

Walking on The Ave has its own timing and pace. It's slower than Chicago, but faster than San Mateo. You can tell off-islanders by their speed, weaving or sudden stops; like a DUI applicant or a distracted driver on the road. I just cut to the inside as I dodge the newstands, parking meters (and the hanging flower baskets that drip water from being watered mid-day?!) then I snap back into the main flow of locals.

[Bruce Dickinson]

Before we trip over ourselves in self-felicitations, Bruce Dickinson suspects that Planner Dan may be friends, yes really good friends with someone in the City of Burlingame planning department.

I would be remiss if I didn't say that I have been asked more than one time, where I get my knowledge and ability to speak intelligently on many subjects, a veritable Renaissance Man, if you will? Well folks, like most creative geniuses, I read a lot, yes, tons of material covering all subject matter of sorts. I have read a few books on urban development, particularly as it relates to urban sprawl. Let me say that Planner Dan sounds like Textbook Tim, to wit, what Dan is saying is boiler plate stuff taught in urban planning departments nationwide, there is nothing earth shattering in his observations nor in the new "streetscape". While I think the new streets look nice, don't forget the flaws of that crazy paver material that looks more soiled than my granddaughter's diapers, and the T intersection at Burlingame and Park Road that has rounded brick and so much room, that is an open invitation for drivers to conduct a "U turn" or "roundabout" spot to execute maneuvers that even my Ferrari can barely do. The black streetlight and flower poles look a little contrived and maybe some of the trees and flowers need to grow more, as it does look like the streets cape designers tried a little too hard. Time will tell on this one, folks.

Also, I had a chance to look at Planner Dan's website, and thought to myself he should be more aptly named Density Dan, with all his talks about the grand boulevard and discussing projects up and down the peninsula. Well, Density Dan, take some nice pictures of Developers Density Dreamworld in Millbrae or San Mateo with those God-awful condos or apartments what have you, the ones that make poop look like art in comparison. You can ace the urban planning exams at USC, but once you get a job and earn some scratch, you soon realize that your job and pension is made more and more secure the more and bigger you build. Not to mention, once developers, architects, and builders infiltrate the city government, you get this symbiotic relationship that can never be broken, and voila you have the Grand Boulevard Initiative with city planners and developers ramming it down everyone's throat.

Show me a powerpoint presentation, textbook, or depiction of a Grand Boulevard lined with 120 foot tall Eucalyptus trees lining a four lane road surrounded by multi and single family housing. My friends, this concept does not exist anywhere in the world, except in Burlingame. We didn't need a textbook or powerpoint presentation to guide us. It just happened, and the rest as they say, is legend. So Burlingame residents should never sell themselves short nor look to boiler-plate validations of what what so-and-so thinks about our city. Burlingame has created history, so in more ways than one, WE should be the authors of our own book and teach Millbrae, San Mateo, Redwood City, San Bruno, Fremont, etc, how it's really supposed to be done.

[Joe]

BD, I'm a little disappointed. Not in your comment which I basically agree with, but by you ignoring the lovely photo of me and my buds in the Abbey Rd. crosswalk!!!

I sort of expected some bon mots about having recorded Robert Plant pre-Zep there or maybe some Bono in the '90s. I only got into the lobby of the studio for a quick peek, so I am hoping you can expand my horizon!

[Douglas Radtke]

Well said Bruce. Cities and residents should see that a "one-sized" fits all plan like the Grand Boulevard Initiative and the One Bay Area Plan that don't take into consideration the unique needs and ideas of locals can be destructive.

Burlingame wrote their own destiny and did a fantastic job.

[Douglas Radtke]

Whoops sorry about the typos, had some guests over yesterday at home!

[Bruce Dickinson]

Joe, Joe, Joe, the one time I don't bite the bait, you throw away the fishing pole and try to cast the net instead! I kid I kid, was getting tired that night, so didn't want to recount some of the stories, because as you know, I have a lot of them.

I like the dames in the photo, however, I would be remiss if I didn't say you look like you were a bit smitten by the whole experience, but I understand, as you were under the spell of greatness, and Abbey Road is steeped in it, as it were.

George Martin was the producer of producers and was a staff producer for EMI Records, who owned/operated the Abbey Road Studios, where nearly all Beatles albums were recorded. He was classically trained as a composer and had talent in adding tons of complexity and groundbreaking recording techniques. When yours truly first heart Sgt. Pepper, I could not believe my ears.

That album served as the inspiration for prog rock (which I admittedly wasn't a huge fan of in the 70s), as I preferred simple, R&B roots aspects of Rock & Roll and with most bands I recorded I usually emphasized the percussion as the driver of the sound (Ringo, while a solid drummer really played second fiddle to Lennon and McCartney who drove the melodies, while Martin provided ambient texture. The album Abbey Road also got some heat for extensive use of the Moog-Organ, but I think the criticism was too harsh and this paved the way for its liberal use in the 1970s, and even Bruce Dickinson thought it added substantial depth and texture to a lot of bands, with a little psychedelic vibe and I used it on a few tracks to enhance, but never drive the sound.

George Martin blew a lot of producers out of the water, and personally served as a great inspiration to the great Bruce Dickinson inasmuch as he did this for nearly 6 decades and reinvented rock/pop. "A Day in the Life" and "Eleanor Rigby" are two of the most chilling songs ever conceived and were driven by his work. Absolute pure genius, as it were.

[Engage - Learn - Get Active]

Bruce,

A large portion of City Council decisions are related to urban planning / real estate.

Having real estate experts on the city council (like Ricardo or Jerry) isn't the problem, the potential problem is whether any elected official can handle the role as a fiduciary to the residents.

Unfortunately, some elected officials throughout The Bay Area have proven that they can't handle the temptation of power with no pay, so they pay themselves and their buddies via conflict of interest decisions and indirect equity in deals that we never know about (see Sunnyvale city council's well known indirect pay offs to city council members).

No doubt, I was speaking out against the GBI last year. GBI is not pushed by developers as much as it is pushed by Dem Wits who think its greener than sprawl, want to follow in the Socialistic footsteps of The U.N.'s Agenda 21 which includes wealth redistribution, and the Dem Wits don't mind ignoring individual and local decision making authority over their Animal Farm dream.

TOD can make sense, but it should still be up to the local decision making process via planning hearings and likely city council hearings as well.

The GBI board does have Burlingame city council members on it (like Michael Brownrigg previously).

The Bay Area's tough, because our Group Think with the Dem Super Majority has caused us to never question the Dems, or else you'll be slandered as a union buster or whatever else they make up (break the law) on you.

Rather than all of this masquerading, it would be powerful to have a more regular [Burlingame Voice - Live] session, finally meet Bruce The Great in person, and actually work together to achieve what the community wants vs. leaving it up to The Labor Union / Dem Wit paid-for city council.

[mike]

"At about 10 feet, the walkway is wide enough to accommodate leisurely strolling and more purposeful pedestrians"

um, not true. the sidewalks are no wider today (for purposeful pedestrians), since any width increase was quickly taken over by table from all the restaurants. i find myself having to weave my way through it all, just like before...but now i can go home and enjoy higher fees that paid for this "extra table space for the restaurants"...some even invested in brand new tables and chairs. how nice.

[Peter Garrison]

Love the motorcycle parking; safe, convenient and green.

[[email protected]]

Broadway was just "Re-Done" @ 10 years ago.
If the City of Burlingame has so much money, the Elders should find a way to pay down the debt that is already past due.
I do know that due to certain laws regarding Public Funds, and how/where they are spent may be the reason we do not see Elders being Proactive in spreading the money to other public work project.
If that is the case I would appreciate our City Elders to explain that to us.

[Peter Garrison]

Sidewalks washed this morning. So nice and inviting.

[fred]

Anybody else notice all the pavers breaking at the intersection of Lorton and Burlingame Ave?

[Joe]

I did, but I didn't have a camera/phone with me. I will swing by again fully equipped.

[Bruce Dickinson]

Fellas, I gotta tell ya, those pavers have been a problem since day one. And it looks like we know the reason why. Bruce Dickinson thinks it was cheap materials as the culprit, as I just realized I had presciently mentioned in one of my posts above from almost 2 years ago. Just that weird sheen is something I haven't really seen before, at least in the US. One would think that sheen should help protect from spills, dirt, gum, etc, but for some unbeknownst reason, it instead acts like flypaper for debris. Who knew that "eggshell finish" actually referred to the brittleness of the pavers!

And today, we are contemplating Rec Center and City Hall buildings costing in the dozens of millions of dollars. So within a span of a few years, we go from let's cut every corner possible for the most important thing on the streetscape, to let's drink some egg-nogg now to celebrate for Christmas, if ya know what I mean? Makes no sense.

[fred]

The pavers are starting to break at Primrose and Burlingame Ave now, as well. Some of the streetscape had concrete laid underneath it and other parts it's just dirt. I think that has something to do with this.