Mayor Newsom Announces More Sunday Streets
San Francisco—Days before the final 2009 Sunday Streets event on September 6, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the continuation of this popular event as a permanent program in San Francisco.
“Sunday Streets will be back in 2010 with more routes, longer hours, more San Francisco neighborhoods and more programs at each event,” said Mayor Newsom. “We have created a new tradition in San Francisco that will improve our quality of life for years to come.”
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), co-sponsor of Sunday Streets 2009, will be the lead agency for the Sunday Streets program starting in 2010. The San Francisco Mayor’s Office will continue to provide leadership support for the program, and Livable City, a sustainable transportation advocacy non-profit, will continue as the fiscal sponsor.
“The SFMTA has been proud to join with our City partners and Livable City to promote healthy family outdoor activities this summer. Working together on programs like Sunday Streets, we can increase the use of sustainable transportation to protect the environment and to ensure the City’s sustainability for future generations,” said Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., SFMTA Executive Director/CEO.
Sunday Streets creates safe, fun car-free space on City streets that give San Francisco residents and visitors an opportunity to get out and get active. Temporarily closing some streets to automobile traffic opens them to people for walking, cycling, skating and playing. Sunday Streets events create a stronger sense of community in every neighborhood they touch and throughout the City.
San Francisco’s program began in 2008 with two inaugural events on August 31 (Labor Day weekend) and September 14. A 4.5-mile route connected Chinatown to the Bayview neighborhood along San Francisco’s picturesque waterfront.
This year Sunday Streets featured six events along four different routes throughout the City: April 26 from Fisherman’s Wharf to AT&T Park along The Embarcadero; May 10 from AT&T Park to the Bayview neighborhood along the Bay Trail; two events in the heart of the Mission District on June 7 and July 19 (the latter coincided with the SF Symphony’s free concert in Dolores Park); and the last two near the ocean, with a route through Golden Gate Park and along the Upper Great Highway on August 9 and September 6, 2009.).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, April 24, 2009
Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications,
415-554-6131
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MAYOR NEWSOM ANNOUNCES ROUTE FOR MISSION DISTRICT
SUNDAY STREETS
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – On the eve of kicking off Sunday Streets 2009, Mayor Newsom announced the
planned route for the Mission District Sunday Streets event later this summer.
“Expanding Sunday Streets to the Mission District by connecting two neighborhood parks through major
merchant corridors is exciting,” said Mayor Newsom. “We’re working to ensure these events are something fun and new for residents and also help local merchants during these tough economic times.”
The planned route for the Mission District events on June 7 and July 19 will travel from Garfield Park to
Dolores Park via Harrison, 24th Street, Valencia Street and 19th Street. This route received City approval this week from departments overseeing street closures. The Mayor’s Office and community organizers are working with neighborhood groups and Mission district merchants to plan special Mission-district only events for this installment of Sunday Streets.
Sunday Streets 2009 kicks off along the Embarcadero this Sunday, April 26 between 9AM-1PM. The Bayside portion of the Embarcadero will be closed to auto traffic from AT&T Park to Aquatic Park, providing 3.4 miles of open space to enjoy.
“This Sunday’s event is the biggest and best Sunday Streets yet,” explained Leah Shahum, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “Bay Area residents and families can run the bases at AT&T Park, bike almost four miles along the route, and try new activities like dance classes, yoga sessions, and even a roller-skating rink.” Additionally, Fisherman’s Wharf will be full of new activities, including live bands and street performers at Pier 39 and a family fair at Aquatic Park with a climbing wall, slides and kids games.
Sunday Streets 2009 is presented by the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) and Livable City, a local
transportation-oriented non-profit group. It also involves participation of over 50 community based groups. The first two Sunday Streets of 2009 are made possible by the generous financial sponsorship of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Kaiser Permanente, Shape Up SF, Webcor Builders, Blue Shield, PG&E, Lennar and other local sponsors. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will be managing the Volunteer component of Sunday Streets (to volunteer, please go to sundaystreetssf.com/volunteer.html).
Residents can find out more about Sunday Streets online at www.sundaystreetsSF.com. Information about auto detours can be accessed by calling 311 or visiting online at www.sfgov.org/311. The event can also be accessed easily by taking BART or Muni to the Embarcadero station – both the T and F lines are running all day Sunday.
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*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***
Mayor’s Office, Board President David Chiu, and SFMTA Executive
Director Nat Ford to Announce Sunday Streets Kick Off event
Speakers
Wade Crowfoot, Mayor’s Office
David Chiu, President, Board of Supervisors, District 3
Nat Ford, Executive Director of SF Municipal Transportation Agency
Lisa Fasano, Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Rodney Fong, Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District
Leah Shahum, San Francisco Bike Coalition
Ben Caldwell, YMCA of San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Sunday Streets organizers and community groups will gather at the corner of Jefferson and Hyde Streets on Thursday to announce the locations of the activities and events being offered at the kickoff of Sunday Streets on April 26, when a
stretch of San Francisco roadway from AT&T Park to Aquatic Park will be open for free recreational activities.
Sunday Streets 2009 kicks off along the Embarcadero on Sunday, April 26 between 9AM-1PM. The Bayside portion of the Embarcadero will be closed to auto traffic from AT&T Park to Aquatic Park, providing 3.4 miles of open space to enjoy.
Tens of thousands of Bay Area residents took part in Sunday Streets last summer, which opened local roads on Sunday mornings for physical activity. Modeled on a 30-year old program started in South America, Sunday Streets creates routes for local families, kids, and
adults to walk, jog, and bike, and participate in group exercise. Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the two inaugural Sunday Street events in 2008, Sunday Streets will expand to six Sundays this year.
For more information, visit www.SundayStreetsSF.com
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