Making San Francisco a Livable City

By Robert Haaland

Solar Energy, Public Power, Shut Down Polluting Power Plants, Traffic Calming

Maximize the use of renewable and/or non-polluting energy sources, including solar power; Expand electrification of Muni wherever possible Increase the use of various low emissions technologies for City-owned vehicles Phase out MUNI's current diesel fleet

I am a strong supporter of Public Power. I worked closely with the League of Conservation and the Sierra Club in 2001 to pass public power and the solar power initiatives. These issues will continue to be at the forefront of my agenda.

I will work to shut down polluting power plants. I understand that, among others, our challenge is to design community aggregation so as to yield peak shaving benefits. Not only will this allow us to move closer towards our goal of closing the Hunters Point and Potrero power plants, but it will allow San Francisco to save money while conserving energy.

I will make every effort to make our City more livable. I will reverse the cutbacks in street tree planting programs, since street trees reduce noise, provide shelter for songbirds, and, to a certain extent, absorb pollutants. I will put pressure on all parties involved to make San Francisco residents less dependant on private autos and to make bicycling and walking safe, viable, and preferred means of getting around the City. I believe in exploring a wide variety of traffic calming roadway infrastructure revisions: sidewalk bulbs at major intersections and at busy Muni stops; more countdown walk/don't walk lights on busy streets; more safety islands for pedestrians on wider streets; more clearly-designated bicycle lanes. I applaud creative experiments like the traffic circles installed on Waller and Page Streets. Although the first trial implementation proved to be unpopular and they were removed, the innovative intent should be encouraged