2016 District 11 Candidate Francisco Herrera

Candidate Facts

11FH 1024x1024    Name: Francisco Herrera
   Campaign Website: francisco4supe.org

Candidate Questionnaire

All official candidates were contacted and given the opportunity to answer our Candidate Questionnaire. Any candidate responses edited for length and clarity have been marked as such.

1. Do you ride a bicycle in the city?

Yes

If “Yes,” how often do you ride and for what purpose(s)?

I love riding bicycle for recreational and health purpose, but it is now very limited amount of bike riding.           

2. The City has established a goal to at least double the number of bike trips in the next 3 years. Do you support this goal?

Yes 

If yes, what would you do as Supervisor to help the city realize it?

I will work to expedite implementation of the city’s bicycle plan by funding planning and development to expand city streets and promote the use of bicycle and public transportation. In particular I would promote making downtown and key neighborhood thoroughfares bicycle and pedestrian friendly. Establishing traffic circles and strictly enforce low motor vehicle speed, creating safe routes to school and work.

3. Our City has embraced and adopted Vision Zero, the goal to eliminate all fatalities and serious injuries on our streets by 2024. Do you support Vision Zero?

Yes 

If “Yes,” the city has yet to make significant progress since the introduction of Vision Zero in 2014. In fact, fatalities are on the rise. What would you do as Supervisor to help the city achieve Vision Zero?

I will prioritize funding and policy decisions based on the goals of Vision Zero. I will work to a lot monies from that funding for a strong media informational campaign to raise general consciousness on the purpose of Vision Zero

4. Research and data has shown that building high-quality protected bike infrastructure is the most effective way to increase the number of people who bike. Despite this, there remain very few streets and corridors in San Francisco with protected bike lanes. Do you support the significant expansion of protected bike infrastructure, recognizing that this is often achieved by reallocating space on our streets that may decrease on-street car parking or vehicle travel lanes?

Yes

If “Yes,” what is at least one street or corridor in your District that you think would most benefit from a protected bike facility and why?

I believe ocean from Mission to City College could be developed with this purpose. That benefits many people going to Balboa Bart and CCSF. The public is not conscious how many people particularly working class folk need their bikes for work. It is one way we reduce our expenses in the city.

5. The SF Bicycle Coalition participated in the Mayor’s Transportation 2030 Task Force, which identified significant funding gaps for a safe, reliable transportation system. To continue building out the bike network, the original need until 2030 was $360 million, which has now increased to $660 million, by City estimates. Do you support increased allocation and funding for bike projects to at least match the percentage of San Franciscans who bike?

Yes

6. The Department of Public Health has used data to develop the “high-injury network” to show the 12% of city streets where over 70% of the collisions occur. This map has also shown that low-income communities are disproportionately affected by traffic collisions. If Supervisor, what would you do to prevent collisions in your District at these known locations?

Allocate funds to construct continuous, protected bike lanes on the High-Injury Corridor segments, as well as a well financed community education campaign, that have proven to be very effective. People collaborate when given the correct information. I will also move to have funds allocated to women’s projects and population older than 45 yrs. old, the 2 constituencies suffering increase in injuries. As cost of living rises people are moving to bicycling to economize.

7. Market Street is San Francisco’s most-biked street, with nearly 7,000 trips by bike counted here every day. The City is working on the Better Market Street project, which calls for limiting private automobiles, creating a continuous, protected bike lane for the full length of the project from the Embarcadero to Octavia Boulevard and significantly advancing transit and pedestrian-friendly street design. Do you support this plan?

Yes 

8. Data has shown that the five most dangerous behaviors are all driver-related offenses: speeding, failure to yield to pedestrians, improper right-hand turns, running red lights and failure to stop at stop signs. The San Francisco Police Department has committed to maintaining 50% of their traffic citations to “Focus on the Five,” a goal they have yet to meet citywide. Do you support Focus on the Five and smart, data-driven enforcement?

 Yes 

9. As Supervisor, what will you do to ensure SFPD focuses enforcement on Focus on the Five or other known issues that make our streets unwelcome to bike on, such as double-parking in bike lanes, rather than ad hoc, complaint-driven enforcement?

I will move to convince colleagues to have more officers on bikes, as well as walking the beat, giving them a better perspective on the issue and more ability to stop infringing car drivers. I will prioritize funds to create a very visible public media campaign educating the public on bike/driver safety as more of our population moves to biking and accidents have increased not decreased. I will continue to support the efforts of “bicis in the hood” and the B-coalition in your campaigns to promote rider/driver safety.

10. Bay Area Bike Share is in the middle of a game-changing, tenfold expansion of its system to become one of the densest bike share networks in the United States. Do you support the expansion and placement of bike share stations in your District, even if this may mean repurposing of on-street vehicle parking?

Yes 

 

District-Specific Questions

1. The Planning Department led the Ocean Avenue Corridor Design Study, which was completed in 2015 after extensive public outreach. Recommendations in the study included a redesign and plaza treatment for the intersection of Ocean, Phelan and Geneva Avenues as well as the inclusion of a westbound bike lane between I-280 and Phelan Avenue. Do you support the study’s findings?

Yes

If “Yes,” what would you do as Supervisor to advance the design and implementation of the Ocean Avenue Corridor Design Study?

I support the findings relevant to District 11, like the redesign and plaza treatment for the intersection of Ocean, Phelan and Geneva Avenues. I support safety and comfort improvements throughout the city, but I defer to the District 7 Supervisor for improvements located fully in District 7, like a westbound bike lane between I-280 and Phelan Avenue. Street safety is a priority for me, particularly on streets like Geneva Avenue. I would work with my District 7 colleague to identify funding through the SFCTA and work with the relevant implementing agencies like CCSF and the SFMTA. [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

2. As San Francisco becomes a more expensive city to live in, we know that biking provides an affordable and sustainable way to get around. To increase access to bikes, the SF Bicycle Coalition organizes and leads the Bike It Forward program. We reclaim unclaimed and abandoned bikes from the SFMTA, BART, the SFPD and other agencies, which are then repaired with the help of our volunteers. Neighborhood residents sign up with our partner organizations in advance to participate and receive a bike. As Supervisor, do you support this program and its expansion?

Yes

3. Do you agree that biking is an affordable mode of transportation?

Yes 

If “Yes,” what would you do as Supervisor to increase biking in your District?

Increase funding and institutional support for community-led bicycle projects like PODER’s “Bicis del Pueblo” and the SF Bicycle Coalition’s Community “Bike Build” to create more bicycle-oriented activity, community cooperatives and transportation support (i.e. more buses supporting more bikes). I would also support projects like the Geneva Ave & Visitacion Valley Multimodal Improvement Project that bring safer and more comfortable access to green open spaces, (i.e. McLaren Park) from working-class neighborhoods like the Excelsior and Crocker-Amazon.

Return to November 2016 Candidate Summaries
 

 

Become a member and you'll improve your commute and get discounts at shops across the city.