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BIKEWAY PROJECT

SFMTA Not Swayed by City College Strong Objections; Controversial Plan Along Frida Kahlo Way Gets Greenlight By Jacob Silverman jacob@telltaleservices.com

espite strong objections from City College students, faculty and trustees, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTSA) is moving forward with the controversial bikeway project along Frida Kahlo Way. The SFMTA Board of Directors approved the Frida Kahlo Way Quick Build Project on May 7 following months of opposition from the City College community. The approval comes after numerous revisions to the plan following meetings with the City College Board of Trustees and feedback from the wider City College community. City College’s Board of Trustees unanimously passed a motion on Feb. 23 opposing the San SFMTA’s plan for a Quick Build Project on Frida Kahlo Way. In a media alert released on Feb. 27, the Board of Trustees announced their opposition to the plan, “unless and until there are amendments to the plan that resolve the concerns raised by members of the CCSF community.” Trustees cited community concern over “the safety of proposed protected bicycle lanes, blue zones, loading zones, drop-off zones, the revised bus stop, and loss of parking spaces” in their motion. The initial plan would remove 33 parking spaces that are primarily used by students at City College. “The loss of parking will reduce educational opportunity for hundreds of CCSF students,” the City College Higher Education Action Team said. “Many need their cars to get to class and other destinations on time.” “It was very strange to us that the Board of Trustees took action on this without having us there in the room to talk about their concerns,” SFMTA Director Jeffery Tumlin said. The approved proposal is based on nearly a year of public outreach and with input from City College organizations and community members. “We know that most City College students have complex lives and for many of them that means the only reasonable way to get to City

St. Francis of the Guns overlooks Frida Kahlo Way and the Upper Reservoir parking lot on May 16, 2024. Photo by Seamus Geoghegan/ The Guardsman.

College is to drive,” Tumlin said. Simultaneously, Tumlin cited City College’s recent adoption of a Green New Deal Plan as reason to decarbonize transportation, with a particular focus on walking, biking, and MUNI. “We have been able, I think, to address every single one of the concerns that we’ve heard from the community,” Tumlin said. “I think with one exception, and that is the project does remove 33 unregulated parking spaces,” he added. “We were able to reduce the number of parking spaces removed by 15.” The Board of Trustees was at least the seventh group to publicly oppose the Quick Build plan, in addition to a petition opposing the project that had almost 150 signatures as

of Feb. 27. SFMTA presented to the City College Board of Trustees on Mar. 28 to outline the current plan for the Quick Build Project as well as the project’s future. “Our board does not just overstep staff recommendations,” Tumlin said. SFMTA responded to student backlash in an Op-Ed written by Director Tumlin, reiterating SFMTA’s commitment to safety and accommodating all parties impacted by the changes. Construction began the week of May 20 with plans to complete the majority of the project during the City College summer recess according to SFMTA on their website. The project, according to the SFMTA, will

include a new two-way protected bike lane on the east side of Frida Kahlo Way that will extend to the south side of Judson Avenue for two blocks to Forester Street. Two new transit boarding islands that will serve passengers on the 43 Masonic is also planned. The project also calls for removing the mid-block 43 Masonic transit stops at the bottom of the staircase of City College due to low ridership. Temporary construction parking restrictions were implemented alongside the temporary relocation of affected bus stops during the week of May 27. SFMTA’s project timeline expects implementation to occur throughout the summer with evaluations and adjustments set to take place during late 2024 and into mid 2025.

City College Makes Good on Its Promise to Create a Long Needed Native American Studies Program By Gabrielle Chagniot gchagniot@theguardsman.com

ity College is finally making some headway in serving the educational needs of Native American students. The recent approval of a Native American studies course titled NAIS 38 “Introduction to Native American Studies” is scheduled to be taught during the Spring semester in 2025. Future plans also include the creation of other courses to be taught by Native American professors, as well as a certificate and a transfer degree in Native American Studies by the 20252026 semester.

Presently, the college curriculum harbors three courses, including Anthropology 12 “Indigenous People of North America,” History 15A “History of the American Indian: Eastern Tribes,” and History 15B “History of the American Indian: Western Tribes,” but the latter two are inactive. The college begins every public meeting with a land acknowledgment recognizing the Ramaytush Ohlone people as the proprietors of the land the college currently occupies, making this development especially fitting. According to the college’s 2022 fact sheet on student demographics, Native American students comprise 1% of the 25,349 campus population. As far as direct services to Native American

students, none currently exist. Nationally, only 24% of Native Americans ages 18-24 are enrolled in college, compared to 41% percent of the overall U.S. population, according to a 2021 Postsecondary National Policy Institute. Additionally, undergrad enrollment among Native Americans in that same age group decreased from 128,600 in 2016-17 to 13,400 in 2019-20. There are many obstacles that stand in the way of Native Americans who are seeking higher education. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, poverty is one of the biggest impediments for Native Americans earning a college degree. More than 27% of Native American Studies continued on page 2

Native American Studies Program

CCSF Connect 2024

CCSF Star Tennis Player

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