Mayoral candidate and delicious vegan cookie maker, David Zokaites spoke at public input this past Tuesday, and he asked an interesting question, that I have often pondered myself, “Why don’t we fix the roads in SF at night during the summer.â€
Other major cities do this with some success, but the cons seem to outweigh the pros;
Safer for workers (and commuters) some argue that it isn’t due to impaired drivers on the road at night.
Less delays for commuters during day
Less hassle for businesses on route
Cooler to work (avoid UV rays, skin cancer)
Less time for partying (not sure if there is any research on this, but I do know road construction people like beer)
Instead of paying out bonuses, use extra money to pay differential and setup flood light systems.
During David’s testimony, the Mayor’s mic was hot, and you could over hear him mocking David’s proposal. This of course would probably require an ordinance change, which is kind of like pulling teeth. As councilor Stehly recently said, it seems our ordinances (and charter) are setup to protect the city from citizens instead of protecting citizens from the city(s abuse).
I think this is worth the city experimenting with.
Nights makes sense for busy daytime streets (i.e. Louise) but street repairs are best daytime for residential.
Stehly is right. The business of the city has become protecting itself from justifiable citizen complaints. It’s obvious from the fact the city attorney office has grown from 3 to 30 staff. Huether’s reign has left us with half a billion in debt for overpriced recreational projects we don’t use. There’s more damage than equity. We’d be better off unincorporated with county services.
Yes
Even along the busy streets you have pockets of residential – look at the apartments at 49th & Louise. I know I wouldn’t want to listen to construction noise at night.
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Many cities do it well. Non residential during night, mixed with daytime in residential areas. Suspending work during rush hours. It worth considering.
Working on road repair projects at night would mess up the mayor’s personal agenda of supporting street racing. The vibrant nightly street-racing scene the administration has fostered here is just one of the many lifestyle amenities that rich mediocre doctors and highly educated research scientists consider when they choose to relocate to Sioux Falls to raise their families and avoid paying state income taxes. Zokaites should take the bus back to Minnesota.