Lee Heidhues 2.10.2022
The absurd and vitriolic din that spoiled and entitled motorists have dumped on and polluted Social Media with for the past year has received a big Time Out from the San Francisco Superior Court.
The past year I, personally, have been attacked, vilified and pilloried on various social media platforms for my advocacy for a car free Great Walkway at the Pacific Ocean and JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park.
Along with thousands of other environmentally conscious citizens of all ages, genders, and physical abilities we have continued to stand and fight for our beliefs that cars are not first and foremost.
One Court victory is nice and the entitled motorists may be smarting tonight. But they are relentless in their goal to maintain their hegemony over the roadways.
Make no mistake we will continue to wage this fight until the goal is attained.
People and the environment come first.
Those spoiled petulant motorists I labeled The Entitled, dissatisfied with the government effort to find an equitable solution, have been jumping up and down, screaming, yelling threatening like spoiled children.
The Entitled have besieged bureaucrats, elected officials and NGOs. When surveys are conducted and The Entitled don’t like the results The Entitled claim the methodology is unfair and undemocratic.
So. What did The Entitled do? The All American thing. The Entitled hired a Redwood City attorney and sued The City and County of San Francisco. Next, not wanting to go through the entire litigation process, The Entitled rolled the legal dice and sought an injunction to order cars back onto car free areas while the litigation proceeds.
Judge Richard Ulmer ruled against The Entitled.
The Entitled lost. Now The Entitled can DEAL WITH IT!!!!
Excerpted from The San Francisco Chronicle 2.10.2022
A San Francisco Superior Court judge has ruled that the city is within its authority to have closed west side roadways, including the Great Highway, during the pandemic — quashing an effort by a group of residents to immediately reopen the highway to car traffic seven days a week.
In his ruling, Judge Richard B. Ulmer expressed doubt that the plaintiffs who filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to reopen the roadway to cars presented a convincing case capable of winning a trial.
He also said the courts should not be the ones to settle one of the city’s most caustic debates, if city leaders are already planning to make a decision on the matter.
City officials responded to Ulmer’s ruling ecstatically.
“One of the pandemic’s few bright spots was our city’s willingness to try out bold new ideas, such as allowing safe, healthy recreation on streets previously open to vehicles,” Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the Recreation and Park Department, said in a statement.
“JFK Drive and the Great Highway became respites from isolation, places to connect with each other and improve our mental and physical health,” Ginsburg said. “I’m pleased these streets will continue to be a source of joy while the City continues to engage with the public on their long-term future.”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/S-F-judge-quashes-effort-to-reopen-Great-Highway-16848990.php
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