Skip to main content

Bob Planthold Tribute

Bob Planthold Tribute
By Stephen Chun

San Francisco lost a dedicated advocate for pedestrian safety and accessible public transportation with the recent passing of Bob Planthold. Having contracted polio at an early age, Bob used bright yellow Canadian crutches to help him move around. Firsthand experience of the obstacles people with disabilities may face in getting from place to place and accessing services made Bob a tenacious and persistent champion for pedestrian safety and accessible transit.  

Bob’s activism contributed to real change that benefited people with disabilities in San Francisco. He was a member of the steering committee for the San Francisco Accessible Parking Policy Advisory Committee, which was established by the Mayor’s Office on Disability and SFMTA in 2012 to look into ways that SFMTA blue zone policy and the State Department of Motor Vehicles’ disabled placard policies could be improved to ensure greater availability of accessible parking in the City. As a result of the Committee’s work, SFMTA enacted a policy requiring that the city actively work toward a minimum of 4% of metered parking as designated blue zones. Bob also teamed with disabled advocates in other cities to push for statewide legislation requiring statewide policies to ensure sufficient turnover in parking and increase the availability of blue zones and public parking.  

As a past member of both the Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Committee and the Paratransit Coordinating Council, Bob’s was a familiar face for Accessible Services staff. He frequently engaged with staff throughout SFMTA on projects such as the Commuter Shuttle Program and the Transit Effectiveness Project. More recently Bob was involved in the effort to make JFK Drive Car-free; advocated for the return of pre-pandemic Muni service levels; and pushed for accessibility concerns around pandemic-era Shared Space Parklets to be addressed. 

Bob’s activism extended beyond pedestrian and transit access issues. During his decades as a community activist, his service included terms on the City’s Sunshine Task Force and on the Ethics Commission. He regularly advocated before the Mayor’s Disability Council and was involved with community groups such as Senior Disability Action (SDA), formerly Senior Action Network. As a member of the SFCTA’s Vision Zero Task force since its inception in 2014, Bob was a stalwart advocate for pedestrian safety in San Francisco and was part of the broader movement for safe streets in California.  

Bob was always game for fun in his activism and was integral to some of the innovative campaigns developed by SDA to focus attention on important issues such as pedestrian safety.   He made connections with countless individuals and was uncompromising in his belief that access cannot be overlooked and should be integrated into all programs and services provided by the City and for that matter private companies as well.   He teamed up with many groups during his years of activism and his steadfast commitment to access for seniors and people with disabilities will be greatly missed. 



Published February 23, 2022 at 01:10AM
https://ift.tt/Ma75dBz
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

150 Years Ago Today – The Cable Car is Born

150 Years Ago Today – The Cable Car is Born By Kelley Trahan August 2, 2023, marks the 150th anniversary of the world’s first successful cable railway, born right here in San Francisco. To celebrate the occasion, we bring you the story of Andrew Hallidie and the very first cable car company, the Clay Street Hill Railroad.  Andrew Hallidie (1834-1900) was a pioneering inventor and entrepreneur who changed urban transportation. In 1852, at the age of 18, Hallidie emigrated with his father from the United Kingdom to San Francisco during the California Gold Rush. His father, an engineer and inventor, had a wire rope patent that played a crucial role in his son's future success.   Portrait of Andrew Smith Hallidie in 1890. Inspired by his father's wire rope business, Hallidie developed a steel cable mineral mine hauling system in 1857. About a decade later, he designed a wire rope aerial tramway for transporting materials over mountainous terrain. Then, after a stint in bridg...
Post a Comment
NEXT

Shared Spaces are Here to Stay. Permit Renewals are Due January 15, 2023.

Shared Spaces are Here to Stay. Permit Renewals are Due January 15, 2023. By Anne Yalon Shared Spaces, amongst many other benefits, allows our residents and families to enjoy safe and social outdoor dining. Seen here are the the owners of Tio Chilo’s Grill and their children in the restaurant’s parklet on 24th Street in the Mission.  San Francisco’s popular Shared Spaces program allows merchants, restaurants and arts and culture organizations to use the curbside, sidewalk and other public spaces to conduct local business activities and stay afloat. What emerged as an economic lifeline during the pandemic is making San Francisco’s streets more energized, engaged and activated. Many of the Shared Spaces parklets have become central gathering places for the local community. “ Our parklet makes me feel like when I go to Mexico, where outdoor seating is everywhere. People end up joining their friends in our parklet. It is a space for our customers and our community," said Liz V...
Post a Comment
NEXT

Virtual Parade and New Central Subway Art Ring in Lunar New Year

Virtual Parade and New Central Subway Art Ring in Lunar New Year By Sophia Scherr We are entering the year of the Ox, typically symbolizing hard work, positivity, and honesty. This year the SFMTA will continue the tradition of celebration with the virtual San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade   on February 20th at 6 pm on KTVU. Celebrating Lunar New Year and the San Francisco Chinese community has been a long-standing tradition for many of us. In 1849, San Francisco’s population swelled to 50,000 and many of the new residents were Chinese immigrants, coming to work in gold mines or on railroad lines. By the 1860’s, the Chinese were eager to share their culture with others and the annual tradition of parade and pageantry was born. A variety of other cultural groups throughout the city were invited to participate, and they marched down what today are Grant Avenue and Kearny Street with colorful flags, banners, lanterns, and drums and firecrackers to drive away evil spirits. The c...
Post a Comment
NEXT