Neighbor Tom captured a video of an asshat plant vigilante stomping on the plantings on the traffic island at Precita and Alabama, right outside the Precita Park Cafe.
This is sad, because those plantings were installed by the excellent volunteers from the Precita Valley Neighbors. Why, oh why??
Bernalwood 
Maybe those are not indigenous plant life and she is doing Bernal a favor…or she is mental.
There is no such thing as “indigenous plant life” and destroying plants and trees for that reason is not doing anyone a favor.
and why doesn’t neighbor tom put the phone down and stop said asshat? get out from behind the screen. internet outrage doesn’t help the situation.
My guess is that the cyclist had a close call with a vehicle because the vehicle couldn’t see her. When turning left from westbound Precita onto southbound Alabama, those plants had become so tall as to obstruct the view of traffic, making safe turns difficult. Of course, the cyclist should have called 311 so that DPW could safely trim the plants rather than destroying them like a jerk.
I would agree with that analysis. The same type of plants block the view downhill at the Esmeralda and Bradford intersection. Cars come up Esmeralda and shoot across Bradford onto Peralta without seeing who is coming down.
If it’s about blocking a view, a lot more oversized SUV’s would be stomped on because they are the ultimate view blockers!
How could anyone miss that cyclist? She is the very personification of safety orange & yellow. 😉
Your guess? If the person wants to really help then join the volunteer group that manages that triangle. http://www.precitavalleysf.org
Not sure of the cyclist’s motivation, but every night when I come home I think that I or someone needs to trim those plants (honestly, I thought they were weeds, no offense, maybe the cyclist did as well). I drive a small car and if you’re taking a left onto Alabama from Precita you can’t see kids or strollers in the crosswalk or oncoming traffic on Alabama. And people frequently jaywalk there as well. No one wants an accident. Today I could actually see when I came home.
I noticed that those taller plants created a dangerous and frustrating blind spot when trying to cross alabama after the stop sign heading west on precita. Maybe the bike messenger was almost hit because of it and they are doing other bikers/drivers a favor? Albeit in a messy and destructive looking way… I imagine thats about the best you could do without proper tools.
That’s why I thought too! See my comment below.
“Maybe” or Maybe not. That person should be joining http://www.precitavalleysf.org to handle the weeks instead of being destructive and messy. Cyclists think they can do whatever they want and I hope the cops ticket her.
I don’t like the anti-cyclist sentiment (“cyclists think they can do whatever they want”) you expressed.
Cyclists are net beneficial — they save lives. In recent years the number of cyclists in SF has greatly increased, while the number of traffic fatalities has sharply decreased. I don’t think that’s coincidence.
Unfortunately the great increase in the number of cyclists has also provoked an anti-cyclist backlash from people who reason that cyclists annoy them therefore are bad. The fact is, if you can see annoying cyclists you’re safer than if there were no cyclists in your vicinity.
People who resent cyclists need to put more effort into thinking their view through.
This particular cyclist’s actions are this particular cyclist’s actions and should not be attributed to all cyclists. Besides, this cyclist may have had good intentions. If I see this cyclist I will ask him or her to consult city officials and people in the neighborhood before stomping plants.
That intersection is dangerous. It’s three intersections in one. It’s complicated, with many hazards.
HAHAHA! I am laughing because I think I see both perspectives. Note: I said I think, because I can only make an assumption here. It really does look like this person is destroying the plants, but I drive and also bike ride this corner every day and due to this every-day experience, I know those tall plants obstruct the view for drivers at the stop sign going West on Precita (basically going toward the park). So I assume the bike rider is probably fed up with almost being hit and not being seen at this intersection. And if that’s the reason for the destruction, I can understand it. At that intersection, bikes that are coming down the hill on Alabama street are not easily seen by drivers going West on Precita due to the tall plants. That’s my theory.
In fact, I often thought “someone should cut those down before there’s a bad accident here”
+1
Those tall yellow flowers are fennel – they are weeds here. Are there some deliberate plantings there because it all looks like weeds from the video.
My thought, too. Was there really an intentional planting of fennel?
All shrubs, flowers, ornamental plants originate from weeds. That’s not the reason to destroy them.
THAT the fuck, Todd. Sometimes an asshat is not an asshat at all but a neighbor taking care of business.
Yeah, I’m inclined to agree with the theory that this is a safety issue. The cyclist has a helmet and reflective gear on which indicates that she cares about safety. She is only clearing tall weeds that are along the perimeter and probably either blocked her view or the cars OR blocked the cars view of her.
oops, I need to proofread, should say “blocked her view OF the cars”, not “or” and the “cars view of her” needs an apostrophe, cars’
Neighbors,
We maintain the Precita Alabama Triangle. If you want to help us, please volunteer at http://www.precitavalleysf.org. Please do not harm our shared habitat.
Ooh, so can you confirm or refute the claims – above – that those plants in particular are weeds, rather than intentional plantings?
Shared habitat? That corner is a poop and weed (or I guess fennel) filled disaster. Are any of the plants (beyond the palms) intentional?
Thus proving true the adage “No good deed goes un-bitched about.”
PVN, just a heads up…the fennel is overgrown again. I’m guessing it will get stomped or chopped down again very soon since it’s a danger to bicyclists and drivers. Before someone takes action themselves, you may want to look into some more intentional pruning.
From a distance it kind of does look like wild fennel. Also, the SF Park and Rec gardener truck passing at 0:44 didn’t seem to bat an eye.
Ok so I am sure it’s to get better visibility. But no one mentioned two problems I see with the picture.
A. She is on her bike on the sidewalk, which last time I checked is illegal.
B. Similar to A. why is she not walking her bike as the law dictates? I don’t see pedestrians stomping down plants as they cross.
I am sick and tired of seeing cyclists break the laws that are there for the safety of cyclists and pedestrians alike. She’s in the wrong either way IMHO.
Is there a longer version of the video where the person rides the bike? All I see is her walking her bike.
I am sick and tired of anti-cyclist sentiment.
Cyclists are not the problem. Cyclists are in fact helping solve some of the many problems motor vehicles cause. Cyclist benefit motorists and pedestrians. So for the love of reason please stop complaining about cyclists.
I’m sorry if i offended you and made it seem that I’m just brashing cyclists, it looks that way for sure. As a ped and a motorist I’ve had many more close calls with drivers. I bash anyone that does not follow the law period
I bash any human that thinks they are above the law. I don’t care if they’re walking, scooting, skateboarding, driving or biking. If a person is gonna act like an idiot and put their lives and others in danger that pisses me off.
The bushes, weeds whatever you want to call them ARE a visual hazard. But that intersection is poorly laid out and there should be a 4 way stop.
Thank you, Barry!
I ride my bike and walk past this intersection all the time. The fennel grows rampant this time of year and is a bit of a safety hazard because it does block the view of the intersection. All she’s doing is knocking down the fennel. Usually someone around this time of year will go round and actually mow it all down. Honestly, Bernalwood and the Neighbor are asshats for posting a shaming article online without any research and background. Take a walk down to that intersection yourself and do a bit of investigating before going on a holier than thou internet shaming binge.
I, for one, am happy that BernalWood showed this because it just show the illegal and bad behavior of cyclists.
It’s hundreds of times more likely you’ll be killed by a motorist than by a scofflaw cyclist. For your safety, I recommend you direct your attention towards the real threat to your health, which is motorists, not cyclists.
The more cyclists, scofflaw or not, in your vicinity, the safer you are.
First of all those are fennel growing wild I assume. Secondly I am fine with that because those plants are way too tall for cars or bikes traveling through that intersection to see each other. The vehicles driving towards Chavez have a full had of steam as their stop sign was way back before PPC. I’ve seen many near accidents there and this person was probably almost hit on their bike and took action into their own hands. I’d like it if the city planted short vegetation there. It’s dangerous.
That triangle needs help, it’s mostly populated with weeds– a rather beautiful non intentional garden of fennel weed.
And dog poop…and garbage. I’ve never seen anyone out there, volunteer or otherwise, actually trying to clean that corner up. If no one is going to bother cleaning that poop box, then what difference does it make if the cyclist tramps the fennel down for safety. No one cared before…why care now?
And because you’ve never seen it, it doesn’t exist. A very common cognitive fallacy.
I’m not seeing much to fuss over. Those are weeds, no? Weeds that haven’t been maintained by the folks in charge of that space? And we don’t have any info from the person who recorded the video that suggests this person was doing anything intentionally clandestine. The broad daylight, high viz, slow actions of the cyclist make me think there’s no concern on the cyclist’s behalf of being caught or interrupted in the process.
I think the sadness/wretchedness of this situation might not be pointing in the direction the post is aiming it.
Can we see the actual video?
I don’t see any obstruction issues here. There are large sections in that patch which are not obstructing any views at all.
It’s there to click on, Gina. Second image down.
Wow, we are a passionate bunch! Keep on keepin’ on, everyone.
For those who bike that intersection, is it unsafe traveling west on precita due to the plants? If one came to a complete stop at the stop sign at precita and Alabama traveling west on precita, would that remove the danger posed by the plants?
These are fennel weeds, NOT indigenous, and NOT planted there by SF Recs and Park. They were probably also a visual impairment.
Mental bicyclist damaging city property? Or bicyclist doing us all a favor an improving visibility in a poorly maintained public space? Hmm…
Anise swallowtail butterflies, a native species, lay eggs on fennel, and the caterpillars munch fennel leaves then pupate (transform into a chrysalis) and eventually emerge as butterflies. So if the cyclist had stomped the fennel earlier in the year I would have been more upset.
I just walked over there and checked out the situation.
I wouldn’t characterize it as a poorly-maintained space. It’s been planted, and some people pick up litter there. While there I picked up some litter. Please, everyone, if you happen to be in the area, and you are so inclined and have a minute or two or 10 or 20, pick up some litter.
Seems to me likely, as others have theorized, that the cyclist had been headed north on Alabama and had a near-miss at Precita, then stomped the fennel. The cyclist appears to be short, so may not have been visible above the fennel.
But, you know, what if there was a building obstructing the view on that corner? That’s the case with most corners in SF.
If I was cycling north on Alabama and could not clearly see traffic heading west on Precita, I would slow to ten MPH or slower and proceed with caution.
power to the cyclist for taking carer of herself. there are times i have problems with cyclist who don’t ride the streets with an eye to those around themselves but this time i respect her actions
Hi Neighbors,
Precita Valley Neighbors is organizing a clean up of Precita Park and the Alabama/Precita Triangke for October. To sign up, please go to our website at http://www.precitavalleysf.org. The Precita/Alabama Triangle is a DPW property which we volunteer maintain. We’d love your help and support!
And it is a butterfly habitat. So thanks to all for taking note!
Can Bernalwood please change the judgey title of this post? A wretched human helping out her neighborhood? More like a wretched human filming their neighbors and not talking to them about what they’re doing. It’s not landscaping, it’s weeds, and it’s a safety hazard. Admit you were wrong and stop contributing to the neighbor surveilance state- Bernalwood killed Alex Nieto.
I contacted SFMTA about having additional stop signs or crosswalks (or maybe even just speed bumps) installed at that intersection last year and they determined it was unnecessary. I couldn’t disagree more. One day soon somebody’s going to get hit by a car there and they’ll be forced to do it. Ever since the cafe and Harvest Hills opened and, along with recent demographic changes in the neighborhood (whether you like them or not), that intersection has become incredibly busy with a huge amount of foot traffic, much of it little feet traffic.
If anyone’s interested, here’s the response I got from SFMTA:
—–
Dear Mr. O’Connor,
Thank you for your request to install additional STOP signs at the intersection of Alabama Street and Precita Avenue. Upon receiving a request to evaluate an intersection for additional STOP signs, we complete a study of intersection conditions such as vehicle volumes, sight lines, and reported collisions. The results of this study are measured against standards developed from state and federal guidelines, and if additional traffic controls are not justified, we do not recommend them. Installation of STOP signs where they are not warranted can result in poor compliance and weakens the authority of traffic control devices.
Based on our investigation, we do not recommend installing additional STOP signs to stop Alabama Street at Precita Avenue or painting additional crosswalks across Alabama Street at this time. We are cautious about marking additional crosswalks in this case due to the presence of six crosswalks already installed at this intersection. These six crosswalks provide pedestrians multiple options to safely cross Alabama Street or Precita Avenue. This recommendation is based on national safety studies regarding the efficacy of marked crosswalks. STOP signs are primarily used to designate the right-of-way at intersections where right-of-way may be unclear. The right-of-way at this intersection is clearly defined, as vehicles on Precita Avenue must STOP and yield the right-of-way to vehicles on Alabama Street. Our observations indicate that the vast majority of drivers comply with these right-of-way rules. These observations are further substantiated by the excellent safety record of this intersection, based on San Francisco Police Department reports from the past five years.
Despite the presence of vehicles parked on Alabama Street, there exist adequate sight distances, as well as sufficient gaps in traffic, for motorists on Precita Avenue to safely enter the intersection. Drivers can gain adequate sight distances by edging forward moderately after coming to a full stop. Drivers and pedestrians can then safely enter or cross Alabama Street by exercising a prudent degree of caution.
However, because the intersection geometry is unique for westbound Precita Avenue east of Alabama Street, we will install a STOP AHEAD sign. A work order will be sent to our Sign shop to install the STOP AHEAD sign and will be completed as soon as scheduling permits.
Although we cannot comply with your request at this time, we appreciate your concern and interest in traffic safety. If you have any other questions about this request, please contact Charmine Solla of my staff at (415) 701-4579.
Sincerely,
Thomas P. Folks
Senior Engineer
—–
So, the City has officially determined the current alignment of the intersection to be safe. Huh. Go figure.
It might help to consider that your opinion of what is right for this intersection is based on incomplete information, and give Mr. Folks’ letter some thought. It is a refreshingly well-considered, clear and thorough assessment of your request. He cites actual research into the underlying issues and concisely explains the expected behavior of all kinds of travelers.
SF seems to have no problem spreading crosswalks of every type. Stop signs are everywhere. There must be a good reason if they decide NOT to install more elaborate traffic control here.
In fact, there are several, as Mr. Folks’ letter explains. He then further acknowledges your concern by informing you that he is adding a cautionary sign that won’t produce any of the negative effects discussed earlier in his letter.
His reply exemplifies thoughtful and responsive government.
Pingback: Today’s Headlines | Streetsblog San Francisco
Hello fabulous Bernalwood community. I was out of town since Friday morning, with very limited online access. Back now, and I wanted to respond.
I agree with those who said my characterization of the incident was less than ideal. I can understand how the plantings at the site may have looked feral, rather than intentional. I can also appreciate how the plantings might create visibility issues for some cyclists.
That said, my reaction was grounded in my knowledge of the substantial amount of time neighborhood volunteers had invested in making the site more attractive. I still think the biker should not have gone rogue with the landscaping, but in hindsight I should have been more neutral in my initial assessment. Thanks to all for your thoughtful comments on both sides of the issue.
Can we change the title and stop calling this poor cyclist a wretched human? It makes my skin crawl and is really turning me off this blog. There are wretched humans in this world, such as the people who shot up the cafe this morning, this cyclist is not one of them.
Is it too much for someone to have walked over to the person to ask them to stop stomping on the plants? It seems obvious to me that the cyclist was taking care of business and likely having a moment over what they thought to be city negligence but without person to person words, who knows. Perhaps there could have been a discussion between two city-loving adults about how frustrating and dangerous that corner is when plants obstruct the view vs how it might suck to have someone stomp on plants that are loved by some. It’s a great thing to have an active community and volunteer network of people taking care of tpp easily neglected corners but there is so much thin-skinned judgement in this thread it’s nauseating. Hope someone tickets the cyclist based on the video? Look for further evidence of cycling on sidewalks to ramp up the charges on the raging (hardly) vandal? I am pretty sure the sum of this person’s actions has left their karma in tact but more importantly, I fear for people using their best judgement in our neighborhood. The law does not always align perfectly with our chosen actions and looking to leverage police in place of common sense, conversation or reasonable deference is a slippery slope. I have not volunteered for precitavalleysf before but am aware of what they do and appreciate it. I hope they don’t fret too much about the form of the feedback from this person and help us all move on to considering plant height on the island to improve safety in our neighborhood.
This is great. I watch the video and am convinced that the cyclist acted callously and terribly and must be wretched, or close to it. Her extreme level of safety clothing and bike markings contributed to that perspective, for whatever reason.
Then I read the comments and I start to think that maybe the cyclist knew something I didn’t — maybe those tall plants were weeds and needed to be knocked down or pulled up, and she thought she was doing everybody a favor. Maybe they were really impeding sightlines for anybody using that sidewalk. But still, I remember what I saw in the video and she was stomping all over the place, ripping the median up with her bike, no less! She must be nuts, or at least somewhat wretched. I know what I saw!
Then I watched it again, and I can’t believe my own eyes: she’s actually pretty intentional about what plants she went after, and it doesn’t look like her bike is really affecting anything (is there room in there for it, of all things?). She attacks two batches of tall plants and that’s it. She even lifts her front tire over one plant, and then comes around the backside of the median, away from the plants in between her two targets. Maybe there really is a method to her madness!
And now I’m forced to think: Who am I to judge? To judge why she went nuts on those plants, yes, and also to judge why she feels that she needs to be so safe on her bike? Maybe she really needs to be that safe! Maybe I should be that safe, too, and I’m the idiot for not being so! Maybe I should learn the difference between wild fennel and intentional median plantings, too! Not only would I be less likely to get by a car (and get my kids hit, who ride on my bike), but I could also help control weeds in our shared environment and not leave that burden to my generous neighbors who volunteer for these neighborhood clean-ups and median planting parties.
That said, what I’m really convinced of is that I don’t know the whole story and probably will never know the whole story here. I would love to hear from somebody who’s been by that spot and taken a look at what the tall plants are (were): are they indeed weeds? Does the place look trashed? But even this will probably not reveal what was going on in this objectively-safe cyclist’s mind when she went nuts on those plants. I hope her intentions were good, and I hope that the effect of her actions was positive for the median and the intentionally planted plants there.
It’s fennel – Foeniculum vulgare – an aggressive, fast-growing weed, unwanted as part of a landscape design, unwanted in native habitats, unwelcome as a sight obstacle, welcome only in vegetable and herb gardens. The person’s doing a favor to the landscape there.
Unwanted–by you. Unwelcome–by you.
And there are NO native habitats in San Francisco. In fact, the very idea of native vs. invasive plant biology is flawed. Everything was non-native at some point. Arbitrarily setting dates is scientifically meaningless.
Native plant ideology is a gardening preference, nothing more.
Dude, cool it on the anti-eco tirade. The whole native / non-native thing here is just an attempt to discern if there was any intent in planting it on the median strip. If it was native then there’s a chance that somebody planted it; if non-native, less so (because some folks apparently prefer native plantings over non-native ones).
Unless I’m misinterpreting you. Are you a fennel defender? Do you advocate for the planting of fennel in median strips or elsewhere?
Definitely misinterpreting.
In what way am I anti-eco? Because I tried to underscore the fact that plant choices are just that: choices?
I don’t care about fennel either way, except as an occasional spice. I just think it helps the discussion to remember that 1) opinions are like elbows, 2) every city is full of obstacles, 3)everyone should locomote responsibly, and 4) hedge trimmers (for non-fatal height reduction of roadside landscaping you happen to have an issue with) are fairly cheap.
I can’t imagine stomping on any landscaping anywhere. I rarely feel like my opinion is so important that I have carte blanche to remodel the world to my liking…
It’s unwanted by anyone who has tried to do any gardening in Bernal Heights. That plant is incredibly aggressive and extremely hard to dig out of the ground. It’s also not hard to find so if you take offense to it’s removal, you can go enjoy it elsewhere. lol
Again, I pointed out that those declarative statements are just opinions others may not share. How does that lead you to believe I take offense on behalf of fennel?
It’s fennel, right? Doubt Precita Valley neighbors planted that. It grows wild all over the place.
Precita Valley Neighbors planted everything in the Precita/Alabama Triangle. We were lucky to work with DPW to originally plan the triangle, and have fantastic volunteers who love to take out the trash and maintain it with assistance of DPW.
@PVN, thank you for your hard work in trying to keep that triangle pretty. Your efforts are very appreciated, as are any efforts to keep our beautiful Precitaville looking lovely!
Purely from a logistical standpoint, fennel is a bad plant to intentionally place in that spot. It takes over a space and strangles other plants that are near it. There are a number of butterfly habitat plants that are less invasive and easier to control. Not to mention more aesthetically pleasing. I know the staff at DPW are very knowledgeable in what plants are appropriate for those types of spaces as I had a great conversation with the woman who designed the planting for the Cesar Chavez medium. Since it sounds like you already have a working relationship with DPW, I suggest consulting them on what plants would be best for that space.
From looking at the Google street view history of this triangle from 2011, 2013, and 2014, the main triangle looks to be purposefully landscaped while the “strip” (where the fennel stomping occurred) appears to have been intentionally left bare (perhaps for safety). See this shot from 2011:
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7474868,-122.4104838,3a,75y,152.57h,93.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sRaGJng7IC4Jvke-4uPqqbQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!5m1!1e1
And this shot from 2013:
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7474856,-122.4104837,3a,75y,151.01h,87.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNTBCh9uGvb-L5QscYrAEZA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!5m1!1e1
It’s hard to believe that anyone would intentionally plant fennel.
I would say the current title is neutral enough. Noone really knows the real intentions/reasons for the cyclist who was video-taped destroying the fennel plants. She may have done what she did for other reasons besides being “safety conscious”. For all we know, she may just hate fennel. In any case, fennel is a very invasive weed so I’d be very surprised if any horticulturist who has full knowledge of the nature of invasive species would have suggested fennel to be planted in that spot. I studied horticulture in my younger life at a community college. I remember some time ago (could have been 15 -20 years ago) when fennel was taking over Bernal Hill, there was a call tor volunteers to help on weekends to remove fennel plants on the hill. In any case, I hope something else gets planted in that spot. Maybe a nice rock garden with succulents that don’t need much water?
@Cortlander, Yeah, interesting. I never though that strip was landscaped until PVN said they intentionally planted there. I completely agree that this is the first time I’ve ever heard of someone intentionally planting fennel. Even SF Gate wrote an article talking about the cons of planting fennel…
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cons-growing-florence-fennel-80500.html
I swear I’m not a fennel fetishist. But in the interest of accuracy: the link you provided discusses the cons of fennel as a GARDEN plant. This plot isn’t a garden.
There isn’t a single quality listed that makes it a SCARY WEED. Butterflies like it. It isn’t ugly. It smells like licorice. It’s hardy and better than bare dirt. There are SO MANY more horrible plants (like Jerusalem asthma weed, P. judaica aka Pillitory–UGGGHH) lurking all over Bernal… (Also, after the Zombie apocalypse, Fennel will be important, since it is edible even when raw.)
If one doesn’t like fennel, one should team up with the caretakers and have a legitimate say in the matter.
Why do I care at all?
As a long-time community gardner-ish person who has planted lots of green stuff on my block, I’ve had several wretched attacks made on plants for unknown reasons. I have to keep the agave spines trimmed because someone or someone’s dog getting stuck inevitably leads to a frenzy of hacking. We are an interesting species…
Planting fennel would be like planting foxtail grass. You could, but why bother when they’ll show up naturally anyway?
takebackthegreen: You say that “There isn’t a single quality listed that makes it a SCARY WEED.” But what about this quality, listed on that SFGate link: “Fennel makes a poor companion plant for just about every crop, secreting a substance from its roots that inhibits the growth of its neighbors.” Ok, so maybe that’s not “scary,” but it is certainly noxious. And certainly weed-like.
It isn’t so scary when you realize just how many plants do the same thing. Walnut trees are a common example. Plants (except fragile but tasty tomatoes) develop resistance… it’s an evolutionary race. Parts of plants even secrete hormones to inhibit growth on competing branches of the same plant.
Not scary or noxious. 🙂
Forgot to repeat: the plot under discussion isn’t a garden.
Also “weed” is a subjective term. For instance, around here, Black Acacia trees are called noxious weeds and trash trees and are cut down all the time with much righteousness. Interestingly, the wood is some of the most beautiful available locally and great for woodworking. Import it from New Zealand and call it Tasmanian Blackwood or Golden Koa, charge $14/board foot, and people lap it up.
@takebackthegreen, You have inadvertently given me a great plan for my goddamn black acacia tree! That mo-fo draws in ants like water and I have never in my life dealt with a tree that made more of a mess! Seriously, it’s a constant struggle….but now…I have visions of a beautiful black acacia table. At least something good will come from that tree, and it will make room for a beautiful jacaranda tree.
Sometimes getting rid of one troublesome plant will make room for a plant or plants that are better suited to the area.
Lol. Glad to help.
You definitely hit most of the common complaints about Acacia melanoxylon. Even though I sometimes benefit from people disliking their yard trees (by harvesting them in a way that allows me or others to use the wood for fine furniture rather than firewood), I consider it only fair to point out that ALL trees drop leaves, spread stickiness, house insects, make messes. It is only a matter of degree, in a relatively narrow range. Rarely is the solution one of species vs. species. It is usually tree vs. no tree.
Also, don’t fall into the trap… If those ants don’t have the Acacia to pester, their next stop is your house. They don’t go away. They relocate. 🙂
Still, as a neighbor, if you absolutely want it gone, feel free to get in contact with me if you want an unbiased discussion of the MANY factors most tree owners haven’t considered. Not necessarily negative or positive, just complex. And–IMHO–interesting…
Either way, good luck.
i hope this person get jail time for this despicable behavior
I bike through that intersection at least twice daily. I know I have to watch out for cars driving west on Precita, so I slow down through the intersection. I’ve never had even a close call there. I have, however, seen bikes sail through without looking right, feeling entitled to ride without worrying about their personal safety. That is going to lead to someone getting killed or maimed sooner or later; that is very sad, but not related to fennel, and probably not an issue for our garden vandal, since she is clearly safety-conscious enough to dress appropriately.
In my experience the fennel is not a traffic hazard, and it’s better than the bare dirt we’ll get unless some generous and public-minded souls would care to contribute to http://www.precitavalleysf.org to buy, plant and maintain some other plants.
Thanks Shane O’Conner for asking the city to consider the spot, thanks Thomas Folks for your considered response, and especially thanks Precita Valley Neighbors for keeping our area pretty.
+10
I’m with you that the fennel does not look like a traffic hazard in that location. I think folks are reading the safety issue into this based on her super-safe outfit, nothing more. I also agree that the plantings on the median strip are a lot better than the bare dirt, but since she only targeted the fennel, I think she thought she was helping the other plantings, not promoting bare dirt.
Thanks for getting rid of the “wretched” from the title, Todd. But now I think you should consider editing the title again. How about “Video Captures Super-safe Cyclist Walking Her Bike on the Sidewalk and Fighting Back Noxious Weeds Growing on Median Strip but Partially Obstructs Sidewalk to Future Travelers” That seems to me to be the most neutral interpretation of what we’re looking at here.
Objectively I don’t think we can say that she was “destroying landscaping” — the consensus is pretty strong that the fennel was not planted (so it was not landscaping) and is a noxious weed in that location (so removing it, or killing it by breaking it down) was not “destroying” anything, it was normal and good weed-removal. The only real knock on her might be that she left the fennel on the medium strip and didn’t take it with her after she pulled it up and broke it down. That and some of it was blocking the sidewalk after she was done. Seems like she should have finished the job but I can’t knock her for starting it — it’s better than nothing considering how fast fennel can grow and how destructive to other plants it can be.
Yes. Very neutral.