Mandela Parkway:

From 14^th we turned onto the Mandela Parkway to ride through the new Loma Prieta median park. The park , built in 2005, replaces “…the ugly scar from the now-demolished Cypress Structure (and became) a flowering ribbon of greenery, with walking paths, ornate streetlights, benches and bike lanes.” The bike lane is part of the Bay Trail “…a planned recreational corridor that, when complete, will encircle San Francisco and San Pablo Bays with a continuous 400-mile network of bicycling and hiking trails. It will connect the shoreline of all nine Bay Area counties, link 47 cities, and cross the major toll bridges in the region. To date, approximately 240 miles of the alignment—over half the Bay Trail’s ultimate length—have been completed.” The 1.3 mile park also includes site specific sculptures and memorials to the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. The park is an attempt to soften the area’s landscape; it is a hopeful remediation for a community that was demolished and divided by the Cypress Freeway.

Unfortunately, it seems like it will take years before the park can ‘grow’ into itself. Right now the area feels stark and exposed. The trees are small and more concrete than green is visible. The park, though a promising attempt at urban greening and community-building, lacks intimacy and personality. As we rode through the park towards BART and the new 7^th Street development, we saw only one or two pedestrians and no other cyclists using the park.