Public Works staff were at intersections from 18th to 22nd on Capp this morning, slicing into concrete and installing the 30-inch-tall yellow steel barriers.
The bollards are the latest iteration in an attempt by the city to crack down on johns who have historically sought sex on Capp Street: In February, the city installed "Road Closed" signs along the street; those were routinely pushed aside or driven over by drivers.
Just a week later, they were replaced by large "k-rail" concrete barriers, impenetrable to drivers but also to the Fire Department, which raised concerns that they would prevent emergency access. They were also deemed unsightly by neighbors and frequently covered in graffiti. [...]
Regulars on Capp Street added that the street itself was much more idyllic without car traffic, similar to Shotwell and 20th streets nearby, two of the city's so-called "Slow Streets" where through traffic is discouraged by plastic posts.
Stephen Chun, a spokesperson for the MTA, said that Capp Street should not be considered a "Slow Street," however. Though the bollards will remain up and will only be turned down for emergency use, the bollards are meant to be a crime deterrent, he said, not a traffic solution.
"It's not a permanent street closure," he said. "These bollards are not meant to in any way have the official jurisdiction that it is a street closure."
If we just renamed every Slow Street the Sex Workers Slow Street we would have K-rails on all of them within a couple of days.
Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cDjbLF1vxzeWFNPP7
"Sex work bollards" to the tune of Foreigner's Juke Box Hero.
Since you mention "slow streets", I think https://www.jwz.org/blog/2021/02/silly-straws/ is a decent add to the Previously list.
Never Mind The Bollards Here's The Sex Workers
Not a band name… yet!
Never Mind the Bollards, Here's the Sex Workers
Ooh, I'm seeing a strategy for closing a bunch more streets to cars!
Roads? Never touch the stuff. People fuck on them
Maybe a song? Sung to the tune of “Sex Farm Woman”
Maybe we should rebrand “cycling” and “walking” as sex work? Cities may actually suddenly be concerned in keeping car drivers out of those areas.
If soliciting sex workers is this effective in getting proper street closures, maybe we just need to organize an effort to move sex worker activity to the streets we’ve been trying to get the city to fix for cyclists. Seems like that may be more efficient/less expensive than trying to lobby the city to do the right thing by cyclists.
i find it super amusing (in a dark way) that a few blocks down you can pick up day labor guys on Army (yeah I know Cezar Chavez), and everyone's fine, but picking up women for off books temporary night work on Capp gets such an extreme response....
such double standards!
Chastity Bollards
I wonder, if you just plonked down a bunch of those concrete barriers one night, how long would it take before anyone realised that they weren't official?
Amusingly, in the student/ university lecturers bit of Leicester, England a lot of through streets are blocked off. This is the sort of thing that is done nowadays to reduce rat running and that arseholes get exercised about but actually it was done in the 70s to stop kerb crawling as it was the red light district