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Showing posts from June, 2021

Transit Lanes Keep Muni Moving on Mission Street in SoMa

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Transit Lanes Keep Muni Moving on Mission Street in SoMa By Erin McMillan The full-time transit lanes on Mission Street downtown installed as a temporary emergency measure during the pandemic will be made permanent. The first of the city’s Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes to get permanent authorization, they were unanimously approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors at their June 15, 2021 meeting. This shows how a quick-build project can be installed, evaluated, and refined in a relatively short amount of time.   Thousands of daily riders have already felt the impact of the full-time transit lanes since they were first temporarily installed last summer. Now, riders of the 14 Mission, 14R Mission Rapid, and many SamTrans and Golden Gate Transit customers will continue to benefit from the transit time savings we have seen with the implementation of these lanes. Mission Street in SoMa has been a major transit corridor for years, serving regional commuters, local residents and worker
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Powered Scooters Charge City’s Transportation Recovery

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Powered Scooters Charge City’s Transportation Recovery By Jason Hyde The SFMTA is releasing its next round of Powered Scooter Share permits on July 1. Scooters remain a sustainable mode of travel and a complement to Muni and public transit service as the city recovers from the pandemic and San Franciscans begin to travel more. The SFMTA’s Powered Scooter Share Program is essential in ensuring that shared scooter operations support the city’s economic recovery in a safe, sustainable, and equitable way.  The SFMTA received four submittals for the permit program and will issue permits to two operators : Spin and Lime. Permits will be in effect for a one-year term, with the option to extend for another year at the discretion of the SFMTA based on compliance with various program metrics. While the new permit program does not set a limit on the number of scooters each operator may deploy, it does limit the overall citywide fleet size at 10,000. Starting at a base of 2,000 scooters per
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New Transbay Rail Crossing Virtual Workshop

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New Transbay Rail Crossing Virtual Workshop By Stephen Chun SFMTA and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) will be co-hosting a virtual public workshop recognizing the need for a new transbay rail crossing between San Francisco and Oakland on Monday, June 28th at 6:30 pm.  To watch the live event, please visit the program websi te . The workshop is hosted by Link21, a long-range transportation program sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (Capitol Corridor). Link21 is committed to a faster, more connected system, providing safe, efficient, and affordable travel for everyone throughout the Northern California Megaregion that encompasses the San Francisco Bay Area, the Monterey Bay area, the Sacramento area, and the Northern San Joaquin Valley. To participate in a preliminary survey and submit your feedback, please visit the program comment form . SFMTA Director of Transportati
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More Muni Service Coming in August

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More Muni Service Coming in August By Julie Kirschbaum The SFMTA is updating and expanding our next big service change targeted for August 14. These adjustments take into account stakeholder feedback and changes in COVID-19 regulations like physical distancing and our ability to switch operators in the field rather than having to return vehicles to their yards first for cleaning. Enhancements to our previously announced plan include expanding evening service and restoring Muni Owl All-nighter service, adding back four more routes and restoring or adjusting segments on several others. Expanded Evening Service As San Francisco reopens, people are traveling later for work, shopping and dining. To help workers and shoppers get around town we plan to expand service hours on 16 key routes. Instead of 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., these routes will operate from 5 a.m. to midnight. Muni’s full late-night Owl network is scheduled to be restored in August, providing service from midnight to 5 a.m.
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Extended Service Hours for the F Market & Wharves

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Extended Service Hours for the F Market & Wharves By Enrique Aguilar Beginning June 26, the hours of operation for F Market & Wharves historic streetcars will be extended daily to run from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in order to support San Francisco’s economic recovery and reopening. Trips from Castro to Fisherman’s Wharf will run approximately from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and return trips from Fisherman’s Wharf will run approximately 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. This increase in service is based on feedback from streetcar operators and key stakeholders who worked closely with the SFMTA earlier this year to determine initial hours of operation that would support small businesses along Market Street and the Embarcadero. Last May, the F Wharves-Market was welcomed back by Mayor London Breed, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the SFMTA Board of Directors at a small celebration near the Ferry Building. Director Tumlin was in attendance to make the announcement about the return of historical
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A Look Back at Muni's Original Headquarters

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A Look Back at Muni's Original Headquarters By Jeremy Menzies Located on the corner of Geary Boulevard and Presidio Avenue is a historically significant yet frequently overlooked public transit facility. Known today as Presidio Division, this massive building was home to Muni's headquarters for nearly 100 years. Here’s a quick look back through time at the history of this 109-year-old property.   In-progress construction of Muni’s headquarters in October 1912, two months prior to the opening of the city’s publicly owned streetcar line in December. This photo was taken from Calvary Cemetery, the present-day location of a shopping center. Constructed in 1912 and known then as “Geary Car House”, this building was the operations hub of the San Francisco Municipal Railway, the nation’s first publicly owned transit agency in a major US city.  Built on bedrock from reinforced concrete, the original building had a shops and storage garages for streetcar operations, a three-story o
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Behind the Scenes: Making Muni Service Changes

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Behind the Scenes: Making Muni Service Changes By Sean Kennedy Have you ever wondered what it takes to modify or add Muni service? Customers often ask if we can bring back or make changes to their routes. Making Muni service changes usually takes many steps over several months. In a typical year, the SFMTA conducts three major service changes: in spring, late summer and winter . Each of these requires months of work and many different SFMTA teams to get implemented. The COVID-19 pandemic has been anything but typical, and we adapted our service change process to quickly prioritize public health guidance, support essential travel and steadily bringing back routes for communities who depend on transit the most. By August 2021, SFMTA staff will have implemented 12 service changes in 18 months -- up to five times faster than usual! With each change, we worked to bring back Muni better. The speed and operational dynamics required to deliver a service change process that typically take
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SFMTA Street Changes Improve Safety in the Tenderloin

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SFMTA Street Changes Improve Safety in the Tenderloin By Samantha Serafica   Protected bike lane and active flex space along the 300 block of Golden Gate Between 2015-2019, the average rate of a person getting hit by a vehicle while walking or biking along the Tenderloin stretch of Golden Gate Avenue and Leavenworth Street was every nine days . The Tenderloin is a densely populated and diverse community located in the heart of San Francisco. It is home to high concentrations of seniors, children, people of color, people experiencing homelessness and people with limited-English proficiency – many of whom live below the poverty line. These groups are most at risk of dying or being severely injured in traffic collisions. Because of these concerns, the SFMTA launched two quick-build projects on Golden Gate Avenue and Leavenworth Street with preliminary design phases in February 2020. Considering their similar traffic calming goals, physical proximity and shared audience, we pursued
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Geary Transit Lanes Proving Their Worth

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Geary Transit Lanes Proving Their Worth By Amy Fowler The verdict is in: transit lanes on Geary Boulevard are keeping riders moving apace, despite citywide trends of increasing traffic. Muni has remained critical for San Franciscans making essential trips throughout the pandemic. The Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes program quickly installed temporary transit lanes on key routes across San Francisco to help preserve the travel time gains we saw during the early days of the pandemic. Since emergency transit lanes were installed in the Richmond neighborhood last winter, we have been able to lock in 50-75% of those travel time savings for 38 Geary customers where transit lanes were added. Emergency transit lanes and other transit improvements were installed along segments of Geary Boulevard between 33rd Avenue and Stanyan Street. Geary is one of the busiest bus corridors in North America. The new transit lanes are building on the success of the Geary Rapid Project , which is m
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SFMTA Community Survey: We Asked and You Answered

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SFMTA Community Survey: We Asked and You Answered By Benjamin Barnett   Since the beginning of the pandemic, the SFMTA has been looking for ways to strengthen our system and improve our efficiency. We are using this opportunity to come back as a better version of ourselves. A big part of making transportation improvements is to hear from the public about what works and what we can do better. Earlier this spring we completed a community survey of over a thousand San Franciscans asking for your thoughts about public transportation in San Francisco and here is what you had to say: Muni is Essential for Social Equity Muni service is essential to making San Francisco a socially equitable and just city. Seven of ten people surveyed describe Muni as an affordable transportation option, and more than two-thirds also support expanding our existing reduced fare programs for youth, seniors, and low-income residents. Seniors, people with disabilities, people of color and low-income San Fran
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Cable Cars are Returning this Summer!

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Cable Cars are Returning this Summer! By Restored Cable Car 8 being readied for return to service Nothing says “San Francisco” quite like our historic cable cars--and they’ll soon be gracing our streets once more. As the city intensifies its focus to supporting economic recovery, residents, regional visitors and tourists will see the return of the iconic cable cars and hear their chiming bells from Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf. Today, the SFMTA, along with Mayor London N. Breed, announced that cable cars will be gliding down the city’s picturesque hilltops this summer as downtown economic activity returns. SFMTA staff will conduct mechanical inspections of the historic vehicles and operator retraining in mid-July. By the first week of August, we will test the system by inviting passengers aboard for the duration of a “mock service" trial, riding the lines where cable cars are operating and making stops. This mock service will be irregular, not following a particular s
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Celebrity Voice Announcements Welcome Back Muni Riders

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Celebrity Voice Announcements Welcome Back Muni Riders By Stephen Chun  In case the folks announcing “Welcome back Muni riders!” and “Thanks for riding Muni!” when you ride our buses or trains sound familiar, you’re not mistaken. Those are INDEED celebrity voices! Since the SFMTA’s Muni Service Restoration on May 15th, riders have been entertained with welcome back greetings and thank you announcements from local legends in our Metro subway stations and on various rail and bus routes all around the city.    Celebrities providing voiceovers as a fun way to welcome back riders include San Francisco Mayor London Breed, celebrity chef Martin Yan, Forty Niners legend and wide receiver Jerry Rice, award winning actor and SF native BD Wong , voice of the San Francisco Giants Renel Brooks-Moon, play-by-play announcer of the San Francisco Giants Dave Flemming, and San Francisco’s queer and trans non-profit community service and performance order, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. With m
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Bayview Community and SFMTA Receive National Planning Award

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Bayview Community and SFMTA Receive National Planning Award By Stephen Chun The SFMTA’s efforts to improve transportation in Bayview-Hunters Point, one of San Francisco's traditionally African-American neighborhoods, have been recognized today by the American Planning Association (APA).  The SFMTA Bayview Community Based Transportation Project (Bayview CBTP) received the APA’s 2021 Advancing Diversity & Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff National Planning Excellence Award. Coverage of the virtual ceremony, held June 10, 2021 can be found here.   The Bayview CBTP gives voice to the needs of that culturally rich and resilient community which has faced a legacy of institutional and environmental racism. During a two-year open-ended planning process, the SFMTA partnered with five community-based organizations to develop a responsive and actionable plan that directly responds to the transportation needs, challenges, and values of Bayview’s residents.  Some of highlights f
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Improving Pedestrian Safety and Access for Lake Merced

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Improving Pedestrian Safety and Access for Lake Merced By Adrienne Heim Lake Merced is a popular recreational destination Help Us Prioritize and Identify Needed Safety Improvements The Lake Merced Pedestrian Safety Project is studying potential improvements for pedestrian safety and access along Lake Merced Boulevard between Sunset Boulevard and John Muir Drive. Situated in San Francisco’s southwestern corner, Lake Merced Boulevard has a history of collisions, including those between vehicles and pedestrians, and between vehicles and bicycles. Lake Merced Boulevard between Font and Sunset boulevards is part of San Francisco's Vision Zero High Injury Network (HIN) , where 75% of the city's traffic injuries and fatalities occur on just 13% of its streets. Surrounded by major recreational, education, and shopping destinations, the boulevard is a major route for Lake Merced Park, San Francisco State University, Lowell High School, Lakeshore Elementary School and Stonestown G
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Calling Local Artists for Muni Art 2022

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Calling Local Artists for Muni Art 2022 By Pamela Johnson Muni Art 2020 by Jocelyn Li Langrand The Muni-Art contest will be returning in 2022 to once again to bring the work of locally-based poets and artists to Muni customers throughout San Francisco. We invite local artists to participate in the competition by submitting proposals with this year's theme, the "Streets of San Francisco." Applications are now available online . The winning artists will create eight new visual works of art that will interpret five preselected poems by Bay Area poets. The Muni Art project will be installed on a total of one hundred buses that will become moving art galleries displaying the theme, "Streets of San Francisco" from January 1, 2022, to April 30, 2022. This is double the number of buses featuring local artists since the contest first began. "San Francisco Beautiful is proud to partner once again with SFMTA to bring the work of five local artists to Muni riders
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Moving San Francisco With Pride 2021

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Moving San Francisco With Pride 2021 By Pamela Johnson Since the city’s first Pride Parade in 1970, the LGBTQ+ community and their allies have been moving San Francisco forward to become a more just, diverse and inclusive place to live, work and enjoy. The half-century long Pride event has served as a celebration and counterpoint to the discrimination and challenges the community has historically faced. And we can all be proud that San Francisco has been a pioneer on such issues as same-sex marriage, health care and anti-hate legislation. Historically, San Francisco's Pride Parade is the largest in the country with over a million people in attendance, usually including travelers from cities across the country and around the globe celebrating and paying homage to the members of the LGBTQ+ community. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Pride will look different this year with a focus on Bay Area participants.   Recognizing the strides and achievements made by the LGBTQ+ commun
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Muni’s COVID-19 Distancing Requirement to End on June 15

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Muni’s COVID-19 Distancing Requirement to End on June 15 By Kristen Holland San Francisco’s Health Officer has confirmed that the SFMTA may eliminate the requirement that customers maintain 3-feet of physical distance from others on Muni beginning June 15 to coincide with the broader statewide reopening campaign. The requirement to wear masks still applies while waiting for, paying for, and riding on Muni, and customers must maintain a six-foot distance from operators. Thanks to the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) leadership, our community has extremely high citywide vaccination rates and the lowest case rates since the beginning of the pandemic. This means that more riders will be permitted onboard each vehicle, which will reduce pass ups and allow us to restore additional service later this summer. For the past year, physical distancing regulations and other pandemic constraints required us to consolidate Muni service to a reduced number of routes, ensuring sufficient capaci
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