Health And Fitness

June 10 Muni Service Changes Adds Service on Connector Routes By Clive Tsuma The 38R Geary Rapid will run every 6 minutes starting June 10 Starting Saturday, June 10, the SFMTA will be adding Muni service on several lines to address crowding, wait times and to support increased summer tourism. We’re also making some stop changes to serve more customers and make the service more accessible and reliable.  Increased Service  To address crowding and reduce pass-ups, we’re adding service on the 1 California between Clay and Drumm streets and California Street and Presidio Avenue – where demand is highest – on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  We’re also going to be starting service earlier on the 1X California Express, at 7:30 a.m. instead of 8 a.m., in response to customer feedback, as well as adding stops at Cherry, Spruce and Laurel streets and Presidio Avenue.   We’re also extending the evening service to the Presidio at 30 Stockton seven days a week. The l...

San Francisco To Extend Parking Meter Hours Citywide By Pamela Johnson Much like real estate, parking is at a premium in San Francisco. For decades, most parking meters in the city have operated from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. While drivers generally love free parking, they may not realize that it’s hard to find a space in the evenings and on Sundays in many neighborhoods because the meters are not running.  Beginning in July 2023 and continuing in phases through December 2024, the SFMTA will extend parking meter hours until 10:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and add Sunday meter hours from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Parking meters already operate in the evenings or on Sundays in some areas, including Mission Bay, South Beach, the 18th Street business district in Potrero Hill and along the Embarcadero. This extension will make meter hours more consistent citywide, create more parking availability and generate revenue to help the agency sustain vital Muni...

Unsung Heroes of the Central Subway By Melissa Culross When is a subway more than just a subway? More than its tracks, tunnels and platforms? More than simply a way to get from point A to point B?   A subway is much more when people put their hearts and souls into building it, as so many who worked on the recently opened Central Subway did. The subway was decades in the making, and over the years, hundreds of SFMTA employees spent countless hours designing and constructing it. Every single contribution, no matter how large or small, was essential, and there are so many unsung heroes of the Central Subway whose collective legacy will be felt well into the future.   We want to introduce you to a few of those heroes, but please know that they are not the only ones.      Wyman Lee For Wyman Lee, building the Chinatown-Rose Pak Central Subway station was deeply personal. Lee, the SFMTA’s resident engineer for the construction, was born and raised ju...

Meet the People of the Next Generation CIS: Leon Yu By Deanna Leo Leon Yu, Graphic Artist, Creative Services   What do you do on the project?  I help design the user experience: What users see on the new displays, how they see it and how often they see it, down to the actual graphics.   How do you feel your work impacts our customers? Who will benefit?  My work communicates transit information to customers as cleanly and clearly as possible, so the information is easy for any member of the public to understand. We only have a small space to work with on the displays, so we must make it count. People  of all backgrounds, languages and abilities, so need to get this information quickly at a glance.   What was your favorite part of the project?  My favorite part is working with the team and all the different CIS systems. This is such a multidisciplinary project involving many staff and people I’ve never worked with before. Being able to coll...

Muni Rider Satisfaction the Highest in 10-years! By Bonnie Jean von Krogh Here at the SFMTA, we are focused on creating the fastest, safest and most reliable public transportation network for all San Franciscans. This is why we consider it a top priority to hear from our riders and non-riders alike about how we’re doing, what your public transportation priorities are, and ways we can improve. These findings help to inform budget, long-range planning and policy decisions. They also help build a better Muni for everyone traveling in San Francisco.  In recent months we conducted our Rider Survey as well as a broader Community Survey . Real-time data from our partners at Transit App in their North America Transit Rider Happiness Benchmarking Survey provides additional details about community feedback.   The good news? Rider satisfaction with Muni services is up across the board:  Per SFMTA’s Rider survey, 66% of Muni riders rate services as good or excellent — a 9% in...

Just in Time for Bike Month: The Active Communities Plan Interactive Map! By Christopher Kidd Image of the new Active Communities Plan (ACP ) interactive map  As part of our ongoing public outreach about the Active Communities Plan , the SFMTA has created a new ACP interactive map .  The release of the map comes just a couple of weeks after we began collecting feedback through our new survey .   The map shows conditions for biking, scooting and rolling across San Francisco, as well as multiple layers of analysis conducted by the Active Communities Plan team. It is meant to help users understand how different factors like comfort, safety and network quality influence whether people decide to use active transportation or not.   We want users to have the opportunity to explore and compare data, reflect on how it compares to their experiences with active transportation and provide input about what kinds of solutions work best.  The interactive map h...

Traffic Collisions have Decreased on San Francisco’s Slow Streets By Julia Malmo   As a whole, Slow Streets are safer than they were before being designated Slow Streets  Streets that are part of the SFMTA’s  Slow Streets Program have become measurably safer since the program began in 2020, with the number of traffic crashes falling by almost half. On average, these corridors have seen a 48% drop in collisions following their designation as Slow Streets, compared with a 14% drop in collisions citywide over the same period. Slow Streets also are more welcoming for people who walk, bike and roll. Fewer than 1,000 vehicles per day use all but four of the current Slow Streets (20th Street, Minnesota Street, Noe Street, and Page Street).  The goal of the program is to create safe, shared streets that are comfortable and enjoyable for people of all ages and abilities, using any mode of transportation. We now can see how it’s doing in a new evaluation report . When t...

Muni Metro Fix-It Week Maintains the Subway Infrastructure By Jessie Liang Track crew removing old rail at the Van Ness crossover  The first Muni Metro Fix-It Week of 2023 was a resounding success in March, and it’s also the first Fix-It Week since the SFMTA launched the Central Subway in early January of this year. Here is a behind-the-scenes video recap . Fix-It Week is the SFMTA’s quarterly effort to optimize work time by closing Muni Metro early for critical maintenance. The SFMTA’s Maintenance of Way (MOW) teams did an excellent job maintaining the subway and preventing future breakdowns.  Fix-It Week helps the Muni Metro get a 20% improvement in speed and about a 20% improvement in reliability in the subway. It takes fewer minutes to take the N Judah from the Outer Sunset to Embarcadero now than it did in 2019.   From March 16 to March 22, 2023, the Muni Metro Subway between Embarcadero and West Portal closed at 9:30 p.m. to provide SFMTA maintenance crew...

SFMTA Retires the Orion, First Hybrid Bus in Cleanest Transit Fleet By Clive Tsuma San Francisco’s first low-emissions electric hybrid Orion bus Muni’s Orion hybrid buses are headed for retirement as we phase in a brand-new batch of El Dorado hybrid electric buses . It’s the end of an era for San Francisco’s first low-emissions electric hybrid fleet that travels the city’s toughest routes. Orion hybrid fleet tackles Muni’s toughest routes starting in 2007 The Orion buses have been a testament to the SFMTA’s commitment to the latest green transportation technologies . Muni, which previously had relied on a diesel bus fleet in coordination with our electric trolley bus fleet,   transitioned to its first 30-foot Orion diesel hybrid-electric buses in 2007. This was the start of the SFMTA’s addition of these lower emission vehicles to one of the greenest fleets in the country , ensuring better air quality city wide. The Orions brought the agency closer to achieving its goal of a...

10 Reasons to Love San Francisco Parking Control Officers By Pamela Johnson SMILE, ready for our close ups!  To learn more about the day in the life of a hard working Parking Control Officer (PCO), take a look here . It isn't easy being a parking control officer (PCO) in San Francisco. None of us likes to get a parking ticket, and we sometimes wrongly take out our frustrations on the PCOs who are simply doing their job to keep San Francisco moving. To help you avoid veering off into negativity during your next encounter with an SFMTA Parking Control Officer, we’re providing you with this list of reasons you should actually love PCOs. Keep your favorite reason in mind next time you see a PCO on the street. Instead of getting angry with them, you might even consider appreciating them for dedicating themselves to this tough job rain or shine. Top 10 reasons to love San Francisco Parking Control Officers:  They keep the intersections in the Financial District clear — and ...

San Francisco’s Transit-First Policy Turns 50 By Michael Delia Transit on Market Street in downtown San Francisco, 2018 It’s been a half-century since the San Francisco Board of Supervisors put transit needs above all other traffic initiatives, and now, the city’s Transit-First policy is celebrating its golden anniversary. The policy guides the city’s work on major infrastructure projects and planning efforts. Its principles drive San Francisco officials to promote incentives that reduce traffic congestion and solo vehicle trips, support transit investments including the purchase of Muni buses and light rail vehicles, and regularly evaluate how well our transportation network functions.  Adopted on March 19, 1973, the original Transit-First policy was born out of an effort to reshape the Municipal Railway so it could serve San Franciscans' needs more effectively. The goals were very specific:  Create exclusive bus lanes and prohibit automobiles from streetcar and cabl...

Reimagining Potrero Yard – A Community Open House, Saturday, March 18 By John Angelico This conceptual rendering shows one of the proposed spaces in the Potrero Yard project designated for small businesses and non-profits at the intersection of 17th and Hampshire streets. (Image: Arcadis IBI Group)  This Saturday we’re joining the Potrero Neighborhood Collective (PNC) developer team to host a community open house for the Potrero Yard Modernization Project , the nation’s first joint development of a bus facility with integrated housing and retail. Learn about how we’re improving transit by replacing a century-old bus yard with a modern facility, as well as addressing SF’s need for affordable housing. Please join us to view the latest designs and give your input on this groundbreaking project.   Join us! Reimaging Potrero Yard. Saturday, March 18,  2023, 1-3 p.m. KQED, 2601 Mariposa Street, SF. (Conceptual rendering from Arcadis IBI Group) What : Reimagining Pot...

Tech Talk: Muni Predictions 101 By Christopher Ward New Customer Information Systems are being installed and causing customer curiosity!  Got a burning question about the SFMTA’s Muni predictions that are made by our Next Generation Customer Information System (CIS)? We’ve got answers! Below are some of the frequently asked questions from Muni customers. Send us yours!  Where do Muni predictions come from?   Muni predictions come from data provided by multiple SFMTA systems including equipment on our vehicles. Real-time predictions are based on the real-time locations of Muni vehicles. A computer algorithm compares the real-time data to past travel times based on time of day, day of week, season and other factors that affect travel to predict future arrival times. Travel patterns in this historic data are applied to real-time data to generate accurate Muni predictions.  When the system has no real-time information, it uses Muni schedules to make prediction...

Take Muni’s Safety Survey! By Greer Cowan Everyone should feel safe on Muni. Help make Muni safer by taking the SFMTA’s survey about personal safety and harassment in the Muni system.   As part of the MuniSafe Safety Equity Initiative launched in August 2022, the SFMTA has partnered with the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies to better understand Muni riders’ experiences and develop safety recommendations, tools and policies aimed at preventing harassment and assault on Muni.  Take the 5-minute survey   Survey information will also help the SFMTA understand Muni customers’ specific safety needs and challenges, and help us identify valuable trends and patterns so we know where, when and how harassment shows up in the Muni system.  Incidents often go unreported, but the SFMTA is working to change that with new reporting options. As of October 2022, Muni customers can report incidents of  harassment by calling 311, using the 311 mobile app or using t...

Black History Lost and Found: Dorothy Jaymes and Accessible Transit By Jeremy Menzies We continue to celebrate Black History Month by sharing the stories of SFMTA staff whose revolutionary work helped pave the way for future generations of Muni riders. Today, we look at the incredible contributions of Dorothy Jaymes, who played a critical role in helping advance accessibility on transit in San Francisco at a time when little was being done.   Jaymes (left, holding tennis racket) with her assistant, Linda Westry in the Muni Lost & Found Department in 1977.  Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Jaymes started her career in Muni’s Lost & Found Department in the 1970s. According to a 1977  article in the department newsletter, Trolley Topics, she took her job seriously, accounting for every lost item no matter how small or large.  Around the same time, protests by local disability rights advocates exposed the issues of poor access to public transit to loc...

Scooter Permittees Receive Feedback from Students with Disabilities By Maddy Ruvolo On a recent Monday in Golden Gate Park, 28 students and staff from AccessSFUSD gathered on JFK Drive to test-ride adaptive scooters. The group took turns riding adaptive devices from two scooter companies permitted to operate in the city, Lime and Spin . Adaptive devices are designed to meet the needs of riders with a variety of disabilities and provide additional stability features, such as a seat, a wider base, and an additional wheel. After trying the scooters, the students shared their feedback about a variety of design elements, including the wheels, seat, throttle, basket location, foot plate width, and the ease of getting started.  Adaptive scooter demo in Golden Gate Park Students embraced the opportunity to ride scooters and provide feedback. AccessSFUSD is a community-based program for students 18-22 with disabilities. Located across 11 sites in San Francisco, the program focuses o...

New Express Service Comes to the 1 California By Melissa Culross Newly painted Muni flag stop indicating the pilot 1X California Express Beginning February 21, 2023, a pilot program will offer express bus service on the new 1X California Express between the Richmond neighborhood and the Financial District. The SFMTA plays a significant role in San Francisco’s economic recovery, and this pilot that serves downtown is part of that.  We have been working on improving travel time and reliability over the last several years. Travel times are now 11% quicker on the 1 California thanks to new transit lanes on California, Clay and Sacramento streets. But our work is not done on the corridor! The new 1X California express will provide another option for riders to zoom from the inner Richmond into and out of downtown even faster. We also expect this service to ease crowding on the 1 California as more people head back to the office.  Three morning 1X California Express buses will ...

A New Connection with Art in Chinatown By Enrique Aguilar Artwork at the Chinatown-Rose Pak Central Subway Station brings communities to the forefront by honoring the history and contemporary identity of Chinatown. These art pieces deliver vivid colors and designs to every level of the station. Muni customers can expect a unique experience at this new station.  The three artists with work at Chinatown-Rose Pak Station received the Visionary Artist Award earlier this year and were honored at the Harmony and Bliss Gala — an event that supports the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco and its mission to elevate underserved communities and give voice to equality.      Yumei Hou transformed two of her traditional Chinese paper cuts into large laser-cut metal panels painted a vibrant red and installed to stand slightly off the wall to allow for shadow casting. Spanning the station’s mezzanine and ticketing hall walls, Hou’s monumental artworks portray s...

Parking at Muni Stops is Being Phased Out By Andrea Buffa Implementing red curb "clear zones" occurs in two phases. Read more below. If you would like for us to prioritize a particular bus stop for conversion, please make a request through 311. In late November 2021, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution calling for us to “promote unobstructed pedestrian access for boarding public transit by eliminating parking in bus stops.” There are more than 3,500 Muni stops in San Francisco, and about 1,200 are stops at which there isn’t enough dedicated curb space for the bus to pull to the curb for riders to board. Instead, Muni vehicles stop in the travel lane, and riders often must walk in between parked cars to get on and off.    These stops are mostly in residential neighborhoods and on lower-frequency transit lines, but they potentially can be unsafe for riders and are particularly problematic for seniors and people with disabilities. The ...

Muni Art 2023  By Sophia Scherr “ The Botanical Gardens” by Alice Wu, 2023 Muni Artist, 10th grade  We’re partnering with San Francisco Beautiful for the eighth year of Muni Art! The 2023 theme is “Sights of San Francisco” and for the first time, the project collaborated with both, San Francisco Unified School District for the artist competition and 826 Valencia for the poetry competition. Established in 2002, 826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students who live in under-resourced communities in San Francisco with their writing skills. The student poets are enrolled in free programming at 826 Valencia's Mission Center.   The 2023 Muni artists are:  Alice Wu 10th Grade  Annie Aguilar 11th Grade  Isabel Lombardi-Coronel 11th Grade  Natalie Diener 12th Grade  Vilma Ramirez 11th Grade The five local poets and poems are:  Abner Valencia, “What You Get at Bernal Heights”  Age 16  Jake Dominguez...