Muni’s Equity Toolkit Helps Essential Employees Get to Work

Muni’s Equity Toolkit Helps Essential Employees Get to Work
By Mariana Maguire

The latest data from SFMTA’s new Equity Toolkit shows that Muni service changes are helping people in neighborhoods identified by our Muni Service Equity Strategy access more jobs and support the city’s recovery.  

In winter 2020, we launched the SFMTA Equity Toolkit to understand how service decisions are affecting neighborhoods where there is likely a high prevalence of essential workers who rely predominantly on Muni to get to their essential jobs. Our goal is to make better service decisions based on the trends and impacts we see in the Equity Toolkit.  

Recently, the greatest increases in access to jobs via Muni have been in Hunters Point and Western Addition. The Hunters Point neighborhood saw the largest gains from the addition of the 15 Bayview-Hunters Point Express, as demonstrated in the table below. Thanks to the return of key Muni lines and increased frequencies on connector routes, Inner Mission, Tenderloin, Oceanview-Ingleside and Treasure Island have also seen increased access to jobs via Muni.  

Lessons Learned 

The Equity Toolkit also shows some decreases in job access via transit in other neighborhoods identified by the Muni Service Equity Strategy. This reflects the Toolkit’s methodology and/or the impacts of service changes and helps us to understand where we need to make improvements in our data collection, transit service or both. 

Bayview job access increased for commutes of 45 and 60-minutes, but decreased 11% for 30-minute commutes. How can that be? The answer is that the T Third bus substitution was replaced with rail service in December 2020, which makes different and fewer stops than the bus within a 30-minute time period. Overall, Bayview residents are still able to access more jobs now than in August 2020 – roughly 644,500 now compared to 624,000 then, a 3% increase. 

In addition, we rely on fixed points of reference, such as the Bayview Opera House, to gather data and Bayview is a large neighborhood. We learned that using one community landmark for this area is not enough, so we will be adding additional landmarks in future analyses to more accurately capture service change impacts. 

In Visitacion Valley we see decreases in job access via transit across the board. Like in the Bayview, we determined that the issue is both methodology and service. When we redistributed buses from the 8 Bayshore to 8AX to respond to changes in ridership, the community landmark (John King Senior Community) we were using to track the data only showed us the decrease from the 8 Bayshore, not the increase from the 8AX. 

By comparison, more affluent areas show very low to no increases in job access via transit. This reflects our decision to prioritize resources on Muni service for essential workers and essential travel, especially for communities with the fewest options during this unprecedented pandemic. More affluent neighborhoods have more transportation alternatives readily available and more people who are able to work from home. 

These findings give us insights we didn’t have before and help us think about service in new ways. As we learn from the Equity Toolkit we will continue to refine it and make it more detailed by adding more reference points for our data analysis.  

As San Francisco gradually reopens and we continue to add back Muni service, we will also continue to evaluate the impacts through our Equity Toolkit and work to use these insights to inform service adjustments that support our city’s economic recovery. 

Read more about changes to our network on the SFMTA’s Transportation Recovery Plan webpage. 

 

Published March 30, 2021 at 11:03PM
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SFMTA’s Cable Car Signal Tower Gets a Refresh

SFMTA’s Cable Car Signal Tower Gets a Refresh
By Jeremy Menzies

At the corner of California and Powell Streets stands a diminutive but important building that has been in use for well over 100 years. This octagonal signal tower controls the crossing of the Powell and California Street cable car lines, and recently underwent a full restoration thanks to the skilled craftspeople at the Cable Car Division.

A group photo of Muni craftspeople and shop management who worked to restore the signal tower in 2020-2021.

The tower’s history dates to 1888 when the original was built by the Ferries and Cliff House Railroad, which operated cable cars on Powell Street at the time. That tower was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fires that ravaged Nob Hill. In March 1907, it was rebuilt by then-owner United Railroads of San Francisco (URR) and went back into operation.

Photo showing signal tower in 1908 with the Fairmont Hotel and passengers waiting for a cable car in the background. Photo courtesy OpenSFHistory.org.

In 1935, a runaway automobile on California Street struck the tower, causing severe damage and tragically killing the signal operator inside. The tower was subsequently rebuilt, and a heavy metal barrier was installed on its west side.

This 1966 photo shows the west-facing side of the tower, painted in green and cream, shortly before paint and repairs were done on the building.

The next major change came in 1967 when the tower was renovated and a new copper roof was installed. The structure was also repainted to reflect the maroon and tan color scheme of the California Street cable cars. Until 1982, the tower retained its manually-operated kerosene lantern signals originally installed in 1907.

A 1967 photo showing the newly repainted and copper-roofed signal tower.

The suspension of cable car service during the Covid-19 pandemic proved an opportune time to give the little signal tower some much needed T-L-C.  During 2020 and early 2021, SFMTA carpenters, painters, metal workers and mechanics undertook a complete overhaul of the building. A new floor, roof, ceiling, door, windows, steps, heating, lighting and electrical system were all built and installed.

As with our world-renowned cable cars, no detail was overlooked during the tower rebuild. Muni carpenters repaired woodwork throughout, custom-building both the octagonal ceiling and split Dutch door. Paint crews highlighted each element of the tower with colors that enhance the structure’s overall visual appeal. Our expert mechanics installed new electrical systems. Even the grab handles and handrails for the steps were custom built from materials that are also used on Powell Street cable cars by skilled metalworkers at the SFMTA’s Special Machine Shop. A final step in this rebuild will be the installation of new signals before the tower goes back into operation later this year.

Check out the gallery below showing photos of the tower through the years and the recent restoration.

 

Published March 30, 2021 at 02:40AM
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Better Connections from Bayview and Hunters Point to Downtown

Better Connections from Bayview and Hunters Point to Downtown
By Enrique Aguilar

To better connect southeast San Franciscans with downtown, the SFMTA debuted the 15 Bayview Hunters-Point Express in late January, coinciding with the return of T Third train service. Within weeks, average daily boardings reached 1,000 customers on this new service.

The 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express 

We added this route based on community feedback from the Southeast Muni Expansion Project in 2018, which prioritized a more direct trip to downtown from the Bayview. With the sudden rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impacts on communities in the Bayview and Hunters Point, fast-tracking the project became critical to our transit planning. Adding service capacity and a direct connection between these neighborhoods and downtown is a crucial step in supporting the City’s economic recovery and increasing job access for essential workers using transit.

Using data from the SFMTA Equity Toolkit, staff determined that the addition of the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express in the January 23 service changes resulted in the largest increase in job access for 45- and 60-minute commutes of any San Francisco neighborhood.

The SFMTA convened the Bayview Hunters-Point Express Working Group, comprised of community leaders who helped shaped the conversation on route options. Then, at a time when pandemic precautions precluded in-person community outreach, we invited all area residents to vote for their preferred route through both an online and text-based survey.

After months of planning and continuous support from the Bayview Hunters-Point Express Working Group, we were able to implement a route that offers service closer to residents’ homes and make trips shorter for community members.

“We appreciate the community process and approach SFMTA took to reinstate the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express,” said Lyslynn Lacoste, Executive Director at Bayview Hunters Point Mobilization for Adolescent Growth in our Communities (BMAGIC) and working group member. “Particularly identifying and prioritizing those that are most isolated in the Bayview community and ensuring that they have efficient access to the public transportation line extending to downtown. I look forward to personally utilizing [it] myself as I travel from the downtown area to my office in the Bayview.”

While in-person outreach remains limited due to COVID-19 physical distancing guidelines, SFMTA staff continue to engage community residents and leaders in order to evaluate the service and gather feedback. Discussions with the working group on the initial impact of the service began earlier this week. In mid-March, project staff also distributed handouts to customers of the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express waiting at bus stops and onboard when riding between downtown and the Bayview. Posters were also placed in businesses along Third Street in the Bayview.

Muni customer reading handout provided by SFMTA staff

15 Bayview Hunters Point Express signs were posted at businesses along Third Street

Community members are encouraged to provide comments on the 15 Bayview Hunters-Point Express by completing the online Muni feedback form.

Published March 26, 2021 at 08:57PM
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Hate is a Virus

Hate is a Virus
By

As a city we stand united against racism. While violence resulting from racism has been more visible in recent years, many of our colleagues and community members have been surviving the violence resulting from racism for generations. This is especially true for many Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander communities that have often grappled with the effects of racism in silence or without widespread acknowledgement and support.

Hate against Asian American Pacific Islander communities has risen at an alarming rate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anti-Asian violence has been fueled by rhetoric baselessly blaming people of Asian descent for the outbreak and spread of COVID-19.  We condemn all forms of racism and xenophobia and stand in support of any marginalized groups who are being targeted.

Let’s continue coming together to stop racism in all its forms, including Asian discrimination. We can all do our part to stop bias, hate, and violence by educating ourselves and taking action. 

One action to take today is enrolling in Hollaback’s online training, Anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment.  The organization has partnered with Asian Americans Advancing Justice to launch a free bystander intervention training to meet this moment.  

As this year has shown, San Franciscans excel at connecting with each other in order to create the change we want to see in our city and the world. And we can do it again.

Published March 26, 2021 at 03:55AM
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SFMTA Supports San Francisco Small Businesses Through Construction and COVID-19

SFMTA Supports San Francisco Small Businesses Through Construction and COVID-19
By Sophia Scherr

Local small businesses are what give San Francisco its eclectic and unique charm. Running a small business in San Francisco isn’t an easy feat either, especially over the past year. Therefore, it’s imperative that SFMTA’s projects not only provide resources to businesses that are impacted by construction but are also responsive to COVID-19 concerns as well.

Through our partnership with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), we have been able to provide an additional layer of support to businesses along project corridors including the Geary Rapid Project, Van Ness Improvement Project and L Taraval Improvement Project.  The SFMTA project teams have made it a standard practice to include dedicated support as part of every major capital project. OEWD staff undertake door-to-door outreach and provide information and assistance with grant applications and other city resources that are available to impacted business owners. This partnership with OEWD is just one of many tools in SFMTA’s toolbox to ensure that our small businesses can thrive.

Projects like the Geary Rapid Project span diverse neighborhoods, each with differing needs. Project staff therefore customized outreach and engagement with small business owners and merchant groups for each of the unique business corridors along the corridor: Union Square, the Tenderloin, Japantown and the Fillmore.

Geary Rapid Project and OEWD staff meet prior to COVID-19 with Fillmore Merchants to discuss upcoming construction

Prior to construction starting in a neighborhood, SFMTA and OEWD staff held frequent meetings with merchant groups and business owners to describe the anticipated impacts of construction and determine which support-resources best fit their needs. Once construction began, each merchant corridor was provided business wayfinding signage in line with their branding, as well as to fit the look and feel of the neighborhood. This wayfinding signage helps to raise the visibility of businesses, so that patrons can still find and access their favorite stores throughout construction.

Wayfinding signage next to Construction Crews working in the Fillmore

COVID-19 and shelter-in-place orders only compounded pressure on small businesses already feeling the effects of construction. In response, SFMTA staff and merchant groups worked together to develop new ideas on how to keep customers coming during this challenging time. Small businesses, local events, and COVID-19 resources were featured within the project’s weekly construction forecast, which is sent to over 3,000 subscribers.

Each group also collaborated with staff to determine what type of marketing support would best suit them, and when was the best timing given the changing nature of shelter-in-place restrictions. The results were a mix of traditional and new approaches of promoting local merchants. For example, the Japantown Merchants Group chose an advertising campaign to promote visiting Japantown, featured inside and outside of buses throughout the Muni network. The Tenderloin Community Benefit District took a social media approach and promoted visiting restaurants and stores via targeted Facebook ads.

No matter the chosen method, providing targeted support is a proactive way for the SFMTA to help small business during these trying times, so they are able to remain open as our city begins the re-opening process.     

Bus ad produced for Japantown as part of the Geary Rapid Project Business Support Program

Of course, we recognize that in the past not every SFMTA project has been smooth sailing when it comes to construction. However, we have built upon our experience as a lesson for projects currently underway, and for those being planned. We have learned that consistent, personalized outreach and having project staff dedicated to addressing issues directly and quickly are essential to building and fostering meaningful relationships that maximize opportunities, and minimize the impact of construction.

Published March 23, 2021 at 10:00PM
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Creating a Better Market Street: Car-free Enforcement to Resume

Creating a Better Market Street: Car-free Enforcement to Resume
By Mariana Maguire

It’s been over a year since Market Street went “car-free” on January 29, 2020, but shortly afterwards, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down our city and changed how people move through San Francisco. As the city begins to reopen and vehicle traffic is increasing, we are by stepping up compliance and enforcement efforts to keep Market Street car-free starting March 29, with the help of SFMTA’s Parking Control Officers (PCOs) and the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD).

Under the year-old car-free rules established as a part of Better Market Street, no private vehicles are allowed to travel along Market Street eastbound from 10th to Main streets or westbound from Steuart Street to Van Ness Avenue. Traffic is still allowed to cross Market Street, but there are no turns allowed onto the street in the car-free area. These restrictions apply to all private vehicles, including Uber, Lyft, Postmates, DoorDash, and other services whose drivers use personal vehicles without a commercial license plate.

 Map: Car-free area on Market Street, implemented January 2020.

Enforcement of compliance will increase starting March 29 and will continue for about a month to help remind drivers of the restrictions. PCOs and police officers will monitor the street at various locations. PCOs will wave on vehicles attempting to turn onto Market Street within the restricted area. During the first week of the campaign the SFPD will issue warnings to drivers as we ramp up education efforts. Thereafter, they will issue citations to vehicles in violation of the car-free restrictions.

These efforts are in direct response to violations and concerns we’re heard from people that private vehicles are still driving in the car-free area. We also understand and appreciate concerns around police enforcement and we’re working hand in hand with SFPD to address those concerns.

Photo: Crew member installing new signage on Market Street in January 2020

Photo: Car-free Market Street signs limiting private vehicles from driving on Market Street east of Van Ness Avenue.

Vehicles that are still allowed to use Market Street:

• Muni and other transit service vehicles
• Taxis
• Paratransit
• Licensed commercial vehicles
• Emergency service vehicles
• Bicycles
• Scooters

Don’t get ticketed! If you’re not one of the vehicles above, don’t drive on Market Street east of Van Ness Avenue. Pay close attention to signage like those shown in the photos. If you’re using a navigation app it will route you around the car-free area.

Please help us spread the word to family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. Plan your trips accordingly. Consider alternate modes of travel if you’re going downtown. If you need to use your personal vehicle to reach destinations along Market Street, take alternate streets – they’re open!

Keep checking the COVID-19 Muni Core Service Plan website for the latest Muni service as we continue to expand and restore additional Muni rail routes which will improve transit service along Market Street.

Published March 23, 2021 at 05:08AM
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Get On Board for Your Driver

Get On Board for Your Driver
By Lori Phelan

Today is Transit Worker Appreciation Day, a national day of recognition to thank and celebrate the public service of transit vehicle operators and support staff who keep our cities moving. Operating any vehicle in a city like San Francisco is not easy, yet our operators strive to provide a comfortable ride while navigating large-capacity buses with precision through city streets and traffic. We recently celebrated hundreds of Muni Operators with years –even decades-- of “safe driver” experience, having had no avoidable collisions. We also celebrate the hundreds of mechanics, car cleaners, and other critical personnel who keep vehicles safe and operational.

Muni’s transit operators and support teams have been on the job in San Francisco throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, providing essential service at a time of unprecedented challenge and uncertainty. In addition to keeping our Muni Core Service Plan rolling during shelter-in-place, many of our Cable Car and rail operators have served as ambassadors while rail service was suspended, distributing masks, assisting customers while waiting for Muni and keeping the public informed about how to get to where they want to go.

In addition to our 2,500 Muni operators, there are nearly 3,000 taxi and 100 paratransit drivers in San Francisco, all of whom have had to manage the unique constraints the pandemic has imposed. This workforce has proven more than equal to the challenge of the past year.

If you’d like to get on board with supporting an operator or other worker who made your day just a little bit brighter this past year, please consider participating in Transit Worker Appreciation Day and saying thank you by:

• Posting thank you messages, photos or videos to social media with the hashtag #TWAD (Transit Worker Appreciation Day) or #ILoveMyMuniDriver.
• Submitting an official commendation online through Muni Feedback -- provide details about your experience so that we can identify the employee and ensure that they receive kudos.
• Giving a thumbs-up on MuniMobile app's RateMyRide.

And remember, a simple smile or thank you works any day – for which there are 365 opportunities each year.

Published March 18, 2021 at 07:40PM
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4th Street Bridge Transit Lanes Ease T-Third Bottleneck

4th Street Bridge Transit Lanes Ease T-Third Bottleneck
By Erin McMillan

In January, along with other proposed and planned key locations across the city, the SFMTA Board of Directors approved temporary emergency transit lanes for the 4th Street Bridge.  These temporary lanes address a key bottleneck that delays the T Third line on 4th Street northbound and southbound between Berry and Channel Streets.

A Sunnydale-bound T Third train approaches the 4th Street Bridge

As a response to community feedback, the project team developed a two-phase implementation of the temporary transit lanes to allow for an evaluation of their effectiveness before fully restricting northbound bridge traffic.

The initial evaluation of the first phase has been completed, and data shows that partial implementation was effective in allowing Muni trains to travel across the bridge with little delay.

Currently, northbound left turns are restricted from 4th Street onto Berry Street. The previous left turn pocket at that location was converted to a temporary transit lane, while northbound through-traffic continues to be allowed on the bridge. As the city emerges from the public health order to less restrictive tiers, we will perform an additional evaluation of the existing Phase 1 implementation. If that analysis determines that northbound private vehicle traffic on the bridge has begun to cause delays to the T Third, the single northbound lane will be restricted temporarily to transit only between Berry and Channel Streets as a second phase of the project.

A summary of this phased approach is provided below.

Phase 1: Complete. Evaluation of this phase began after the T Third resumed service in late January:

• A southbound temporary emergency transit lane was installed in one of the two southbound lanes on the 4th Street Bridge
• Northbound left turns are now temporarily prohibited from 4th Street onto Berry Street
• The left turn pocket in the northbound direction from 4th onto Berry Street was converted to a temporary transit lane

Phase 2: If a change in emergency order tiers shows that traffic is causing transit delay on the 4th Street Bridge:

• A northbound temporary transit-only lane will be installed in the sole northbound lane on the 4th Street Bridge
• Northbound traffic will not be permitted on the 4th Street Bridge, with these additional temporary restrictions:
  • Heading north on 4th Street at Channel, no through traffic onto the 4th Street Bridge (right or left turn required)
  • Heading east on Channel, no left turn onto the 4th Street Bridge
  • Heading west on Channel, no right turn onto the 4th Street Bridge
• Southbound general traffic will continue to be permitted

Evaluation of the phased approach

Our Phase 1 evaluation included site visits and several weeks of monitoring traffic on and around the 4th Street Bridge. Our chief metric was whether general traffic blocked trains on the shared northbound lane across the 4th Street Bridge.  If northbound traffic blocked trains more than 5% of the time, our plan was to implement Phase 2. Periods of evaluation included morning, mid-day, and afternoon/evening peak.

We also monitored train travel times using location data from T Third train tracking devices to identify when trains experienced the longest travel times on the 4th Street Bridge. Because this data showed few instances when trains were blocked by northbound traffic, we paused implementation of the second phase.

Initial Phase 1 Evaluation Results

Our data demonstrated that Phase 1 was successful in decreasing transit delays and protecting trains from traffic congestion. With the temporary emergency transit lanes in place:

• On average, overall transit delay decreased by 63% at the of 4th and Berry streets.
• T Third trains are now 2.5 times more likely to travel through the 4th and Berry street intersection without having to stop for a red light. 
• When trains do encounter a red light, the average wait time for a green signal is 70% shorter
• With Phase 1 in place, T Third trains were delayed by traffic congestion less than 1% of the time

Next steps

Our ongoing evaluation of the project will include a community survey in mid-March as well as continued technical evaluation of the effectiveness of these temporary transit lanes.  A renewed technical evaluation will take place with the changing of tiers in the city’s emergency public heath order.

For additional information on this project, and to sign up for updates, check out the 4th Street Bridge Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes webpage.

 

Published March 18, 2021 at 02:48AM
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Muni and SamTrans Partner on Lake Merced Bus Service

Muni and SamTrans Partner on Lake Merced Bus Service
By Enrique Aguilar

Starting March 22, a new program will provide free access to SamTrans Route 122 within San Francisco between Lake Merced Boulevard and Lake Merced Hill. The SFMTA has teamed up with SamTrans to launch this pilot program, which allows residents to sign up to use the 122 while Muni service is limited due to COVID-19.

After applying to the program, customers will be sent an email with a MuniMobile pass link that will be valid for six months. There will be an opportunity to extend the pass if the program is still needed after that, pending the return of Muni’s 57 Parkmerced.

Map of new SamTrans stops in the Lake Merced neighborhood

The SFMTA will post signs at the new bus stop locations and at essential destinations including grocery stores near Stonestown Galleria Shopping Center in order to inform community members about this free pilot program. For more information and to apply, visit the Samtrans Route 122 application page.

Published March 17, 2021 at 04:53AM
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By The Numbers: The SFMTA’s COVID-19 Response

By The Numbers: The SFMTA’s COVID-19 Response
By Erica Kato

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unforeseen changes to San Francisco’s transportation network. And the impact of the crisis will continue to be felt city-wide long beyond the end of the public health emergency. On March 13, 2020, when it became clear that San Francisco needed immediate adjustments to the transportation system, Director of Transportation Jeff Tumlin launched SFMTA’s Department Operations Center (DOC) team. Since then, the DOC has served as a centralized hub to ensure that we are minimizing health risks to employees and the public as we keep transportation running, both by coordinating internally within the agency and by collaborating closely with our city, state, and federal partners to deploy resources and information in the most effective way possible.

San Francisco's response to the COVID-19 pandemic included implementing temporary emergency transit lanes 

Our COVID-19 response has challenged us to break down silos, think creatively, and expedite processes and practices that have traditionally required long lead times. We designed and implemented creative uses of public space that opened new avenues for enjoying San Francisco even in a time of physical distancing. In the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime public health crisis, our staff has risen to the occasion and has delivered projects keen on keeping San Franciscans moving. Now, a walk across any San Francisco neighborhood is characterized by its Slow Streets, outdoor dining configurations, and new opportunities to rediscover the type of outdoor recreation synonymous with San Francisco. Iconic areas like the Great Highway, Golden Gate Park, and the top of Twin Peaks are now more accessible to more people than ever before.

Here's a snapshot of some of SFMTA’s accomplishments over the past year, by the numbers:

• Slow Streets
  • Implemented 25 temporary corridors, comprising 44 lane miles.
  • Making first three permanent; comprising 8 miles on Page, Sanchez, and Shotwell streets.
  • Surveying residents along all 25 Slow Streets corridors; with plans to present results to the SFMTA Board in July 2021

• Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes
  • Implemented four key corridors, including 7th and 8th streets, Downtown Mission Street, Geary Boulevard and the 4th St. Bridge

• Vision Zero
  • Installed 80 miles of street safety improvements in 2020 (more than 30 of which are on the High Injury Network)
  • Implemented
    • 6.5 new miles protected bikeways
    • 11 miles with slower speed limits
    • >300 continental crosswalk upgrades
    • >150 signals upgraded additional crossing time for people walking
    • >60 signals upgraded with leading pedestrian intervals

• Taxi industry support - distributed:
  • 14,504 gloves
  • 3,469 masks
  • 830 hand sanitizers
  • 87 gallons of disinfectant refills
  • 259 rolls of paper towels
  • 822 plastic shields installed between front and rear seat

• Streetscape Improvements:
  • 16,171 COVID-related signs installed by the Sign Shop
  • Jammed parking meters reduced to < 2% citywide, before pandemic >30%
  • Installed 1,069 bike racks
  • Daylighted almost 1,500 corners
  • Permits for over 8,000 shared bikes/scooters/mopeds
    • 174,000 trips in January

71% of San Francisco residents were within 1/4 mile of a shared mobility option such as a bike (classic and e-bike), power scooter, or e-moped by January of 2021.

Muni:

• Sanitized 800+ transit vehicles twice per day; hired 43 additional car cleaners along with three assistant supervisors and one manager
• Distributed 627,074 masks between July 2020 and March 2021
  • To SFMTA employees – 434,349
  • To members of the public – 192,725

A car cleaner sanitizes a Muni bus before it's returned to service

COVID-19 has led to personal impacts to so many of us.  Over the course of this last year, 246 SFMTA employees have tested positive for COVID-19, and sadly we lost two colleagues to the virus.  Many more colleagues have been affected by illness or loss of their family members or friends. 

Through proactive safety measures, the SFMTA has been able to minimize transmission of COVID in the workplace.  With the widescale spread of COVID in society, 4.1% of staff have tested positive for COVID, which is consistent with regional rates and is less than half of statewide infection rate of 8.9%. 

With the release of a vaccine, we look forward to supporting the city and its economic recovery. Our Transportation Recovery Plan is our framework for expanding our transportation services and operations as the Public Health Orders are modified and demand for travel increases. Our staff has answered the call to serve, and we will continue to step up and keep San Francisco moving. We look forward to seeing you aboard Muni and taking a bike ride or stroll. Be sure to check out our website and our COVID-19 page for any updates on our service and programs.

 

 

 

Published March 16, 2021 at 10:42PM
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Muni Experts Troubleshoot Obsolete Control System to Keep Trains Running

Muni Experts Troubleshoot Obsolete Control System to Keep Trains Running
By Dan Howard

Two weeks ago, we experienced yet another subway train control system failure caused by aging equipment. A failure like this is certain to impact everyone working on or riding Muni. What’s not widely known is that the ingenuity and skill of Muni’s technical staff makes the difference between these failures crippling the system for weeks or for just a few hours.

On March 3, a control computer failed that governs part of the underground network of tracks and switches between Embarcadero Station and the surface, where most Muni Metro trains turn around. When our Signal Maintenance team is called to address a problem like this, all they start out knowing is that there are a bunch of “disturbed” switches and track segments.

The Automatic Train Control System, or ATCS, constantly watches over the system’s track and switches, and reports them as “disturbed” when it gets a peculiar reading, or when a system error prevents it from knowing whether the area is safe or dangerous. When this happens, the technicians methodically go through troubleshooting procedures, step by step, ruling out different components and subsystems as the cause.

View of the failure that occurred March 3, 2020, from the TMC control center. Disturbed track switches are circled and disturbed track segments shown in red.

To do this successfully, Muni’s technicians need to have a solid familiarity for what behaviors and indications are “normal”—not an easy task in a system that has some of its original equipment dating back to the 1990s, mixed with other parts that have been swapped and re-swapped as the years go on. Last week, it was night-shift technician’s sharp eye that caught a split-second oddity on the Axle Counter Evaluator, or ACE, a computer that monitors those train detectors in the trackway.

The Signal Maintenance crew found that the ACE was in an unusual low-power mode. After swapping out the power supply and bringing the computer to full power, it still wouldn’t boot. After changing some components it started up, but now one of two redundant control computers, called Intersigs, failed whenever both were switched on together, but each worked fine individually.

On Thursday morning they thought they found the culprit—a faulty connector that had been working faithfully since the 90s, allowing only one of the two Intersig computers to run at a time. But just as the crew was packing up their tools after replacing the faulty connector, both of the Intersigs failed again.

The local control center rack at the MMT, containing the Intersig computers

They restarted troubleshooting when a member of the crew noticed something unusual for a split-second while watching the flashing lights of the equipment. Although the two Intersigs failed, the ACE, the original piece of equipment that was having problems, had also failed very briefly, but recovered itself without declaring an error. Because it recovered so quickly and showed no indications or logs that it had failed, it had gone unnoticed.

To address the new ACE failure, the team increased the power supply and there were no more failures. The night shift team had finally found the root cause of the problem: The faulty power supply had damaged multiple pieces of equipment in the area, causing them to fail in different ways.

Without so many things going right—the sharp eye of the night crew, the dedicated systems knowledge of the technicians, the collaboration and turnover of information between work shifts and the willingness to stick to the methodology, it’s likely that this problem wouldn’t have been discovered so quickly.

The culprit of the March 3 subway train control system failure, an old power supply

Our train control system is a challenge to manage because it is both a technology system and a piece of critical infrastructure. In the United States, this sort of infrastructure is updated once or twice a century, but technology systems become obsolete at a much faster pace.

Like every other transit system in the country, Muni has been managing the train control system on the same timescale as infrastructure. That has left us with situations like this when components become outdated and ultimately fail.

Today, with a subway train control system approaching 30 years old, our success depends entirely on the prowess and dedication of our maintenance team, who are holding the system together. While we celebrate their capabilities to get us through events like this, we must rely on more than just the heroics of our staff to provide more reliable train service for San Francisco.

We must change the paradigm of how we procure, manage and maintain our train control systems. Muni’s rail network demands a modern train control system which is always kept up to date with the latest service-proven technology, and our customers deserve it.

Published March 16, 2021 at 02:26AM
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New Routes to School for In-person Instruction

New Routes to School for In-person Instruction
By Kate McCarthy

As SFUSD considers a return to in-person instruction, many families are adapting how they will travel to school and work and SFMTA is proud to provide a strong set of mobility options to help facilitate school trips. Bicycling, scooting, skateboarding and walking to school have never been more accessible in San Francisco.

Presidio Middle School

Nearly 30 Slow Streets introduced during the shelter-in-place limit through traffic on certain residential streets with signage and barricades. Slow Streets has significantly expanded the network of low-stress routes families can more safely use to get to schools by walking or bicycling. The SFMTA’s Safe Routes to School team is here to help students get to school safely and sustainably, with resources and trainings on how to walk or bike to school and use the city’s new Slow Streets.

As San Francisco emerges from the pandemic, planning for schools to reopen has been at the forefront of the SFMTA’s Transportation Recovery Plan, our framework for expanding our services and operations as public health orders are modified and demand for travel increases. In 2020, a team led by SFMTA traffic operations engineer Andre Wright evaluated drop-off and pick-up needs at 114 San Francisco Unified School District schools. SFMTA staff are available to assist schools in expanding access to transportation options and safe drop-off planning with our smallest San Francisco residents in mind. 

While we’ve had to make tough choices about Muni service during the pandemic, we have strategically invested in key school routes like the 29 Sunset and 44 O’Shaughnessy and have developed a core network of very frequent service along our major corridors. As school demand kicks-in, the SFMTA  may also reintroduce “school trippers,” the supplemental Muni routes that begin after school hours to serve middle and high schools throughout the city, if needed.

This higher frequency along our core network and extra service on major school routes is complemented by the fact that over 90% of San Franciscans are within a quarter mile of Muni, with even more coverage expected by the time school starts in fall.

To help families take the guesswork out of planning trips, the SFMTA is developing a new Multimodal Transportation map of San Francisco that will launch later this spring. The map combines walking, bicycling and Muni options for getting around. For example, if the Muni route the family used before the pandemic is not in service, they may see an alternate route, or that there’s a slow street or a bike lane in their neighborhood that they may feel comfortable using to get to school.  The Multimodal Transportation map aims to help families navigate travel options and choose the modes that work best for them.

In addition to our work to make sure Muni is ready for back to school, we are proud to be offering our Free Muni for Youth program that provides free Muni to low-income youth ages 5 to 18 living in households making less than the Bay Area Median Income. To help cover Muni fare for students, SFMTA recently partnered with SFUSD to identify 25,000 additional students who would qualify for the Free Muni for Youth program based on their Free/Reduced lunch registration. Letters are being sent to these families that will act as applications that can be signed and returned to sign-up, and an online application will also be available. Anyone who has qualified for the program and received their card is enrolled until they are 19 years old and does not need to reapply.

While taking Muni continues to be a low-risk activity for COVID-19 transmission, the health of Muni customers is a top priority and we are taking extra precautions to limit exposure. Muni car cleaners and station custodians are cleaning and sanitizing vehicles and high-touch surfaces daily with safe, strong disinfectants. We are seeing over 95% mask compliance and families riding Muni to school as the pandemic persists can help by wearing a mask on board and when waiting for Muni.

Whether your family finds a new route to school on two wheels, six wheels, by walking or by rail, we think you’ll find transportation has recovered from the pandemic healthier than it was before. No matter how your family chooses to get to school as in-person instruction reopens, SFMTA is committed to helping you get there.

Graphic showing physical distancing at Muni stops

Example of physical distancing on Muni buses: Wear a mask or face covering and give space for fellow riders.

Published March 12, 2021 at 06:05AM
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Applications are now open for SFMTA's 2021 Powered Scooter Share Program

Applications are now open for SFMTA's 2021 Powered Scooter Share Program
By Richard Aicardi

Today the SFMTA opens applications for the next round of Powered Scooter Share permits. The current permits for operators expire in June 2021 and the next round will go into effect as soon as the current permits expire.

Powered scooters are an increasingly popular way for San Franciscans to move around the city.

SFMTA’s Powered Share Scooter program is aligned with San Francisco’s goal to provide numerous, reliable transportation choices for people moving in and around San Francisco. This is particularly important given the significant reduction in Muni service as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 Powered Scooter Share Permit program builds on the lessons learned from the current permit program and feedback from our community stakeholders to create a more useful, safe, and equitable citywide program. As part of the development of the updated application process, staff conducted community outreach and solicited input via a public survey on aspects of the program that staff considered in need of refinement. Full details on the survey can be found in the Report for 2021 Scooter Share Permit Issuance.

The application is accompanied by a series of supporting documents to establish additional guidance and clear requirements around three key issues:

• Community engagement requirements: adding a mobility justice training requirement and additional outreach requirements
• Distribution requirements: emphasizing the importance of ensuring that all neighborhoods in San Francisco are served by scooters
• Adaptive scooter program requirements: transitioning from an adaptive scooter pilot program to a permanent program.

The SFMTA expects to issue approximately three new scooter permits to applicants that meet San Francisco’s high standards for safety, equity and accountability. We anticipate announcing successful applicants in spring 2021, and the new permits will take effect on July 1, 2021.

New permits will be effective for an approximately one-year term, with the option to extend for another year at the discretion of the SFMTA. We will establish a cap on the number of authorized scooters – anticipated to initially be between 1,000 and 2,500 scooters per permittee. As of February 2021, the three current permitees are allowed to operate the following numbers of scooters

• Lime up to 2,000
• Spin up to 2,000
• Scoot up to 1,000

About the Application

All interested operators are encouraged to apply by the final deadline on March 29th, 2021. Candidates are encouraged to submit clarifying questions in writing to ScooterShare@SFMTA.com by 5 p.m. on March 9th, which will be addressed in a Question and Answer Session on March 11th.   Applications will be evaluated against a standardized evaluation scorecard to determine the strongest proposals.

The Permit Application and accompanying guidance documents can be found on the SFMTA Powered Scooter Share Permit Application website.

Published March 05, 2021 at 02:22AM
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An Update on Cable Cars and Muni's Historic Fleet

An Update on Cable Cars and Muni's Historic Fleet
By Erica Kato

Unbeatable views. Unforgettable trips. No experience is more uniquely San Francisco than a ride on a cable car. Cable cars have come to symbolize our great city.  

The Powell/Hyde Cable Car turnaround at Fisherman's Wharf

Last March, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we temporarily halted cable car service as part of the city’s emergency response. This decision was made to best protect our operators and the public. Muni resources were then shifted to a core network to serve our essential workers and accommodate physical distancing on our most utilized lines and to retain access for transit dependent neighborhoods.  

We’re excited to announce that we have a timeline to phase in cable car service, as well as bring back service on our historic F Line fleet. Thanks to the acceleration of the COVID-19 vaccine and a more optimistic outlook for federal funding for public transit, we can craft a path forward. Our plan is to resume F Line service this May, seven days a week. Cable car service will return on the Powell-Hyde line, between Market Street and Fisherman’s Wharf, first this fall — ahead of the holiday season. The cable cars run through the heart of the city and will play a fundamental role in helping the city’s economy recover. What we know is tourism is the main driver of city business, and cable cars are a huge draw to San Francisco. 

In the meantime, we have a lot of work ahead of us before service returns: retraining operators, hiring line inspectors, and preparing our infrastructure to accommodate daily ridership again.   

We are committed to restarting cable car service and are well aware of the tremendous value they have for San Francisco’s history and economy. Please subscribe to our text or e-mail updates for more information on their triumphant return to San Francisco’s hilly streets and most iconic backdrops.  

Published March 03, 2021 at 08:48PM
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Temporary Ramps Provide a Platform for Local Artists

Temporary Ramps Provide a Platform for Local Artists
By Jonathan Streeter

San Francisco’s arts community has been hit particularly hard by the shelter-in-place guidelines that have been in place since March 2020.  Inspired by the challenges faced by the arts community during the pandemic, SFMTA staff undertook an initiative to fund public art installations on two temporary wooden rail platforms installed last summer. For the project, a partnership between the SFMTA and local arts organization Paint the Void was formed with a mission to keep artists engaged and paid as a response to COVID-19. This effort was spearheaded by SFMTA project manager Liz Brisson, who oversaw the contracting and coordinated the necessary approval from the San Francisco Arts Commission.

In consultation with the local community, two artists were selected to create murals that would be an attractive addition to the streetscape. These works, by Simón Malvaez and Emily Fromm, now greet passengers and passers-by at the temporary platforms at West Portal Station and on the 200 block of Church Street.

“East West Portal”

Artist Emily Fromm with her work "East West Portal"

When asked about her mural at West Portal, artist Emily Fromm replied “from a young age I have been attracted to signs, text, bright lights, storefront displays and generally speaking, the way in which the world has been designed to communicate with those in it.” She wanted her piece “to capture the street which surrounds it; a quaint, picturesque little corner of the world that feels almost unchanged by time.  (I) wanted to highlight those businesses that have served the block in these times and those prior.”

As with many artists, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted Emily’s plans for 2020, including debut exhibitions in New York and London.  She was able to remain active during shelter–in-place with several commissions and is looking forward to developing a solo exhibition in San Francisco when the city re-opens.

 One reason this mural is so important to the artist is that the platform will serve the L Taraval, her favorite Muni line. Aside from memorable trips out to the zoo, Emily met her now-fiancé on the L Taraval “when we both got on at Montgomery Station on our way home from work and struck up a conversation on the ride home. I was carrying a bunch of plywood planks to paint, and once we realized that we were both getting off at the same stop at the end of the line and that we were neighbors, he helped me carry them home and asked me for my phone number. We still ride the L all the time and are grateful for all of the wonderful folks with the SFMTA who help us all get where we need to go.”

To learn more about how Emily’s platform will be put to use, visit the West Portal LK Transfer Project page.

“Them (Ramp)”

Simón Malvaez with his work "Them (Ramp)"

Castro resident Simón Malvaez, who painted the Church Street platform, draws his inspiration from the Queer and Latino communities. He said of his design, “I wanted to represent how we should celebrate unity in diversity and honor all the different people that have influenced me through my life.”

When asked about his experience during the pandemic, Simón replied, “I feel like art is one of the most important tools to show the reality that we live in right now, not only in our neighborhood but also in our city, our country, and the whole world. For me it’s very interesting to know about art history in San Francisco, and how through the years a lot of artists have moved out of the city—mostly because of the rent prices going high. I feel like being an artist in the Bay Area could be sometimes very hard and challenging and I think it is important to support local artists now more than ever.”

While unable to fulfill his plan to create his first major art piece at Burning Man 2020, Simón noted that “the pandemic made me slow down on my projects and focus on growing and learning more about my artistic style and the materials that I use. And it was not only the pandemic, but also the Black Lives Matter movement and the politics around immigration that are influencing what I want to show and represent in my art.” Now that his work is completed on the J Church platform, Simón is looking forward to the subway re-opening later this year when he can use the transfer point to connect to his other favorite lines, like the L Taraval at West Portal.

For information about how Simón’s platform is assisting Muni customers, visit the J Church Transfer Improvements page.

Published March 02, 2021 at 11:27PM
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