Have Feedback on the COVID-19 Muni Temporary Service Plan?

Have Feedback on the COVID-19 Muni Temporary Service Plan?
By Shalon Rogers

In March 2020, due to unprecedented constraints on resources brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the SFMTA had to make significant transit service reductions. As of January 2021, the agency has been able to restore service to a level where 91% of San Franciscans are within a quarter mile of a transit stop. This is reflected in the SFMTA’s current COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan.  

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COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan Map

The SFMTA is committed to ensuring that our programs and services are compliant with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and therefore do not have a discriminatory impact based on race, color or national origin. As part of this work, we conducted a Title VI service equity analysis to evaluate the current COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan. The results of this analysis will be presented to the MTA Board of Directors on May 4.

The public is invited to attend and provide comments on the current service plan at the online MTA Board of Directors (MTAB) meeting where the results of the service equity analysis will be presented on May 4th at 1 p.m. There will be a second online MTAB meeting on May 18 at 1 p.m. To provide comments during the meeting, specific dial-in instructions are located on the SFMTA calendar item for each date.

For more information about Muni’s current service, visit the COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan website. You can also email feedback to TellMuni@SFMTA.com or call 415-646-2350.

Finally, we look forward to continuing to hear from our riders on our current service as we work towards a post-COVID-19 service plan.

 

Published April 29, 2021 at 09:13PM
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Permanent Relief for Muni Customers in SoMa?

Permanent Relief for Muni Customers in SoMa?
By Erin McMillan

Shortly after the pandemic’s onset, the SFMTA implemented Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes to make sure essential trips on Muni wouldn’t get caught in traffic. On Mission Street from 11th to 3rd streets in SoMa, the transit lanes have proven effective at protecting Muni travel times while traffic has increased. Now, with the city’s reopening generating even more traffic, keeping these lanes on the road permanently is as important as ever.

Paint Shop Crew Removing Old Pavement Markings for Installation of Temporary Emergency Transit Only Lanes on Mission Street on September 23, 2020

What’s Next?

Given that the data shows the lanes are effective, the SFMTA is now pursing making the full-time transit lanes, and their benefits, permanent. Following up on our initial evaluation of the project, we are now inviting the community to learn about next steps for making the lanes permanent. We are hosting a two-week virtual open house where you can check out this information via an on-demand recorded presentation or by reviewing a PDF of the presentation at your own pace. Still have questions? Join us for virtual office hours Thursday, April 29 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Travel on Mission Street South of Market

The SoMa segment of Mission Street from 11th to 3rd streets was the first corridor to get temporary emergency transit lanes. The project converted part-time, rush hour-only lanes into full-time lanes to help protect Muni customers from traffic congestion and a possible increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 on slower, more crowded buses. This better served the needs of the 14 Mission and 14R Mission Rapid that are busy all day, not just in the traditional peak commute hours. The corridor also serves regional transit from SamTrans and Golden Gate Transit, making these lanes important to regional as well as local travel.

Transit Lane Benefits

So far, the lanes on Mission Street have achieved their goal– keep transit moving even as traffic threatens to slow it down. Traffic has risen 20% since the summer of 2020, yet transit times are staying relatively consistent --meaning the transit lanes are effective in protecting buses from traffic. In addition to the transit data showing how effective the transit lanes are, 65% of community survey respondents said they wanted to keep the transit lanes permanently.

The project also helped simplify the street and traffic flow by widening the lanes that were previously too narrow to safely allow for buses. In addition, on some blocks parking shifted from one side of the street to the other, depending on the time of day. This new configuration is now easier and safer for all road users to navigate. Loading for businesses has also changed as part of the project, with the hours of when yellow zones are available increasing by over 40%.

For more information, visit the Mission Street SoMa Transit Improvements webpage, email us at TellMuni@SFMTA.com, or call (415) 646-2350.

 

Published April 29, 2021 at 03:20AM
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Safer and Easier Parking in Every City-Owned Facility

Safer and Easier Parking in Every City-Owned Facility
By Pamela Johnson

Parking at any of our 22 city-owned facilities is now easier and safer than ever. Late last month we completed the Parking Access Revenue and Control Systems (PARCS) project. This four-year effort replaced aging parking equipment with modern technology and significant operational upgrades.

Customer using new PARCS kiosk at North Beach parking garage

Patrons will notice enhanced lighting, new wayfinding signs, audible alarms, cameras, gate arms, and payment machines with two-way digital intercoms. Behind the scenes is an all-new parking management system and 24/7 command center, connected to every machine.

Can’t find your ticket to pay for parking?  No worries!

Thanks to license plate recognition technology, cameras located at every facility’s entrance capture patrons’ plate numbers as they arrive. If a customer loses her ticket, the manager is able to re-issue a ticket based on her license plate number. Previously, the customer would have been required to pay for a full day of parking.

Safety and Ease of Use

“The new system is a significant operational upgrade from our prior 16-year-old equipment” said Robert Aicardi, Operations Manager of SFMTA’s Off-Street Parking unit. Aicardi, who oversaw the day-to-day delivery of the PARCS upgrade project, noted that “The upgrades make for easier and safer access in and out of a parking facility and a better experience.”

Ted Graff, the Director of Parking & Curb Management added that “Thanks to modern technology, we can better manage the customer parking experience in our parking facilities and facility operations. We’ve also improved auditing and credit card security to protect customers, enabled real-time data collection, which helps with the implementation of dynamic or demand-responsive pricing and enabled universal validation to create a more efficient parking experience.”

Highlights

• All payment machines have instructions in English, Chinese, and Spanish
• Cameras have been installed at every point of sale and point of entry/exit to augment the intercoms
• Both flashing lights and audible alarms are activated as vehicles exit the facility, improving safety in areas of high pedestrian traffic 
• Payment kiosks use industry-standard, end-to-end encryption for credit card transactions
• Every point of sale enables mobile app contactless payments (including. Android Pay and Apple)

 PARCS partners

 To complete the upgrades, SFMTA’s Streets Division Off-Street Parking unit provided day-to-day oversight of the project, in partnership with SKIDATA, the PARCS vendor. Walker Parking Consultants served as the architect of record, and San Francisco Public Works oversaw all demolition and utility upgrades, which preceded PARCS equipment installation.

Visit the SFMTA’s website to learn more about the PARCS project and see a map of Garages & Lots that received the PARCS upgrades.

 

 

Published April 27, 2021 at 01:55AM
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Celebrate Earth Day by Using Alternate Modes to Get Around San Francisco

Celebrate Earth Day by Using Alternate Modes to Get Around San Francisco
By Sophia Scherr

Happy Earth Day! Established in 1970, Earth Day gave voice to the growing public consciousness concerning the environmental state of our planet, and the collective search for ways to save it. This determined effort for a better environment based on proactive strategies for slowing down the effects of climate change is more urgent than ever.

People travel on Market Street in many ways: as pedestrians, on bicycles, scooters, by taxi and by bus.

Riding Muni is a great choice for reducing your carbon impact, as the majority of our fleet is powered by hydro-electric power and does not generate CO2 emissions. The SFMTA has also committed to having an all-electric bus fleet by 2035: we will exclusively purchase all-electric buses starting in 2025 to meet that goal. This Earth Day, we’re encouraging riders to get out to explore one of the many alternate modes available for getting around San Francisco.

An “alternate mode” is a fancy way of describing activities such as walking, biking or scooting to get to your destination. As San Francisco begins the re-opening process, we expect more traffic congestion due to people eager to explore after a year of being sheltered-in place.  

To better help you get around, we’ve put together resources that include an interactive map with Muni Core service information, San Francisco’s bike network of bike lanes, Slow Streets, bike share station locations, taxi stand and parking garage locations. There are also bicycling and walking resources, and even an online photo exhibition of the history of these modes in San Francisco. Visit SFMTA.com/GetGoing to plan your next alternate mode trip.

San Francisco Multimodal Transportation map

Published April 22, 2021 at 07:52PM
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Van Ness Improvement Project Nears Completion

Van Ness Improvement Project Nears Completion
By Nehama Rogozen

After years of planning and construction, work on the Van Ness Improvement Project is progressing rapidly and the end is in sight! Construction is projected to be finished by the end of this year, with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service running on Van Ness Avenue from Mission to Lombard beginning in early 2022.

Work on the red transit lanes between Broadway and Pacific is almost complete.

Crews have been busy on Van Ness Avenue. You may have noticed them building new medians and sidewalks, paving the roadway and installing poles that provide lighting and power to the BRT system. Most recently they have installed the red lanes that will allow buses to move Muni and Golden Gate Transit riders quickly along the corridor, without getting stuck in traffic. To ensure durability and reduce fading, these red transit lanes are made from poured red concrete, as opposed to red paint or thermoplastic on top of concrete.

We are also planting hundreds of trees along Van Ness Boulevard as a part of the project, with more on the way. These trees replace those that were removed during construction at a ratio of more than 2-to-1. There are four species of trees being planted: Lemon-Scented Gum in the median and London Plane, Brisbane Box and Palm in sidewalk tree wells where similar species were planted previously. These species were selected for their suitability to the neighborhood and growing environment along a state highway.

As the end of construction approaches, staff on the project are planning for the transition that will happen as construction winds down and testing to launch BRT service on the corridor begins. We are planning significant outreach to the public , to ensure that customers know how to ride the system safely and efficiently.

We know it’s been a long wait and we appreciate your patience with this long-term construction project. San Francisco’s first BRT corridor is almost here and we’re excited to welcome you aboard soon.

Check out the photos below for more of the work on Van Ness:

Published April 21, 2021 at 10:55PM
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Bringing Back Muni Better

Bringing Back Muni Better
By Julie Kirschbaum

Much of Muni service has already been restored since the pandemic-related service reductions at the beginning of the crisis, thanks to the dedication of SFMTA staff. As San Francisco emerges from the pandemic, we continue to increase service by focusing on maximizing citywide Muni access while providing high frequency on the city’s busiest routes.

The J Church returned as a surface route from Balboa Park to Duboce Avenue in December 2020

Since January 23, 91% of San Franciscans are within 2-3 blocks of a Muni stop. And this includes 100% of residents in San Francisco’s neighborhoods identified in the Muni Service Equity Strategy.

On May 15, Muni Metro service will be restored in the subway, providing subway service at all stations from Embarcadero to West Portal. The K Ingleside and the T Third will once again be “interlined,” operating as one route from Balboa Park to Sunnydale. The N Judah is also returning to rail service, giving customers more room and fewer pass ups, as the two-car train increases the N Judah’s capacity. F Market & Wharves service will return 7 days a week, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. And, a hilltop gap will be closed between Forest Hill and Glen Park with the temporary 36-52 Special Shuttle bus.

SFMTA staff are working hard and fast to overcome constraints to restoring service, and we expect to be able to expand service so that 98% of San Franciscans will be within 2-3 block of a Muni stop by the end of the summer. Here’s how.

As of January 23, 2021, 91% of San Franciscans are within 2-3 blocks of a Muni stop. We expect 98% of San Franciscans to have this access by the end of summer.

Vehicle Capacity and Availability Limits

As public health officials monitor San Francisco’s decreasing COVID-19 case numbers and increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates, we are working closely with the Department of Public Health to determine when distancing restrictions should be lessened, allowing more customers on each bus and train.

When distancing requirements are no longer needed, each Muni bus and train will be able to carry up to three times more customers comfortably. We will also return to industry standards of cleaning vehicles at the end of the day and stop our pandemic practice of returning a vehicle at the end of each operator’s shift for sanitization that currently limits vehicle availability.

Additionally, buses are currently substituting for Muni Metro lines while work on the first part of the Subway Renewal Program is completed, that is further reducing vehicle availability. The SFMTA maintenance, engineering and technology teams have worked hard over the last 10 months to ensure that the subway will open up with better reliability, as well as important customer facing amenities such as Wi-Fi and new station signage at Church and Castro. In May, the bus substitution will not be needed on the N Judah and K Ingleside lines and can then be used on other routes.

Muni Staffing and Funding

Also, essential to providing great Muni service is retaining staff talent. Due to a 15% vacancy rate pre-pandemic across the agency and very limited hiring over the past year, we have vacancies in many service critical positions from mechanics to supervisors. Before we can restore more service, we need to conduct exams, hire and train. Additionally, a high wave of June retirements is expected due to a reduced number of retirements during the pandemic. Since we are expecting a challenging summer due to high promotions and attrition, we are restoring Muni service with a schedule that can be filled 100% with available operators without gaps going forward. We want to make sure that as we start up service, we can sustain it long term.

In the short term, with ridership expected to take several years to reach pre-pandemic levels, we will be able to meet the city’s transit needs without over-extending our resources. However, I am confident that if we bring back Muni service that is reliable and convenient, demand will return stronger than ever.

Thanks to our diligent teams, we are making cost efficient improvements to Muni service. SFMTA staff looked closely where we had vulnerabilities and talked openly about how to learn from past mistakes. Union leadership has fought tirelessly for the needs of their team members and show up every day to solve tough problems. From headway management to installing temporary emergency transit lanes, we are creating an enhanced customer experience that will foster financial sustainability for the long term.

While we are on our way to increasing service, getting Muni back to 100% of pre-pandemic service — not to mention any increases—requires more sustained funding. Even before the pandemic, the agency had seen declining revenues from parking fees and transit fares. Now, with ridership slow to return to past levels and tax revenues down, our future is even less clear. One-time federal funding has saved the SFMTA from devastating cuts and layoffs, but this one-time funding runs out in 2023 and doesn’t solve the long-term funding challenge.

The SFMTA is exploring several options including revenue measures to secure our future. And while we plan to passionately pursue expanded funding, we will not expand service beyond what we can sustain with ongoing revenue to protect jobs and prevent future layoffs.

Muni is more than a transit system—it's a core part of our community and fabric of our city.  Our staff is committed to keeping San Francisco moving and is working hard to bring Muni service back better than ever.

 

Published April 20, 2021 at 11:04PM
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Welcome Back to the Westside, K Ingleside Trains!

Welcome Back to the Westside, K Ingleside Trains!
By

The K Ingleside exiting the subway at West Portal

On April 16, the SFMTA, along with Mayor Breed and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, announced that Muni’s K Ingleside trains will return to the westside starting May 15.

The return of these trains is happening much earlier than anticipated thanks to the hard work of SFMTA staff to find creative solutions to ramp up Muni service to riders and support the city’s economic recovery. 

“This addition of Muni service is a true testament to the collaboration between Muni staff, our labor unions and community partners,” said Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA Director of Transit. “We know that key transit connections are critical to the city’s economic recovery, and we’re thrilled to re-open the subway and ramp up service.” 

The K Ingleside will join the previously-announced N Judah as part of Muni Metro’s reopening, highlighting the agency’s commitment to maximizing transit access citywide. Recent subway repairs enable the K Ingleside to be interlined with the T Third line and run through a much more reliable subway system.

The pandemic enabled us to accelerate other upgrades and necessary maintenance work, provided by a rare, extended subway shutdown. These are part of the Subway Renewal Program, a systematic approach to upgrades over the next 10 years that addresses both longstanding issues predating the pandemic and other issues uncovered since the shelter-in-place began.

Key improvements include:

• Wi-Fi availability for customers from routers installed in stations and cellular antennas installed in the tunnels
• Installation of new wayfinding and directional signs at Castro and Church stations
• Quicker and smoother trips as a result of overhead line enhancements and rail grinding

The return of K Ingleside rail service is only one part of a larger roll out of Muni Metro rail updates happening May 15:

K Ingleside/T Third 

K Ingleside and the T Third will once again be “interlined.” This means that the two routes will operate as one route, from Balboa Park to Sunnydale, providing subway service at all stations from Embarcadero to West Portal. 

 N Judah 

The N Judah is also returning to rail service. Riders will have more room and fewer pass ups, as the two-car train increases the N Judah’s capacity.

J Church, L Taraval and M Oceanview

These lines will all continue to operate as they currently do, though the increased capacity on the K/T trains will soon provide even better connections for those traveling downtown or to the western neighborhoods.  

• The J Church will remain as a surface-only route from Duboce Avenue to Balboa Park
• The L Taraval will operate with buses from the Zoo to Downtown 
• The M Ocean View will operate with buses from Balboa Park to West Portal Station.

 

Published April 20, 2021 at 05:13AM
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Muni Emergency Measures Point to Longer Term Transit Goals

Muni Emergency Measures Point to Longer Term Transit Goals
By

The 38 Geary Temporary Emergency Transit Lane

Muni is a core part of our community’s urban fabric that, like so much, has been upended by the pandemic. Yet, as hard as the last year has been, the SFMTA is focused on bringing Muni back better than ever. As we shift to focus on recovery, we’re looking closely at the emergency efforts we’ve implemented during the pandemic and how their proven effectiveness can help support San Francisco long-term.

This includes promising performance data from our Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes  program and plans for service restoration and future improvements. As part of an emergency response over six miles of temporary emergency transit lanes have been installed, benefitting tens of thousands of Muni customers each day, and helping to protect key Muni corridors from traffic. With the prioritization of temporary emergency transit lanes on routes that serve neighborhoods identified by the Muni Service Equity Strategy, the goal is to protect low-income and historically underserved people traveling on Muni from traffic congestion as the economy reopens and traffic returns.

Recent Muni Forward improvements are working: where we have invested in improvements like transit lanes, transit signal priority and bus bulbs, Muni customers are experiencing quicker and more reliable trips. When more people choose Muni because it’s fast and reliable, there are fewer cars on the street, reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

Temporary Emergency Transit Lane Program Benefits Riders

Several transit lanes have already been in place long enough to collect substantive data, and the results are showing benefits to Muni riders. The success of these corridors - Geary, 4th Street Bridge, 7th and 8th Streets and Mission Street in SOMA – show how beneficial making investments in transit can be.

Here’s a quick run-down of each of their successes.

Mission Street (SOMA)

Mission Street in SOMA was our very first Temporary Emergency Transit Lane project and it is showing amazing results. The project took rush hour-only transit lanes and made them full-time. Here’s what we’ve learned:

• Though traffic is 20% higher than in the summer of 2020, transit times are fairly consistent and only show a difference of 2 to 4% showing that bus travel times are being protected despite an increase in traffic
• A public survey showed 65% of respondents support making the changes of the transit lanes permanent 

A 2-week online open house will be held Monday, April 19, through Monday, May 3, to inform the community of the outcome of the evaluation of the temporary project, and changes made based on feedback, prior to pursuing permanent legislation in June. For more information, visit SFMTA.com/TempLanes14.

Geary Boulevard (Richmond District)

Building upon the implementation of the Geary Rapid Project in the eastern half of the corridor, Geary Boulevard west of Stanyan is benefiting from new temporary emergency transit lanes, Muni head start signals and wooden bus bulbs. The data shows:. The data shows:

• Muni speeds have stayed consistent or even increased despite increases in traffic
• The biggest improvements have been for inbound 38R Geary Rapid passengers, whose trip got faster and more reliable across all times of day, with a 6% improvement in reliability in the morning rush hour commute

4th Street Bridge

T Third riders have long experienced delays near 4th and King Station – in front of Caltrain. New transit lanes on the 4th Street bridge, however, are showing real promise.

• Transit delay at the 4th and Berry intersection has decreased by over 60%, and less than 1% of trains are impeded by auto traffic thanks to the new Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes
• Trains are 2.5 times more likely to cross 4th and Berry, the intersection between the bridge and Caltrain, without stopping for a red light
• When trains do wait for a green light, the average wait is 70% shorter

7th & 8th Streets

Serving the 19 Polk, much of 8th Street and a smaller slice of 7th Street received temporary emergency transit lanes early in the pandemic. In fact, the project has been so successful, we have rerouted the 27 Bryant over to 7th and 8th in SOMA to take advantage of the time savings and improve reliability for the entire line. On this corridor, we’re seeing:

• 20% improvement in the 19 Polk’s on time performance despite a 35% increase in mixed traffic since April 2020
• No recorded instances of crowding on the 19 Polk line, despite a 33% increase in ridership since the beginning of the pandemic, thanks in part to the headway reliability that the temporary emergency transit lanes support (reduced gaps and bunches that contribute to crowding)
• Transit lanes have not caused traffic congestion to substantially deteriorate, demonstrating that transit benefits don’t need to negatively impact drivers

As the city reopens and traffic returns, temporary emergency transit lanes are being evaluated on their effectiveness with the goal of making the benefits of the temporary emergency lanes permanent.

Future Service Improvements

The benefits to Muni through the success of the temporary emergency transit lanes projects need to be protected. The success of the program is encouraging the SFMTA to pursue permanent changes along several of these corridors. Importantly, any long-term changes will incorporate public feedback to tweak the designs to better match emerging neighborhood needs. Making the Muni benefits we have seen through the Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes program permanent is one way that we can emerge from the pandemic stronger than before.

Legislation for permanent transit lanes on Geary and Mission Street in SoMa is under consideration.

In addition, two more temporary emergency transit lanes projects are being considered for approval by the SFMTA Board of directors today:

• 1 California
• Park Presidio Lombard Temporary HOV Lanes

Finally, we’re taking advantage of the current environment to advance major construction projects that will deliver long-planned (and long-delayed) improvements.

These include:

• The Subway Renewal Program
• L Taraval Improvement Program
• 16th Street Improvement Project
• 19th Avenue Combined City Project

All of these will add up to very real improvements for transit riders. If you want to learn more, check out this presentation prepared for the April 20, 2021 meeting of the SFMTA’s Board of Directors.

 

Published April 20, 2021 at 04:46AM
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Bayview Quick Builds: Uplifting Voices and Fostering Community

Bayview Quick Builds: Uplifting Voices and Fostering Community
By

When it comes to transportation planning in the Bayview, the SFMTA recognizes our involvement in the long history of past racist policies that have led to disinvestment in that community. Rectifying these injustices will take time but begins with near-term efforts like the Bayview Community Based Transportation Plan and the Bayview Quick-Build Transportation Projects. The goal of this work by SFMTA staff is to begin the process of building trust with community members and uplifting their voices.

A recent example are the murals painted along the Bayview’s first Vision Zero Quick-Build Project, unveiled by the SFMTA and multiple community partners on Saturday, April 3. Vision Zero Quick-Build Projects are defined by their ability to rapidly install inexpensive, easily adjustable street safety improvements.  For this project, safety improvements required the installation of concrete barriers to delineate space in the roadway, which provided a canvas for community art.

Community participation plays a key role in how we develop quick-build improvements. The location of this particular quick-build was identified as a recommended corridor for traffic calming improvements in the Bayview Community Based Transportation Plan (Bayview CBTP). That plan is a multi-year effort to foster a more collaborative and responsive relationship with residents of the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. Ariel Ward, SFMTA project planner and manager, who worked previously on the Bayview CBTP, brought her knowledge and relationships to help guide the Bayview Quick-Build project.

The project corridor along Evans Avenue, Hunters Point Boulevard, and Innes Avenue is on the Vision Zero High-Injury Network, the 13% of city streets that account for 75% of severe and fatal traffic injuries. Conversations with the community revealed that the location where Innes Avenue turns into Hunters Point Boulevard is often referred to by residents as “Dead Man’s Curve.” Over the past five years at this location, 20 collisions resulted in 32 injuries and one fatality, with many of these crashes caused by unsafe speeds, turns, and lane changes.

Influenced by the input received through the Bayview CBTP, the project team implemented quick-build improvements that include reducing the number of traffic lanes from four to two, a protected bicycle and pedestrian path using concrete barriers along Hunters Point Boulevard, upgrading and installing continental crosswalks and a creating a transit boarding island on Evans at Middle Point Road.

These improvements eliminate the possibility of drivers making high speed lane changes, encourage slower vehicle speeds, and provide protection for people to safely walk and bike along the corridor. While each of these tools has clear road safety purposes, Ariel viewed the concrete barriers as an opportunity to continue collaborating with the community and build on the relationships she established through the Bayview CBTP.

Through a call for submissions, the SFMTA worked with BMAGIC, Hunters Point Shipyard Citizens Advisory Committee, Shipyard Trust for the Arts, San Francisco African American Arts and Cultural District, and the India Basin Neighborhood Association, to select six artists who live and work in the Bayview to use the concrete barriers as canvases and helping to beautify the project. The community was able to raise $30,000 in philanthropic funds to paint murals along the entire length of the concrete barriers.

Listening to advocates and working with the community helps ensure that our traffic safety improvements benefit everyone. This requires fostering ongoing relationships by speaking directly with those who live and work in the project area to better understand their specific needs. Ultimately, the safety barriers will not only protect people walking and biking, but also celebrate the rich history, culture, and identity of the Bayview. We hope you’ll enjoy this celebration of a vision built in collaboration with artists, activists and community members over the years at Bayside Saturdays.

This effort would not have been possible without the generosity and time donated by BMAGIC, the Box Shop, India Basin Neighborhood Association, San Francisco African American Arts & Cultural District, Shipyard Trust for the Arts, Wendy MacNaughton, Livable City, SPIN and CEMEX.

View the slideshow below to learn more about some of the community members and groups who helped the murals come to life.

 

 

Published April 16, 2021 at 07:29PM
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Effective, Equitable, and Resilient Transportation for San Francisco

Effective, Equitable, and Resilient Transportation for San Francisco
By Lulu Feliciano

As we emerge from the current pandemic, what does an effective, equitable, and resilient transportation system for San Francisco’s future look like? Last week, just such a forward-looking vision was published by ConnectSF. ConnectSF is comprised of staff from the SFMTA, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and the San Francisco Planning Department. With input from residents, community and business groups, youth organizations, and other stakeholders, the collaborative’s Transit Investment Strategy lays out a vision for reinvesting in the city’s transit system.

The Vision

ConnectSF is advancing a bold vision for the future of our transportation system. In order to realize this vision, we will need to invest in creating a system that is better than before – faster, more reliable, and more accessible. The investment strategy details the big changes we envision and where we will need funding to achieve them. Transit is essential to keeping the city moving, and a stable, ongoing funding source will be critical for helping San Francisco manage congestion and rebuild its economy.

An Improved Citywide Transit Network

Increasing service and making changes that enable new or better transit options are among ConnectSF’s top investment priorities. Our Muni Forward toolkit already includes a number of proven methods for accomplishing this. Bus lanes, transit signal priority, car-free zones and transit queue jumps are just some examples. The Transit Investment Strategy goes beyond these methods and emphasizes the need to prioritize improvements for riders who depend on transit the most.

Reshaping Transit

The investment strategy also calls for reshaping the way we operate transit in San Francisco. San Franciscans need access to a robust network of frequent buses and trains that take them all throughout the city-- rather than focusing primarily on trips downtown. This will require changes along streets and at intersections so that the only time your bus has to stop is to pick you up and drop you off, not to sit in traffic and wait at lights.

Delivering a modern Muni Metro that residents can rely on also requires the funding necessary to catch up with our backlog of deferred maintenance and to enhance our light rail system – for example, upgrading Muni Metro with a new train control system. In the future, in those areas of the city where no amount of bus improvements will be able to meet the demand, long-term planning will also include major new rail projects.

The Transit Investment Strategy emerged as a key product of the Transit Corridors Study. The Transit Corridors Study, along with the Streets and Freeways Study, will serve to identify projects and policies to be included in the San Francisco Transportation Plan and the updated Transportation Element of the San Francisco General Plan. Rebuilding and advancing our transportation system will take the commitment and involvement of city staff and community stakeholders.

Learn More

Staff is eager to learn what transit improvements are the most important to you and to share their own ideas and proposals. You can engage with ConnectSF at their website, which also offers a short survey at the end for you to provide feedback.

You can also give feedback at an Online Town Hall.

When: Wednesday, April 21, 2021; 5-6pm

What: ConnectSF staff will discuss the transit strategy and answer questions.

How: Sign up at the Zoom meeting registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

ConnectSF’s transit investment strategy is available in the following languages:

English                                    
Filipino
Español                        
中文

 

 

Published April 12, 2021 at 10:39PM
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Supporting The City's Youngest Residents Returning to In-Person Learning

Supporting The City's Youngest Residents Returning to In-Person Learning
By Erica Kato

 

Parents: A reminder that Slow Streets are not closed to cars dropping off students or school buses. They are considered local traffic and can use Slow Streets to access drop-off and pick-up areas.   

The Agency is eager to support our students returning back to school! This is an exciting time for parents and students alike, and we are proud to provide a strong set of mobility options to help facilitate school trips. Recently, we covered the Muni service we’ve strategically invested in around key school routes (like the 29 Sunset and 44 O’Shaughnessy) to increase core network frequency around our major corridors that serve many of San Francisco’s schools. In preparation for the phased-in reopening of the schools, we’ve also been hard at work to get kids to school safely by foot, bike, and car:   

• Our beloved crossing guards are coming back to help the kids get to school safely! Over 30 crossing guards will be deployed starting Monday, covering 17 schools around the city.  

• Any missing or faded white paint at loading zone curbs has been refreshed for all elementary schools reopening. We’re asking everyone that has been parking in the white zones during the pandemic to comply with the parking regulations and move their cars before school starts to allow for safe drop-offs.   

• We will be deploying additional parking control officers to areas where schools are reopening to address any issues, if they arise.   

• In partnership with SF Bicycle Coalition, our SF Safe Routes to School Program will launch Bike and Roll to School Week from May 10-14th as a citywide celebration to encourage students and caregivers to bike or roll to school. 

• We’re also encouraging parents to utilize our Slow Streets network as a good way to introduce your children to walking and biking to school. 

We hope parents, students, and teachers heading back to the classroom enjoy the improvements we’ve made during the shelter-in-place order. We also want to remind folks that Slow Streets are not closed to cars dropping off students or school buses. They are considered local traffic and can use Slow Streets to access drop-off and pick-up areas. School traffic IS local traffic. Staff reviewed the location of all the schools in their proximity to our network of Slow Streets. We are in the process of evaluating how Slow Streets affect access and school circulation. In certain cases, we may initially remove barricades and assess how school access and queueing during drop-off is working. As schools reopen through April, we look forward to working with individual schools to best meet their transportation access needs. 

 

Whether your family finds a new route to school on two wheels, six wheels, by walking or by vehicle, we think you’ll find transportation is recovering from the pandemic healthier than what you may remember. Whether it's a school crossing guard at a nearby intersection or our Free Muni for Youth Program, the SFMTA plays a role in getting students to and from the classroom. No matter how your family chooses to get to school as in-person instruction reopens, SFMTA is committed to helping you to school safely and sustainably. We will train students and caregivers on the four fun ways to get to school (biking, walking, taking transit, or carpooling). We look forward to supporting the city’s youngest residents, and will continue to work with schools on their transportation needs to help everyone involved breathe (and move about!) a little easier after a challenging year.  

Published April 11, 2021 at 02:14AM
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Parking Meters Help Keep San Francisco Vibrant

Parking Meters Help Keep San Francisco Vibrant
By Monica Munowitch

Parking Meters Help Keep San Francisco Vibrant

In a dense, vibrant, expensive city like San Francisco which is bounded by water on three sides, space is at a premium.  On city streets, which take up about 20% of San Francisco’s land area, there are many different forms of transportation, all competing for that limited space.  As a result, on-street parking for cars is just one of many demands that residents, merchants, visitors and others have for the road network.  And of course when it comes to on-street parking, curb space is a very limited resource. As it’s not possible to build more curbs, the city uses regulations to help ensure that spaces are available when and where they’re needed most.

Multi-space Pay Station on McAllister Street

In managing these competing demands, parking meters are the most effective tool we have --particularly in commercial districts and other high-demand areas. They create availability by encouraging people to park only for the length of time they need.  This helps to keep spaces available for people whose only option is to drive and park.  Without parking meters, the availability of parking in high-demand areas would drop considerably—many spaces could, for example, be taken for days or weeks by people at work, at home or on vacation.

Additionally, when parking is hard to find, people in cars circle the area looking for spaces or double-park while they wait for a space. This leads to congestion for everyone on the street, slows down Muni, creates safety hazards for people walking and biking, and negatively impacts merchants, businesses, and residents. Successful parking management in San Francisco not only increases the availability of parking for people who need to drive, it makes transit more reliable, manages congestion, helps the economy, and creates safer streets.

While parking meters do generate significant revenue for the city, they also have substantial costs.  Single-space meters, which make up the majority of meters in San Francisco, cost over $600 apiece; each multi-space paystation (serving 10 or more spaces) costs $6,000.  Other costs that the city pays for this valuable tool add up to millions of dollars per year, including labor for installation and maintenance, battery replacement, coin collection, data/communications fees, credit card fees, vendor fees and enforcement staffing.

San Francisco’s City Charter mandates that parking revenues in excess of management costs be directed toward supporting transit —a progressive and forward-looking system that voters approved when they supported the creation of the SFMTA in 1999.  So in San Francisco, paid parking and transit are inextricably linked and create a virtuous cycle: paid parking keeps the streets clear of double parkers and cars circling in search of a space and helps transit move faster and more reliably; more reliable transit is more appealing for people and leads to more transit trips, which opens up more parking spaces for the people who need to drive. And when drivers pay for parking, their contributions help fund the transit service that in turn reduces the need for driving. A well-managed parking policy prevents congestion, reduces pollution, makes the streets safer, and provides a transportation lifeline to the hundreds of thousands of San Franciscans who do not have a car. This encourages the type of density and walkability that make San Francisco an appealing place to live, work, and visit.

 

Published April 09, 2021 at 02:26AM
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The 150 Year History of Muni’s ‘Newest’ Route: The 15

The 150 Year History of Muni’s ‘Newest’ Route: The 15
By Jeremy Menzies

With the return of Muni’s 15 route earlier this year as the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express, here’s a quick look back at a line that traces part of its lineage back over 150 years.

A 15 3rd & Kearny streetcar picks its way through a crowded downtown scene in this 1910 photo.

In the mid-1800s people began travelling San Francisco’s 3rd Street corridor by stagecoach and horse-drawn streetcars. At the turn of the 20th century, horse car service gave way to electric streetcars, with three lines eventually sharing the work of serving 3rd Street from north to south. Operated by the United Railroads Company, the combined service of the 15 Kearny & North Beach, 16 3rd & Kearny, and 29 3rd & Sansome lines ran from North Beach all the way to the county line in Visitacion Valley.

A photo from OpenSFHistory.org showing the 15, 16, and 29 Streetcars outside the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot in 1940, shortly before streetcar service would be replaced with buses.

In the 1940s, streetcar service was replaced by buses that combined multiple lines into one route.  Like their streetcar predecessors, the buses stopped at key locations along 3rd Street, including the factories in Dogpatch, Southern Pacific Railroad Depot (now 4th & King Caltrain), downtown commercial district, Market Street transit lines and the docks in the North Beach area. 

A Muni 15 3rd & Kearny bus makes a lane change on San Bruno & Harkness avenues in this 1957 photo.

As the years passed and the city changed, the 15 changed with it, serving different terminals depending on where passengers need to go.  Eventually this expansion led it to become one of Muni’s longest routes, running 11 miles from North Beach all the way to City College. The 15 Third was discontinued in 2007,  after over 60 years of service, when it was replaced by the T Third rail line on Third Street and by a rerouting of the 9x and 9AX routes north of Market Street.

A 15 Third Street coach passes Torino Market at 3rd and Palou on its way out to City College in 2002.

Rapid growth in Mission Bay in recent years has resulted in changing needs for people who travel to and through this corridor. So San Francisco residents began advocating for additional service, particularly through the Southeast Muni Expansion Project in 2018.  Based on public input, that project prioritized a more direct trip to downtown from the Bayview. Responding to these concerns, we established the “new” 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express in January 2021.

A 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express coach passes a city vista along Jerrold Ave in the Hunter’s Point neighborhood on January 25, 2021.

Starting out in Hunter’s Point and traveling to the transit hub at 3rd and Palou, the “new” 15 takes riders to locations within the neighborhood and then makes limited express stops to downtown and regional transit connections. The 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express route provides some of the same north-south connections as the original stagecoach and horse car lines back in the mid-1800s.  Just like its predecessors, it builds on a core 3rd Street service and offers a transportation option that seeks to meet the needs of today’s residents. 

 

Published April 08, 2021 at 06:48AM
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Muni Subway Gets Green Light and Wi-Fi!

Muni Subway Gets Green Light and Wi-Fi!
By Mariana Maguire

The recent wave of major subway repairs is finally wrapping up and customers can expect smoother, more reliable rides when Muni Metro reopens. New wayfinding signs and art projects are in place at Castro and West Portal stations, and – drumroll, please – Wi-Fi availability, thanks to routers being installed in stations and cellular antennas being installed in the tunnels. Safety certification for the subway repairs was approved on March 11, paving the way to reopen the subway and phase in more rail service in May. Soon, you’ll be able to let your loved ones know you’re on your way even when you’re underground.

Our staff used this rare extended subway shutdown as an opportunity to accelerate other upgrades and necessary maintenance work, by packaging them with subway repairs to maximize results. During normal service, subway maintenance crews can only work within the few hours a day when trains are not running.

SFMTA crew installing new overhead wire in the subway tunnel

The work we completed during the pandemic provides significant customer improvements, including a quicker ride, the convenience of Wi-Fi and fewer breakdowns in the tunnel. This work represents an important downpayment on a larger set of deferred capital needs including replacement of the train control system, track replacement between Castro and Embarcadero and upgrades to the subway and station support systems, such as station electrical panels and fan systems. We’ve also been able to train additional crew members in tunnel operations and maintenance.

One of the last and key steps in finishing repairs and reopening the subway is safety testing and certification. The SFMTA is testing the track, signal system and overhead wires to ensure they are functioning properly and meet safety standards. We’re also tested our train control system to ensure it is in proper working order. The train control system is a crucial part of subway safety and operation, overseeing all of our trains in the tunnel and directing them to the right places.

Other important repairs and improvements included:

Track grinding: Just as it sounds, our track maintenance crews grind the track to smooth it out. Like a freshly repaved roadway, track grinding provides a smoother, quieter ride with less wear and tear to vehicles. This work had been in the queue for a while but was deferred because it requires service to be shut down and takes many hours. We were able to take advantage of the extended shut down to finally undertake this vital improvement.

Tunnel lighting: Our subway maintenance staff replaced the lights inside the tunnels between Castro and Van Ness stations and are completing installation of new tunnel lighting between Embarcadero and Montgomery stations. These lights are vital for train operators to see potential hazards. They are also necessary for visibility in emergencies. The previous lights were 50 years old and dim, creating safety concerns. While customers might not notice these new tunnel lights, this important safety upgrade will nevertheless make their trips safer.

Signs: We are also installing new wayfinding and directional signs at Castro and Church stations--part of a larger effort to improve wayfinding throughout the Muni Metro system. This includes upgrading the wayfinding signs inside stations that point customers to stairwells, elevators and escalators, and indicate where they lead. New station identification signs will also let you know where you are when your train pulls into one of these stations. All these new signs will be brighter and more visible with LED technology.

With this new signage, we are moving away from the confusing and outdated use of “inbound” and “outbound” wording in the subway. Instead, we will use a combination of route end points and cardinal directions (north, south, east, west), that are easier for customers to navigate and consistent with rail systems and stations in most major cities worldwide. As an example, that means if you are taking the N Judah at Powell Station and your destination is in the Sunset, you will look for signs for trains going to “Ocean Beach/Westbound” because Ocean Beach is the final destination west on the route.

Public art: When entering or exiting Muni Metro at Castro or West Portal, you will also see brand new, beautiful artwork on our accessible bus platforms at street level.

With the reopening of the subway, we will continue to gradually phase back Muni Metro rail by extending the T Third Metro to West Portal and bringing back the N Judah Metro rail between Ocean Beach and 4th and King. We expect these service changes to take place in May and we will share additional details as they become available.

 

 

Published April 06, 2021 at 01:56AM
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