Comments on: The Northwest Subway

By: Eric

Eric — Sun, 03 May 2009 16:43:18 +0000

If indeed light rail through the Marina and Presidio is determined to be promising through ridership projections, then such a line can be built in phases, as appropriate. But I can think of no good reason to fast-track it ahead of other, truly “much needed” improvements. Marina/Presidio LRT is not the 1st, or even the 8th, priority.

By: jt

jt — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:45:46 +0000

Maybe a future plan for the t-line central subway would be a much needed city loop like this: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_EJHLmXOyIRY/Sfyw3Fu7-wI/AAAAAAAAAOU/tAQVl7K52mc/s912/muni.jpg

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:14:22 +0000

Eric, I know your pain. I had to rely on the F-line at Castro when the underground had its frequent morning meltdowns. I also am not a fan of the Central Subway project because the current plan does not seem to serve any real purpose. However, if we are going to be stuck with it then make it something worth the investment like extending it to the wharf/end of Van Ness (as in the map above). First, I don’t think the extension would be a redundancy of track. The F-line runs around the perimeter of the city before heading up Market St. Second, the extension will connect major commercial areas that will be easier to access.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:12:16 +0000

The F-Market suffers from the reliability issues that are inherent to having surface transit operate in mixed flow with automobiles. The purpose of the F (and really, of streetcars in general) isn’t to be rapid transit; it’s to enhance mobility in an urban space, particularly for relatively short trips where it’s unnecessary to go underground.

Surface redundancy can be very important, especially when you have a subway as troubled as Muni’s. I can’t tell you how many times over the years that I’ve relied on the F when there were delays underground.

It doesn’t mean that subways aren’t worth the investment, but realistically, even a long-term scenario in SF won’t involve nearly as many tunnels as NYC. I’m certainly not against subways in principle, though I remain highly skeptical of Central Subway planning, in particular.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:01:24 +0000

Of course the F-line is popular…I don’t discount that fact. However, it simply didn’t work for me as a means to commute to and from work. I just don’t find it reliable. But, that’s just my opinion.

By: Jamison Wieser

Jamison Wieser — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:12:11 +0000

Don’t be so quick to dismiss historic streetcars as being some cute novelty.

The F-Line carries more passengers than any bus line on Market Street and more passengers than the J or K line as of spring 2007. I don’t have more current figures at hand, but last I checked the F-Line was still in the top 10 highest ridership lines.

There are options to speed up transit along Stockton short of a subway and even BRT. Low floor busses, all-door boarding, ticket vending machines, loaders (light-duty workers helping direct people) would all make contributions to boarding speed. It doesn’t make the busses move any faster, but reduces the time they spend standing still.

By: Richard Mlynarik

Richard Mlynarik — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:10:12 +0000

Why shouldn’t I want to get from Point A to Point B is the least amount of time.

Because I’m paying for it by degraded service throughout the entire city and the entire region, and paying for it for decades to come.

Enjoy your ride!

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:51:38 +0000

I’m originally from the east coast and loved living in NYC and DC and riding their subways. I would love to see more subways in SF through downtown, along Geary, down 19th Ave. connecting important commercials districts…getting people not only out of their cars, but getting rid of their cars.

MUNI light-rail is a joke. The historic streetcars look cute rolling along the Embarcadero and Market St., but one can hardly call that mass transit. I would like to see a subway up 4th St., Stockton through Chinatown/North Beach around the bend and down Van Ness. Why shouldn’t I want to get from Point A to Point B is the least amount of time.

By: bikerider

bikerider — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:12:52 +0000

Subways represent the final hegemony of the car.

Other than increased profits for contractors, there is nothing that will be accomplished with subway that could not just as easily be accomplished with at-grade solution (whether it be tram or even BRT).

By: Fazal Majid

Fazal Majid — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:54:48 +0000

I agree with Eric in that the Chinatown to Market stretch is too short to make a subway optimal, but short of putting moving sidewalks on Stockton between California and Grant, there is not much that can be done. Stockton street is simply too crowded for buses to move efficiently, and too narrow for BRT.