Transbay Blog
Muni / SFMTA
San Francisco is ready to commit to real BRT on Van Ness
In San Francisco, the Transportation Authority and SFMTA are moving forward to recommend a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for bus rapid transit on Van Ness Avenue, signaling that a long planning process will be drawing to a close later this year. This critical north-south corridor between Mission and Lombard is served by Muni’s 47 and … Continue reading
Two-way conversion of Ellis and Eddy moving forward
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency finally seems to be pursuing two-way conversion for a handful of one-way blocks in the Tenderloin on Ellis and Eddy streets. Ellis and Eddy, as well as other streets in the Tenderloin, host relatively minimal vehicle traffic. Yet despite the neighborhood’s very low vehicle ownership rate [1], these streets … Continue reading
SFMTA announces first parking rate adjustments under SFpark
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has, for the first time since the SFpark pilot program was launched in several city neighborhoods this April, announced tweaks to parking meter rates. Those tweaks were fashioned in response to the parking occupancy data being collected, with the ongoing goal of finding the right price that maintains one … Continue reading
Extended hours redux?
I am a big fan of data generally, and especially data that is made available for public consumption. Even though politicians can (and do) produce reasons to ignore data, it is still valuable to collect it. Data-driven, fact-based decision-making is always preferable to hiding behind a politically expedient anecdote of choice. That’s one reason I … Continue reading
Could parking policy benefit from more regional oversight?
This week, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency officially launches SFpark, a program that implements the type of demand-based pricing scheme advocated by Donald Shoup. Through SFpark, both on-street and off-street supply in designated pilot areas, which include many of San Francisco’s busiest neighborhoods, will be priced dynamically to match demand. SFpark’s pricing strategies are designed … Continue reading
California Street Cable Car upgrades to begin this week
On September 16, the SFMTA and Department of Public Works will begin infrastructure improvements on the California Street cable car line, the first such upgrade carried out since the major 1982-1984 rehabilitation of the cable car system. In the first phase of the project over the next few months, sewers will be repaired and replaced, … Continue reading
Cornered
Yesterday, the Appeal published a weekend Muni update mentioning a permanent bus stop relocation that will go into effect starting this weekend. The update is ostensibly sourced from the SFMTA, although the agency’s official transit updates page lacks any mention of this particular item. The bus stop at issue — served by the 8X, 30, … Continue reading
About Face: Governor Signs Gas Tax Swap Legislation, After All
Although Governor Schwarzenegger indicated last week that he planned to veto the the Legislature’s modification of his gas tax swap budget proposal, the Governor did an about face tonight and signed AB X8 6 and AB X8 9 into law. AB X8 6 and AB X8 9 form the pair of budget bills (explained in … Continue reading
California Legislature Passes Legislation to Restore STA Funding
Actually encouraging news … from Sacramento? Could it be? Dare we hope? The State Legislature, as part of the ongoing state budget effort, has passed a pair of bills, AB X8 6 and AB X8 9, which would establish a tax swap and restore State Transit Assistance (STA) funding, a critical source of money that … Continue reading
Killing Muni Softly: Foreseeable Emergency
“Killing Muni Softly” is the sort of post title one would rather use at most once, preferably not at all — but certainly not as the headnote of an occasional series. No such luck in San Francisco, where transit is caught in a death cycle that may be on course to spiral out of control. And while … Continue reading
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