Help Us Beautify Geary – and Learn the Latest on the Corridor’s Transit and Safety Upgrades

Help Us Beautify Geary – and Learn the Latest on the Corridor’s Transit and Safety Upgrades

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Help Us Beautify Geary – and Learn the Latest on the Corridor’s Transit and Safety Upgrades
By David Sindel

A 38 Geary bus beats traffic in the new transit lanes installed last fall.

The Geary Boulevard Improvement Project aims to address bus delays and traffic concerns on a high-injury corridor. Community feedback played a major role in the transit and safety improvements we’re bringing to Geary. 

As we share the latest on these upgrades, we invite you to weigh in on a new topic: beautification. 

Join us Wednesday, April 17 for an open house about community enhancement for the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project.  

Date/time: Wednesday, April 17, 2024 from 5 - 7 p.m. 

Location: Presidio Middle School Library – 450 30th Avenue, 2nd floor 

Selecting the best option to beautify Geary 

At the open house, drop in to learn more about seven options to beautify Geary Boulevard. They include:  

• Sidewalk pavers 

• Etched/stamped sidewalk concrete 

• Decorative sidewalk concrete with glass aggregate 

• Street trees 

• Leaning rails at bus stops 

• Large district marker 

• Small neighborhood identity markers 

You can see examples and more information on our Geary Boulevard Improvement Project Community Enhancement webpage. 

Some of these options provide the opportunity to highlight the Richmond District’s rich history and/or culture. Others contribute to neighborhood identity or place-making. For example, decorative sidewalk designs at bus stops could highlight local culture. Or, a large district marker could pay homage to the surrounding architectural styles. New street trees could spruce up the boulevard. Sidewalk pavers could add to its character. 

Photo on left shows an example of a district marker; upper right shows etched concrete; lower right a concrete and glass treatment.

Welcoming feedback online or in person 

You can take the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project Community Enhancement Survey now.

You can also attend the open house on April 17 to learn more, chat with staff and submit your survey in person. We look forward to your feedback! 

We will have a second round of outreach later this year. At that time, we’ll share the favorite treatment(s) and ask for feedback on the details of the design. Crews will install the selected treatment during the construction phase of the project. This stage includes other planned utility, transit, safety and pavement improvements. 

People board at a Geary 38 stop that was relocated to help improve travel times.

Improving bus travel times with Quick-Build work 

As we welcome new ideas for beautification, we’re proud to share an early win for the corridor. 

We recently completed implementation of the “Quick-Build” phase, which included new transit lanes between 15th and 28th avenues. It also included bus stop changes to improve reliability of Muni’s 38 Geary line and safety treatments. Preliminary results already show improved bus travel times for over 40,000 daily riders. Muni operators say the changes are helping. We plan to publish a full evaluation report later this year.

Finding creative ways to support businesses 

We also devoted project funding to support local businesses. Our goal: find creative ways to attract customers to the corridor. 

To make this happen, we're convening a Geary Small Business Working Group. Our project team is working to execute the group's priorities: 

• Wrap Geary Boulevard tree trunks with decorative lighting 

• Create an ad campaign on Muni buses to promote the Central Richmond 

Preparing for the next steps: utility upgrades, then transit and safety work 

Starting in early 2025, SFPUC will begin upgrading the sewer and water lines along Geary. For more information, you can visit the SFPUC’s Geary Boulevard Sewer and Water Improvements project webpage. 

Additional transit and safety improvements will begin in 2026. During this stage, we will install the selected community enhancement. 

This construction phase will also include: 

• Bulb-outs to expand passenger waiting areas 

• Pedestrian bulb-outs and median refuges to make crossing Geary Boulevard safer 

• Upgrades of aging traffic signals 

After the entire project corridor is freshly repaved, crews will also paint transit lanes red. 

You can learn more about the project and subscribe for updates by visiting the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project page (SFMTA.com/Geary). 

Published April 16, 2024 at 12:37AM
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Congratulations to the Safe Driver Award Winners!

Congratulations to the Safe Driver Award Winners!

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Congratulations to the Safe Driver Award Winners!
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Celebrating operators at our 2023 Safe Driver Award dinner.

It’s not easy to drive a cable car, streetcar or 40-foot bus through the streets of San Francisco – maneuvering around construction, parades and protests, rain or shine. And that’s not to mention the possibility that a few of the passengers on board may not be having one of their best days. Now imagine doing all that and doing it safely every single time. 

That’s what our Safe Driver Award winners do, day in and day out.  

Operators who drive at least 1,952 hours without any preventable incidents or collisions during the fiscal year (July – June) earn a safe driving record for that year.  

This weekend, we’ll recognize operators who have met that standard for 15 years or more at our annual Safe Driver Awards dinner. 

Of the 229 operators we are honoring, 85 have between 15 and 19 years of safe driving. One operator, Oliverio Valle, has 49 years of safe driving under his belt! 

This year, nearly a thousand operators met our safe driving standard for at least one year. We thank these 982 operators for their excellent work. 

Our Muni operators keep the city moving through thick and through thin. They got essential workers to their jobs during the most difficult phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. They brave smoke-filled air during wildfire seasons. They face street flooding during heavy rains. At the end of 2023, they navigated traffic delays and transit reroutes when more than 20,000 visitors came to San Francisco for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. 

The next time you ride Muni, please make an extra effort to appreciate your operators.  

They make sure we get to our destinations safely so we can live our daily lives and enjoy our great city. 

Published April 13, 2024 at 12:05AM
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Central Subway One Year Out: Celebrating the Impact of Community Outreach

Central Subway One Year Out: Celebrating the Impact of Community Outreach

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Central Subway One Year Out: Celebrating the Impact of Community Outreach
By Enrique Aguilar

Muni customers catch the T Third Line at the Union Square/Market Street Station on opening day.

The Central Subway has connected communities from the Bayview to Chinatown for over a year now. As we celebrate this milestone, we’re proud to share why community feedback has been key to its success. 

Meeting feedback drives more transparency 

Our project team held community meetings from project design through activation. We gathered feedback from residents, merchants and other stakeholders. We also shared important project updates.  

These outreach meetings led to constructive conversations between project staff and the community. Early on, people asked for more transparency. We listened and updated our communication strategy. 

Local communities influence station design and safety 

Residents and community groups also shaped design and safety for the new subway. 
 
Rooftop plaza  
Chinatown and the Tenderloin stand out as two neighborhoods with high population density, yet few public spaces. With this in mind, community groups advocated for an upper rooftop plaza at the Chinatown-Rose Pak Station. This idea was not part of the original construction plan. However, advocates reimagined how the new station could better serve the neighborhood. 

Police substation 
After 2020, our project team heard many concerns about the safety of residents, especially Asian seniors, in Chinatown. Community groups asked for a police substation on the fare gate level at Chinatown-Rose Pak Station. Originally, this area was designed to have a concession stand. Our agency and city partners heard their concerns and took action. Now, a plan is in motion to build the police substation to increase safety for all Muni customers. Construction is underway.  

Bilingual ambassador program 
When the project started construction in 2012, we partnered with the Community Youth Center. Our goal: create an ambassador program with bilingual staff to help people navigate construction by Chinatown-Rose Pak Station. For years, ambassadors helped children, families and others get around safely. Now, ambassadors continue to provide support. They help riders understand the Muni Metro map and share any updates to service.

Chinatown residents and visitors celebrated the first day of the 2024 Lunar New Year with a lion dance at the Chinatown-Rose Pak Station Upper Plaza. 

Merchants and locals shape relief programs and new artwork 

We also partnered with city agencies to address concerns from merchants and involve communities in plans for new artwork.  

The Office of Economic and Workforce Development took steps to reduce impacts from construction. It provided support to small businesses near the project site.  

The Arts Commission led a huge effort to bring new artwork to the stations. It used funds from the city’s 2%-for-art program and gathered community feedback. Now, new art in the subway reflects the cultural and historical significance of each neighborhood. 

What’s next: building on the success of community partnerships 

What does the future hold for these new stations? Community partnerships made this project a success, and we’re building on that foundation.  

The Community Youth Center we worked with to provide ambassadors now plays an expanded role. The group was selected as the steward for the upper plaza at Chinatown Rose-Pak Station. Now, they develop weekly programming to activate the space and bring people together. You can check out their events by visiting the Community Youth Center webpage for the plaza.  

Every neighborhood reveals something different about the people living there. When we build new Metro stations, each one becomes more accessible. The SFMTA will continue to work with community partners in the Yerba Buena, Union Square and Chinatown neighborhoods. We’re thrilled to promote their vibrancy, and how easy it is to visit with a ride on the T Third Line. 

Check out this video to hear from SFMTA staff and community partners about how public engagement was pivotal to the project’s success. You’ll learn the details about how it evolved from construction through launch in 2023. 

Published April 11, 2024 at 08:20PM
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Our Vision Goes Beyond Zero

Our Vision Goes Beyond Zero

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Our Vision Goes Beyond Zero
By Amanda Eaken

Ten years ago last month, San Francisco proudly became the second city in the United States to adopt Vision Zero, an ambitious pledge to end all serious and fatal traffic crashes. Since I joined the SFMTA Board of Directors in 2018, I have been laser focused on what it will take to get to zero.

Like many of you, I feel very strongly that this must be a top priority for our city. I see the ability to walk, bike, drive, scoot, roll or take transit safely, without fear of harm, as a basic right and freedom that people should expect in our city. A basic right just like turning on the tap and expecting that the water is safe for you to drink — something you just assume the government will take care of for you. And, as I affirmed at the Mayor’s Vision Zero press conference, I share in the feelings of rage, powerlessness and grief whenever I learn that anyone is injured or killed in traffic violence on our streets.

But it wasn’t until recently, at the SFMTA Board workshop in January, that I realized that Vision Zero is not, actually, our vision. Of course no one should die or be injured in traffic on our streets. Great cities are for people, not cars. But we could reach Vision Zero and still fall far short of the city I think we want to be.

Let me unpack this a bit further. I think safety is actually the floor, it’s the minimum. Safety should be a basic right of people trying to get around the city. But as we’ve seen on Slow Sanchez Street or the Great Highway over the last few years, streets can be so much more than just safe. They can be places that uplift and elevate people. I know on some of my toughest days, a walk on JFK Promenade is pure therapy. More often than not these days I run into someone I know out there, and it warms my heart to see so many people enjoying themselves. I love seeing the irrepressible smiles on parents’ faces as they teach their very small family members to safely ride a bicycle, or hearing friends laughing as they lounge in the yellow Adirondack chairs.

Our streets can be blank canvases for local artists, places for communities to express and celebrate their unique identities and histories. As a member of the NOPA community, I recently learned that the San Francisco Parks Alliance is going to bring art to some of our neighborhood Slow Streets. I was asked to fill out a survey about which elements of our community’s history best express our identity, and should be featured in the artwork. I highlighted the Black churches in our neighborhood, NOPA Corner Market, the Panhandle, the University of San Francisco and Divisadero Street.

The community gathering space of JFK Promenade has a soundtrack of its own with pedestrians passing by live, public music and art. Credit: Paint the Void

Great streets should, in my view, create opportunities for joy and delight. Streets can be places that enable play and silliness like the ping pong table at 8th Avenue or the white wobbly chairs kids love to spin around in. They can be community gathering spaces that help to create the spontaneous moments of connection that are why we all live in a city to begin with.

Whenever I ride my bike down JFK promenade on a Sunday and hear the community sing-along around that wonderful old and warped Rec and Park piano, or stroll down Great Highway, take a seat on one of those orange metal chairs and soak in some live jazz with the spectacular Pacific Ocean behind me, I am so moved. This, I think to myself, THIS is the kind of city I want to live in – where the government partners with communities to create wonderful spaces that provide more opportunities for joy and connection.

COVID changed all of our lives, for some of us permanently. I observe — and have experienced — that some of us are still quite isolated, that people are craving more connection. Streets can be places for community members to come together, to combat what our Surgeon General is calling a national epidemic of loneliness.

So as we look to the next ten years of the essential work of making our streets safe, what some are calling Vision Zero 2.0, I want us to pause and ask ourselves whether Vision Zero is the extent of our vision. Vision Zero means nothing tragic or unacceptable happens. But I want to flip that around. Because every day, in thousands of ways, big and small, I hope our streets can do more than just prevent tragedies. I hope our streets can be places people can experience moments of joy and delight on their commutes. Where they can cross the street with comfort and dignity, rather than feeling that they have no option but to become defensive, anxious pedestrians, constantly on the lookout for cars turning right on red creeping into the crosswalk or drivers looking down at their phones rolling through a stop sign. I want our city to be a place that is safe for children to travel independently. When we make these important policy decisions about whether to restrict certain movements of vehicles, I want us to think about our kids — it’s their city too.

So please: join me in both recommitting to and re-envisioning Vision Zero over these next months.

I created the Vision Zero subcommittee of the SFMTA Board of Directors because I wanted us to have a space where we can sit around a table together, to share ideas, to jointly problem-solve, to co-create the city we all want to live in. Bring your vision, passion, creative thinking, as we embark on the journey to chart a course for the next ten years.

The next meeting is Tuesday June 11th at 1 p.m. at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, or you can always attend my virtual office hours on Mondays at 4 p.m. during the first and third weeks of the month.

Amanda Eaken is the Chair of the SFMTA Board of Directors which provides policy oversight for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods in San Francisco in accordance with the San Francisco Charter and the Transit-First Policy. This includes the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni), automobiles and trucks, taxis, bicycling and walking. The SFMTA Board of Directors also serves as members of the San Francisco Parking Authority. The SFMTA Board of Directors generally meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 1:00 pm. in Room 400, City Hall unless otherwise noted. Members of the public can attend or view meetings on SFGovTV2.

Published April 09, 2024 at 10:27PM
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What to Expect from Our Onboard Ridership Survey – and How the Data Helps

What to Expect from Our Onboard Ridership Survey – and How the Data Helps

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What to Expect from Our Onboard Ridership Survey – and How the Data Helps
By

The next time you take Muni, you might see survey takers for our onboard ridership survey. We’ll share what to expect. 

Recently, you may have seen survey teams wearing blue vests and badges on Muni vehicles. From now through May, these survey teams are working to conduct an onboard survey to collect critical information from our riders.  Our goal is to collect 25,000 entries that represent all modes, routes and times of day on both weekday and weekend service.  

We’re excited to share why we’re doing this, how the process works and how we’ll use the data to improve our system.  

Why we’re surveying riders:  

Having an accurate picture of our ridership demographics helps us make a range of important decisions. We can use this data to improve our system and service. We can also use it to set fares and inform our multilingual communication methods.   

To make improvements, we need adequate funding. The ridership survey is helpful in this way, too. Conducting a demographic analysis of our ridership helps us stay eligible for federal funds from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). 

Survey takers will always wear a blue vest and badge.

What to expect during our survey process: 

• Survey teams always wear a badge and a blue vest (pictured above). 

• They will not monitor participants as they answer questions. Participants will receive a tablet with multiple language options and will have privacy to complete the survey. 

• They cannot accept requests to participate. The survey team uses technology to make sure the selection process for survey participants is not biased. This protects the integrity of the data. 

• They will never ask to see your ID. This ridership survey includes a range of questions involving personal information. However, the survey team will never request to see ID. If you receive a request like this from anyone on a vehicle, please report it. You can call 311 or use our online Muni feedback form. 

The survey covers: 

• Travel patterns: where and how people ride our system 

• Transfer locations: where people go when they switch vehicles 

• Customer demographics: how people identify, including race, primary language spoken, gender and household income 

The questions about household income and how you pay your fare are especially important. They help us provide accessible service for people of all income levels. Answers to all survey questions will be anonymous. 

If you are asked to take part in the survey, please do! It will only take 5-10 minutes of your time. 

How the data helps: 

The more we know about who’s riding Muni, the better we can serve you. We use information from the onboard ridership survey to: 

• Understand the diverse experiences of Muni riders 

We want to ensure we’re meeting the needs of all the communities that count on Muni.  

• Make our service more equitable 

We’re committed to making our service accessible and affordable for all our customers. Our Service Equity Strategy is a critical piece of that work. See our Muni Service Equity Strategy webpage (SFMTA.com/MuniEquity) for more information. 

• Shape service planning efforts 

The more we know about your needs, the better our service plans will be. Your feedback will us allocate limited resources. We'll use what we learn to make the best investments we can for riders. See our SFMTA Budget Planning - Fiscal Years 2023 & 2024 webpage for more information.

•  Keep our riders informed and involved 

We want to keep you updated and make sure your voice is heard in our decision-making. That’s why we need to clearly understand our riders’ language access needs. 
 
A lot has changed in San Francisco since the pandemic. This survey will help us continue to support the needs of people who depend on transit and use our limited resources as effectively as possible.  

Have questions about the survey? Please reach us at: TellMuni@sfmta.com. 

Published April 05, 2024 at 06:46PM
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Introducing Applications for Our Scooter Share Program – and Celebrating Wins Shaped by Your Feedback

Introducing Applications for Our Scooter Share Program – and Celebrating Wins Shaped by Your Feedback

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Introducing Applications for Our Scooter Share Program – and Celebrating Wins Shaped by Your Feedback
By Maddy Ruvolo

Scooters are an important part of San Francisco’s multimodal transportation network.

We’re excited to open applications for the FY2025 – FY2026 Powered Scooter Share Program. This program supports the city’s goal of providing multiple reliable transportation options to get around San Francisco. 

The current permits for scooter share operators expire in June 2024. The next round will go into effect on July 1, 2024.  

For operators who want to apply to the Powered Scooter Share program: 

• See the FY2025 – FY2026 Powered Scooter Share Program webpage for application materials. 

• Check out the bottom of this blog for a section with more details about the process. 

Scooter program successes: how your feedback helped 

Over the past several years, we have reached out to stakeholders in a variety of ways to gather feedback on our shared scooter program.  

There have been concerns about sidewalk riding and improper scooter parking. These included cases where scooters block the path of travel for people walking or using mobility devices. We also heard feedback about the need for better adaptive scooter options.  

We considered this community feedback and have revised our application process. We’ve made improvements in the following areas. 

Scooter safety 

We launched campaigns and changed policies to protect people who walk, roll and take transit. 

• Educational campaign 

Our educational campaign is aimed at people who ride shared scooters and/or privately-owned ones. This campaign includes information about how to ride safely. See our scooter safety campaign blog for details. 

• Safe parking incentive policy  

We also thought deeply about incentives that might inspire safer behavior. We instituted an incentive program that motivates scooter companies to move improperly parked scooters quickly. If scooter companies respond faster to complaints of improperly parked scooters, the fines they face are reduced. This has resulted in huge wins for safety.  

The average response time to complaints of improperly parked devices dropped from six hours to one hour.  

See the Safe Micromobility Parking Policy webpage for more information. 

• Sidewalk detection technology 

Our transportation code now requires that all shared scooter devices have sidewalk detection technology. This technology slows down shared scooters if riders use them on the sidewalk. The scooters emit an audible alert, and the scooter share companies are required to send us a monthly report of sidewalk riding.  

This helps us understand where sidewalk riding happens most frequently, so we can send our enforcement team to those hotspots.  

Students from AccessSFUSD test adaptive scooters in Golden Gate Park.

Scooter accessibility 

We have received extensive feedback on our adaptive scooter programs. We did this by holding events in partnership with AccessSFUSD and scooter share companies and by soliciting feedback from the Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Committee and the Mayor’s Disability Council. 

For more information, see our blog on partnering with AccessSFUSD. You can also check out our blog highlighting an adaptive scooter event with our current permittees. 

• Prioritizing adaptive devices 

We’re prioritizing more seated devices and those with greater stability. This can include devices with larger wheels, backrests, floorboards, and other adaptive features. Continuing a requirement from the current permit cycle, all scooter operators in our program will have to offer seated scooters as part of their on-street fleets.  

We are continuing our separate Adaptive Scooter Program, as well. The program includes new requirements based on community feedback to increase usability, such as extending required rental hours so that adaptive scooters can more easily be used for commuting. 

Scooter affordability 

We’re ensuring that people of all income levels can benefit from our shared scooter program.  

For shared scooter riders with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines: 

We require all scooter share permittees to offer low-income plans that waive any applicable scooter deposit. They must also offer a minimum of 50% discount off rental fees or unlimited trips under 30 minutes. Additionally, they must provide a cash payment option. 

Want to provide feedback?

We encourage you to tell us what you think of these improvements and continue giving us feedback. To get in touch about the shared scooter program, you can email ScooterShare@SFMTA.com. 

About the Application 

If you’re interested in applying to become an operator in our shared scooter program: 

• See our FY25-FY26 SFMTA Powered Scooter Share Program Permit Application Materials page 

The deadline to apply is April 26, 2024.  

We will hold a Question & Answer session on April 5 at 2p.m. Applicants must submit questions in writing to ScooterShare@SFMTA.com by 12p.m. on April 3. 

Applications will be evaluated against a standardized evaluation scorecard to determine the strongest proposals. We expect to issue new scooter permits to applicants that meet San Francisco’s high standards for safety, equity, accessibility and accountability.  

We anticipate announcing successful applicants later this spring, and the new two-year permits will take effect on July 1, 2024. 

Published March 30, 2024 at 03:20AM
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Reflecting on 10 Years of Vision Zero: What We’ve Learned and What’s Still to Be Done

Reflecting on 10 Years of Vision Zero: What We’ve Learned and What’s Still to Be Done

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Reflecting on 10 Years of Vision Zero: What We’ve Learned and What’s Still to Be Done
By

Mayor London Breed speaks at a press conference for the 10-year anniversary of the launch of Vision Zero in San Francisco.

Ten years ago this month, San Francisco adopted Vision Zero, a policy declaring that no one should die traveling on the streets of our city. Vision Zero is San Francisco’s commitment to create safer, more livable streets with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and reducing severe injuries.  

San Francisco and New York were the first two U.S. cities to set Vision Zero as a transportation goal, following in the footsteps of Sweden, where Vision Zero was created in 1997. Now, about 50 U.S. cities, the state of California and the federal government also have adopted Vision Zero as a goal.   

After ten years, San Francisco has not reached zero traffic deaths, but we’ve made real progress on safer streets. We’ve tested many tools and learned what works. We know which streets most need improvements, and we know how to fix them. Together with advocates, our agency and Mayor Breed pushed for and won changes to state law that unlock powerful, proven technological solutions that will make cities safer across California, not just here.  

San Francisco is a national leader in advancing Vision Zero. Since 2014, our city has put safety at the center of all our street projects. We have adopted changes that before Vision Zero would once have seemed radical, such as removing parking at intersections so approaching drivers can see pedestrians crossing the street, programming traffic signals to give pedestrians a head start and be more visible as they walk into a crosswalk and designing streets to reduce speeding, a leading cause of traffic deaths and severe injuries.  

Changes like these have made San Francisco one of the safest larger cities in the country for pedestrians and bicyclists, with the lowest number of bicyclist fatalities per bicycle commuter and second lowest number of pedestrian fatalities per walking commuter, according to the League of American Bicyclists. Traffic fatalities in San Francisco have generally been trending down since 2013, while many other large cities across the country, from Seattle to Los Angeles to Washington DC, are struggling with increasing fatality rates. 

But San Francisco still averages at least two traffic fatalities a month. Every fatality is devastating to the friends and loved ones of the person whose precious life was taken away from them prematurely, as well as to the entire community. This truth has never been more poignant than it is right now, so soon after the tragic crash that took the lives of an entire family on March 16 in West Portal. 

Our work so far 

Over the last ten years, San Francisco has completed more than 50 miles of Quick-Build safety improvements for people walking and biking and installed close to 700 traffic-calming devices, such as speed humps, raised crosswalks and median islands. We created more than 32 miles of Slow Streets — safe, low-vehicle-traffic routes that prioritize people over cars. The city also created seven miles of safe, recreational streets like JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park. We installed 41 miles of separated bike lanes — a seven-fold increase since 2014.  

We advocated for state legislation allowing us to reduce the speed limit on our own city streets. Then we led the state in reducing the speed limit to 20 miles per hour on 43 miles of streets as soon as the legislation went into effect in January of 2022. Slowing vehicle speeds is one of the most effective tools available to prevent traffic deaths.  

Vision Zero has also led to improvements in how the city analyzes severe crashes. San Francisco is a pioneer in the use of High Injury Network methodology to focus our efforts. The current network where we target improvements includes the 12% of streets where more than 68% of severe and fatal traffic crashes occur. The national Vision Zero Network recognizes this effort, saying, “In addition to being a national leader on data, San Francisco has also led the way in prioritizing health equity into its Vision Zero planning and efforts.”   

We’ll soon be releasing a Vision Zero 10-year retrospective report that will detail these projects and many others. 

Safe streets advocates at the Vision Zero 10-year anniversary press event. 

What’s next for street safety in San Francisco. 

But there is still so much work left to do, and we are committed to doing that work over the next ten years and beyond. We will take the lessons we’ve learned from 2014 to 2024 and double down on what we’ve found to be most effective in preventing controllable traffic fatalities and severe injuries.  

One thing we’ve learned is that Quick-Build projects are cost effective and have excellent safety outcomes. Across our Quick-Build program, the annual bike-related collision rate decreased by 42% and the annual pedestrian-related collision rate decreased by 26%.  

We’ve also learned that San Francisco can’t succeed on its own. We need state and federal policies that give us more tools to make our streets safe. For example, it took years of advocacy to get California to pass legislation allowing for a speed safety camera pilot program. Now that AB 645 is the law, we’ll soon launch a five-year speed safety camera pilot program at 33 locations spread throughout the city. 

We will continue using best practices and evidence to guide our work in reducing speeds and redesigning our streets so that mistakes on our roadways don’t result in severe injuries or death due to factors that could have been prevented. We will install Quick-Build pedestrian and bicyclist safety improvement projects as soon as possible on the remaining 50 miles of the High Injury Network. We will also evaluate more than 900 intersections on the network for core safety treatments (daylighting, advanced limit lines, continental crosswalks, longer walk times and pedestrian head starts), and intersections that should have any of these treatments will have them installed.  

We will eliminate right turns on red in parts of the city where there is a high concentration of pedestrian activity. We will build a safe, well-connected citywide network for people who bike, scoot or use another micromobility device. And we will focus extra resources on vulnerable high-injury communities. For example, the city has obtained more than $25 million through the new federal Safe Streets and Roads for All program that will be dedicated to Western Addition and Tenderloin street-safety projects. 

There are external factors that make eliminating traffic fatalities extremely difficult. Automobile culture is deeply ingrained in the United States, and the more people who drive, the more there’s a chance that one of them will drive recklessly or make a mistake, like getting distracted by their cell phone. Vehicles are also getting bigger and heavier; they are higher off the ground; and they have worse driver sightlines, which makes them more deadly. These are issues we’ll need to take on, in partnership with community advocates and forward-thinking policymakers. 

 
Although city leaders set a 10-year deadline for achieving Vision Zero, the work is far from done. Vision Zero is a moral goal. And it’s not our only goal.  We want to make sure that walking, biking and rolling down the streets of San Francisco is a joyful experience and one of the things we love most about living in this city. We are striving to be the safest city in the world for all who travel here, and we hope you’ll join us in this work.  

Published March 29, 2024 at 01:43AM
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Celebrate Women in the Trades at Muni and Learn How to Work in their Fields

Celebrate Women in the Trades at Muni and Learn How to Work in their Fields

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Celebrate Women in the Trades at Muni and Learn How to Work in their Fields
By Glennis Markison

Jeena Villamor checks resistance on the contactors for an accelerator drum at the SFMTA.

This Women’s History Month, we’re proud to feature women in the trades and engineering at the SFMTA.  

You’ll hear from contract managers, car cleaners, engineers, machinists, mechanics, parts storekeepers and more. They all help keep our system safe, clean and accessible for everybody. We appreciate their hard work!  

We also want to encourage more women to enter their fields. That’s why we’re celebrating women in a way that helps others take action.  

Below, you can click on a job title to learn about one of our female staffers in the trades and engineering. You’ll see:  

• What jobs they had before their SFMTA role  
• What key skills they need for their current job  
• What their typical workday looks like  
• What they enjoy most about their job  

In each story, you’ll also find relevant courses or apprenticeship programs. 

Check out the video at the end of this blog to hear more from Machinist Apprentice Brittany McMartin. 
 
To learn about open opportunities at our agency, you can visit the SFMTA Career Center.

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Published March 28, 2024 at 10:12PM
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Taken with Transportation Podcast: Paint, Paper, Metal and Machines

Taken with Transportation Podcast: Paint, Paper, Metal and Machines

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Taken with Transportation Podcast: Paint, Paper, Metal and Machines
By

Members of the SFMTA Paint Shop Thermoplastic Team Six restripe Lake Merced Boulevard to create a new bike lane.

Street signs, street paint and parking meters keep us moving safely and efficiently around San Francisco. We may take them for granted because we are so used to seeing them, but they are a vital part of our transportation management infrastructure. 

In “Paint, Paper, Metal and Machines,” the latest episode of our podcast Taken with Transportation, we take a tour of the SFMTA’s Street Operations shops. These shops are responsible for street and curb painting, parking meter management and street sign production and installation in San Francisco. We depend on the work they do, whether we get around the city by walking, driving, cycling or scooting. 

“Drivers need to know where they need to be,” Traffic Paint Shop Supervisor Brian McBride tells Taken with Transportation Host Melissa Culross. “The street (markings) need to be clear enough so that people know where they need to be to make a turn or just drive safely.” 

Throughout the episode we learn how street signs are made, what materials are used to “paint” San Francisco’s roads and how our Temporary Sign program is managed. 

Two freshly created street signs at the Traffic Sign Shop.

Meter Shop Manager Tony Massetti describes the maintenance and replacement of parking meters. He also shows us a particularly fascinating part of his shop. It’s an area his team calls “the museum” that is home to out-of-service meters, some of which are about 60 years old.  

“You get a real glimpse of the history of the parking meters that have been on the streets in San Francisco,” Massetti says. “ We’ve held on to a wide variety of meters: the old pay stations, single space meters, all sorts of styles.” 

Parking meters from eras gone by serve as a visual history of San Francisco street management.

You can find “Paint, Paper, Metal and Machines” and all the episodes of Taken with Transportation on our podcast page (SFMTA.com/Podcast) and on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.  

Published March 26, 2024 at 08:13PM
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Then and Now at Kirkland Division, Muni’s Oldest Motor Bus Yard

Then and Now at Kirkland Division, Muni’s Oldest Motor Bus Yard

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Then and Now at Kirkland Division, Muni’s Oldest Motor Bus Yard
By Jeremy Menzies

Tucked away on the northeast edge of San Francisco is our transit system's oldest motor bus yard. Small but mighty, Kirkland Division has been home to some of Muni’s fleet of motor buses for nearly 75 years.  

These two panoramic photos show Kirkland Division during and after construction. Top photo taken July 20, 1950, bottom September 14, 1950. 

Kirkland was built in 1950 amidst freight rail yards and factories. Its namesake comes from a former Southern Pacific Railroad official, William B. Kirkland, who worked in a rail yard on the site during World War II.  Today, the division is nestled among Pier 39 attractions, parking garages and hotels. 

An aerial view from 1972 shows Kirkland in the upper center of the photo. Industrial uses in the area have begun to give way to residential and tourist areas.

The yard was primarily designed as an operations facility. It has shops and equipment only for routine maintenance and light repairs. With a capacity of around 125 buses, it’s nearly half the size of the SFMTA’s largest yard, Woods Division. 

This color photo from 1971 shows a yard full of old and new Muni buses. To the north lies the remnants of a once massive freight rail yard.

Today, some of the system’s longer cross-town routes run out of Kirkland. Operations and maintenance staff keep the 12, 19, 28, 28R, 43, and 21 (weekend only) on the road. 

By the time this 1980 photo was taken, the rail yard north of Kirkland was replaced by a parking garage for Pier 39 attractions.

Kirkland could play a key role in our work to electrify our fleet. The yard is being studied for reconstruction as a potential battery-electric bus facility. Proposals for this project include building an overhead grid system that would allow buses to charge while in the yard. You can learn more on our Kirkland Yard Electrification Project webpage (SFMTA.com/KirklandYard). 

This 2023 view shows a much-changed neighborhood but a relatively unchanged Kirkland Yard.

Kirkland Yard was a crucial part of the Muni system when it was built in 1950. It remains one today as we look toward the future of transportation in San Francisco. 

Published March 21, 2024 at 10:10PM
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How New Speed Cameras Will Make Our Neighborhoods Safer

How New Speed Cameras Will Make Our Neighborhoods Safer

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How New Speed Cameras Will Make Our Neighborhoods Safer
By Shannon Hake

A new roadway safety tool will make San Francisco's streets safer in 2025. Here’s everything you need to know about Automated Speed Enforcement cameras. 

What is an Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) Camera? 

Speed is the leading factor in collisions on San Francisco’s streets. Multiple studies have shown that the faster a vehicle travels before a collision, the lower the survival rate is for the occupants and other victims outside the vehicle. ASE cameras are a well-used tool to discourage dangerous vehicle speeding on neighborhood streets and highways. Widespread across Europe, the Middle East and many U.S. States, these cameras capture the license plate number of vehicles traveling over the posted speed limit. A citation is then issued to the vehicle owner. 

Why Is San Francisco Getting Speed Enforcement Cameras Right Now? 

Safety advocates and politicians alike have long championed speed enforcement cameras as a critical way to address the growing rates of injuries and fatalities on our roadways. In 2023, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 645, which authorized six cities, including San Francisco, to pilot the cameras for five years. The SFMTA has been working tirelessly to build this new program since the bill was signed into law. Our staff has been gathering data on speeding in the city, selecting camera locations and meeting with community-based organizations. We’re excited to bring this new safety tool to our city in early 2025. 

How Speed Enforcement Camera Locations Were Chosen 

Simply put, AB 645 spelled out how to select locations for these cameras.  

First, cameras could only be installed on a street if one of three requirements were met: 

• The street was previously designated a safety corridor with a high proportion of injury-related crashes.
• The street has a high number of vehicle racing incidents.
• Or the street is located in a school zone.

For San Francisco, the decision was clear: to install cameras on our High-Injury Network (HIN), which is the 12% of city streets that account for 68% of our serious and fatal roadway injuries. State law also specified that cameras could only be installed on city-owned streets (so freeways and state-owned roads like 19th Avenue or Lombard Street would not qualify) and that cameras should be geographically dispersed throughout the city. 

The process for selecting camera locations began with a review of speed-related collisions on HIN streets. The team then identified locations along these streets where more vulnerable roadway users might be present, such as near schools, senior service centers, parks and areas with high pedestrian activity. Finally, individual block segments suitable for speed cameras were identified within these areas — blocks with clear sight lines, with existing mid-block streetlight poles owned by the city. 

This initial analysis yielded more than 70 locations throughout San Francisco. Using pneumatic tubes or radar, the SFMTA collected vehicle speed and volume counts at each location. This detailed data was then analyzed to identify locations with the highest percentage of vehicles traveling 10 MPH or more over the posted speed limit. AB 645 sets 11 MPH or more as the speeding threshold that speed safety cameras will target.

Where Are Speed Cameras Going to be Installed?

The data-driven process for selecting camera locations has identified 33 recommended speed camera locations. These locations are in every corner of the city, in neighborhoods that may look different from one another, but all have vehicles traveling too fast. They are geographically distributed along San Francisco’s High Injury Network, with at least two cameras in each Supervisor’s district and at many key freeway touchdown points in the city.

These cameras will enforce lower speeds outside of eight school sites, 12 parks, 11 social service sites serving seniors and people with disabilities and 12 neighborhood commercial districts where many people walk or bike. Furthermore, the cameras will be located on streets that reflect the full diversity of San Francisco’s neighborhoods—the makeup of key socioeconomic characteristics in the 33 camera areas is roughly equal to the makeup of those indicators in San Francisco as a whole. 

The entire list of recommended camera locations can be found on the Speed Safety Camera program page. 

What’s Next for ASE in San Francisco? 

On Tuesday, March 19, staff will update the SFMTA Board of Directors on the program’s progress. We will also present the data we collected and discuss the locations chosen for speed cameras in more detail. The data also is now live on the Speed Safety Camera program page. The SFMTA Board will vote to approve the camera locations in the next few months.

Next, the SFMTA will work on completing the development of other critical aspects of the ASE program, including selecting a camera vendor, finalizing the citation process, building a community education and awareness campaign and much more.  

Automated Speed Enforcement cameras are expected to launch in early 2025. We look forward to sharing more information about the program in the coming months. 

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To learn more about the SFMTA’s Automated Speed Enforcement efforts, visit sfmta.com/speedcameras. 

 

Published March 15, 2024 at 02:37AM
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Celebrating What Makes SoMa Great as We Improve Transportation Safety

Celebrating What Makes SoMa Great as We Improve Transportation Safety

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Celebrating What Makes SoMa Great as We Improve Transportation Safety
By Adrienne Mau

Folsom Street at 9th Street looking east (September 28, 1914).

We're excited to break ground in just a few months on the Folsom-Howard Streetscape Project. Before construction begins, we want to share a bit of Folsom Street's rich history and how we’re working to make the corridor safer.  

Folsom is an eclectic street in the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood. Originally, it was part of a one-way, east-west couplet with Howard Street that served an industrial district. Now, this area has been transformed into a cultural, residential and transit-rich hub. 

Filipino Culture and Community 

Over the decades, SoMa has faced several challenges, including intense redevelopment efforts that were not only rampant in downtown San Francisco, but in the Fillmore neighborhood as well. Those efforts displaced approximately 4,000 blue-collar Filipino residents, including elders. But the residents pushed back by forming the Tenants and Owners Development Corporation (TODCO). The group fought to replace low-income senior housing to offset the displacement. Community organizers also pushed for naming streets in the area after important Filipino leaders and events such as Lapu-Lapu and Mabini. Now, the annual Pistahan Parade and Festival at Yerba Buena Gardens celebrates Filipino culture and gathers Filipino residents across the Bay Area. 

In 2016, part of the neighborhood was designated as the Filipino Cultural Heritage District and community group Soma Pilipinas is also recognized as a major cultural influence in the area.  

Victoria Manalo Draves Park between Folsom and Harrison at Sherman Street also honors Filipino culture in SoMa. It’s named after a local diving champion who was the first Filipina American to compete in the Olympic Games. You can learn more about the space’s history on Soma Pilipinas’ webpage for the park. 

Victoria Manalo Draves Park, named after a local diving champion -- the first Filipina American to compete in the Olympic Games.

LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Events  

SoMa has also welcomed artists, activists and the LGBTQ+ community. Along with Filipino residents, they have worked to build community and advocate for equal rights. 

Since 1984, the Folsom Street Fair has been held every September in SoMa. Managed by the Folsom Street Community Center, it typically draws hundreds of thousands of people. A smaller, more intimate version of the event also takes place every July. Up Your Alley runs on Folsom Street between 9th and 10th streets.

People attend the Folsom Street Fair, held every September in SoMa. (September 2013). Credit: nevskyphoto on iStock

Inclusive Entertainment Scene 

The entertainment venues on Folsom are an epicenter for the LGBTQ+ community. They’re also the heart and soul of SoMa.  

The Powerhouse Bar at Folsom and Dore Street is an anchor within the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District. F8 Night Club & Bar, 1015 Folsom and the Cat Club feature DJs and other musical acts to get people moving throughout the night.  

The Stud SF is reopening at a new location at 1123-1125 Folsom Street. This legacy business was the first to showcase alternative drag performances. It was all made possible by legendary San Francisco drag performer Heklina. 

Folsom Street at 7th Street looking east.

Local Businesses Honoring the Past 

For more than 30 years, legacy business Ruby Sailing has been hosting sailing tours on the Bay. At the other end of Folsom is the Flytrap. It’s one of the oldest restaurants in San Francisco. Locals started calling it “the flytrap” because the original owner would put food samples on display and cover them with fly traps. This was in the late 1800s when horses and carriages roamed the street.   

Safety Improvements: Introducing the Folsom-Howard Streetscape Project  

Although Folsom Street is known for its rich history and culture, it’s also on the Vision Zero SF High Injury Network. This means Folsom is among the 12 percent of streets that account for 68 percent of severe and fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco. Our agency partnered closely with the community to find the right solution for the corridor. 

Starting in 2016, our project team met with stakeholders to discuss areas of high concern and suggested improvements. From our project planning through conceptual design stages:  

•  550 people attended open houses 

• 1,300 people responded to surveys 

• Staff met with more than 110 businesses and 20 community groups along the corridor  

The project team heard concerns such as: people walking are afraid they cannot be seen by drivers when they cross the street. Vehicle volumes and speeds are high while it takes people time to cross the street. People biking feel that the current bike lane on Folsom is too narrow and doesn’t adequately protect them as they ride next to vehicles. 

People bike and walk on Folsom Street. 

After three years of outreach, we incorporated these concerns and created the Folsom-Howard Streetscape Project. It will improve Folsom between 2nd and11th streets with: 

• A two-way (east-west) bikeway protected by a concrete median 

• A transit-only lane 

• Wider sidewalks 

• Decorative street crossings 

• Benches, new trees, landscaping and more 

The goals of the project include:  

• Improving comfort, safety and access for people bicycling, walking and riding transit in SoMa 

• Enhancing the street with new trees, seating, additional street lighting and cultural markers such as decorated crosswalks, plaques and signage. 

We’re set to break ground later this year. In the meantime, project ambassadors will reach out to businesses and host an open house to answer questions. 

You can learn more about the project and subscribe to project updates by visiting the Folsom-Howard Streetscape Project page (SFMTA.com/FolsomHoward).  

Please share feedback or send your project questions to the project team at Folsom@sfmta.com.   

Check out our video below to learn even more. 

 

Published March 07, 2024 at 02:02AM
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A Letter from our Leadership: Values and 2024 Priorities

A Letter from our Leadership: Values and 2024 Priorities

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A Letter from our Leadership: Values and 2024 Priorities
By Amanda Eaken

The beginning of a new year is always an auspicious time. It’s an opportunity to reflect on what we’ve accomplished and learned over the last year, as well as a time to pause and align on where we are going in the year ahead. 

As recently re-elected Chair and Vice Chair of one of the most diverse and historically female SFMTA Board of Directors ever (thank you Mayor Breed!) in what has traditionally been a male-dominated field, we want to take a moment to share with you all what we value, how we approach the privilege of leading this Board, and what the SFMTA Board of Directors is prioritizing for the year ahead in our service to the city.  

First, our values. We believe that, as public servants, we work for all of you. We believe that every voice in this city matters. We honor the lived experience of all San Franciscans, and we know that we have a lot to learn from you. We believe in inclusivity and co-creation, that our ideas and projects get stronger as more of you have an opportunity to participate. We also see that many of you believe in and identify with this agency’s mission and are eager to roll up your sleeves and help. We want to continue to make opportunities for you to contribute meaningfully. Not only do we listen deeply and intently to the comments we hear at our Board meetings and read the thousands of written public comments we receive, we recently piloted virtual office hours with the Board Chair to provide an opportunity for you to engage and share your views in a less formal setting. We have heard from you that 1 p.m. meetings on Tuesdays at City Hall are not accessible for many of you, so we will be coming to more of your community meetings in the year ahead. 

We believe in transparency and sharing information with you. It is your right to know the steps your government is taking and what projects and initiatives your government is working towards. Part of the impetus for this blog is to put this value into practice. We also believe in good government. We know how it feels (because we have both at one point or another felt this way) to be frustrated with government and to believe that government is wasteful, inefficient and unresponsive. As active community members, we decided to serve for that very reason. We invest hundreds of hours of volunteer time because we know that trust in government is earned and not given, and we are genuinely committed to working to earn your trust. We believe a different paradigm of government is not only possible, but necessary if we are going to become the kind of city we want to be.  

Finally, we believe in creating and sustaining a culture of caring. We want to credit Tacing Parker of the Bayview Hunters Point YMCA for giving this advice to the Board at our 2023 workshop. We love Tacing’s vision for a culture of caring, and this has been somewhat of a guiding light and a north star for us as Board leaders. We want to be a part of creating this culture of caring, and it is important to us that this goes both ways. We may not always see eye to eye on issues or policy decisions, but that will never be a barrier to meaningful dialogue.  

SFMTA staff can work toward a culture of caring in the way they work and create opportunities for community engagement and input. We are taking intentional steps to improve this because it is such a core value. And, as part of this social contract, we hope that members of the public treat the hardworking and very dedicated staff of the agency with respect and give them the benefit of the doubt. While not on the clock, they are parents, caregivers, volunteers or advocates in their own communities. During our time working alongside them, we have heard many of their personal stories of grief and hope. They are caring human beings and provide an incredible service to our city. 

Now for some specifics. At our workshop last month, every Board member shared their top priorities for the year ahead. Transportation Director Jeff Tumlin then summarized the feedback into six main themes, and we want to share these with all of you. 

First, Muni – Board members are proud that Muni is faster, more frequent, more reliable and cleaner than ever, and the Chronicle seems to agree. This is not the time to cut service. It is the time to keep implementing Muni Forward improvements. Removing delays and increasing reliability allows us to save money and reinvest in the system. The Board is focused on our customers, particularly those who have fewest choices and the greatest vulnerabilities and is committed to ensuring that the city’s mobility options allow all San Franciscans to thrive. 

Second, street safety – When we adopted Vision Zero in 2014, we set a goal to achieve zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2024. This ten-year milestone year is an important moment to reflect on how far we’ve come, and to work with community members on charting our path for the next ten years of this work. Based purely on data, San Francisco leads the nation as the safest city for biking and the second safest city for walking. Yet we know that we are talking about people’s lives, not numbers, and every injury and fatality is devastating for the people who are harmed and their loved ones. Further, our vision exceeds safety and is one of a joyful, delightful, safe and protected network for walking, biking and rolling in our city. We will write more about this in another post. 

Third, personal security – All San Franciscans should feel safe and secure on all parts of the transportation system. The tools for making people feel secure are important and different than those that eliminate traffic fatalities, and they also require investment. Board members expressed appreciation for Chief Security Officer Kim Burrus and the way she is delicately balancing creating conditions that make all people feel safe and secure while also working toward a culture of caring in our enforcement practices. 

Fourth, innovation and efficiency – The maintenance team is doing an incredible job of making the transit system work, as demonstrated by the 89% decrease in short delays on Muni over the past year. Following that example, we need to get rid of things that don’t work and double down on things that do. This requires revising any current rules and practices that tie the hands of SFMTA staff so that we can do more with less.  

Fifth, communications - Skillful and strategic communications are critical to making our work relevant to and supportive of the communities we serve. A recent video summarizing the way the team came together to make APEC a success and another video shown at the Board meeting, Always Moving Forward, demonstrate ways we can help San Francisco to get to know the agency’s incredible staff. Also, if you haven’t listened to our agency’s podcast yet, Taken with Transportation, please check it out. The episodes give you an in-depth look into how we serve the community and showcase the people that serve you. We need to do a better job telling the you about the work we’re doing, what’s going well and what we’re working to improve.  

And finally, sixth, our looming budget deficit - Right now we’re working to balance our budget for the next two-year budget cycle, which is going to require finding $12.7 million more in revenue. But the budget deficit expected in Fiscal Year 26-27 is a catastrophic $240 million. We need to establish contingency plans now so that we are confident that we can stabilize our funding, close the larger budget deficit we will see in two years and grow into what San Francisco needs. 

These are our priorities for the year ahead. We can only reach these goals by delivering on our firm commitment to work in community. We look forward to partnering with you to deliver on our mission of connecting San Francisco through a safe, sustainable and equitable transportation system.  

Published February 29, 2024 at 02:52AM
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2024 Night of Ideas: A Celebration of Culture, Heritage and Muni Magic

2024 Night of Ideas: A Celebration of Culture, Heritage and Muni Magic

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2024 Night of Ideas: A Celebration of Culture, Heritage and Muni Magic
By Sophia Scherr

For the first time, the SFMTA is participating in the annual Night of Ideas with thought-provoking discussions and interactive experiences focused on the one and only Muni. Join us to discuss the integral role Muni plays in the city's identity and how we can build a deeper sense of community through public transit for the social good of San Francisco.  

The event, a collaboration with Villa Albertine, San Francisco Public Library, KQED and Circuit Network, includes philosophical debates, talks, performances and screenings. It’s an opportunity to meet new people, discuss pressing issues and revel in the city’s culture and heritage. 

View the full schedule for the Saturday, March 2 event: “Night of Ideas: Fault Lines: Outside the Lines.” The event is free however registration is required and is available here.  

SF Public Library Main Branch Events: 
Panel Discussion with Director of Transportation Jeff Tumlin, 7 p.m. 
Join panelists and SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin for a discussion of how public transit creates connections and fosters a sense of togetherness. We will explore the ways public transit brings diverse groups of people closer, positively impacts communities and creates a shared sense of belonging in the city.  

Interactive Trivia Game with ‘Muni is My Ride’ authors Lia Smith and Keith Ferris, 9 p.m. 
Muni enthusiasts won't want to miss the interactive trivia game hosted by “Muni is My Ride” author Lia Smith and artist Keith Ferris. Test your knowledge of Muni's history and quirks while enjoying a fun and engaging experience. You can also win some awesome Muni prizes!  

Fulton Plaza Events: 
Sharing Transit Tales with Muni Diaries, 5 - 9 p.m. 
A special addition to this year's Night of Ideas is the bookmobile turned into a recording booth. Stop by and share a personal transit story with Muni Diaries and KQED’s Bay Curious podcast. This interactive element will allow you to become a part of the narrative and help to shape the collective story of the Bay Area’s public transit.  

“Muni Raised Me” Showcase - Fulton Street Plaza 4 - 9 p.m.
A highlight of the evening is the "Muni Raised Me" experience featuring performances curated by Meymey Lee and Celi Tamayo-Lee. At the center of this exhibit is Altered SF, a decommissioned Muni bus that has been turned into an art installation. You can board the bus for a captivating exploration of the intersection between public transit and artistic expression. 

Published February 27, 2024 at 09:36PM
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Taken with Transportation Podcast: How to Muni

Taken with Transportation Podcast: How to Muni

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Taken with Transportation Podcast: How to Muni
By

Passengers board a classic streetcar on the F Market line.

Getting around on Muni might feel overwhelming if you aren’t used to it. So we’re giving you a practical guide for using the system in “How to Muni,” the latest episode of our podcast Taken with Transportation. Whether you've just moved to San Francisco, are planning to visit or simply haven't taken advantage of all Muni has to offer, this is the episode for you. 

“How to Muni” covers paying fares, safety and security and being a good passenger. “There’s a lot to be said for someone that just is polite to other people and so on and so forth, right?” Castro Street Station Agent Rigo Ortega tells Host Melissa Culross. “The Golden Rule applies. As long as everyone can just leave each other alone and get to and from in the safest way possible, we’re having a great day.” 

Operator Arnold Gray discusses riding “dos” and “don’ts” in “How to Muni,” the latest episode of Taken with Transportation.

38 Geary Operator Arnold Gray has some easy advice for making sure you’re on the right bus or line. “Don’t be afraid to ask an operator where they go. If they go to the place you’re wanting to go,” Gray says. “We tend to not know addresses, but if you can [tell us] the street you’re trying to be on and the nearest cross street, that’s very helpful.” 

SFMTA Senior Manager of Revenue Collection and Sales Diana Hammons, Operator Lynnette Richie and Deputy Chief Security Officer Teresa Scism also are featured in the episode. Plus, a couple of regular riders discuss their early days taking Muni. You can find “How to Muni” and all the episodes of Taken with Transportation on our podcast page (SFMTA.com/Podcast) and on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Published February 23, 2024 at 01:04AM
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Muni Connects Communities for Lunar New Year

Muni Connects Communities for Lunar New Year

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Muni Connects Communities for Lunar New Year
By Edward Wright

People celebrating the San Francisco Lunar New Year Parade on Feb. 23, 2019

Happy Year of the Dragon!  

Lunar New Year celebrations kicked off last weekend and continue throughout the month. To welcome the Year of the Dragon, we’re excited to share a few ways you can reach events for free! And, we’ll highlight how we’re connecting neighborhoods to Chinatown year-round.  

• Free Muni on Feb. 24 for the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade 

Thanks to funding from the Board of Supervisors, you can take Muni for free to the big parade. Bus reroutes and extra service on the 8 Bayshore, 12 Folsom/Pacific, 30 Stockton and T Third Street lines will begin at 2 p.m. The Community Youth Center of San Francisco will provide ambassadors to assist Muni riders. 

• Free parking all of February at Portsmouth Square Garage – first two hours daily  

The funding from the Board of Supervisors will also make it easier to drive to Lunar New Year events. Every day in February, you can park for two hours for free at Porthsmouth Square Garage. This nonprofit garage has supported the Chinatown community since 1962 and has seen a 50% increase in daily parkers since last year. 

• Supporting safe travel and celebrations on Feb. 24 

To ensure the safety of San Francisco’s AAPI community and everyone who attends the festivities, we are increasing staff on transit lines through Chinatown and adding extra ambassadors, safety and security support at the Powell Street, Union Square/Market Street, Rose Pak-Chinatown, Yerba Buena/Moscone, Montgomery and Embarcadero stations. 

Meanwhile, getting to and from Chinatown is smoother than ever thanks to the Central Subway.  

More than 1.2 million people have used the Chinatown-Rose Pak Station since it opened in January 2023.  

We see the joy of multigenerational families who use the station every day: mothers with toddlers, babies in strollers and grandparents with their grandchildren. One of our station agents, Longjie Cai, was especially moved by a recent conversation with an elderly woman she sees frequently:  

“She shared that, for the last decade, she had never ventured outside of Chinatown because she would experience motion sickness and nausea every time she stayed on a bus or in a car for just a few minutes. She faced no such problem when taking the train. Now, Chinatown Station has opened a new door for her, allowing her to catch the T- train and visit her family and friends who reside in Visitacion Valley.” 

This Lunar New Year, the Central Subway will make travel to Chinatown easier for everyone – no matter where you start your trip. The subway links Chinatown to Union Square, South of Market and all of the neighborhoods on the southeast side of San Francisco. It also provides connections to BART at Powell Street and Caltrain at 4th Street. That means more of the city and the entire Bay Area can travel to Chinatown to shop, dine and enjoy the neighborhood culture.  

And Central Subway’s Chinatown-Rose Pak is more than subway station. It’s a gathering space and community hub. We partner with the Community Youth Center of San Francisco (CYC) to provide regular ambassador service. These ambassadors help riders get to their destinations and provide information about attractions visitors to the city might appreciate. The CYC also has lined up Lunar New Year activities at Chinatown-Rose Pak Station throughout February and March. They include a Chinatown Lunar New Year Carnival, a library book giveaway and workshops on natural disaster preparedness.  

Whether you’re enjoying a free trip on Muni to the parade, free parking at Portsmouth Square or a smoother ride to Chinatown, we hope this new year brings you good health, prosperity and happiness.  

Published February 17, 2024 at 01:49AM
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A First Look at the Valencia Bikeway Evaluation and Next Steps

A First Look at the Valencia Bikeway Evaluation and Next Steps

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A First Look at the Valencia Bikeway Evaluation and Next Steps
By Project Staff

People biking on Valencia Street use the center-running bikeway installed as a pilot last August.

Last August, we installed a pilot bikeway project on Valencia Street with a protected bike lane running down the center of the street between 15th and 23rd streets. This center-running design isn’t standard, nor was it the first design we proposed. We chose this unconventional solution to meet two major needs of the corridor: (1) creating a protected bike lane while (2) preserving more loading, parking and the Shared Spaces parklets that businesses rely on.  

Our project team has been hard at work crunching the numbers to see how the pilot has been performing. Given the strong interest in the project, we’re sharing an early snapshot of data collected three months into the pilot. However, it typically takes about six months for people to adapt to a new roadway design.  

Drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians need time to learn and navigate the new right-of-way and adjust their travel patterns. Smaller data pools also run the risk of not being representative of the bigger picture. So, it’s useful to know that the next rounds of data may be more telling than the first.  

Compared to the same month in 2022, we’re seeing that the center-running pilot has been very effective in minimizing the previous dangerous conditions and concerns. Vehicle behaviors are more predictable and there are fewer conflicts between bikes and cars. There are fewer cars blocking the bike lane forcing bicyclists into the road and fewer dooring incidents. Many cyclists have reported a more comfortable experience and a less stressful ride.   

The center-running lane also better accommodates the diverse loading needs of the corridor and has reduced unsafe and illegal vehicle loading behaviors. Before the pilot, much of the loading happened in the bike lane and the travel lane. Of the loading activities observed, double-parking instances decreased by 77%, with most loading now being done at the curb. Double-parking is still the most common on the densest blocks and during the evening hours as dinner delivery services increase.  

In these first three months, we observed a 26% decrease in vehicle volumes but an increase in  loading activity such as ride-hailing and food deliveries. We estimate that:  

• Total loading events have increased by 27%  

• Passenger drop-offs by ride-hail services and taxis have increased by 126% on Fridays  

• Passenger drop-offs by private passenger vehicles and pick-up trucks have increased by 13% on all days observed 

• Goods pick-up (potentially food delivery) has increased by 43%.  

We can’t be certain without more data, but this could mean that much of the drop in vehicle volumes was from through traffic. 

We did not find any significant changes to daily bicycle or pedestrian volumes (+3% bicycle, -5% pedestrian).  

At the same time, there are new concerns about this design, both because it’s unique and because of new limitations drivers are adjusting to. Left-turn restrictions were implemented to protect bicyclists crossing the intersection. There were 11 collisions in the area of the pilot during the three-month study period. Half of the collisions that occurred were caused by illegal left or U-turns. We are taking immediate steps to address this, including installing additional turn restriction signage and coordinating with SFPD for additional enforcement.  

The full three-month evaluation will be presented at the February 20 SFMTA Board of Directors meeting.  

Next Steps 
The center-running bikeway is a pilot, and pilots are meant to be evaluated and adjusted, or even redone if they’re not working. But we cannot go back to unprotected bike lanes. They simply were not safe. While we're evaluating the pilot, we're also responding to immediate concerns and working on both short- and long-term solutions. 

This winter: We’ve been working quickly to address feedback we’ve heard about parking being difficult or confusing. In November we adjusted the loading zone hours to turn into general parking in the afternoon to support businesses.   

Some businesses have told us it can be confusing for customers to know where they can park, so in the coming weeks we’ll be trying out the more familiar single-space meters on a couple blocks. If people like them, we'll go back to single-space meters on the rest of the corridor. These meters will clearly show when and where it’s okay to park.  

Multi-space meters are still a good solution in most neighborhoods, but on this bicycle-heavy corridor the single-space meters have the added benefit of providing bike parking. The meters will also be accompanied by new parking signs that will help make it more clear what kind of activities are okay at different times of day. 

This year: While we’re evaluating the pilot, we’re revisiting the feasibility of a side-running protected bikeway, similar to what we had originally proposed. But it can’t happen overnight. Before we finalize any new proposal, we’re going out to talk with community members about the benefits and tradeoffs of a side-running design. 

We’re working closely with community members to choose the best design for the corridor. 

Every block of Valencia is unique and requires a tailored approach to maximize parking and loading and ensure that community feedback is incorporated. We’re also having discussions with other city agencies to ensure the design works for emergency vehicle operations.  

Any side-running design would remove more parking and loading than the current center-running design. Daylighting would need to be installed on either side of driveways. For businesses that operate a parklet and want to keep it at the curb, it would mean losing more parking. Two to four additional spaces per parklet would be lost because the bike lane has to go around the parklet. An option that would help preserve parking would be to convert parklets to a “floating” design with a bikeway running between them and the sidewalk. This design requires less parking loss for each parklet.   

We’re coordinating closely with merchants and other stakeholders so that the final design is one that allows businesses to thrive while meeting our goal of making Valencia a safer place to walk, ride and drive. 

We know the community is eager for us to make changes to Valencia. We’re working as fast as we can to continue exploring a side-running bikeway option, while making sure that we thoughtfully and thoroughly address the needs of this space-constrained and active corridor.   

Beyond this year: We’re also looking at other long-term design options such as making Valencia one-way or converting it into a pedestrian promenade. However, these designs would require years of study, and we would need to find funding.   

Published February 16, 2024 at 03:56AM
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