Archive for the ‘transit’ Category
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Today’s groundbreaking for our new subway was quite the affair. The Central T will open for business sometime in 20xx – that’s pretty much an inevitability now.
Of course back in the day, we had naysayers. But they’ve given up. After all:
“‘This is not going to become the Big Dig.”
All right, I’ll bite. This is not going to become the Big Dig because….? Because why? That remains unstated, unarticulated.
The scene this morning, under a SoMA freeway:
via anglisa
So, yes, of course Boston’s disastrous Central Artery/Tunnel Project isn’t San Francisco’s Central Subway Project. But will there be massive overruns? Sure, I mean they’re pretty much baked into the cake, right? Interested parties would love to see cost overruns – that’s the primary reason why these things happen.
Will San Francisco be better off with this subway than without? Probably.
Will San Franciscans use it? Sure.
All right, thanks for our new subway, America. We’ll get more use out of it than people up north got out of the Everitt Memorial Highway. (Your federal tax dollars paid for that one too. Oh well.)
Let’s Hope It All Works Out.
All the deets, after the jump
(more…)
Tags: 'This is not going to become the Big Dig, 2016, 2018, 4th, big dig, Big Dig West, boston, Central Artery, Central Artery/Tunnel Project, central subway, central t, chinatown, mta, Muni, project, SFMTA, soma, street, t, third, Tunnel Project
Posted in transit | 1 Comment »
Monday, February 8th, 2010
BIKE NOPA has just posted details on the SFPD police report and the District Attorney’s response to the death of pedestrian Melissa Dennison, killed by a collision at the intersection of Fell and Broderick on September 15th, 2009.
The intersection of Fell and Broderick
Tags: 2009, 29, 600, accident, ada, bac, bike, BIKE NOPA, california, cars, cited, crosswalk, da', dead, denison, denisson, dennison, department, dept., District Attorney, divisidero, driver, facebook, fault, fell broderick, haight, homicide, Honda, hope, intersection, Kamala Harris, killed, lake tahoe, Lieutenant, lt., manslaughter, melisa, Melissa, melissa dennison, melissa dennisson, melissa hope dennison, memorial, NOPA, north of panhandle, ocean beach, Park station, partial, ped, pedestrian, pit, PM, police, police report, prosecutor, Ramlin, referred, San Francisco, september, sfgo, SFPD, SFSU, shrine, snowboard, snowboarding, state, street, truckee, university, vehicular, western addition
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Saturday, February 6th, 2010
Yesterday’s announcement of a sinkhole affecting N-Judah service in the Sunset District didn’t sound like any big deal at first:
“Feb 5, 2010 to Feb 7, 2010 - SF Muni N-Judah Line Delay: On Saturday, February 6, SF Muni reports delays on the inbound N-Judah Line at Judah and 29th Avenue due to a street closure involving a sinkhole near the inbound tracks. N trains are turning back at Judah and 19th Avenue and bus shuttles are being provided until further notice.”
And, in fact, the actual sinkhole location itself looks unremarkable, excepting for all the signs all around it.
But check it – appears as if work crews might be spending the next two weeks onsite at 29th and Judah:
”WE WILL TOW,” says MUNI. No doubt.
People riding the N Judah buses this AM seemed relatively unaffected* by the loss of the trolleys, but that probably won’t be the case on Monday if the tracks aren’t usable.
Or, maybe, the City’s taciturn work crews will be able to get a quick fix in this weekend and then work on a better job over the next week or so? Perhaps there’s an ongoing issue there anyway and this whole deal is a big nothingburger with a side order of nada?
MUNI probably has a pretty good idea on what will occur but they aren’t officially saying anything yet.
Only Time Will Tell.
Le mise-en-scene ce matin:
An avid radio fan, call-sign Star Scream (srsly, perhaps ironically), hepped me to when the supervisors would show up this AM, and lo, he was spot-on. (Radio – it’s like the Internet but without pictures.)
Note the cracks nearby the purported sinkhole…
…and then compare them with these nearby bits (could we call them railroad ties?) that appear to be waiting to go:
Good luck, MUNI!
[UPDATE: If you believe what Next MUNI is saying, then the trolleys will be rolling across the sinkhole spot by this afternoon, February 7th.]
*So people trying to get to MUNI’s Town Hall Meeting today (maybe it’s still going on) should be able to make it. MUNI likes these kinds of meetings because they disunite riders (because of infighting over the preservation of service on particular lines) and they unite the disparate elements of MUNI. (Is the state of California really “taking away” money from MUNI or just not giving as much money to MUNI?) Regardless, if enough people hammer on the importance of one particular line, that can make a difference…
Tags: 19th, 2010, 29th, ave, avenue, bridge, crews, department, dpw, feb, February, judah, meeting, mta, Muni, n, n judah, public works, SFMTA, shuttle, sink hole, sinkhole, street, town hall
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Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Look at all these people patiently lined up by the Civic Center BART Station using their own private bus service – they’re commuting to work up to the Pacific Campus on Buchanan in Pacific Heights.
Of course CPMC pays taxes to fund MUNI but, for whatever reason, it’s easier for them to just opt out and buy their own vans and hire their own drivers to start up their own private bus line. You’d think that it’d be easier for the workers to get off at Embarcadero Station and take MUNI on a straight shot with no transfers, but you’d be wrong.
Oh well. Who’ll be the next to opt out of MUNI?
Sic transit gloria transit
Tags: (BART), Buchanan, civic center, CPMC, Muni, Pacific Campus, private bus line, Sic transit gloria transit, Station
Posted in transit | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Well they’re finally up, some of them anyway – they’re the fruitless trees of the newly-widened medians of Divisidero Street.
Boy, don’t these new leaveless trees and the the widened median make this body shop sooooo much more livable?
Of course the concomitant lane width reductions weren’t discussed at the time decisions were being made and, I would argue, were actually hidden by the powers that be. Oh well.
In this case, greening the median meant widening it. Does this benefit car drivers, bus drivers or cyclists? No, not at all. So why did we do it? The slow lanes now, in particular, are very narrow considering that big buses (from MUNI but also private employers) are supposed to use them.
Do you see where it says Divisidero Street Streetscape Renewal? What’s being renewed here? Well, let’s take a look at back in the day.
How about 1947? What do you see here? Do you see streetcars and wide lanes and plenty of room for cars and bikes to co-exist? Do you think the pedestrians of ‘47 bumped their noggins into each other all the time? I don’t. What don’t you see? A big old median filled with trees and streetlights – that’s what you don’t see. The street lights and trees are off to the side where they belong, not in the middle of the damn street taking up all the space.
How did our fore mothers and fathers survive with reliable steetcars and wide lanes on Divis? How did they get by, how did they live without a giant median and decimated (and soon to get worse) modern bus service?
The World Wonders.
Plenty of room for the median, not enough room for the #24 Divisidero – your stimulus dollars at work:
Oh well.
Tags: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, ARRA, department of public works, divisidero, dpw, great, Kris Opbroek, Mayor's, median, mta, Municipal Transportation Agency, Office of Economic & Workforce Development, Project Manager, San Francisco, SFMTA, streets, TLC, Transportation for Livable Communities, widen
Posted in streets, transit | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Market Street Railway President President Rick Laubscher has some thoughts this morning about MUNI’s proposal to raise the cash fare for the F-Market historic streetcar line.
Will the F-Line turn into another fiasco like we just had with the $7 CultureBus 74X? And how will MUNI leader Nat Ford manage to get by making an annual salary that’s merely $308,000 more per year than our Governor’s?
We should get some answers today at City Hall. Stay tuned.
Here are Rick’s Eight Points:
1. The F-line is a core Muni service and should be treated as such.
2. Muni should collect the fares it’s already charging.
3. The F-line is cost-effective at its current fares.
4. Staff’s revenue assumptions from the fare increase are dubious
5. Different fares at the same Muni stops will slow down operations.
6. “Let ‘em buy a Fast Pass” is not an acceptable response.
7. Exceptionally high fares on the F-line hurt the city’s economic vitality.
8. Muni wants to penalize a line that “people want.”
And here’s Rick missive to MUNI riders:
$5 for an F-line Ride? An Open Letter to Nat Ford January 19, 2010 by Rick Laubscher, Market Street Railway
On behalf of Market Street Railway, I have sent the email excerpted below to SFMTA Executive Director/CEO Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. All are welcome to borrow and elaborate on any of these arguments in your own communications with decision-makers on this matter.
Remember, the SFMTA Board gives initial considerations to its staff’s 2010 budget recommendations, including the proposal to raise F-line fares from $2 to $5, Tuesday, January 19 at 2 p.m., Room 400, City Hall.
You can reach Mr. Ford at 415-701-4720 or by email here. You can register your opinion with the SFMTA Board members by emailing this address. You can also reach Mayor Newsom at 415-554-6141 or by email here. Your opinion counts.
Read the whole thing, after the jump.
Tags: 2, 2010, 5, budget, bus, City Hall, civic center, cultureBus, CultureBus II, F, f market, fare, historic, increase, Line, market, market street railway, mta, Muni, nat ford, proposal, SFMTA, streetcar, trolley
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Friday, January 15th, 2010
All you freeloaders paying just $2 to ride the historic F Market & Wharves trolleys in San Francisco, well, here’s your wake-up call, via the SF Streetsblog.
The SFMTA wants to raise the cash fare to ride the F streetcars 150%, all the way up to five bucks. See?
“Currently approximately 18,500 passengers ride the historics daily. Assuming that 20% pay cash fares, increasing the cash fare by $3.00 over regular cash fare to $5.00 (similar to Cable Cars). Requires BOS review.”
Finally, you deadbeat passengers will have to start pulling your weight.
As seen on Market Street:
In other news, MUNI also wants to cut service on all its remaining lines. See what famous Akit thinks about these affairs right here.
Welcome to 2010, San Francisco.
Tags: bus, F, fare, fishermans, market, mta, Muni, price, San Francisco, SFMTA, tourists, transit, wharf, wharves
Posted in transit | No Comments »
Monday, January 11th, 2010
How much would you expect from Amtrak if you paid $145 to board the California Zephyr in Emeryville, CA on January 3rd, 2010 with the expectation of getting to Chicago in a day-and-a-half? Well, what if your fellow passengers called this ride the “Train From Hell” or something?
How did it get that name? Well, the train arrived in Illinois almost a day late a few days back due to it hitting a truck abandoned on the tracks(!) and encountering snowdrifts higher than an elephant’s eye in Nebraska and other typical travel issues.
The number of deaths and injuries continues to be reported as zero. So how does that earn this particular Zephyr the sobriquet “Train From Hell” or whatever?
Amtrak’s CZ on a happier day:
via Patrick Rasenberg
Perhaps Amtrak’s riders took a lesson from the whiny passengers of Flight 1549, famously piloted by CoCo County’s Captain “Sully” Sullenberger? Those particular airline passengers are getting at least $15k-$20k, plus free traumatic stress counseling sessions, plus a refund of their ticket cost, plus upgrades to first class on other flights for the past year, etc., and yet some of them are still whining.
Sometimes when you travel, Things Happen.* Please make a note of this.
Lower your expectations and you’ll never be disappointed…
*People used to die on jetliners – not Beechcrafts nor Cessnas oh no, we’re talking about your Boeings, Airbuses, Lockheeds, McDonnell Douglasseses – people would board and then die, it happened all the time. But how many passengers have died due to jetliner crashes in America since 2001 (which was a bad year, of course)? That’s a Big Fat Zero.
So count your blessings the next time a flock of birds or a pickup or a snowstorm or an Act of God or an Act of Gaia wettens your iPod and/or delays your Journey Through Life.
Tags: 1549, a.i.g., aig, airways, American International Group, amtrak, attorneys, ca, california, chicago, cold, counseling, Damien, delay, drifts, emeryville, flight, food, hell, hotel, iowa, Kreindler, Kreindler & Kreindler, lawsuit, lawyers, LLP, nebraska, passengers, pickup, settlement, snow, son, state, Tess Sosa, therapy, TRACKS, train from hell, truck, U.S., zephyr
Posted in airlines, transit | No Comments »
Monday, January 4th, 2010
After a gestation period rather more appropriate for a large mammal fetus, MUNI has finally birthed some bouncing baby SFMTA Guidelines for Photography and Videography. Read all about it and see the reaction courtesy of Troy atCaliberSF.
Two things jump might jump out at you:
1. The ban on the use of “large cameras” doesn’t give too much guidance to MUNI employees tasked with enforcing the policy. How large is large?
2. The ban on photographing stuff in non-public areas wouldn’t apply to somebody who isn’t on MUNI propertah, obviously. There’s no way a shot of a non-public bus yard from a public sidewalk could be banned by the SFMTA.
Anyway hurray, I guess.
Hear that, little critters? Those recording your late night bus rides now will have no fear of harassment from The Man.
Congrats to Troy Holden and MUNI spokesmodel Judson True for working on this.
SFMTA Photography and Videography Guidelines
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which operates the
Municipal Railway (Muni), welcomes photography and videography on SFMTA
vehicles and publicly-accessible property subject to the following guidelines. All
photography and videography activities should be pursued safely and with respect for
all SFMTA customers and employees. SFMTA facilities and vehicles are for the
exclusive use of the SFMTA, its employees and its customers. Any and all
permission granted to photograph or take video in connection with these guidelines is
subordinate to the SFMTA’s obligations to its customers, employees and to the
general public.
Non-commercial Photography and Videography
The general public is permitted to use personal, handheld photography and
videography equipment on all Muni in-service transit vehicles and on publiclyaccessible
SFMTA property, including Muni stations, as long as such activities do not
interfere with transit operations.
While on SFMTA property, all photographers and videographers must comply with
the following restrictions:
• Photography or videography activities cannot interfere with the safe operation
of any Muni vehicle as determined by the vehicle’s Operator or other SFMTA
personnel.
• Photography or videography activities cannot impede the safe movement of
Muni customers as they board or alight from transit vehicles or make their
way through Muni stations.
• Stairways, escalators, doors and aisles cannot be blocked by photographers
and videographers at any time.
• Photographers and videographers must fully and immediately comply with
any requests, directions or instructions from SFMTA personnel related to
safety concerns.
• Large cameras, photo or video equipment or ancillary equipment such as
lighting, tripods, cables, etc. are prohibited.
When using photography or videography equipment on SFMTA vehicles or property,
always be aware of your surroundings, including your proximity to moving transit
vehicles or the edges of Muni platforms.
All photographers and videographers are prohibited from entering, photographing, or
taking video in non-public areas of the SFMTA’s transit system.
Questions about the SFMTA’s Photography and Videography Guidelines can be directed to judson.true@sfmta.com or 415.701.4500
Tags: ban, bus, camera, cameras, guidelines, judson true, metro, mta, photography, photos, pics, SFMTA, spokesperson, Station, transit
Posted in photography, transit | No Comments »
