This is from back in 2008, when the Central Subway project was projected to carry 100,000 riders per day and spin off cash for the SFMTA to use to fund the rest of MUNI:
“There’s really only one question to ask about the proposal to bore a light-rail subway deep under the heart of downtown San Francisco. You’re kidding, right?“
“Just the initial math makes your head hurt. Basically it works out to somewhere between $1.22 billion and $1.4 billion for an underground railway that runs for less than two miles and has only three stops. That’s not a transit system, it’s a model railroad.“
“Throw in a few of the inevitable cost overruns and this could work out to a billion dollars a mile.”
“No matter. This is the kind of big, splashy project that city officials love to put their name on.”
“Basically, the argument seems to boil down to this - we’ve got the money (as if federal tax dollars grow on trees), the Chinatown community is behind it, why not build it? Oh, let me count some of the reasons.”
“But, critics say, a stop on Market beneath which BART and other Muni lines already run might have made this whole thing an easier sell. That would have created an opportunity for a single station where riders could make connections between regional and local trains, almost like Grand Central Terminal in New York. Instead,riders will have to walk all the way up to Union Square.”
“Oh, and did I mention that in order to get under the BART tube, the subway station at Union Square will have to be at least 95 feet below the surface. That’s nine stories.”
“What is it about that image of deep, underground dirt-munching machines in earthquake country that makes me wince?”
And this is from 2013, after the projected ridership has plunged to about 30,00 per day and its obvious that this subway is going to be a massive annual drain on MUNI’s operating budget:
I believe the vast majority of the city would love to have a north-south subway that extended from SoMa to Fisherman’s Wharf.
There has never been a city that has regretted building a subway. It’s a great system of transit, it gets people off the street and underground, and it doesn’t experience delays like buses.
What they don’t like is constructing a subway. It’s messy, dirty and noisy. But the result is worth it. Suck it up.”
MORE: Grab your scarf and mittens and make your way down to the ice rink to view several talented ice skaters from “The San Francisco Tremors Ensemble” from the Yerba Buena Ice Skating Center performing to Disney’s THE LION KING’s “Circle of Life” sung by Buyi Zama who portrays “Rafiki.”
Ever more deets, including info on GIANTS PRIDE NIGHT:
“Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square presented by Alaska Airlines - Announces Giants’ PRIDE Night - Fans Across the Bay Area Are Invited to Come Out in Their Best San Francisco Giants Outfit
SAN FRANCISCO (November 5, 2012) – Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square presented by Alaska Airlines will join the legion of proud Bay Area fans in celebrating the San Francisco Giants’ World Series sweep with Giants’ Pride Night on Thursday, November 8 from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The ice will be lit up in orange and fans are encouraged to come out in their favorite San Francisco Giants’ outfit for a fun night of celebration. The first 100 fans to arrive at the rink wearing Giants apparel will receive a complimentary skate admission for their guest that evening. General admission tickets are $10 and tickets for children eight years old and under are $6. Skate rentals are an additional $5. KMEL and KYLD will be at the ice rink between 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. that evening handing out custom Giants Champs placards.
Hours: The ice rink opens November 7 through to January 21, and will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., with the exception of December 31, 2012 when it will close at 9:30 p.m.
Ticket prices: General admission tickets are $10 and tickets for children eight years old and under are $6. Figure and hockey skate rentals are $5. Advance tickets go on sale Monday, October 15, 2012 at www.unionsquareicerink.com. Starting Wednesday, November 7, 2012 tickets will be available at the ice rink ticket window in Union Square. Group rates and private parties are also available.
Sponsors: Safeway, Alaska Airlines, Kaiser Permanente, Macy*s, Marmot Mountain, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, Square, American Conservatory Theater, Union Square Business Improvement District, The Westin St. Francis San Francisco, JW Marriott, Chancellor Hotel, Galleria Park Hotel, Grand Hyatt Union Square, John’s Grill, SFMTA, Emporio Rulli Caffé, Disney’s THE LION KING, UNIQLO, San Francisco Examiner, NBC BAY AREA, Telemundo, KSTS-TV 48, STAR 101.3, 98.1 KISS FM, 106.1 KMEL, KOSF 103.7, WiLD 94.9 and KGO 810
About the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink Since 2007, the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink has delighted children and adults with a holiday-themed ice park located in San Francisco’s Union Square. Ticket prices are $10 for general admission and $6 for children eight years old and under. Figure and hockey skate rentals are $5. Ice rink hours are from 10 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. daily. A portion of ticket proceeds benefit Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. For tickets or more information, please visit www.unionsquareicerink.com or call 415-781-2688.
Robert Keith, Ice Rink General Manager at Willy Bietak Productions
Karin Flood, Executive Director at Union Square Business Improvement District
Keith Turner, Director of Public and Government Affairs atSafeway Inc., NorthernCaliforniaDivision
Steven Carhart, Veteran representative from Safeway Inc.
Randy Wittorp, Public Affairs Area Director at Kaiser Permanente
And then a City College of San Francisco student obtained it as a daily driver to get him to the Main Campus reservoir parking lot each and every day for both the Spring and Fall semesters of 2012?
Really?
OMG. (Please note the tell-tale green CCSF parking sticker in the windshield.)
Let’s hear from a Toyota-driving CCSF student earlier this week:
“saw this lambo today at the school parking lot (ccsf). in fact, it parked 3 cars away from me. easily the most expensive car at ccsf…”
And just think, when the owner gets around to registering this car (use tax, baby – $7k), that’ll pay for the education subsidy he’s getting by being a stu at troubled CCSF.
Click to expand – looking north from Market and Fourth Street.
Who would design a political system that would assign more power to a former Mayor than the current Mayor?
It’s a mystery…
Anyway, let’s hope the ridiculous three-way light setup at this intersection is now back to two-way light so Market Street traffic won’t be choked as much as it’s been up ’til now.
OMG, it’s so-called Progressive Supervisor Christina Olague collecting a ton of cash in Chinatown!
Accidental Mayor Ed Lee on Christina: “She knows who her friends are.”
And then she thanks corrupt Chinatown Power Broker Rose Pak, you know, for the $46k.
Here you go, from Table 22, you know, upstairs at that place you’ve spent* far, far, too many hours in, watching the room-temperature plastic bottles of Canada Dry ginger ale spinning on the lazy susans:
The City Family wanted a compliant, so-called Progressive to represent District 5.
Here’s the reverse-angle, at night, from Market Street near the Union Square Apple Store.
It’s the giant neon sign for our long-closed Virgin Megastore:
Click to expand
Now didn’t I talk about this just last month? So why is this sign still burning brightly 24-7? There’s no actual Megasto any mo, right? Has this store sign become an ad for the Virgin Empire? Does somebody turn the sign off on Christmas to honor the Baby Jesus ‘n stuff? Does the City and County of San Francisco pay for the juice to power it?
