Saturday, September 11, 2021
Friday, September 10, 2021
How Small Improvements Can Make a Big Difference
How Small Improvements Can Make a Big Difference
By Julie Kirschbaum
Published September 10, 2021 at 10:49PM
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By Julie Kirschbaum
[excerpted from APTA Passenger Transport Magazine, where the full article is available online]
San Francisco Transit Riders, a non-profit ridership advocacy group, has declared September “transit month” in the city where I live, work and raise my family. As the Director of Muni at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), and for others across the country in my role, every month is transit month. Still, I must admit that even after working in public transit for more than 20 years, I’m still unabashedly enthusiastic about transit month and about the potential of our industry.
When we do things right, we connect communities, improve people’s daily lives, combat climate change and open opportunities for the people who need them most.
Because the SFMTA is an integrated transit and transportation agency, we are able to have our planners and engineers work together to design changes that reduce delays, improve reliability and increase the safety and comfort of customers along our most heavily used routes. These projects include a variety of treatments that specifically address the root causes of delay and passenger frustration, like traffic congestion, transit stops that are spaced too close together, narrow travel lanes and slow boarding times.
The upgrades we made include:
- Red transit lanes, which allow Muni vehicles to bypass traffic and other problems like double-parked vehicles. This makes sense on streets where buses run frequently.
- Transit signal priority, which is made possible by a technology the lets traffic lights know when a transit vehicle is approaching so that the light stays green to reduce delays.
- Sidewalk extensions at Muni stops, which allow buses to stay in the transit lane when picking up and dropping off passengers, making them more accessible and reliable.
- Transit boarding islands on streets with bike lanes to eliminate friction between buses pulling over to the curb and cyclists traveling through an area.
- Queue jumps, which work particularly well on less frequent routes, to help buses maneuver through pinch points.
During the pandemic, when it became even more important to speed up travel times so that people would spend less time on the bus and reduce risk of exposure to COVID-19, we picked up the pace of some of these treatments to meet the urgency of the moment. We implemented ten miles of transit lines on a temporary basis, with nearly seven miles more approved.
We also added a new express bus line to downtown during the pandemic in one of our historically underserved neighborhoods: Bayview Hunters Point. This investment increased access to jobs within 30 mins. four-fold and access to jobs within 45 mins. nine-fold.
The next innovation we’re experimenting with is urban high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Those lanes on highly trafficked city streets in a few select locations will be exclusively for use by transit and private vehicles with two or more occupants.
Megaprojects are great—when you can afford them and when you can afford to wait for their benefits. But small projects are another great option for making transit amazing. These projects—and the quick wins they can provide—are what I’ll be celebrating this year during transit month.
Published September 10, 2021 at 10:49PM
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Thursday, September 9, 2021
Young People Lean In to San Francisco’s Transportation Future
Young People Lean In to San Francisco’s Transportation Future
By
Published September 10, 2021 at 12:20AM
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By
On Saturday, September 18th at 1 PM, SFMTA’s Youth Transportation Advisory Board (YTAB) will host a Youth Town Hall both in-person at 49 South Van Ness, Conference Room B (masks required) and virtually. Since February 2021, YTAB members, youth between the ages of 14 and 18, have been sharing their transportation perspectives with SFMTA staff. Now, board members want to hear their peers’ transportation experiences and needs. The goal of the town hall is to learn from youth across the city so the SFMTA can better serve them in the future.
The Youth Town Hall will cover a range of transportation-related topics that impact youth and their communities. YTAB hopes this event will support relationship-building with youth and with organizations that serve youth and their families. These relationships will help the SFMTA better meet community needs through youth-informed service improvements. Feedback about youth experiences and needs will be incorporated into SFMTA services and will be considered in the upcoming FY23-24 budget.
Topics will include, YTAB’s vision and goals, Free Muni for Youth, racial equity on Muni, and SFMTA behind the scenes. Additionally, one of YTAB’s goals is to make internal processes, including the budget, more transparent so youth and youth organizations can continuously engage and make their priorities known. The town hall will include a brief presentation on the SFMTA budget with an open discussion about current transportation experiences and needs. All members of the public are invited, however, as a youth-centered space, youth feedback will be prioritized.
For any questions, please email YTAB@SFMTA.com. Please register online here if you plan to attend.
Additionally, YTAB members are calling for young artists, 21 and under, to submit their art for inclusion in the SFMTA’s first Budget Guide! Art pieces should reflect the artist’s transportation experiences. For example, depict your favorite stop, transit line, or destination! Art submissions are due by 11:59 PM on Thursday, September 16th.
Read more and submit your art at the YTAB Budget Guide Art Competition webpage.
Published September 10, 2021 at 12:20AM
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Wednesday, September 8, 2021
September is Transit Month!
September is Transit Month!
By
Published September 08, 2021 at 10:08PM
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By
Guest Author Cat Carter
San Francisco Transit Riders, an independent nonprofit advocating for the needs of public transportation customers, started Transit Month six years ago as a way to highlight the importance of public transit in San Francisco - for the city's livability, accessibility and sustainability. This event honors all the riders using Muni to travel in and around San Francisco, as well as all the Muni operators who get us there safely every day. We'll be celebrating the role of transit in the Bay Area's recovery with events, rides and prizes.
Daily Muni ridership never dipped below 100,000 during shelter-in-place-- that's a lot of people who depended on Muni to access essential jobs and services. Muni staff showed up every day, even in the face of the uncertainty of COVID-19, to make sure people could continue reaching their destinations. San Francisco wouldn't be able to exist or recover without all of the Muni staff who make transit possible-- from planners, to street ambassadors, to operators, to mechanics, and the people in supporting roles behind the scenes!
This Transit Month, we also need to talk about the Muni system we need for the future.
We know the climate is changing. Public transit has a central role to play in the solution: while serving over 700,000 daily rides pre-pandemic, Muni contributes less than 1% of San Francisco's greenhouse gases. Getting more people out of cars and riding transit is essential to combating climate change. This means making Muni much more competitive with travelling by car – ensuring that it's fast, reliable and affordable. This requires investing in more drivers, more buses and trains, and more transit priority and infrastructure projects.
As a society, we have also recently begun broad discussions about equity, access and the effect of institutional racism. Public transit has a central role in this discussion as well: it has the potential to give people access to opportunities, resources, and each other. This goal can only be achieved if there is good, fast, reliable service reaching all communities and neighborhoods. We, as riders, need to speak up about the type of service we need, and what safe and accessible transit for everyone looks like.
Public transit is also essential for the stability and growth of our economy. Not only do we need reliable public transit to get to our jobs, but changes in street use over the past year have shown that businesses do better when we accommodate different modes of travel throughout the city beyond the private car. Good access by public transit is one of the hallmarks of bustling, successful business districts.
Right now, Muni service looks a bit different than it did in 2019. These changes are largely a result of a drop in ridership (and revenue) and changes in rider travel patterns. But the changes are also a result of a reckoning with what resources SFMTA actually has.
Now is the time to lay the foundation for the Muni system of the future - one that is clean, safe, easy to use, efficient, reliable and with plenty of service connecting everyone. We can have all of that. But to do it we need to come together as a city to build that vision. Importantly, we need to build the support for funding it. We need everyone on board the bus to speak up for the importance of public transit. That's what Transit Month is all about!
You can check out all our events at transitmonth.org, including our Riders First party on October 1. Sign up to win prizes just for riding transit! See you on the bus!
Published September 08, 2021 at 10:08PM
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Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Late Night Subway Service Returns in October
Late Night Subway Service Returns in October
By Mariana Maguire
Published September 08, 2021 at 01:37AM
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By Mariana Maguire
The SFMTA plans to extend Muni Metro service in the subway to midnight as part of our ongoing rail recovery and COVD-19 Muni service expansion starting Saturday, October 2.
Monday through Saturday, last trains will depart their terminals before midnight and will reach the end of the subway tunnel, in either direction, by midnight. The last eastbound Muni Metro train will depart daily at 11:50 p.m. and last westbound train at 12:00 a.m.
Sunday night service will run until approximately 10 p.m.
Since May 2021 rail service has run until 9 p.m. daily, allowing maintenance crews more time to conduct vital, ongoing maintenance work. Extending Metro service through the subway until midnight allows Muni to provide late-night service connections to BART, while preserving a large part of our late-night subway maintenance window.
To do this necessary and critical maintenance work, crews need several hours without trains in the tunnels. Prior to the pandemic, the subway maintenance window was too short, causing work to be delayed or deferred. The subway shutdown during the pandemic allowed us to advance this work significantly.
Published September 08, 2021 at 01:37AM
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Tell us What You Want Muni Service to Be Like in 2022
Tell us What You Want Muni Service to Be Like in 2022
By Shalon Rogers
Published September 07, 2021 at 11:21PM
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By Shalon Rogers
The 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express is one of Muni’s newest routes.
What should Muni service be like in 2022? Now’s your chance to weigh in.
The SFMTA is planning to increase Muni service in early 2022. As we add more Muni service, what is the best way to do so? Should we simply restore the seven all-day bus routes that are not currently running just the way they were before the pandemic? Should we improve the frequency and capacity of buses on high-ridership lines? How can we make Muni service better than it was? That’s what we need your help to figure out.
SFMTA is pursuing a number of ways to gather feedback from the public on the best path for Muni service moving forward including a series of public meetings, specific stakeholder outreach, and surveys in English, Chinese, Spanish, Filipino, Russian and Vietnamese.
Three alternatives for Muni service in 2022
To begin the discussion on what the 2022 Muni Service Network should look like, we’ve laid out three alternatives including: a Familiar alternative, a Frequent alternative and a Hybrid alternative. Each alternative has advantages and disadvantages. It should be noted that the return of service for the 10 Townsend and 28R 19th Avenue Rapid is included in all three alternatives.
The Familiar alternative brings back the all-day Muni routes that have yet to be restored at their pre-pandemic frequencies: the 2 Clement, 3 Jackson, 6 Haight/Parnassus, 21 Hayes, and 47 Van Ness (in addition to the 10 Townsend and 28R 19th Avenue Rapid, which will be restored under all of the scenarios).
The Frequent alternative increases service on high ridership Muni lines, improving reliability and connections to grocery stores, hospitals, schools and diverse workplaces, while decreasing wait times and crowding, made possible by restoring just two of the seven pre-pandemic Muni routes that we suspended in 2020.
The Hybrid alternative aims to balance the Familiar and the Frequent scenarios and restores five of the seven pre-pandemic routes.
Find Out More
To help customers better understand these three scenarios, SFMTA has created a StoryMap that explains in more detail what each option would look like. After reviewing the site, customers can then take a survey to provide their feedback, which can be completed online or by calling a hotline.
Additionally, SFMTA will be hosting a set of virtual open houses where staff will present the three options and offer participants an opportunity ask questions and provide feedback. We will also hold virtual office hours when project staff will be available to answer questions about the three different options in a casual setting.
Youth are particularly encouraged to join our Virtual Office Hours with SFMTA staff on Thursday, September 23 at 6 p.m. to find out how the three scenarios for Muni service would change how they get to school and to activities around San Francisco. Youth will be able to ask questions and get answers from SFMTA staff about what matters to them most about Muni service in 2022.
Virtual Open Houses (attend one)
- Saturday, September 18 at 11 a.m.
- Wednesday, September 22 at 6 p.m.
- Thursday, September 23 at 11 a.m.
Virtual Office Hours (attend as-needed)
- Monday, September 20 at 11 a.m.
- Thursday, September 23 at 6 p.m. **Youth-centered Office Hours**
The feedback gathered from the survey, combined with transit data, will be used to develop a proposal for the 2022 Muni Service Network. The proposal will then be presented to stakeholders for fine tuning before being brought to the SFMTA Board for consideration later this year.
Published September 07, 2021 at 11:21PM
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Monday, September 6, 2021
Sunday, September 5, 2021
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The 150 Year History of Muni’s ‘Newest’ Route: The 15 By Jeremy Menzies With the return of Muni’s 15 route earlier this year as the 15 Bay...
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Tell us What You Want Muni Service to Be Like in 2022 By Shalon Rogers The 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express is one of Muni’s newest routes...
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Bringing Back Muni Better By Julie Kirschbaum Much of Muni service has already been restored since the pandemic-related service reductions...
