CA: SFMTA Unveils Bay Area Bike Share and Announces Open House

masstransitmag.com – excerpt

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all transportation in the city, today announced that the first phase of the regional bicycle sharing program, led by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and scheduled to launch this summer in San Francisco, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View and San Jose, will be named “Bay Area Bike Share.”… (more)

SFMTA hands more programs to cyclists while threatening disabled drivers with loss of free parking.

Ever wonder how efficient the Muni might be if the SFMTA directors spent NO TIME helping cyclists and ALL THEIR TIME on fixing the problems plaguing Muni?

New information on just how much the SFMTA is giving the SF Bicycle Coalition while begging for money to fix Muni has just surfaced – We have information that the SFMTA handed the SF Bicycle Coalition a $500k grant to take public comment on the Bike Plan update of 2009.

“After several months of “public process,” the list of projects coming out was the same as going in.”

 

How does the SFMTA explain approving handing out grants when they need the money to run Muni? They just raised fast pass fees $2.00 a month.

And why is the media not covering this story?

Muni Fares For Passholders To Rise In June

By Sasha Lekach : sfappeal – excerpt

Starting June 17, the price of an adult fast pass and an adult Muni-only pass will increase by $2 up to $76 and $66, respectively.
The senior and youth passes will be $23 per month, a $1 increase.
The new costs will go into effect for riders purchasing passes for the month of July… (more)

Bike Lane Battles Heat Up

BY: Tod Newcombe : governing.com – excerpt

There’s no question that biking has surged in popularity in the last few years. The share of Americans commuting by bike has grown by 47 percent since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey.
The rising popularity of biking has also led to a surge in the number of bike paths and bike lanes. But as demand for lanes continues to rise, the nation’s cities are beginning to see resistance grow.
Front and center in today’s bike-lane dust-ups is San Francisco… (more)

Updated: Mapping Bay Area Transportation Mega Projects

by Michael Conrad : sf.curbed.com – excerpt

Just last month we wrote about Bay Area Transportation Mega Projects, which featured a map of massive transportation projects under or awaiting construction. Readers chimed in about projects we skipped, so we thought it best to update the map. It now includes 15 of the largest projects that will, for better or worse, change the way we travel around our beloved bay region… (more)

Good work!

Supervisors suggested a change in priorities is in order at the SFMTA. The crowd cheered.

May 2 Public Hearing on Parking – on-line Recording (click on the 130155 bullet point)

In opening statements Supervisors Mark Farrell and Malia Cohen left no doubt as to how they feel about the SFMTA’s misguided parking and traffic management policies, and suggested that perhaps a change in priorities is needed. The SFMTA needs to fix the Muni first. They feel that SFMTA’s first priority should be to make the Muni a safe, reliable public transit system….

Drastic cut in travel times part of Muni’s ambitious long-term vision

By: Will Reisman : sfexaminer.com – excerpt

For Muni to be a reliable transit system consistently used by commuters, travel times need to be significantly reduced — a point emphasized by the agency’s executive director.
Detailing the cure is the easy part; figuring out how to accomplish that task is something else.
As part of its long-range vision, Muni has laid out ambitious goals along its major transit corridors, with the plan calling for the travel times of some routes to be cut in half…  (more)

As Supervisor Campos said at the May 2 hearing, it would be nice if Muni service was as efficient as the meter maids.

SFMTA officials do a lot of talking about fixing the Muni, yet no discernible progress has been made.

Meanwhile, the SFMTA has no trouble installing parking meters and bike paths, disrupt traffic and eliminating parking spots.

We need a change in priorities.

Muni Workers Celebrate Ruling Against SF Ballot Measures That Changed Their Collective Bargaining Rules

sfappeal.com – excerpt

After a judge from the California Public Employment Relations Board ruled Tuesday that a 2010 city proposition violates state labor law, San Francisco transit workers are celebrating, union officials said Friday.
Judge Shawn Cloughesy found portions of Proposition G, a ballot measure approved by voters in November 2010 that changed the collective bargaining rules for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, interferes with the rights of employees to be part of labor organizations.
Furthermore, the ruling states the proposition violates the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, which established collective bargaining for state public employees…
Transport Workers Union Local 250-A, which represents more than 2,000 Muni workers, argued that Proposition G affected workers’ ability to participate in bargaining, arbitration of disputes between workers and management, and speak out about safety and other issues.
“The best way to keep Muni running safely, on time and on budget is to give our members a voice, bargain fair contracts and respect workers’ rights,” union president Eric Williams said in a statement today… (more)

If anyone needs to speak out about the state of the Muni it is probably the drivers and those who actually make the buses run. We have heard nothing but excuses from Muni management. Their solution is always the same. Complain about lack of funds and cut service.

Muni for today, Muni for tomorrow

Edward D. Reisikin : sfexaminer – excerpt

If you live in, work in or visit San Francisco, chances are you’ve ridden Muni. As a regular rider and resident, I understand why the system is valued for its comprehensive coverage of our city and also why it is criticized for sometimes being crowded, dirty or late.
I also understand that there is much work to do to achieve our charter-mandated performance goals. We are working hard to address the system’s critical issues: increasing efficiencies, replacing antiquated equipment, and ensuring buses and trains are on time. These issues result, in part, from underfunding Muni for decades…
Just how much investment is needed? For Muni and other aspects of our current transportation system, we need $510 million per year for the next 20 years… (more)

If Muni needs $510 million a year, why did SFMTA just approve a trade of $510 million in developer transit fees for a $510 million dollar streetscape project? Who is setting the priorities? And how can anyone justify that kind of money for a single street corner? Where are the auditors?

SFMTA chief hopes to calm the parking meter furor at supervisorial hearing

Steven T. Jones : sfweekly – excerpt

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency director Ed Reiskin faces a tough challenge tomorrow (Thu/2) at the Board of Supervisors Neighborhood Services and Safety hearing that Sup. Mark Farrell has called on expanding parking meters into new neighborhoods, where Reiskin is expected to face a hornet’s nest of SFMTA critics stirred up by the loss of free street parking and perceptions that the agency is mismanaging public spaces and transit.
Reiskin needs to quell some of the anger that is erupting in the northeast Mission District, Potrero Hill, and other areas slated for new meters enough to prevent increased supervisorial intervention into his independent agency and ensure a transit improvement bond measure planned for next year has a chance of passing – which the agency desperately needs to make improvements to Muni… (more)

Diverted funds: If SFMTA needs money to fix the Muni why did they divert 510 million dollars in public transit fees from Muni to the street calming project to reduce the traffic lanes where Dolores meets Market Street?

This is an in-kind trade that doesn’t smell right. How can they possibly spend over half a billion dollars widening a sidewalk?  Is this real money and where is it going?

The Sunday parking meters are expected to bring in a measly 1.7 million dollars a year. Why bother collecting 1.7 million dollars if you are going to give away 510 million? The voters are not that dumb. Ed and Primus are wasting their time.

Public Hearing on Parking

Supervisor Mark Farrell’s Public Hearing on Parking
Now scheduled for : Thursday, May 2 at 3 PM

WHO: Supervisors Mark Farrell, David Campos, Eric Mar, and Malia Cohen
WHAT: Hearing on SFMTA’s Proposed Parking Meter Expansion Plans
WHERE: City Hall – Board of Supervisors Chambers – Room 250
WHEN: May 2, 2013 at 3:00PM

Agenda: http://www.sfbos.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=45238

Good news! The Supervisors heard our cries for help, comments, and requests for relief from further parking restrictions planned by the SFMTA.
There is a Parking Hearing scheduled for May 2 at 3:00 PM in the Board Chambers – room 250. Please spread the word and get the message out to your friends and colleagues. Everyone is invited to attend and give testimony at the hearing. Bring written statements to leave with the clerk, and/or prepare to speak for around 2 or three minutes at the podium. FILL THE HALL. Raise your flag and wear your colors. You did it before. You can do it again.
Email written statements to the Mayor and the Supervisors.
Don’t forget to text and tweet invitations to join us when you arrive.
If you haven’t already done so, sign the petition to : Stop SFMTA
(Your contact information remains hidden and you can opt out of future emails at any time.)

Edwin Lee, Mayor – MayorEdwinLee@sfgov.org
1 – Eric Mar, District Supervisor – Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org
2 – Mark Farrell, District Supervisor – Mark.Farrell@sfgov.org
3 – David Chiu, District Supervisor – David.Chiu@sfgov.org
4 – Katy Tang, District Supervisor – Katy.Tang@sfgov.org
5 – London Breed, District Supervisor – London.Breed@sfgov.org
6 – Jane Kim, District Supervisor – Jane.Kim@sfgov.org
7 – Norman Yee, District Supervisor – Norman.Yee.Bos@sfgov.org
8 – Scott Wiener, District Supervisor – Scott.Wiener@sfgov.org
9 – David Campos , District Supervisor – David.Campos@sfgov.org
10 – Malia Cohen, District Supervisor – Malia.Cohen@sfgov.org
11 – John Avalos, District Supervisor – John.Avalos@sfgov.org