The SFMTA Has a New, Friendly Blog, and Readers Seem Suspicious.

By Pete Kane : sfweekly – excerpt

Did you know that the SFMTA has a new blog, Moving SF? Seemingly timed with the recent 25-cent fare increase, the parent agency of Muni has decided its image problem has grown dire, and wants to give the everyday commuter (that’d be you!) insight into the workings of one of the most disliked government bodies.

“We want to start telling your our story,” says the Aug. 28 inaugural post.

As SF Citizen already so poignantly put it: That’s just bull shit. But as just as every powerful actor needs a good foil or two, Moving SF’s comments section has already become very lively. Looking beyond the acrimonious debates over the merits of the GBUS TO MTV and its fellow corporate shuttles, it appears that any official attempt at propagandizing the beleaguered strap-hanging populace with the SFMTA party line will at least be matched by well-informed opposition down below.

A subsequent post brought it all out. An introduction to a new Q&A feature about city streets, it solicited inquiries from readers and got a mouthful in reply:…

Could it be that SFMTA and Muni are attempting to curry favor with ordinary San Franciscans in order to get half a billion dollars at precisely the moment when tenants are feeling the squeeze more than ever? Time will tell. If Moving SF doesn’t want to volunteer its motives, its vivacious commenters just might wring it out of them… (more)

The least trusted city agency, that has the gall to blame the public for it’s failures, now wants to “play nice” to convince us to allow them to float another $850 million plus of public debt. (after you add in the interest on the bonds) And the Fed just downgraded Muni bonds this week.

They must think we are dumber than we do.

We say No on A and B (no more money without accountability) and Yes on L: Restore Transportation Balance (demand accountability)

REALATED:
The SFMTA’s New MUNI Blog Urges You to Raise Your Rent by Voting YES on the Half Billion Dollar Prop A, More or Less

 

NYC’s Tom Maguire Expected to Lead at the SFMTA, if Mayor Lee Lets Him

by Aaron Bialick : sf.streetblog – excerpt

Ever since we broke the news that New York City’s Tom Maguire would be hired as the new director of the SFMTA’s Sustainable Streets Division, we’ve heard only positive reactions. If nothing else, there’s a lot of hype building for this promising veteran of the livable streets renaissance seen under Janette Sadik-Khan‘s NYC Department of Transportation. On the other hand, Sadik-Khan and her executive staff had the full support of former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg… (more)

Does anyone still doubt that the intent of Plan Bay Area, sustainable growth and stack and pack housing along transit corridors is to Manhattanize San Francisco?

Muni Tests New App to Pay Fares

By Sarah Medina : 7×7 – excerpt

In the age of the Clipper card, it amazes me when I still see someone whip out cash to pay for their Muni ticket. I guess the Municipal Transportation Agency feels the same way, because they’re working on a new smart-phone app that will allow riders to pay their fare sans bills and change.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the six-month pilot program will roll out early 2015 and offer single-ride, cable car, special event tickets, and visitor passports. However, it will not include fast passes.

.. (more)

Postal Service’s big delivery edge: no parking tickets

By Kyle Stock : sfgate – excerpt

Undeterred by snow, rain, heat, gloom of night – and cheaper than ever. The U.S. Postal Service is slashing prices for big retailers in a bid to wrest holiday shipments from FedEx and UPS.

For customers shipping at least 50,000 packages a year, Uncle Sam’s mailing service will charge up to 58 percent less for its accelerating Priority service, in some cases undercutting its for-profit rivals.

FedEx and UPS are none too happy about this. The Postal Service has a monopoly on letters, they argue, and is raising prices on some customers unfairly to subsidize big retailers. The Postal Service, however, has another huge advantage they are past griping about: It doesn’t have to pay traffic tickets… (more)

Traffic Trouble, Parking Problems, Fondled Food At Levi’s Stadium For Chile Vs. Mexico Soccer Game

by Nicole Jones : cbslocal – excerpt

For $60 a car, you’d think parking lots could provide signage, and for a region preparing for a Super Bowl, there is a serious amount of logistical coordination to get straightened out to avoid over 3 hours sitting in traffic in a “Candlestick Park”-like moment. And did I mention the security guard fondled my sandwich? What contraband could I possible have smuggled in between two delicious pieces of sourdough bread?

First let me start by disclosing that I am not a huge sports fan, making the whole ordeal that much more of a bitter pill to swallow.

Here’s where it all began.

When invited to Saturday’s Chile vs. Mexico soccer game at Levi’s Stadium, I gave an enthusiastic “yes.” My husband and I, both Chileans, were pumped to wave our 5-foot flag among a sea of red and green Mexican jerseys.

It didn’t take long before our excitement turned sour — and not the good kind you make with Pisco… (more)

Bad reviews and complaints keep coming.
Sports fans beware!

Homeless Camps, RV’s Roll Into Potrero Hill Neighborhood To Avoid Ban On Large Vehicles

cbslocal – excerpt

Anger is growing in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood as homeless camps and trash-filled RV’s invade the streets.

San Francisco recently started a new program making it illegal to park large vehicles like RV’s in forty designated areas of the city. But, a span of the Potrero Hill neighborhood called the Design District anchored by 16^th and Vermont Streets is not part of program… (more)

Parking permits program appealed: San Mateo streets may be included to deter Caltrain commuters

By Samantha Weigel : Daily Journal – excerpt

A group of residents are disagreeing over whether their San Mateo neighborhood should be included in a permit program that would deter Caltrain commuters from using their street as a free parking lot.

The city’s Public Works Commission will hear an appeal Wednesday night from those who do not want Otay Avenue and San Miguel Way included in the Bay Meadows Residential Parking Permit Program.

A group of residents approached the city in December concerned by commuters using their neighborhood to avoid paying to park at the Hillsdale Caltrain Station parking lot, according to a city staff report.

In June, the director of Public Works approved including Otay Avenue between Pacific Boulevard and Curtiss Street, and San Miguel Way between Otay Avenue and Curtiss Street, into the decades-old parking program, according to the report… (more)

Making parking near transit hubs difficult or expensive is not working for anyone. Commuters need parking near transit hubs and the faster public transit agencies solve the problem the sooner motorists will start taking public transit.