22-Day MUNI Challenge - Where was our supervisor?

Supervisor Wiener "won" the 22-day MUNI Challenge put on by the SF Transit Riders Union with 106 rides into all parts of the city.

Supervisor Cohen, I truly wish you'd done half as many trips as Scott. A third, even. A fifth as many would have put you ahead of Supervisor Mar. But to ride MUNI (and tweet #OnBoardSF) only twice in 22 days, ending up at the bottom of the heap, makes me sad. It doesn't send a very good message about your commitment to transit or to your constituents who endure tough commutes on MUNI every day.

Now I get where you're coming from. I don't take MUNI anymore either. I ride my bike everywhere now because it's significantly faster than MUNI and I get some exercise in the process. Sure, driving is also faster, and we understand that you have a lot of places to go and things to do around the city, but so does Supervisor Wiener. I used to take MUNI daily from Palou and Third to get to work, and understand what riders in the Southeast go through to get where they need to go, and I'm lucky, because I have the option of taking my bike instead. Most people riding MUNI have no other choice. They can't get on a bike or into their cars or walk to where they need to go, and our elected officials need to show us that they feel our pain. Supervisors Wiener gets it and knows what people go through, and they appreciate that.

Supervisor Wiener writes, "People like seeing their elected officials on transit. It’s important for elected officials to understand, on a personal level, what their constituents are going through so that we have the fire in the belly to address those needs."

I would like to think that if I'd been in your shoes, I'd have given Supervisor Wiener a run for his money getting to the top spot of the challenge. Who knows, you may have even had as much fun doing it as it sounds like he did.

Homebound #OnBoardSF pic.twitter.com/zPWRXhKhtU

— Malia Cohen (@MaliaCohen) June 23, 2015 

One of two times Supervisor Cohen tweeted that she was on MUNI during the 22-day challenge.

T-Third Phase 3

Another topic that was brought up at last night's SFCTA-CAC meeting was to look at the T-Third Phase 3 concepts. Phase 1 is what we currently are using. Phase 1 will be completed when the Mission Bay Loop is constructed in the coming year. Phase 2 is being built now and will open up the T-Third to Chinatown. Phase 3 would take the line from Chinatown all the way to North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf, but realistically wouldn't be constructed for another ten years at least.

While last night's discussion was only to present a few of the proposed ideas that came out of a 400-page study by SFMTA, a couple of D10-related issues popped out at me.

First, the study as presented to us on the CAC didn't seem to consider effects on the southern half of the T-Third line. Two-and-a-half minutes between trains on the Phase 2+3 portion of the line got me wondering about whether this meant that trains could be prioritized for the northern half of the line and if we in the Southeast would end up seeing the service levels we've been promised.

Second, the idea that potential funding could come from "Land Use Value Capture", including Infrastructure Finance District (IFD); Community Facilities District (Mello-Roos) (CFD); or a Special Assessment District (SpAD) got me thinking that if people on the wealthier northern end of the line were paying for this, then they might think that they'd be in their right to expect prioritization of trains at the expense of the Southeast.

Of course, SFMTA staff reassured me that we'll see improvements on the whole line, including the Southeast, once the Mission Bay Loop and Phase 2 are completed, with two-car trains and headways of 5-minutes to Mission Bay and 7.5 minutes to Bayview/Sunnydale. A community member also reminded us that MUNI won't be the only way to get from Bayview to downtown if we get a Caltrain station at Oakdale, Bayshore gets its improvements, or if a BRT to Balboa Park BART happens.

Despite these assurances, I will continue to impress upon SFMTA and the SFCTA the importance of including the Southeast's users of the T-Third in discussions regarding the northern end of the line so that we're all aware of what's going on and can make sure that our concerns are addressed.

Muni's Transit Effectiveness Program Community workshop, April 21st at VVCC

As part of the ongoing Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP), Muni is recommending several options to improve reliability and the overall customer experience by reducing travel time on our most heavily used bus routes and rail lines.

Come to a community workshop! These workshops are one of the best ways for SFMTA staff to hear from you. If you ride any of the routes listed, please attend and learn more about options to improve your Muni experience.

8X Bayshore Express Proposals
Saturday, April 21, 2012
10AM - noon
Visitacion Valley Community Center
50 Raymond at Bayshore

For more information, please contact 311 or email us at tep@sfmta.com.

Linking Muni, Caltrain in southeast S.F. could cost as much as $396 million

For years, neighborhood advocates have clamored for transportation upgrades in the Bayview and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods.

Muni's T-Third Street line, added in 2007 to improve access to the communities, does not connect with Caltrain's isolated Bayshore station, and there are no convenient east-west transit options in the area.

But solutions are being developed, and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority recently released a draft report detailing the costs of proposed transit alternatives for the community.

Planned improvements in The City's southeast neighborhoods, which include an extension of the T-Third Street train and a new Bus Rapid Transit line, could cost as much as $396 million.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner

SFMTA launches Central Subway Website

The Central Subway line will (?) one day connect the Southeast neighborhoods of San Francisco to Downtown and Chinatown.  SFMTA has recently launched a website to provide the community with updates on the project.  Check it out at http://www.centralsubwaysf.com/

Ghosts of MUNI

As the T-Third pulls into the station, silhouettes of former riders can be seen on the frost-laden glass 

Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) Environmental Review Process

TEP Public Scoping Meetings

The San Francisco Planning Department serves as the Lead Agency and will prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) to evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP). The San Francisco Planning Department will hold two public scoping meetings, at the following location, dates, and times:

Visit http://www.sf-planning.org/index.aspx?page=2970 for more information.


PUBLIC SCOPING MEETINGS:
at One South Van Ness Avenue, 2nd Floor Atrium
(at the corner of Van Ness Avenue and Market Street) 12/6/2011
TUESDAY 6:30 PM12/7/2011
WEDNESDAY 6:30 PM

The purpose of these scoping meetings is to assist the San Francisco Planning Department in reviewing the proposed scope and content of the environmental impact analysis, summarized in the Notice of Preparation (NOP) available at the Web links below, and the information to be contained in the EIR for the TEP. The public will have the opportunity to comment and offer testimony for consideration at these two scoping meetings.

Translation services in Spanish and Chinese will be provided at these meetings. American Sign Language interpreters, sound enhancement systems and/or language translators are available upon request by contacting Lulu Hwang at (415) 558-6318 at least 72 hours prior to the meeting when the service is needed.

To provide comment on the scope of the environmental analysis, attend a scoping meeting or submit comments Nov.10 through Dec. 9 to: TEP, Planning Department, 1650 Mission St., Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94103.

For Information on the TEP Program, please visit the SFMTA Web page for the TEP: http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mtep/tepover.htm

Document (English Version)	Language Version	Date	Contact
Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings (Notice)	Spanish | Chinese	11/9/2011	Debra Dwyer (415) 575-9031
Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings (NOP)	Spanish | Chinese	11/9/2011	Debra Dwyer (415) 575-9031

MUNI LRV Performance Report Spring 2011

Rail System Characteristics

• 6 routes (J,K,L,M,N,T)
• K and T interlined
• 114 peak period weekday trains scheduled
• Approximately 140,000 boardings per weekday
• 23% of total Muni boardings
• On-street and subway operation
• Level of transit priority ranges from exclusive subway to dedicated surface lane to mixed traffic
• On-time performance impacted by mixed-traffic and all routes converging in Muni Metro tunnel

Rail Service Overview– Spring 2011

• Operator shortages and vehicle breakdowns significantly impacted rail performance in Spring 2011
• On-time performance and missed runs resulted from both manpower and vehicle issues
• Baseball and other special events increased demand on rail service
• Range of line management techniques used to manage gaps in service
• SFMTA has a policy of not switching back trains unless another train is following within 5 min
• Key actions taken to improve service for Muni rail customers 

Actions Taken to Improve LRV Service

• Operations
• Line Management Center monitoring hours expanded to manage breakdowns, delays in service, operator performance
• Operator hiring accelerated and supplemented by Prop F workers
• NX bus service implemented to reduce crowding on N Judah
• Schedule improvements implemented October 15
• Running time adjustments made on all routes to improve on-time performance
• Vehicles
• Rail vehicle component overhaul programs underway to reduce vehicle breakdowns
• Doors/Steps Overhaul Program
• Component rebuild
• Additional Mobile Response Unit (MRU) to resolve subway/surface delays
• Operator training to resolve in-service equipment issues
• Accelerating overhaul of out of service rail vehicles
• Facilities
• Eliminating subway slow zones
• Eureka curve track replacement
• Church & Duboce interim rail replacement
• Upgraded station and vehicle announcements
• ATCS software upgrade – Vetag failures reduced from 10 % to 1 %

Going Forward

• Hiring additional supervisors 
• 13 in training
• Reallocate pull-outs between Green and Muni Metro East
• Jan 2012
• Breda out of service trains to be repaired 
• First vehicles due back Spring 2013
• Signal loop replacement in Subway 
• Completion date mid-2012

h/t Supervisor Cohen

Phil Ting to hold a "Reset the T-Third St" Event

Any time a city official wants to hear from us about the problems we encounter riding MUNI, I'm all for it!  Mr. Ting's Reset events have so far been well-run and informative, and whether he wins the mayor's race or not, the public testimony that he's collecting at these meetings will be invaluable in making sure things like the TEP are implemented by our city government.

This is an event for all of us who ride the T, from those who live in the Dogpatch and Potrero Hill all the way down to Visitacion Valley.  The T is our major artery, and even after a couple of years of service, while everyone knows it's still got some major problems, apparently very few people seem to be complaining.  Now is your chance to be heard!

Monday, October 24 · 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Bayview Police Station
201 Williams Avenue
San Francisco, CA

Reset San Francisco

Imagine a Muni that actually works. It can happen – if we take charge and demand the changes needed to make our buses and streetcars run reliably and run more frequently.

Phil Ting understands that our city government can be as creative and innovative as the rest of San Francisco. That's why our campaign to Reset San Francisco is holding Muni Town Halls throughout the city this Fall.

**RSVP on Facebook or at: http://bit.ly/resetsf-muni-events

Muni is the slowest transit system in America, and it is one of the least reliable. But there are solutions – simple things like putting bus stops after stop signs so we don’t have to stop twice, proven technologies like timing lights, and clear priorities – like keeping City Hall from diverting money that we approved to fix Muni into political pet projects.

Join us as we work to Reset San Francisco – starting with Resetting the 38 Geary, the 1 California, the 29 Sunset and all of the lines that make up our Municipal Railway.

Youths target San Francisco Muni drivers in attacks

Ugh... school's out for summer, and the kids are bored...

Two Muni drivers were injured and four buses sustained a combined $1,000 in damage in the Bayview on Sunday after a gang of rowdy pranksters as young as 9 years old attacked them with bottles, wooden blocks and other objects.

The youths, who witnesses said ranged in age from 9 to 13, pelted an operator in the face with a basketball and struck another with thick wire during the morning attacks, police Officer Albie Esparza said Tuesday.

The drivers were not seriously injured and both were back on the job Monday, said Debra Johnson, interim executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs Muni. Esparza said the attacks were in no way related to the unrest in the Bayview last weekend following the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man by police Saturday.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner

Jiu-jitsu instructor saves San Francisco police officer from attack

From the San Francisco Examiner,

A San Francisco cop enduring a pummeling from a “crazed” Muni fare evader Wednesday was fortunate that the attack happened outside a martial arts academy.

Hero jiu-jitsu instructor Pedro Arrigoni came to the cop’s rescue, putting the suspect into a choke hold and forcing him into submission at around 1 p.m., police said.

The 24-year-old Portola resident said he had just finished teaching a class at the AB Mixed Martial Arts Academy at 2975 San Bruno Ave. when he saw the suspect had mounted the cop after unleashing a flurry of punches.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner

San Francisco Muni operators may vote to strike

From SF Examiner,

Despite working under a contract that explicitly bars strikes, Muni’s transit operators might vote to authorize one if their ongoing labor negotiations reach an impasse.

This Friday, the Transport Workers Union Local 250-A, which represents 2,200 drivers and conductors, will begin a weeklong vote that could authorize a strike. If approved, the initiative would let union President Rafael Cabrera call a strike, while not necessarily assuring that one is imminent.

Although the union’s current contract with Muni theoretically bars work stoppages, union Secretary-Treasurer Walter Scott said that provision’s legality is questionable and could be tested.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner

Man shot by teens getting off Muni bus in Bayview

From SFGate,

An 18-year-old man was shot by teens getting off a San Francisco Municipal Railway bus in San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood this morning, a police spokesman said. The shooting was reported at 8:02 a.m. near the intersection of Palou Avenue and Newhall Street, police Officer Albie Esparza said. The suspects, described as boys between 13 and 15 years old, got off of a Muni bus and began firing at the victim, Esparza said. The victim was shot multiple times in the torso and was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, Esparza said. He did not know the extent of the victim's injuries. The suspects were last seen running toward Third Street, he said.

Read more at SFGate

SFMTA's board approves financial plan for Central Subway project

From Progressive Railroading,

On Tuesday, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's (SFMTA) board approved the financial plan for the Central Subway, which is the second phase of the SFMTA's Third Street light-rail project.

The board's approval is a crucial step toward submitting the plan in February to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the New Starts program, SFMTA officials said in a prepared statement. The agency's goal is to obtain a full-funding grant agreement with the FTA by year's end.

SFMTA closed the project's $137 million funding gap with federal, state and local fund sources, and now is on track to receive the full-funding grant agreement that will secure $942.2 million of federal New Starts funds for the project, said Nathaniel Ford Sr., SFMTA's executive director and chief executive officer.

The Central Subway has received $72 million in New Starts funding to date. The FTA granted environmental clearance in November 2008 and granted approval to begin the final design in January 2010. The total project cost is expected to reach $1.57 billion, with the federal government contributing close to $1 billion.

When Central Subway service begins, the 1.7-mile extension of the existing T Third rail line will connect communities from Visitacion Valley to Chinatown with light-rail service.

Read more at SFMTA

Muni builds case for subway need - SFGate

The Chronicle writes,

To get a sense of the political importance of building Muni's new Central Subway line into Chinatown, take one look at a document explaining the transit agency's newest ridership projections for 2030 that focus extensively on the T-Third Metro route.

Read more at SFGate