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Expanding the Bicycle Network and Making New Connections By Benjamin Barnett With the challenges we all have faced over the past six months, we wanted to take a minute to shine some light on the accomplishments we made this summer in improving our ever-expanding bicycle network. Our crews worked all over the city making improvements, adding infrastructure and creating a more robust network. Biking is more important than ever, both as a means of transportation with Muni service limited and as a way to get some exercise while sheltering-in-place. Where people feel safe and comfortable bicycling, more people ride bicycles. When these bike rides replace car trips, it creates more room on our crowded roadways, reducing traffic congestion. As such, expanding the bicycle network where people can travel comfortably has been a key priority of the SFMTA’s Transportation Recovery Plan . Fell Street The new parking-protected bikeway on Fell Street between Baker and Shrader streets provides r

Reimagine Potrero Yard with Us – Summer Milestones By Adrienne Heim A potential rendering of the future modernized Potrero Yard The Potrero Yard Modernization Project will rebuild the existing Potrero bus yard to ensure we maintain our bus fleet as efficiently as possible and enhance the facility’s resilience to climate change and other natural disasters. The Project will also ensure our staff is able to perform their work in a safe and efficient way and address the City’s broader goals for new housing and affordable housing.  The Project has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), an important step for modernizing the yard. The Project Concept The modern yard will be able to store 213 buses, increasing capacity by approximately 50%. In addition, the facility will include the following features: LEED Gold Certification An elevated structural and seismic building standard Infrastructure for battery-electric buses Centralized location for Street Operations - Muni’s “firs

Muni Metro Service is Temporarily Suspended By Bradley Dunn After weeks of planning to restart our Muni Metro service, we unfortunately were forced to resume all bus service starting today. We apologize for the confusion and inconvenience this may cause. Our need to temporarily suspend train service for about several weeks is based on two problems that emerged yesterday: An employee in our Transportation Management Center (TMC) – the nerve center of our rail system – tested positive for COVID-19. We wish them a speedy and full recovery. By doing thorough contract tracing, we now know that more of our vital team members need to be quarantined. This leaves us short-staffed in positions central to operating Muni Metro service safely and effectively. A critical component of the overhead infrastructure that power our trains has failed twice in the last few days. After a problem with new equipment recently installed caused service disruptions twice in the past two days, staff work

Ride with Care –COVID-19 Requirements for Muni Customers By Sophia Scherr COVID-19 has changed the way that we conduct our day-to-day lives, including how we ride Muni. The SFMTA is excited that we brought back much needed rail and bus service on August 22, 2020. We ask that you ride with care for fellow passengers and our operators by doing the following when riding Muni. Wear a face covering - Face coverings are mandatory for individuals 2-years and older when waiting for and riding Muni. Face masks must cover both your nose and mouth. Physically distance yourself from other riders when possible – Give others space when riding and do not attempt to board vehicles that are at capacity. Use contactless payment - Please consider using your Clipper Card or MuniMobile ® to pay your fare. Doing so will help minimize risk to both yourself and our operators. Using your Clipper Card or MuniMobile® will also save you $0.50 off your adult fare. Make it a quiet ride - Onboard, cust

New Interactive “Shared Spaces” Map and Dashboard Launched By Phillip Pierce San Francisco’s popular  Shared Spaces  program, in which the SFMTA is a participating agency, now has an exciting new tool: an interactive map showing the locations and status of all the proposed Shared Spaces locations. The map is designed to make it easier for people to find Shared Spaces, check on permit status or simply track the progress of the program.      Static image of the new “interactive” map showing Shared Spaces locations and stages in the approval process. Click through for a  live view  and explore in more detail.  “We are so excited to see the new Shared Spaces Tracker that lets restaurants, businesses and residents see where the sidewalk and parking lane permit applications are located and details the status of each application,” said Laurie Thomas, Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. “The willingness to share this information publicly is a testament to how wel

Major Muni Service Expansion August 22 By Mariana Maguire Map: New Muni service map shows bus and rail routes restored August 22 with existing Muni service. This new map also highlights high-frequency corridors. On Saturday, August 22, the SFMTA will launch our broadest and most complex service changes since the start of the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order. This includes the restoration or expansion of 11 bus routes, increased frequencies on 13 bus routes and the return of Muni Metro. These service changes support the city’s essential workers and economic recovery by providing more connections to neighborhood commercial districts. Adding more service on our high ridership lines and upsizing some lines to larger buses will help relieve crowding on those lines. Service hours will be approximately 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, unless otherwise noted. Owl network service hours will remain approximately 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. daily unless otherwise noted. Below is the complete list

The California Street Safety Project is Complete! By Erin McMillan You may have already noticed the fresh paint and new lane configuration on California Street from Arguello Boulevard to Park Presidio. This recently completed ‘road diet’ painted on California Street changed the lane configuration from four lanes to three with a center turn lane to help improve safety along the corridor.  California Street and 10th Avenue post-construction This was the final safety element to be implemented as part of the  California Street Safety Project , which began earlier this year with “daylighting” to increase visibility at intersections.   Why a road diet on California?  California Street is part of the city’s Vision Zero high-injury network -- the 13% of city streets that account for 75% of severe and fatal collisions.  This section of California had 73 injury collisions in five years with 7 involving pedestrians. In addition, there have been 35 Muni-involved collisions, many due to nar

Making Accessible Transfers for Muni Metro Beginning August 22 By Mariana Maguire Photo: Accessible Muni Metro boarding platform placard In preparation for new temporary LK Taraval-Ingleside and J Church transfers, we are constructing temporary accessible curbside platforms and temporary transfer zones. These changes will support safe and accessible customer movement between Metro lines when Muni Metro returns on August 22 . These new transfers to and from the subway for customers traveling to or from downtown will be required when the L Taraval and K Ingleside are temporarily combined into a new surface-only LK Taraval-Ingleside route between the SF Zoo and Balboa Park. Similarly, the J Church will become a surface-only route that will turn back at Church and Market streets. While we expect these changes to significantly increase the reliability of rail service , these changes require new infrastructure to make transfers accessible. Many of our customers with disabilities rely o

First phase of 16th Street Improvement Project is complete! By Erin McMillan A new center-running transit lane with boarding island on 16th Street. Soon, the lane will be upgraded with red paint, and a shelter and railings will be installed on the island to complete the project. Along 16th Street you may have noticed your ride has gotten a little bit smoother in recent weeks. The first phase of the 16th Street Improvement Project from Potrero to 3rd Street is nearly complete. This means new signalized intersections, new transit islands and transit bulbs for safer and more efficient bus boarding, new pedestrian bulbs to reduce the crossing distance, new ADA ramps at each intersection, new street lights to illuminate the streets, 50 new native trees along 16th street, curb-to curb paving, and new sewer and water pipes. The completion of this phase means a safer and overall more pleasant experience for the community, bus riders, and pedestrians. All completed in less than 18 months.

Virtual Public Hearing on the Folsom Quick-Build Project By Benjamin Barnett Existing conditions of the project area that are slated for improvements. The SFMTA will be holding a Virtual Engineering Public Hearing   on the Folsom Quick-Build Project . This project is an effort to improve traffic safety and comfort for all people traveling along Folsom Street between Second and Fifth streets by implementing cost-effective and temporary design treatments that can be installed quickly. At the event you can learn more about the proposed changes, ask questions, or make official public comments. Virtual Public Hearing Details:    The interactive, online event can be accessed at any time during the two-week period listed below. Like the SFMTA’s in-person project open houses, when you access the event you will be able to learn more about the project such as the schedule, project background, and other aspects through virtual informational boards. The public will then have an opportunity

Customer Service Kiosks Provide New Services By Lulu Feliciano A Customer Service Kiosk at Powell and Market As the city gradually reopens for business, the SFMTA has moved many of our customer service functions on-line. To support our customers who may need in-person service, we are now using three Muni sales kiosks as alternate locations for services previously only available at the Customer Service Center at 11 South Van Ness. Doing Business at our Reopened Customer Service Kiosks The COVID-19 pandemic impacted our city and our agency in countless ways and has required us all to adapt quickly. As an immediate response to the March shelter-in-place public health order and to minimize the risk of exposure for our customers and employees, the SFMTA Customer Service Center located was temporarily closed. Prior to the closure, the location served approximately 20,000 customers a month for citation payments, low-income fare and citation payment programs, Lifeline monthly pass sales

Supporting Community Needs in the Tenderloin By Chava Kronenberg In the coming days, the SFMTA will implement a 4-block temporary project on Jones Street, from O’Farrell Street to Golden Gate Avenue for residents to have more pedestrian space in the Tenderloin while maintaining physical distance.   To accomplish this, parking on the east side of the street as well as one of the three travel lanes on Jones Street will be removed. These four blocks are a small but significant part of city efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The effort will support the local businesses by temporarily refashioning San Francisco streets. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted people who live and work in the Tenderloin. The SFMTA is working with our sister city agencies and community partners to be part of the solution. The Tenderloin is a dense neighborhood with a high percentage of low-income people, people of color, seniors and transit-dependent San Franciscans who need more space for physic