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New Twin Peaks Proposals: Survey Open Until November 3 By The Twin Peaks Boulevard gates were closed early in the pandemic to reduce crowding at Christmas Tree Point lookout parking lot. Since then, Twin Peaks Park use has increased significantly among people walking, rolling, hiking, jogging and bicycling, with an average of over 800 visiting each weekday and over 1,100 on weekend days. While the new park configuration received support, it also resulted in community concerns regarding accessibility for people with disabilities and negative neighborhood impacts. In an attempt to address concerns, local roadway access is now available via the Portola Drive south gate daily between 6:00 p.m. and midnight.  The SFMTA is working with the community and other city departments including Recreation and Parks, the Police Department and Public Works, on new ideas to ensure access that balances the needs on Twin Peaks. Project Goals: Restoring access to the viewpoint, especially for peopl

Moving Better Market Street Forward By This blog is co-authored by SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin and San Francisco Public Works Acting Director Alaric Degrafinried. Less than a year after c ar-free Market Street closed the area to private vehicles to improve safety and transit performance and set the stage for construction of Better Market Street , city agencies involved in the project must adjust plans for the first phase of project construction from 5th to 8th streets. Our plans for the project need to change not only because of the impact on the local economy and our department budgets due to COVID-19, but also because of the greater-than-anticipated success of car-free Market Street. When private vehicles were removed from Market Street, transit became up to 12% faster and the number of people biking increased by 25% – over 800 people per hour at peak. The original designs for a new sidewalk-level bikeway would not have enough capacity to keep up with th

City Project to Improve the 28 19th Avenue Bus Line By Enrique Aguilar As part of the  19th Avenue Combined City Project , the SFMTA will implement transit priority and safety improvements for people walking along the route of the 28 19th Avenue. The improvements will make it safer to walk, remove stops to make transit service more reliable, and enhance customers’ experiences—on and off the bus.   As part of the project, seven Muni stops were removed between Irving Street and Ocean Avenue on the 28 19th Avenue bus line to improve transit reliability. Removing closely spaced stops will help to reduce delays for the 28 19th Avenue line while preserving bus stops within a block of each removal to minimize impacts to people with limited mobility. Please visit  our website  for more details about these stop changes, which took effect on October 17.   The project includes transit bulbs that allow Muni vehicles to stop for passengers without having to pull out of traffic. It will also wid

Shared Spaces Permits Extending to Next Summer By Phillip Pierce More than 1,800 individual operators and counting are making the Shared Spaces Program a successful part of San Francisco’s economic recovery. Permits originally set to expire at the end of December may now be extended through June 30 and new applications are welcome. Mayor Breed has called for this extension as well as for exploring ways to make the program permanent. Shared Spaces allow merchants   to use sidewalks, full or partial streets,   and   other nearby outdoor spaces like parks, parking lots and plazas for restaurant pick-up and other neighborhood retail activities allowed under San   Francisco’s Public Health Orders. The program is a multiagency collaboration   born out of the city’s Economic Recovery Task Force .   White Cap’s Shared Space in the Outer Sunset. How to Renew Existing Permits: The process for renewing permits to June 30, 2021  depends on the type of Shared Space. Merchants may use the

SFMTA Staff Recognized for Putting Riders First By Bradley Dunn SFMTA staff were honored for their work to keep the city moving during the San Francisco Transit Riders’ Rider First Awards last Friday. The nonprofit organization that aims to better transit in San Francisco gave awards to several members of the SFMTA’s hard-working staff who put Muni customers first.  “It's as important as ever that we come together to show our appreciation for all those people working hard to make Muni better every day for riders, despite all the challenges,” the San Francisco Transit Riders said of the awards.  The San Francisco Transit Riders present awards to Perry Poole, Johnny Siu, Celso Abueg at West Portal Station. The Transit Riders presented awards to:  Myra Phillips and the Car Cleaner team for developing and instituting new cleaning protocols and systems in a quick and effective response to the pandemic,  Dickson Yee and the Personal Protective Equipment team for tireless work

Reducing Crowding and Providing Service to Open Spaces By Enrique Aguilar The 30 Stockton bus route extension to Crissy Field in the Presidio began service on September 19. In partnership with the Presidio Trust, Muni implemented this new lifeline connection to bring workers, families, residents and visitors from Chinatown, Tenderloin and SoMa neighborhoods to the ​ Golden Gate National Recreation Area via public transportation. The 30 Stockton on Marina Boulevard en route to downtown San Francisco Shifting from 40-foot to 60-foot buses on the 30 Stockton helps reduce crowded conditions through neighborhoods like Chinatown, a neighborhood that generates some of the highest rates of trips in San Francisco. Moving the terminal to its new location in Crissy Field provides increased space for these longer buses. Direct access to parks via public transportation is vital for neighborhoods with the least access to open space in San Francisco. Visitors to the Presidio enjoy nature withi

First Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes Complete on Mission Street By Erin McMillan 14 Mission downtown on the transit lane.  Installation of the all-day, temporary emergency transit lanes on Mission Street is complete. With installation completed in just a few months, the new all-day temporary emergency transit lanes from 11th to 3rd streets downtown serve segments of the 14 Mission and 14R Mission Rapid and will help keep buses out of traffic to reduce crowding and travel times. Both routes have been a lifeline for essential trips during the pandemic and have experienced crowding despite increased service. Almost ten percent of trips on the 14 Mission and 14R Mission Rapid are at or exceeding our COVID-era capacity standards, which take into account the need for physical distancing. By reducing delay from congestion, Muni can provide more frequent service and greater capacity with the same number of buses. In addition to installing the temporary all-day transit lanes, the tran

Slow Streets are Full Steam Ahead By Last week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors ruled against four California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) appeals that have been delaying Slow Streets, temporary emergency transit-only lanes, bike lanes and emergency street closures. Within 12 hours of the Board’s decision, SFMTA crews were back out in full force to implement these critical initiatives that help keep San Francisco moving during the pandemic.  The Board of Supervisors ruled unanimously that these temporary projects are deemed critical to the city’s emergency response efforts, preventing a further delay.  Implementation of new Slow Streets was put on hold while we waited for the appeals hearings, giving crews the opportunity to focus on filling in the signage gaps and repairing existing Slow Streets to improve the network. Now, crews are bringing you more Slow Streets to connect our city. These improvements are needed to move about in these unusual times. The Slow Streets

Slow Streets are Full Steam Ahead By Last week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors ruled against four California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) appeals that have been delaying Slow Streets, temporary emergency transit-only lanes, bike lanes and emergency street closures. Within 12 hours of the Board’s decision, SFMTA crews were back out in full force to implement these critical initiatives that help keep San Francisco moving during the pandemic.  The Board of Supervisors ruled unanimously that these temporary projects are deemed critical to the city’s emergency response efforts, preventing a further delay.  Implementation of new Slow Streets was put on hold while we waited for the appeals hearings, giving crews the opportunity to focus on filling in the signage gaps and repairing existing Slow Streets to improve the network.  Now, crews are bringing you more Slow Streets to connect our city. These improvements are needed to move about in these unusual times. The Slow Street

History In Motion: SFMTA Staffer Sheds Light on Muni Vehicles Past and Present in New Book By Jeremy Menzies In 2019, SFMTA Transit Planner Paul Bignardi completed a book that will provide hours of history exploration for the avid Muni fan. Bignardi’s A Fleet History of the San Francisco Municipal Railway is a great new addition to Muni history literature with a biography of every Muni vehicle extending back to the beginning of the railway in 1912. Author Paul Bignardi poses with Sacramento-Clay Cable Car 19 “Big 19” after its restoration in 2019. Bignardi says, “The biggest historic vehicle thrill I’ve had is being allowed to be a part of the return of Cable Car “Big 19” into service as the oldest publicly owned electric-powered transit vehicle in the world in summer 2019.” The effort, a labor of love, began with the centennial of the SF Municipal Railway in 2012. Muni was celebrating its 100th birthday and a group of self-identified transit nerds banded together to start compi