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Shared Spaces Lights Up Skybridge on Stevenson By Nehama Rogozen The Shared Spaces program has imagined new ways to utilize public spaces around the city. Skybridge on Stevenson , a unique partnership between SFMTA, OEWD, the San Francisco Parks Alliance, the Mid Market Community Benefit District, and Zendesk in an alley in SoMa illustrated how coming together, we can support communities. Dancers were just one part of the programing for the Skybridge Shared Space While completing its ten week run, the Shared Spaces program  event served as a launchpad to reimagine community building in the diverse neighborhood where SOMA Pilipinas, the Transgender District, Theatre District and Mid-Market mix. Dense neighborhoods like SOMA often lack access to open spaces and community gathering locations, making this project even more important. Every Thursday evening, Stevenson Street was shut down between 6th and 7th streets for performances by area musicians, dancers and artists. Food from

Twin Peaks Tunnel Work to Start November 30 By View from inside the Twin Peaks Tunnel that was first opened 102 years ago in 1918  The Eureka Curve is a section of the Twin Peaks tunnel that connects downtown San Francisco to West Portal and beyond. In 2019, we completed a major project in the Twin Peaks tunnel with seismic upgrades, major track and other infrastructure overhauls. Now, additional work in this crucial section of trackway needs to be done, and we will start that on Monday, November 30. This work is essential to improving the quality of the system and reducing the potential for disruptions to service in the years to come.  Starting the Monday after Thanksgiving, construction crews will begin maintenance work inside the Twin Peaks Tunnel going into the tunnel via the entrance on Market Street between Diamond and Collingwood Street. Planned work includes replacement of the overhead catenary system (OCS) splice connectors, overhead lines, track fasteners, rails, track b

Twin Peaks for All: Survey Results By Benjamin Barnett Last month, the SFMTA and San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department released a survey seeking public feedback regarding  five proposed roadway options for Twin Peaks Boulevard . San Franciscans responded to the survey, ranked support for each alternative and shared opinions about how the different options met their needs.  The Twin Peaks for All survey was open for almost three weeks and received more than 1,700 responses. This number reflects the high level of interest for this San Francisco park and its future access.   Survey Background Conditions on Twin Peaks Boulevard between Portola Drive and Barnett Avenue before COVID street closures.   The Twin Peaks Boulevard gates were closed early in the pandemic to reduce crowding at the lookout point parking lot. The gates were closed on the north, at Burnett Avenue, and the south, at Portola Drive. Since then, Twin Peaks Park use by hikers, joggers and people on bicycles

Central Subway: Slowed by COVID-19 But Still Making Progress By Phillip Pierce The Central Subway is a transformational transportation project that will extend the T Third underground to Chinatown through some of the busiest and densest parts of our city. While this mega-project is nearing completion, we are unfortunately delayed a few months due to COVID-19 and other complexities.  Before the pandemic, we anticipated that construction would be finished by the end of next month, with customers riding trains at the start of revenue service a year later. Our current projections put the completion of construction this spring and the start of service in the following spring of 2022.  View of the sleek concourse at the Yerba Buena/Moscone Station.  The main reasons for this delay:  Moving to remote work and instituting necessary safety measures and procedures during COVID-19  Quarantining multiple contractor crews when, despite safety measures, some of the team tested positive

New Bayview-Hunters Point Bus Express Route Alternatives: Vote by November 15 By Enrique Aguilar In response to deep community engagement, the SFMTA's FY 2021-22 Muni Service Equity Strategy and the  Southeast Muni Expansion Project  recommended adding express service from the Bayview to Downtown. The disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on people of color and low-income people has made fast-tracking this service even more important. We are asking for feedback to help us identify the future route of this crucial new service.  This new express bus service aligns with our transportation priorities as we respond to and recover from the pandemic. Adding capacity to routes that help San Franciscans make essential trips and prioritizing neighborhoods with high concentrations of essential workers and those most impacted by the pandemic are goals in SFMTA’s Transportation Recovery Plan (TRP). This effort also minimizes travel time to reduce how long customers are in our vehicles, which

Can't pay your fare? We Can Help. By Bradley Dunn The COVID-19 pandemic has hit people hard.  Millions of people across the country have lost their jobs or lost their incomes.  When times are tough, even paying for the bus can be a challenge.  During times like these, the SFMTA has programs to help get you where you need to go, like Free Muni for Youth , Seniors and People with Disabilities , the  Lifeline  and Clipper START  reduced fare program and our Essential Trip Card .  Reduced Muni Fares for Low-Income San Franciscans    Lifeline is a Muni-only monthly pass for customers on a limited income. Lifeline customers get unlimited access to Muni service for a calendar month at a 50% discount off the standard adult monthly pass price. Individuals with a gross annual income (before taxes) at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level are eligible to receive the Lifeline pass. Federal Poverty Level: Household Size 1 2 3 4 5 6 Annual Household Income $25,520 $

Parking Meter Pilot Coming to Dogpatch By Phillip Pierce A small but exciting pilot project at parking meters on Indiana Street in the Dogpatch is starting Monday, November 9. For the past couple of years, all metered surface parking lots have been equipped with “pay-by-license-plate” functionality. Now we want to test the “pay-by-license plate” function for on-street parking meters as well. The only change is that you’ll enter your plate number instead of a parking space number. Drivers may PayByPhone or at the multi-space paystation , just like always. Nothing will change about the forms of payment accepted: drivers will still be able to pay with coins, credit/debit or SFMTA parking card.   Here are the benefits: You can pay at any paystation on the block, even if it’s across the street. So drivers may head in the direction of their destinations, pay at the nearest meter, and be on their way.  If you pay for parking but have to leave early, you may return to the same block and

Vision Zero - Safety It’s Your Turn: Funding Opportunity for Community Based Organizations Around Traffic Safety Education and Outreach By In San Francisco, left-turns are one of the top three crash factors in severe and fatal collisions for people walking and biking. In 2019, almost 40% of all traffic fatalities in the city involved a left-turning vehicle. To encourage safer behavior, the SFMTA is announcing the Vision Zero Safety – It’s Your Turn Community Grant opportunity for community-based organizations (CBO) to share traffic safety information that compliments street changes. Speed is the most dangerous factor when turning left. At 30 mph, a person is twice as likely to die if hit by a car. That’s why in October 2020, the SFMTA announced (pdf link)  the Left-Turn Traffic Calming Projects and the Safety—It’s Your Turn campaign. Left-Turn Traffic Calming Projects place traffic calming devices such as painted safety zones, delineators, and left-turn guide bumps at street int

Slow Streets Takes it to the Streets By As the Slow Streets program develops plans for its fourth phase, the team is headed directly to historically under-served neighborhoods to conduct outreach. Most of the current Slow Streets have come from community suggestions from the over 6,500 responses to our online questionnaire . For this next phase, the program will go to those neighborhoods that don’t yet have Slow Streets to see if there is interest and support. Map of Slow Streets showing the seven neighborhoods where conversations with residents will determine if there is interest and support for Slow Streets corridors there. Looking at the questionnaire responses received , we heard a lot from residents in some neighborhoods and very little from others.   While there were many great suggestions for Slow Streets, including some that aren’t yet implemented, we want to improve the process for a more equitable citywide program that is representative of the city as a whole. Fr