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Watch San Francisco’s Bike Network Bloom By Eillie Anzilotti From just a few stretches of scattered lanes in 2013, San Francisco’s protected bike network now stretches like a green web connecting more and more of the city. See how much has changed over the last eight years:   In just the blink of an eye, San Francisco has become one of the most bike-friendly cities in the U.S. To date, San Francisco has 464 miles of bikeways, including: 42 miles of protected bike lanes 78 miles of off-street paths and trails 21 miles of buffered bike lanes 139 miles of striped bike lanes As we’ve expanded the network of safer bicycle routes through San Francisco, more people are choosing to ride bicycles for recreation and transportation every year. Since 2006, travel by bicycle has grown by 184 percent citywide. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, bike counts hit an all-time high: in 2019, approximately 52,000 bicyclists were observed at 37 locations during peak periods, a 14 percent increase

From Elkton to Green, the Evolution of Muni’s Oldest Rail Yard By Jeremy Menzies In part two of our two-part series on one of the city’s oldest transit properties, we bring you the history of Muni’s Green Division. Green Division, also known as Muni Metro Center, has served as the primary maintenance and repair facility for our rail fleet for over 40 years. Construction began on Green Division in 1975. This new rail facility would replace Elkton Shops, which was built in 1907. The new shops were built in two phases, first the shop building then the rail yard. This 1976 photo shows major excavation and concrete work underway for the main shops building of Green Division.  At far left is Elkton Shops built in 1907 by the United Railroads Company. In phase one of the project, crews demolished the bus yard occupying the eastern half of the property and built a massive new building that would house repair and maintenance shops for a new fleet of Muni rail vehicles. This phase took ab

Safer Intersections Project a Traffic Calming Success By Uyen Ngo This week the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) released “ A Turn Toward Safety: The Safer Intersections Project ,” a report detailing the impact of the Left Turn Traffic Calming Project and the “Safety—It’s Your Turn” education campaign. The Safer Intersections Project now has tested traffic interventions that can reduce unsafe left turns. Overall, SFMTA found a 17% reduction in average speed (1.7mph slower) and a 71% reduction in the likelihood of a car turning left at higher speeds over 15mph at seven high-crash test intersections. In 2019, 40% of traffic deaths in San Francisco were caused when drivers made left turns and didn’t see the person in the crosswalk, until it was too late. To combat this trend, also seen in other cities, and encourage safer left turns and adoption of safer left turn behaviors, San Francisco’s multilayered project combined engineering treatments in seven high-crash

San Francisco Announces Bold Commitment to Safer Streets By Ryan Reeves This week, San Francisco Mayor London Breed released   the 2021 Vision Zero Action Strategy —our City’s multi-agency framework for eliminating traffic deaths and reducing severe injuries. The City and County of San Francisco committed to ending traffic fatalities through Vision Zero in 2014. Since then, our approach has continued to evolve – we've incorporated new strategies and expanded on existing and successful programs. In this updated plan, we commit to bold and ambitious strategies to create safer streets. We will double down on redesigns to make streets safer for people, and expand programs like our Vision Zero Quick-Build across the city’s High Injury Network (HIN), the 13% of city streets that account for more than 75% of severe and fatal injuries. The Vision Zero Action Strategy lays out a clear path for the city towards this ambitious goal over the next three years. The strategy focuses on slow

4th and King Overhead Line Installation Starts November 17, 2021 By Enrique Aguilar Heads up! Installation of overhead line equipment at 4th and King streets starts Nov. 17. Consider taking an alternative route if driving through the area as work for the Central Subway will require detouring traffic. N Judah and T Third rail service will be served by buses starting at approximately 9 p.m. each night that work is performed. Crews are scheduled to work during nighttime to reduce traffic and Muni service disruption while overhead lines and accessories are installed that will tie the new Central Subway system to the existing T Third Street line. A test train will verify Overhead Catenary System (OCS) installation, which is how zero-emissions electrical power is supplied to light rail vehicles. Electrical work will start at approximately 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17, and should conclude Saturday, Nov. 20. Rail service will resume on schedule Thursday and Friday mornings. Saturday and Su

San Francisco's Taxi Medallion Program Moves Onward By In early October, a San Francisco jury found that the SFMTA did not breach its taxi medallion program Lender Agreements with the San Francisco Federal Credit Union.  Throughout this litigation, the SFMTA has continued to focus its attention on supporting purchased medallion holders and drivers.  In fact, over a year ago, the SFMTA made an offer to settle the lawsuit by providing millions of dollars in loan forgiveness to medallion holders.  Unfortunately, the SF Credit Union opted to continue its lawsuit against us.  With the trial now behind us, we are hopeful that the Credit Union will engage in the necessary dialogue with us and agree to participate in a loan forgiveness program.  We understand the challenges faced by individuals who purchased taxi medallions.  Specifically, the fixed $250,000 price for a medallion is unsustainable, and needs to be lowered. Unfortunately, the SF Credit Union's Lender Agreement require

Central Subway Readies Fare Gates and Ticket Vending Machines By Enrique Aguilar In October, crews began installing and testing fare gate and ticket vending machine equipment at new underground stations that hundreds of Muni customers will use to pay for Muni fares once the Central Subway opens next year. In addition to the new equipment being put into place at Chinatown/Rose Pak, Union Square/Market Street and Yerba Buena/Moscone stations, we are also continuing the train testing necessary to help us reach our goal of beginning service in 2022. From the earliest stages of planning, our infrastructure design took into account the need for revenue management equipment like gates and fare machines. Like appliance placement in a brand-new home, architects developed the layout which construction workers build-out of the station’s interior. Crews will secure equipment, connect it to power and data sources and ensure cabling is in the appropriate location based on the station’s floor pla