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Construction Starts on the Battery/Sansome Quick-Build By Eillie Anzilotti   Rendered image of the completed Battery/Sansome Quick Build Project The first-ever protected bike lane in the Financial District is on its way in!  This week, SFMTA crews are starting work on the Battery/Sansome Quick-Build project. Approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors in September, this project will bring a two-way protected bike lane to Battery Street. The project will also add pedestrian safety improvements on both Battery and Sansome Streets, and some loading changes on Battery.   This project is a major step forward for cycling in the city. Apart from the Embarcadero, there is no other protected bike lane near the Financial District — even though two out of the 10 most active bike share stations in the city are in the downtown area. With so many people returning to downtown offices after working from home due to the pandemic, this new route will offer a safer option for those looking for a more

Your Questions, Answered: Central Subway Special Weekend Service By Mariana Maguire Central Subway special weekend service shuttles customer between Chinatown-Rose Pak Station and 4th & Brannan to explore the new stations. And on January 7, T Third service will connect from Chinatown-Rose Pak to Sunnydale. What has four brand new stations, thousands of curious customers and really long escalators? It’s Central Subway! Special weekend service launched Saturday and Sunday, November 19 and 20 with a steady stream of Muni customers excited to experience the SFMTA’s historic new subway. They were greeted by ambassadors in orange giving out fortune cookies and Muni squishy trains and answering lots of questions. Customers got to see the new Central Subway stations for the first time and start to learn how to navigate new connections with special shuttle service operating between Chinatown-Rose Pak and 4th & Brannan stations. We know this is a big change for everyone and it will

The Future of Slow Streets By Eillie Anzilotti Over the past two years, Slow Streets have shown how simple designs that prioritize people can transform streets. Suddenly, streets across San Francisco filled with the sounds of kids playing and neighbors chatting. They filled with people on bicycles and people rolling in wheelchairs; with joggers and dog-walkers. The streets came to life. Initially, the SFMTA introduced Slow Streets as an emergency response to COVID-19. People needed space for recreating at a safe distance outdoors. And with Muni service reduced or suspended at the time, people needed ways to travel to essential destinations on foot or bike. To quickly meet these early pandemic needs, we implemented Slow Streets with simple signs and barricades. Over time, it became clear that Slow Streets served an even larger purpose. They became places for communities to come together. Neighbors organized events like scavenger hunts and Trick or Treat parties around their local Sl

Starting Tomorrow! Central Subway Special Service Opens By Mariana Maguire Central Subway special weekend service starts November 19 with shuttle trains between Chinatown-Rose Pak Station and 4th and Brannan. Starting tomorrow, November 19, the four new Central Subway stations will open to the public with free special service, Saturdays and Sundays only, from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. every 12 minutes. This is a special opportunity for customers to ride between the new stations and get to know them before the service change in January. To experience Central Subway special service, transfer at Powell Station from Muni Metro and BART by walking underground to the new Union Square/Market Street Station. SFMTA Ambassadors will be on hand to help customers navigate the new stations. Looks for our bright orange SFMTA Ambassador vests, hoodies and hats! At Chinatown-Rose Park Station, customers should listen to announcements and watch the displays for incoming train information. Trains may

Taximeter Rate Increase By Today , our new taxi meter rates go into effect, providing a much-needed increase for taxi drivers. After extensive outreach, the SFMTA board passed an 18% increase in the taximeter rates – the first increase in 11 years. During this time, the cost of living  in the Bay Area has risen considerably.  45% increase in the cost of everyday items 50% increase in the cost of transportation  82% peak increase in the cost of gasoline. The new rates listed below will support an industry that is an integral part of  our transportation system, especially for SF’s paratransit program. The new rates go into effect beginning Thursday, November 17: First one-fifth mile of flag rate is $4.15 Each additional one-fifth mile or fraction thereof is $0.65 Each minute of waiting or traffic time delay is $0.65 SFO pick-up fee is unchanged at $5.50 For more information on the current structure of taxi fares, please visit Taxi Fares . To get a sense of what this

Explore Yerba Buena with New Central Subway Connections By Christopher Ward Starting November 19, Central Subway opens for special service, allowing customers to experience the new Yerba Buena/Moscone Station. The new Yerba Buena/Moscone Station at 4th and Folsom streets along the Central Subway connects Muni customers with the communities and attractions in San Francisco’s South of Market district. The new station is located across the street from Yerba Buena Square and the Moscone Convention Center and steps away from hotels, museums, shopping and restaurants. However, you choose to spend your time in Yerba Buena, you’ll have no shortage of things to do. Interested in the arts and culture? Yerba Buena/Moscone Station is your stop! Explore the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD), the American Bookbinder’s Museum or the Children’s Creativity Museum, all within a

SFMTA Upgrades Predictions Software This Weekend! By Mariana Maguire SFMTA will switch over to a new, upgraded software system on Sunday, November 13,  as part of our Next Generation Customer Information System (CIS) project . The new software was developed to improve the way our different information systems communicate with each other and share data to and from multiple sources. This will provide customers more accurate, timely, reliable Muni service predictions. This is one more important step in the overhaul of our CIS that will enable us to provide better service to Muni customers. SFMTA’s Next Generation CIS software has been in preliminary testing for months, and if all works well, Muni customers should not notice any change. But anyone who’s had to help loved ones with computer or smartphone troubles knows that software updates aren’t always smooth. Unanticipated challenges may arise. Customers should expect some glitches as we make the software switch and work out issue

Taxi Upfront Pricing Pilot Begins By The Taxi Upfront Fare Pilot Program began on November 9, 2022!  In September 2021 , the SFMTA Board authorized the creation of a one-year Taxi Upfront Fare Pilot Program . The pilot will give taxi customers the ability to book a taxi trip through a taxi e-hail app and pay a flat-rate, upfront fare. It will also allow customers to request a taxi through approved third-party apps. Our hope is that the pilot benefits taxi users by providing them with upfront information about their fares, relieving meter anxiety, and allowing customers to price shop for similar on-demand services. We believe this will bring taxi services in line with what customers expect on similar services. We also believe it will increase business for the local taxi industry, especially the drivers. A successful pilot would increase overall taxi trips, encourage more people to become taxi drivers, and maintain or improve taxi services for all passengers.  Beginning November 9,

New Muni Metro Station Opens in the Heart of Union Square By Mariana Maguire Central Subway special weekend service will be running just in time for the holiday lights at Union Square The new Central Subway Union Square/Market Street Station puts Muni customers in the heart of historic San Francisco, beneath Union Square Plaza at Geary and Stockton streets – open just in time to enjoy Macy’s famous holiday window displays and ice skating on the plaza. Surrounding the Square, visitors can access world-class shopping from some of the most coveted names in fashion and jewelry. Travelers will be steps away from several big-name and boutique hotels. Quaint locally owned cafes, delis, restaurants and bars nearby offer a wide variety of cuisine from Asian to French to Irish, and beyond! Barbary Coast Trail markers on the sidewalk will lead you on an odyssey through old San Francisco. Maiden Lane – a polite reference to the activities that once took place in the early days of the city –

Five Years of Data Show: Our Street Safety Projects are Making a Difference By Julia Malmo Ever wonder about the effectiveness of projects after they go into the ground? Us, too!   That’s why, in 2017, we launched the Safe Streets Evaluation Program to help project teams understand whether a transportation safety project’s design is effective, and where there might be opportunities to adjust the design if not. Project evaluation data can also be combined across projects to help the SFMTA track the effectiveness of a certain type of safety improvement, which can in turn streamline the design of future projects. The Safe Streets Evaluation Program helps us work towards achieving Vision Zero , an initiative to prioritize street safety and eliminate traffic deaths in San Francisco.   This week, we’re looking back on five years of data gathered through our Safe Streets Evaluation Program with the “ 2022 Safe Streets Evaluation Summary ,” an interactive website summarizing the results o

The Good Times are Rolling on the Embarcadero Bikeway! By Eillie Anzilotti If you build it, they will ride.  That’s the main takeaway from the new two-way bikeway along the Embarcadero, which opened earlier this year. The Embarcadero is one of the most vibrant and well-visited public spaces in San Francisco: people flock to the waterfront for Bay views, excellent food, and the popular farmers’ market. With more and more people traveling along the Embarcadero by bike and scooter, the shared-use promenade was, quite simply, getting too crowded. As part of the larger Embarcadero Enhancement Program to improve transportation along the waterfront, the SFMTA’s Vision Zero Quick-Build team recently extended the two-way bikeway between Mission and Howard all the way up to Broadway to provide more space for people traveling by bike and scooter.  Six months after the new bikeway was completed, the main question is: is it working? The answer is a resounding yes. After the bikeway was installe

Chinatown Connects to Muni Metro By Deanna Leo With the completion of Central Subway, customers will be able to ride the T Third Muni Metro all the way from Visitacion Valley to Chinatown. Starting November 19, when Muni Metro riders can first take Central Subway's special weekend service to Chinatown,  prepare to spend the day in Chinatown enjoying all its sights, sounds and flavors. There is so much to explore in the largest Chinatown outside Asia! Tourist attractions include the Dragon’s Gate, Old St. Mary’s Cathedral and Portsmouth Square, the site of San Francisco’s original customs house where today, members of the Chinese community spend the days singing or playing mahjong, a traditional and very popular tile-based game. Fans of Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club, can meander the streets of Chinatown searching for the places where her story unfolds. On Wavery Place you can visit the First Baptist Church where the four mothers in the story meet to play mahjong. Muni M

Over Half Next Generation Muni Shelter Displays Installed with More Upgrades Coming By Kharima Mohamed New Muni service information displays are going into Muni shelters throughout San Francisco with updated features as part of SFMTA’s Next Generation Customer Information System upgrades. As part of our Next Generation Customer Information System (CIS) project , we are installing over 800 new, larger Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) at Muni shelters and stations, replacing existing NextBus signs and expanding real-time information coverage. So far, we are over halfway to completion, with over 435 new displays installed in shelters . New screens show real-time multilingual information including graphics, maps and destinations. New LCD displays (left) are replacing the previous Muni information displays (right). Beginning this fall, Muni predictions on our new and improved Next Generation screens will include: Crowding.  On vehicles equipped with automatic passenger counters, d

Potrero Yard Modernization Project Reaches Milestone By John Angelico The Potrero Yard Modernization Project has reached a key milestone to replace the obsolete, 107-year-old Potrero Bus Yard with the nation’s first joint development of a bus facility with housing constructed on top. Today, the SFMTA Board of Directors approved awarding the project’s predevelopment agreement (PDA) to Potrero Neighborhood Collective, LLC (PNC) as lead developer (LD). This milestone serves as a starting point for Potrero Neighborhood Collective to work together with the City and project stakeholders to further develop the current concept design and start the process that will produce the final project and housing agreements.  The successful proposal’s conceptual design is for a modern, three-story bus storage and maintenance transit facility and approximately 575 affordable rental units for those with low or moderate incomes. This unique use of a public resource to advance the City’s housing goals wh

Central Subway Opens November 19 with Special Weekend Service By Mariana Maguire Central Subway special weekend service starts November 19 with service to Chinatown-Rose Pak Station, Union Square/Market Street Station, Yerba Buena/Moscone Station and 4th and Brannan. On Saturday, November 19, the Central Subway makes its historic debut with special weekend service, Saturdays and Sundays, from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. with trains every 12 minutes.  During this special weekend service, customers will have a chance to ride through the new Central Subway for free and get to know the four new stations: Chinatown-Rose Pak at Stockton and Clay streets, Union Square/Market Street Station at Geary and Stockton streets, Yerba Buena/Moscone Station at 4th and Folsom and the new 4th & Brannan stop at 4th and Brannan streets. During the special weekend service, customers can transfer to the new Central Subway service at Powell Station from Muni Metro and BART by walking underground to the new U

Showdown at the Cow Palace By Lori Phelan Some of the agency’s most skilled transit operators, mechanics and parking control officers recently polished up their silver stars and rode into Daly City for an epic showdown at the Cow Palace. It was a chance to show they were the best of the best. And boy did they deliver! The SFMTA Roadeo had dozens of transit operators navigate through a course containing various obstacle while under a strict time limit.  The event was the 32nd Annual Bus Roadeo (and yes, you read that correctly). The name "roadeo" is derived from the better-known horse rodeo competition. The original roadeos, which began in 1937, featured trucks in various categories going through the same obstacles that drivers go through today.  The agency took on the moniker in 1974 and held the inaugural event in the parking lot at the former Candlestick Park. It was there a dozen transit operators competed to determine who would lasso the award as best driver.  There