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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 “...

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, ...

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 A...

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...