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Smarter Traffic Signals Prioritize Transit and People By Robert Lim Have you ever wondered how traffic signals could better balance the needs of all road users, whether driving, bicycling, walking or taking Muni? The SFMTA is rolling out its Connected Corridor Pilot this month to use transit platform and traffic signal sensor data to inform signal timing adjustments. The pilot also aims to collect information to support transit efficiency and street safety improvements.  Traffic engineers use signal timing adjustments as a tool to prioritize the flow of travel in specific directions or for different travel modes – Muni, people walking or driving – to meet the changing demands of the road network across different timepoints in a day. The Connected Corridors Pilot seeks to push the envelope of innovation by investing in advanced technologies, funded through a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant. These tools will better position the city to serve the potential future ne...

Muni Plans to Reach 98 Percent of San Francisco this August By Julie Kirschbaum In August 2021, 98% of residents and 100% of equity neighborhoods could be within a ¼ mile of a Muni stop Following major service restorations on May 15 , with the KT Ingleside-Third and N Judah Muni Metro rail service resuming, historic street cars returning and subways reopening, the SFMTA is already hard at work planning to restore even more service later this summer. This effort will potentially close almost all of the Muni service gaps across the city, bringing 98% of San Francisco within two to three blocks of a Muni stop. This August, pending the relaxation of pandemic protocols and physical distancing restrictions, the SFMTA is expecting to bring back more than a dozen bus routes that were temporarily suspended as part of pandemic-related service reductions at the beginning of the crisis, including: Route Restorations: 5R Fulton Rapid, 18 46th Avenue, 35 Eureka, 36 Teresita, 39 Coit  “...

An Action Plan for Racial Equity at the SFMTA By In a pre-COVID session, Director Jeff Tumlin and SFMTA staff discuss the agency’s priorities As the manager of San Francisco’s streets and transportation network, the SFMTA has the immense responsibility of ensuring dignified access and freedom of movement for all through its community engagement, planning and service delivery. The agency also has a significant responsibility to its almost 6,000 employees to dismantle any harmful cultures, practices and policies that reinforce anti-Blackness, structural racism and/or bias in the workplace. The agency developed our Racial Equity Action Plan as a process and strategic plan for SFMTA, guided by the citywide racial equity framework , to enact institutional and structural change to achieve racial equity. With leadership from the SFMTA’s newly appointed Race, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Josephine Ayankoya, and Human Resources Director Kimberly Ackerman, the plan commits the SFMTA to ...

Get Out and Get Going on Bike to Wherever Day, May 21 By Pamela Johnson Heading out to run an errand, meeting friends, taking in the sights at the Botanical Garden or Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park (both now open) or getting a bite to eat? On May 21, join people across the city bicycling for this year's annual Bike to Work Day event in the form of Bike to Wherever Day.  Bike to Wherever day is a celebration of bicycles as a fun and healthy way to get around the city, hosted by The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition encouraging people to pedal to their destinations for the day. The event promotes the bicycle both as an alternative commute and as a healthy and safe alternative to driving to…wherever! The SFMTA encourages everyone, including those who don't usually bike, to get out and bike on this special day.  After grabbing a bike (your own or a bikeshare bike ), stop by one of the 12 energizer stations that will be hosted citywide as you get going around town. The...

Pay-By-Plate Coming to Parking Meters By Pamela Johnson A change from pay-by-space to pay-by-license plate is coming to half of all parking meters in San Francisco on the heels of a four-month pay-by-plate parking meter pilot focused on Indiana Street in the Dogpatch that ended in March 2021.   How it Works Instead of entering your space number to pay for parking, you will enter your license plate number. When you pull into a parking space, head to the nearest paystation on the block, or reach for your smartphone, key in your license plate number and pay. Since the PayByPhone app stores your license plate number, you won’t have to remember or type it in every time when using the app. New overhead signage and decals on the paystations will let you know that the pay-by-plate system is in effect. Look for signs that indicate Pay by License Plate is available This new system comes with many benefits. Pay-by-plate gives you the option to pay at any pay station on your side of the...

Temporary HOV Lanes Approved for Historic Pilot Program By Stephen Chun Muni buses and private vehicles with two or more occupants will soon see an innovative solution for San Francisco: High Occupancy Vehicle lanes (HOV) on city streets, approved by a 5-1 vote on April 20 by the SFMTA Board of Directors. The historic pilot program, in partnership with Caltrans, aims to increase person-carrying capacity and improve transit reliability on several major corridors through Golden Gate Park, the Marina District and Cow Hollow . This HOV pilot will help customers who ride the 28 19th Avenue Muni line The HOV lanes will be in effect weekdays from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the far-right lanes on State Route 1’s Crossover Drive (southbound only), Park Presidio Bypass and Park Presidio Boulevard between Lincoln Way and just north of Lake Street, and on U.S. 101’s Lombard Street and Richardson Avenue betw...

Subway Stations Reopen and Historic Streetcars Return May 15 By Shalon Rogers PDF version The COVID-19 Muni C ore Service plan, effective May 15, showing all Muni service including new and returning Muni lines. The SFMTA will reopen all of its Muni Metro subway stations on Saturday, May 15, with the return of rail service on the N Judah and KT Ingleside-Third routes.  To continue maximizing Muni access citywide, we’re also adding a new bus route: the 36/52 Special,  serving the hilltop neighborhoods of Forest Hill, Miraloma and Sunnyside. In addition, we are excited to bring back San Francisco’s historic streetcar route--the F Market & Wharves . N Judah Metro rail service will resume its full route between Ocean Beach and 4th and King Street (Caltrain), and the T Third will be extended to West Portal and then continue on, running as the K Ingleside to Balboa Park Station. With the return of rail service to these routes, customers will have faster transit times downt...