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Public Participation Improves the J Church Transfer

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Public Participation Improves the J Church Transfer By Jonathan Streeter As a part of the SFMTA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented a number of temporary emergency projects designed to maximize Muni service in light of newly constrained resources. For example, we brought back the J Church in December 2020 as a surface only rail route between Balboa Park and Duboce Avenue as the first train service to be re-started since shelter in place began in March 2020. Throughout these efforts, we have worked with the public to modify and improve their design. A 22 Fillmore bus and J Church light rail vehicle travel northbound on Church Street at Market To provide better connectivity between the J Church and other Muni Metro lines, we created a temporary boarding island and ramp on Church Street south of Market, and added a temporary ramp to the island on Church Street just south of Duboce Avenue. This now serves customers transferring to the re-opened subway.  We implemented

Transit Lanes Keep Muni Moving on Mission Street in SoMa

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Transit Lanes Keep Muni Moving on Mission Street in SoMa By Erin McMillan The full-time transit lanes on Mission Street downtown installed as a temporary emergency measure during the pandemic will be made permanent. The first of the city’s Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes to get permanent authorization, they were unanimously approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors at their June 15, 2021 meeting. This shows how a quick-build project can be installed, evaluated, and refined in a relatively short amount of time.   Thousands of daily riders have already felt the impact of the full-time transit lanes since they were first temporarily installed last summer. Now, riders of the 14 Mission, 14R Mission Rapid, and many SamTrans and Golden Gate Transit customers will continue to benefit from the transit time savings we have seen with the implementation of these lanes. Mission Street in SoMa has been a major transit corridor for years, serving regional commuters, local residents and worker

Powered Scooters Charge City’s Transportation Recovery

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Powered Scooters Charge City’s Transportation Recovery By Jason Hyde The SFMTA is releasing its next round of Powered Scooter Share permits on July 1. Scooters remain a sustainable mode of travel and a complement to Muni and public transit service as the city recovers from the pandemic and San Franciscans begin to travel more. The SFMTA’s Powered Scooter Share Program is essential in ensuring that shared scooter operations support the city’s economic recovery in a safe, sustainable, and equitable way.  The SFMTA received four submittals for the permit program and will issue permits to two operators : Spin and Lime. Permits will be in effect for a one-year term, with the option to extend for another year at the discretion of the SFMTA based on compliance with various program metrics. While the new permit program does not set a limit on the number of scooters each operator may deploy, it does limit the overall citywide fleet size at 10,000. Starting at a base of 2,000 scooters per

New Transbay Rail Crossing Virtual Workshop

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New Transbay Rail Crossing Virtual Workshop By Stephen Chun SFMTA and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) will be co-hosting a virtual public workshop recognizing the need for a new transbay rail crossing between San Francisco and Oakland on Monday, June 28th at 6:30 pm.  To watch the live event, please visit the program websi te . The workshop is hosted by Link21, a long-range transportation program sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (Capitol Corridor). Link21 is committed to a faster, more connected system, providing safe, efficient, and affordable travel for everyone throughout the Northern California Megaregion that encompasses the San Francisco Bay Area, the Monterey Bay area, the Sacramento area, and the Northern San Joaquin Valley. To participate in a preliminary survey and submit your feedback, please visit the program comment form . SFMTA Director of Transportati

More Muni Service Coming in August

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More Muni Service Coming in August By Julie Kirschbaum The SFMTA is updating and expanding our next big service change targeted for August 14. These adjustments take into account stakeholder feedback and changes in COVID-19 regulations like physical distancing and our ability to switch operators in the field rather than having to return vehicles to their yards first for cleaning. Enhancements to our previously announced plan include expanding evening service and restoring Muni Owl All-nighter service, adding back four more routes and restoring or adjusting segments on several others. Expanded Evening Service As San Francisco reopens, people are traveling later for work, shopping and dining. To help workers and shoppers get around town we plan to expand service hours on 16 key routes. Instead of 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., these routes will operate from 5 a.m. to midnight. Muni’s full late-night Owl network is scheduled to be restored in August, providing service from midnight to 5 a.m.

Extended Service Hours for the F Market & Wharves

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Extended Service Hours for the F Market & Wharves By Enrique Aguilar Beginning June 26, the hours of operation for F Market & Wharves historic streetcars will be extended daily to run from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in order to support San Francisco’s economic recovery and reopening. Trips from Castro to Fisherman’s Wharf will run approximately from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and return trips from Fisherman’s Wharf will run approximately 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. This increase in service is based on feedback from streetcar operators and key stakeholders who worked closely with the SFMTA earlier this year to determine initial hours of operation that would support small businesses along Market Street and the Embarcadero. Last May, the F Wharves-Market was welcomed back by Mayor London Breed, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the SFMTA Board of Directors at a small celebration near the Ferry Building. Director Tumlin was in attendance to make the announcement about the return of historical

A Look Back at Muni's Original Headquarters

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A Look Back at Muni's Original Headquarters By Jeremy Menzies Located on the corner of Geary Boulevard and Presidio Avenue is a historically significant yet frequently overlooked public transit facility. Known today as Presidio Division, this massive building was home to Muni's headquarters for nearly 100 years. Here’s a quick look back through time at the history of this 109-year-old property.   In-progress construction of Muni’s headquarters in October 1912, two months prior to the opening of the city’s publicly owned streetcar line in December. This photo was taken from Calvary Cemetery, the present-day location of a shopping center. Constructed in 1912 and known then as “Geary Car House”, this building was the operations hub of the San Francisco Municipal Railway, the nation’s first publicly owned transit agency in a major US city.  Built on bedrock from reinforced concrete, the original building had a shops and storage garages for streetcar operations, a three-story o