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Slow Streets Become Spooky (Safe) Streets for Halloween By Eillie Anzilotti Halloween festivities on Minnesota Slow Street in 2020 This Halloween season, Slow Streets are becoming Spooky Streets. All across San Francisco, community groups are transforming their local Slow Streets into neighborhood gathering places for trick-or-treating, costume parties and more. On October 31 from 3 to 6 p.m., organizers from Kid Safe SF and the Great Highway Park Initiative are turning the Great Highway into The Great Hauntway , a beachside block party with a costume contest, arts and crafts and a “spooky disco.” That same day, neighbors in Sunnyside are gathering on Slow Hearst Street for a Halloween party at 4 p.m. On Minnesota Street, the Dogpatch Neighborhood Association is hosting their second annual MinneSLOWta Spooky Slow Street Stroll on October 30—the same day that Slow Sanchez Street will host a Halloween Stroll . Safe, car-light spaces for people to walk, bike and roll are essential

New Law Brings Safer Speed Limits to San Francisco By Eillie Anzilotti With the passage of California Assembly Bill 43 (Friedman)—which allows local jurisdictions to reduce speed limits in key areas—San Francisco is poised to make major progress toward our goal of achieving Vision Zero – eliminating traffic-related fatalities . Because speed is the leading cause of serious and fatal crashes in San Francisco, reducing speeds is the single most effective tool for achieving Vision Zero. Before AB43, cities across California—including San Francisco—were limited in their ability to adjust local speed limits. Even slowing traffic down by 5 mph can make a difference of whether or not someone survives a crash, and AB43 will enable SFMTA to set speeds that promote safer streets for all along key corridors. The SFMTA will implement the changes authorized through AB43 in two phases. First, under the provision that goes into effect in January 2022, the SFMTA will move to lower speed limits

Vaccine-Related Service Changes Go into Effect November 1 By Mariana Maguire An SFMTA staff person receives the COVID-19 vaccine at the Woods Muni Maintenance Division To address operator shortages due to the city’s mandate that only vaccinated employees may work after November 1 , the SFMTA will temporarily suspend “short” line service on a few Muni lines. Short service refers to buses that run on a segment of a longer Muni route to help improve frequency on higher-ridership portions of the line. The long routes on these lines will continue to operate, connecting customers where they need to go. There will be no cancellation of any Muni routes in response to staffing challenges associated with the city’s vaccine mandate. Starting November 1, we are planning to temporarily suspend the 1 California Short , 14R Mission Rapid Short (weekends only), 30 Stockton Short, and 49 Van Ness Short (on weekdays only).  These changes are intended to reduce impacts to service systemwide, but

Animated Map Shows Record Expansion of Transit Lanes By Michael Rhodes An animated map showing the expansion of transit lanes in San Francisco. View as a PDF . It’s been a record year for transit lanes in San Francisco: we’ve installed nearly 14 miles of new or upgraded lanes since summer 2020. That’s the fastest expansion of transit lanes in the city’s history. These transit lanes benefit Muni routes that serve nearly two-thirds of current customers. It’s all part of our efforts to give transit riders priority on congested streets and improve Muni speed and reliability. Better Muni service means more people will opt to take transit instead of driving, that reduces congestion and supports our environmental goals . To commemorate this milestone, we’ve put together an animated map showing the evolution of San Francisco’s transit lane network over the last 15 years. We hope you find it as mesmerizing as we do to watch transit lanes expand across the city during this time. Transit l

70 Years at Elkton Shops: Part 1 By Jeremy Menzies In this two-part blog series, we will look back at the history of one of our city’s hardest working transportation properties. For almost 115 years, the Elkton lot, located on San Jose Avenue between Ocean and Niagara Avenues, has been the epicenter of SF streetcar operations. In this post, we will explore the first 70 years at the property when it was known as “Elkton Shops”. Built between 1905 and 1907 by the United Railroads of San Francisco (URR) on a several acre field in the outskirts of the city, Elkton Shops was the most comprehensive transit facility in the city. The new shops, mainly surrounded by farmland, were named after a Southern Pacific Railroad stop just steps away on Ocean Avenue. A lone cable car sits on a muddy ladder track outside the newly built Elkton Shops in this January 1907 shot. In 1921, Elkton changed hands, going to the Market Street Railway Company after URR suffered years of financial troubles. Duri

Plans for 2022 Muni Service Take the Next Step By Mariana Maguire A 2 Clement Muni bus serving its route to Park Presidio Boulevard. The 2 Clement is proposed to return to service in early 2022. When we asked about what SFMTA should do with resources to expand a bit of service, the SFMTA received more than 4,500 responses to our survey asking San Franciscans what they want to see when we’re able to add more service in February 2022.    We also received detailed feedback about Muni service at meetings, pop-ups and via email and our hotline. In response to that feedback, in early 2022 we are restoring connections, particularly for people with disabilities and seniors. Taking the time to evaluate our service and working with the public, we have also developed ideas for new connections, allowing Muni to take more people more places.  These changes will restore key pre-pandemic connections, preserve or restore Muni access in hilly areas and focus on access for people with disabilities

Celebrating Quicker Muni Trips on a Safer Geary By Amy Fowler The sky was gloomy but the mood was celebratory at the Japantown Peace Plaza on Wednesday. Fortunately, the rain stopped just long enough for the SFMTA, along with Mayor London Breed and other city departments and community members, to celebrate the completion of the  Geary Rapid Project . This major civic improvement project has helped to revitalize one of San Francisco’s busiest corridors between Market and Stanyan streets with more reliable bus service, safer streets, upgraded utilities and new trees. One safety improvement in particular was a much-anticipated addition for residents of the Fillmore, Japantown and St. Francis Square communities: a new signalized crosswalk at Geary and Buchanan . That and three other new crosswalks in the area are providing safer crossing opportunities for people walking and helping to reconnect neighborhoods that were divided by the Geary Expressway and “urban renewal” in the mid-twent