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It’s Electric! Battery Buses Then and Now By Jeremy Menzies Battery-electric buses and cars have been hitting the streets around the nation in recent years, and here in San Francisco, the SFMTA is currently running a pilot program to test battery powered buses across the system. The pilot analyzes not only the buses themselves, but also how the technology works in the real world of stop-and-go traffic and hill-climbing.    Surprising as it may seem, this pilot program is not the first time battery electric buses appeared on the streets of SF. Here’s a look back at one test that took place over 50 years ago.  While battery electric vehicles date back nearly 200 years to the 1830s, it took over a century for them to see widespread commercial success due to the limitations of the battery technology.  One of the first times Muni tested a battery-powered bus was in November 1972.  Dubbed the “Electrobus”, this small vehicle was tested on the 39 Coit route...

Taken with Transportation Podcast: Celebrating Culture and Community on a Cable Car By SFMTA staffers celebrate the launch ride of the 2023 Filipino American History Cable Car. Specially decorated cable cars climb the hills of San Francisco throughout the year in honor of different communities, cultures and history months. These cars help us celebrate the diversity of our staff and of the city as a whole, and the latest episode of Taken with Transportation , “Celebrating Culture and Community on a Cable Car,” takes you on board.  The program is the brainchild of SFMTA Cable Car Division Manager Fred Butler, who came up with the idea in early 2022. “We’d normally decorate a car for the Lunar New Year, and I sat back and was like, ‘We should do something for every type of person that’s here at the agency’,” Butler says. “And seeing that February was, you know, Black History Month, I said, ‘Let’s do a Black History car’.”  Butler worked with the agency’s Office of Racial Equ...

Temporary Parking Changes Will Support Valencia Street Businesses By Melissa Culross   Cars, bicycles and delivery vehicles all share space along Valencia Street. Photo credit: Shayda Haghgoo, SFMTA.   Valencia Street is home to one of the city's most eclectic and culturally diverse sets of restaurants, shops, nightlife and essential services. The heavily traveled corridor attracts residents and visitors of all ages and interests who get there by walking, biking, rolling and driving.   As part of our work to make Valencia Street safe and inviting for everyone, we’re making some temporary changes to our loading zones beginning this week to create more general parking on the corridor during the holiday season. These changes will help customers who drive patronize Valencia businesses while keeping the street safe for people on foot, bicycles and scooters. Small businesses are an important part of all that makes San Francisco the incredibly special city that it is, ...

Celebrating SFMTA Staff for a Successful APEC Conference in San Francisco By Michael Roccaforte San Francisco has officially wrapped up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting after an exciting week that put the city on the world stage. We’d like to take a moment to recognize the staff from across our agency who spent countless hours and brought their expertise to make APEC a success. It was truly all-hands-on-deck for this effort, and everyone who works at the SFMTA deserves credit for showing why we are a world-class transportation network.  SFMTA security and Parking Control Officers played a key role in creating safe conditions for the APEC conference . The restricted areas around the conference zones were carefully coordinated with our street engineers and planners to make sure everyone who attended could remain safe. Our sign shop brought those plans to life with the signage to tell people which areas were closed to traffic. Parking Control Officers ...

Take Muni to Enjoy San Francisco During APEC By Mariana Maguire Muni can get you to all corners of San Francisco while the APEC conference keeps the city bustling. San Francisco is set to welcome global leaders for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting on Saturday, November 11. The city will be thriving with activities, so residents and visitors who wish to avoid downtown congestion can take Muni, SF Paratransit or  use the SFMTA’s bicycle network  to enjoy the city’s many unique neighborhoods. Given that much of San Francisco’s cultural heritage was born of immigrant communities from APEC countries and beyond, you can get into the spirit of APEC by exploring some of the sights and flavors of the world right here at home.  San Francisco’s culturally distinct and uniquely beautiful neighborhoods are what make the city a world class destination!  SF.gov’s Perfect San Francisco Days series  is designed to help you explore some of the best the city has to offer....

How to Get to Chase Center During APEC By Janice Tan Heading to Chase Center during APEC? Muni is your ride. Here’s what you need to know.  San Francisco is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference between November 11 and 17. This will require temporary changes beginning November 13 to Muni routes to Chase Center, potentially causing delays.  If you’re heading to a Warriors game or to the Lauryn Hill & The Fugees concert during this time, plan ahead with this information and allow extra time for travel. Remember, your Chase Center event ticket is your fare— no additional Muni fare needed! Muni, walking and bicycling are the best ways to avoid parking and traffic headaches.   T Third and K Ingleside Muni Metro stops from Balboa Park to Embarcadero to Sunnydale will be served by a temporary KT Ingleside-Third Muni Metro from November 13-19. This includes Embarcadero at Folsom and Brannan, and King at 2nd and 4th streets.   Riders s...

Taken with Transportation Podcast: More than a Meter Maid By Michael Roccaforte SFMTA Parking Control Officers Scott Ong and Todd Baxter inspect a car to make sure its Disabled Person Parking Placard is compliant.  One of the most misunderstood roles at the SFMTA is that of the Parking Control Officer, or PCO. In this episode of our Taken with Transportation podcast , host Melissa Culross spends time on the streets of San Francisco with PCOs Scott Ong, Todd Baxter and Ruben Reveles, as well as Parking Enforcement Assistant Director and Captain Kent Chiu. She learns why parking enforcement is essential, what parking control officers do and discovers that they are much more than just so-called "meter maids."   People often overlook the fact that PCOs help the public access parking. One violation that comes up in the episode is the misuse of Disabled Person Parking Placards. That happens when a driver uses a placard that was not issued to them.  “These spaces are…t...