Matthew Roth

The central principle of San Francisco's cutting-edge parking management program, SFPark, comes right from Econ 101. If there are more people looking for parking than there are parking spaces (i.e. demand is greater than supply) adjust the price of parking until there is enough turnover on a given street, or roughly one free parking space per block. Sounds simple in theory, right?

The California Department of Insurance has approved a pay-as-you-drive insurance program encouraged by environmental advocates and transportation planners because it provides an incentive to drive less by reducing premiums for low-mileage drivers. Widespread adoption of similar insurance policies could reduce driving in the U.S. by as much as eight percent, according to a Brookings Institution study.

Anyone who has tried to go out on Friday or Saturday night to a concert or a show across the Bay from where they live understands the challenge posed by BART's relatively early closing hours. Some people try to find a couch to sleep on, some don't go out as long as they'd like or find themselves rushing to get that 12:15 am train. Still others choose to drive, and if the late-night swerving traffic on the Bay Bridge is any measure, some of them are partially intoxicated.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) announced today that it has installed the 100th new transit shelter, representing a new aesthetic for one of the more iconic pieces of street furniture in the city.

The study analyzing numerous options for congestion pricing in San Francisco touched off such a political furor in San Mateo County, you'd have thought San Francisco was about to moat up and charge a fee for admission. Politicians and planners from Daly City and San Mateo spoke about the plan today as though they were jilted lovers getting a mandate from the beautiful city to their north without being allowed to get a word in edgewise.

San Francisco traffic planners will study congestion pricing further, following the vote of approval today by the Board of Supervisors in their capacity as directors of the SFCTA. The action puts the debate to bed for a couple more years, but expect the turmoil to begin anew when the SFCTA completes the required environmental review and the region debates the merits of pricing driving in congested areas. KALW asked me to be on Crosscurrents to discuss the issue further. You can listen here.

Editor's note: Matthew Roth, Deputy Editor and co-founder of Streetsblog San Francisco, will be leaving as a full-time staffer starting in the new year as he pursues further journalism opportunities. Over the course of two years of work (530 stories), he has helped make Streetsblog what it is today and we'll miss his regular presence, though we'll continue to see stories from him as a contributing writer in the future.

The all-electric Nissan Leaf will make its debut tomorrow in San Francisco after the company delivers its first production vehicle to Olivier Chalouhi in Petaluma. Chalouhi was the first customer to order a Leaf online and the company intends to reward him for his early adoption. Chalouhi will pick up his vehicle at the Nissan dealership in Petaluma in the morning and drive it to the city for a 1:30 pm event at Civic Center in San Francisco.

CA Gets OH and WI High Speed Rail Money (NY Times, SF Gate, KCBS, Fast Lane) Feds Indicate Funds Should Extend Initial Segment to Bakersfield (KALW, Transport Politic, CAHSR Blog) Bicycling Up 58 Percent in San Francisco Since 2006 (SF Gate) Muni Seeks Solution for Short-Turn Runs that Leave Passengers in the Cold (Examiner, SF … Continued

During routine business at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board meeting Tuesday, Director Cheryl Brinkman recounted how enjoyable it was to ride her bicycle on the new physically separated bike lane on Division Street between 9th and 11th Streets. Brinkman said she hoped the SFMTA would consider how it could improve the connection for cyclists between the Wiggle and the Panhandle, including the possibility of adding physical separation to the bike lanes on Fell and Oak Streets between Scott and Baker Streets.