Year: 2009

We heard rumblings from sources in the days following the West Portal Muni crash that Ken McDonald, Muni's Chief Operating Officer, had been reassigned by MTA Chief Nat Ford. The agency never confirmed the rumor but this just in: McDonald has submitted his resignation with "mixed emotions." Read his resignation letter here (PDF). His last day at the agency will be October 9th.

"CCSF is offering a class involving repair, maintenance, customizing bikes for hilly San Francisco riding, building bike stands and truing stands and other tools for proper maintenance, proper adjustments to working bikes and much more.

"Hands-on class, so bring a bike and get ready to get greasy. Over the 3 weeks (August 10th, 17th, and 24th), it will cover what is included in a basic shop tune-up. No previous knowledge about bikes is required or expected."

"This grueling documentary follows the 1976 Paris-Roubaix bike race, an intensive journey across the cobbled farm tracks of Northern France. The director uses 20 cameras and a helicopter to capture the drama of the race from every possible angle. The result captures every crucial moment from the hopeful fools in the breakaway to the grinding mass of the dense pack to the final, frantic, muscle-wrenching sprint."

When the 17th Street and Castro Street trial Pavement to Parks plaza was implemented in San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom said at the press conference that he would expedite two more plazas immediately, and if the public used them and clamored for more, he would instruct his agencies to build them. Apparently, he wasn't grandstanding.

Agenda.

Ray LaHood will announce today that his Department of Transportation plans to convene a summit next month for safety officials, lawmakers, academics, and law enforcement representatives to examine the risks of texting while driving.

Density, density, density. It's something of a mantra in sustainable transportation circles. But in today's featured post from the Streetsblog Network, UrbanCincy points to the cautionary example of Atlanta -- a place that could perhaps best be described as dense sprawl.

More Coverage of Yesterday’s Muni Streetcar Crash from SF Gate, ABC7, CBS5, and SF Examiner BART Rolls Out a Limited Launch of Translink Targeting About 1000 Customers (NBC11) Mercury News: “Proposed Bus Cuts Could Prove Disastrous to East Palo Alto Residents” Man Charged in SF and Fremont Hit-and-Run Rampage Pleads Not Guilty (Oak Trib, SF … Continued