Brown Signs Law Making Muni’s Transit-Only Lane Enforcement Permanent

Earlier this week, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1287, introduced by San Francisco Assemblymember David Chiu, making permanent the Transit-Only Lane Enforcement (TOLE) program which helps keep parked cars out of Muni-only lanes. The program was set to expire at the end of the year.

Assemblymember David Chiu today with his successor, D3 Supervisor Julie Christensen (right), Supervisor Scott Wiener, and SFTRU’s Thea Selby. Photo: Aaron Bialick

“Muni has to go faster than eight miles an hour,” said Chiu in a statement to the press.

“As we increase service on Muni and our economy continues to grow, we have to make sure that our transit system can operate efficiently and reliably. Everyone who rides Muni in San Francisco appreciates the Governor’s support of this bill.”

TOLE uses cameras on Muni buses to enforce the prohibition against stopping or parking in transit-only lanes, many of which are designated with red paint. These TOLE-equipped buses discourage illegal parking and help improve transit service along San Francisco’s 26 miles of transit-only lanes on routes carrying more than 160,000 riders per day.

While the program is better than nothing, it’s hardly perfect. In the words of Streetsblog SF reporter Michael Rhodes in 2009, “Violations in SF’s Transit-Only Lanes Rampant and Rarely Enforced.” An earlier version of the legislation would have allowed Muni to ticket drivers driving in the transit-only lanes based on camera evidence.

That language was removed during the committee process.

Even so, TOLE has created better conditions than what existed when the program was first permitted in 2007. Statistics provided by Chiu’s office show that TOLE has helped reduce Muni delays and improved running time reliability. Results on a key downtown corridor, Sutter Street, for example, show travel time consistency improvements of up to fifteen percent.

“With more than two dozen miles of transit-only lanes throughout San Francisco, we have made significant progress in how we move Muni in our most congested corridors,” said Ed Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “This legislation will allow us to ensure that these transit-only lanes are kept as clear as possible. It also furthers our work to keep our roads safe, reliable and as functional as possible for so many people traveling in San Francisco.”

The governor’s signature also gives a political victory for the Assemblyman. A.B. 1287 is the first transportation bill at the state level from Chiu, who was elected to the State Assembly in November after serving as District 3 Supervisor.

 

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Board of Supes Votes Again Not to Reject MTA Budget

|
BOS Prez David Chiu, who voted not to reject: "It is time for us to move forward." Photo by Bryan Goebel. The Board of Supervisors, for the second time this month, voted 6-5 this afternoon against a motion to reject the MTA’s $778 million budget. BOS Prez David Chiu and Sophie Maxwell were among those […]

Streetscast: An Interview with David Chiu

|
Supervisor David Chiu doesn’t own a car and walks, bikes and takes public transportation.  District 3 Supervisor and newly-elected Board President David Chiu says he would be willing to consider a car-free Market Street and study an idea by the Transportation Authority to charge drivers a user fee to manage congestion. Though he was cautious, […]

Supes Committee Votes to Recommend Rejection of MTA Budget

|
Supervisor David Campos with BOS Prez David Chiu and Supervisor Bevan Dufty in background at yesterday’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting. Photos by Bryan Goebel. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee voted 4-1, with Supervisor Carmen Chu dissenting, to recommend the rejection of the MTA’s $778 million budget following a marathon […]

Supervisors Vote 6-5 Against Rejecting MTA Budget

|
BOS Prez David Chiu. Photo by Bryan Goebel BOS Prez David Chiu gave quite a performance at last week’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting, peppering MTA Chief Nat Ford with a series of hard-hitting questions about the agency’s unpopular budget, and lining up the six necessary votes to reject the spending plan. Yesterday, though, at […]