Matthew Roth

The near total reconstruction of Valencia Street between 15th and 19th Streets in The Mission over the past year has seemed at times maddening to those who use the street, no matter what mode. From ripped up sidewalks to ripped up pavement, the area has been a construction zone for nearly a year now, causing businesses to bemoan the lack of sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to shimmy along the narrow strips of plywood and concrete that has passed for temporary sidewalks, and leading cyclists to dodge construction vehicles while navigating grooved pavement and large ruts.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board, which runs Muni, voted today to partially restore service that was cut in May, contingent on the Board of Supervisors approving several actions and freeing up a one-time disbursement of county sales tax revenue.

Editor's note: We're taking Monday off. Enjoy the long weekend and see you back here Tuesday!

At the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) meeting on Wednesday, where the public was briefed on various alignment options for bringing high speed rail to the Transbay Terminal and 4th and King station, numerous people living in Potrero Hill, Dogpatch and Showplace Triangle testified that they supported the cornerstone rail project, but didn't want it to further separate their neighborhoods. They said they didn't support the idea of depressing 16th Street or 7th Street under the tracks of the bullet train and they feared the project would add to the already significant neighborhood divide caused by Highway 101 and Interstate 280.

Once relegated to the realm of science fiction books or movies with Michael J. Fox, the flying car could be commercially tenable sooner than you might think.

The possibility that Californians will be allowed to share their personal cars within car-sharing pools and receive compensation for gas, maintenance, and wear to the vehicle moved a step closer to reality yesterday, as a State Senate committee voted unanimously to approve AB 1871, a bill that would prevent car insurance companies from voiding personal insurance if vehicle owners are compensated for the use of their cars.

Muni Could Resume Service Previously Cut by September (SF Weekly, Examiner) Caltrain Considers Service Cuts and Fare Increases (Examiner) How CA’s Environmental Laws Prevent Bike Lanes in San Francisco (SFBG) Oakland Braces for Mehserle Verdict (ABC, CBS) Judge Says Not Enough Evidence for 1st-Degree Murder Charge (ABC) Social Networking Sites Abuzz over Mehserle Case (CoCo … Continued

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Bay Area's transportation planning body and the administrator of bridge tolls, managed a feat very nearly impossible today: They got the Bay Guardian and the Chronicle to agree on something. Namely, writers for both papers hate the idea of increased tolls on the region's bridges starting on Thursday, especially the congestion pricing scheme on the Bay Bridge.

Peninsula communities have made all the news with their public outcry against the alignment of the California High Speed Rail train, but today some San Franciscans got into the mix. Now that details have emerged about a possible alignment choice through the eastern portion of Potrero, some community members aren't so thrilled with the prospect.

By the time the political tides had turned against ripping up neighborhoods to make way for freeways in the late 1950s, the result of the San Francisco freeway revolt, many areas had already been substantially altered to make room for the footprint of enormous future roadways.