Today’s Headlines
SFMTA Chief Nat Ford Says SF Weekly Muni Story Inaccurate, Defends Agency (SF Weekly) Reaction to Assaults at Muni Stops Includes More Cops and Large Rewards (SF Gate, CBS) Muni F-Line Extension Stalled Because of Supervisor Alioto-Pier (Examiner) Dangerous Drivers Put Themselves and Others in Hospital (Examiner, Examiner, CBS) SF Meets Kyoto Protocol Carbon Reduction … Continued
April 29, 2010
California Poised to Allow Personal Vehicle Sharing Services
Car sharing is a growth industry, as pioneer City CarShare
would tell you, and it has beneficial environmental and economic impacts. Studies of car sharing services like Zipcar and City
CarShare show that for every car that is shared, up to 15 private
vehicles are taken off the road.
Owning and operating a personal car is the second-highest family
expense behind owning a house, and the highest expense for people who rent.
April 28, 2010
Apparently It’s Pretty Easy to Be a Pothole Fixin’ Hero
You don't even need X-ray vision. All you gotta do is call 311.
April 27, 2010
Today’s Headlines
Mayor Newsom Begrudgingly Considers Sunday Meter Parking, Predicts Failure (SF Gate) Alioto-Pier Puts Roadblock in Way of F-Line Expansion in Marina (Examiner) Elsbernd, TWU Debate Muni Operator Pay and Work Rules Tonight (Examiner) 8 Hurt in 19th Avenue Red-Light Running Crash (CBS, Examiner) Detailed Story on the Bay Bridge (60 Minutes) Oakland Truckers Finding Environmental … Continued
April 27, 2010
Eyes on the Street: Castro Plaza Slightly More Permanent
The pioneer Pavement to Parks plaza at Castro Street, 17th Street, and Market Street is about to celebrate its first birthday with a makeover that will bring it a step or two closer to permanence, though planners say this is an iterative step toward a permanent plaza and not the final design.
April 26, 2010
Parklet in Front of Mojo Cafe is a Community Destination
Though the trial sidewalk extension "parklet" in front of Mojo Cafe has been open for just over a month, it has quickly become a community meeting place and a boon for business. The trial permit for the space lasts six months, but given the enthusiastic embrace of the parklet by the neighborhood, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see that permit extended.
April 26, 2010
Today’s Headlines
Matier and Ross Complain About Residential Parking Permit Fee Increase Supes Prez Chiu Uneasy About MTA Budget, Could Force Issue (SF Weekly) Newsom Hopes Muni Drivers Will Take Similar Wage Hit as All Other Unions (Examiner) Thorough Vandal Breaks 30 Windows on Muni Train (SF Weekly, CBS) New Method of Burying Cable Causes Minimal Sidewalk … Continued
April 26, 2010
Chinatown Students Conduct Thorough Surveys of SFMTA Bus Stops
One of the central criticisms of Muni's objective to consolidate bus stops is that it hasn't conducted thorough demographic analysis of the people who use each stop, particularly seniors and the disabled. Rather than rely solely on the distance between stops and the incline of the streets, say critics, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) should make nuanced decisions about each stop based on the amenities near the stops and the people who use them.
April 23, 2010
Today’s Headlines
SFMTA Says Muni Service Cuts Could Be Pared Back (SF Gate) SF Weekly Wonders Whether Nat Ford Read Their “Muni Death Spiral” Cover Article Man Killed at Muni Castro Station (SF Gate, KCBS, Examiner, SF Appeal, Examiner) Mission Pedestrian Killed by Muni Bus Remembered by Friends (ABC) BART Fires 2nd Officer in Oscar Grant Shooting … Continued
April 23, 2010
Here’s to the Other 364 Earth Days
I'm guessing some of you might share my distaste for the once-a-year gaga over the Earth, especially when it takes the form of NBC changing its logo color or Chevron touting its environmental record. I'm not saying we shouldn't be thinking about cutting greenhouse gases or leaving the car at home to walk, bike, or take transit to work today, but I am cynical about the political and media frenzy that kicks in around Earth Day, and then conveniently disappears for all the un-Earth Days (can you hear the Mad Hatter singing it now from the front seat of his H2?).
April 22, 2010