Michael Rhodes
Michael Rhodes is a former reporter for Streetsblog San Francisco. He lives in the Mission Dolores neighborhood and is a graduate of UC Berkeley's Department of City and Regional Planning.
Recent Posts
This Week in Livable Streets Events
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From SF’s radical history to brand new valet parking at the Ferry Building Farmers Market, there’s plenty to check out this week. Here are the highlights: Tuesday: SPUR Lunchtime Forum: The politics and policy of AB 32: California’s Global Warming Solutions Act. Join SPUR for a discussion of the policy and politics of AB 32, […]
Muni Weighs How to Restore Service If It Gets the Chance
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Photo: Myleen Hollero/Orange Photography If Muni operators approve a concessions agreement their union leaders brokered with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency last week, the agency and the riding public could be faced with an unusual task. Instead of public hearings to determine what Muni service will be cut, the SFMTA could be holding hearings […]
Caltrain Adds Fare Increases to List of Budget Crisis Solutions
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Flickr photo: Rev Dan Catt Facing a budget deficit that threatens to end train service altogether, the Caltrain Board of Directors voted today to declare a fiscal emergency and began considering some new options to cover the deficit for the next fiscal year, including raising fares. Caltrain has whittled together enough money through partially restored […]
Seven Months Into Market Street Pilot, Most Drivers Getting the Message
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Clear enough for you? Photos: Michael Rhodes With the recent addition of fully separated bright green bike lanes and a set of traffic changes that have improved conditions for Muni and people on bikes, Market’s midsection has become a place to watch for innovative transportation trial projects. Seven months after a pilot program launched, local […]
SFMTA Board Urges Board of Supervisors to Put Revenue Measure on Ballot
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Photo: Myleen Hollero/Orange Photography For the first time in its 10 year history, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board is officially pushing for a ballot measure that could bring a revenue infusion to Muni — to the tune of over $16 million annually in the form of a 10-percent increase to the commercial off-street […]
This Week in Livable Streets Events
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This week is all about the weekend: check out four bike rides that will prepare you for the San Francisco Pride Parade and get you thinking about what happens to recycled materials. Here are the week’s highlights: Tuesday: SFMTA Board Meeting. The SFMTA Board is back after missing its last meeting due to lack of […]
Muni Gets First Two Refurbished Buses Back from the Shop
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Sixty two Muni buses are getting an exhaustive maintenance overhaul. Riders are probably more likely to notice the new paint job and lack of graffiti. Photos: Michael Rhodes Muni unveiled the first pair of its refurbished buses today, thanks to federal stimulus funds, marking the start of a 66-week, 62-vehicle program the agency hopes will […]
Tentative Labor Agreement May Reverse Muni Service Cuts
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Photo: Michael Rhodes The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has reached a tentative agreement with six of its employee unions, including the Muni operators union, that would save the agency $18.7 million over two years and allow it, by September 4, to restore over half the service it cut earlier this month. The agreement, which […]
Judge Will Consider Lifting Bike Injunction at Hearing Next Month
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Brand new green bike lanes on Market Street, one of the "innovative treatments" Judge Busch allowed under the partial lifting of the bike Injunction. The city hopes to get the green light on its full Bike Plan next month. Photo: Bryan Goebel It’s been nearly four years since a court injunction stopped virtually any bike […]
Mayor: SFMTA Board Appointments Likely Coming This Week
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Mayor Newsom speaks at a press conference near One Rincon Hill today. Photo: Michael Rhodes The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board has been down by two directors since May 1, but according to Mayor Newsom, his choice for the two replacement appointments should come in the next day or two. One of the two […]
The Broadway Tunnel: One of SF’s Meanest Streets for Biking and Walking
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The Broadway tunnel’s pedestrian path. Photo: Michael Rhodes The Broadway tunnel, stretching from Hyde Street in Russian Hill to Powell Street in Chinatown, is one of the scariest places in San Francisco to ride a bike, and it’s no walk in the park for pedestrians, either. With two wide lanes of auto traffic in each […]
This Week in Livable Streets Events
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Muni is far from alone in facing service cuts. This week, the front line of transit service reductions is in Oakland, where AC Transit will be holding a public hearing on proposed cuts. Plus, check out plenty of more uplifting events from this week’s Streetsblog calendar: Tuesday: SPUR Young Urbanists: Ballots and brews. Learn what’s […]