Michael Rhodes

Police enforcement on Muni is getting a major overhaul after years of inconsistent officer deployment. Under a revised Memorandum of Understanding between the Police Department and the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, officers will be required to ride lines that most frequently have problems with crime. Station captains will now regularly present Muni crime statistics for their districts at Comstat meetings, where they will be grilled on why crime has increased or decreased.

Anyone who's given a friend from out of town directions on riding Muni knows it can be tricky to describe just where they need to get off to reach their destination. Fortunately, buses now automatically announce upcoming stops and display them on screens at the front of vehicles, and light rail vehicles announce upcoming stations when they're running in the Market Street tunnel.

It’s a quiet holiday week on the Livable Streets Events calendar, but be sure to check out the Muni safety hearing today and the World AIDS Day Ride on Sunday if you’re in town. We’ll be posting today, but plan on taking the rest of the week off. Have a happy Thanksgiving! Monday: Board of … Continued

Amid growing concerns that Muni hasn't gotten safer along with the rest of the city, and widespread reports that police officers rarely ride Muni though they're required to do so, the SFPD and MTA will update the public on Muni security efforts at a Board of Supervisors committee meeting on Monday. Muni riders are being encouraged to show up and tell their stories about crime on Muni as well.

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A bicyclist was seriously injured this afternoon after a woman driving an SUV struck him at the intersection of Haight and Pierce Streets. According to eyewitness accounts, he remained conscious after the crash, and was taken to the hospital by the Fire Department.

When the MTA Board approved wide-ranging changes to Muni service at its meetings this fall, most of the public comment was from residents who didn't want rerouted bus lines to pass by their homes, and merchants who opposed articulated buses running in front of their shops. As Streetsblog's coverage noted at the time, the absence of Muni riders at the meeting was striking, perhaps indicating a lack of proper notice.

Since the MTA began diverting private automobiles off Market Street in late September, Muni riders and bicyclists have been experiencing the benefits first hand. Now, the MTA has confirmed what many Market Street users already suspected: Muni is running faster, and bicyclists now make up even more of the street's traffic.

MTA Still Investigating Cause of Derailment in Twin Peaks Tunnel (SF Examiner, SFGate, SF Appeal) SF Appeal Reader Gives First Hand Account of J-Church Crash Market Street Trial is Reducing Traffic, Speeding Up Muni (SF Examiner, SFGate) SFCTA Report Finds Better Regulation Could Improve Private Shuttle Services (SF Examiner) MTA Cuts Will Include 110 Current … Continued

A train derailment in the Twin Peaks Tunnel disrupted Muni Metro service between Castro Station and West Portal Station today, extending into the evening commute. The middle section of the second car of an outbound L-Taraval train came about a foot off the track in the tunnel at about 7:35 a.m., according to MTA spokesperson Judson True.