Community, Advocacy and Labor

The Masonic Avenue safety overhaul will move forward after the SF Board of Appeals upheld tree removal permits protested by a handful of neighbors at a hearing yesterday.

Another sorely-needed street safety redesign could be threatened by neighbors protesting the replacement of trees, even though, when all is said and done, the number of trees in the project area will double.

The final score for the 22-Day Muni Challenge is in. Based on the ride tally, about half of SF’s elected officials took seriously their commitment to get the everyday experience of riding Muni. The supervisors who have a record of legislating to improve transit scored well.

The California Bicycle Coalition's 2015 Bike Summit will take place in San Diego in late October, providign an opportunity for bike advocates from across the state to gather and discuss issues of this year's theme: equity.

We're nearly halfway into the 22-day Muni riding challenge. How seriously are SF's elected officials taking their commitment to get familiar with the everyday experience of riding Muni?

The SF Transit Riders Union's challenge to ride Muni for 22 days kicked off yesterday with late sign-ons from Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisors London Breed and Mark Farrell, who had initially declined to commit. Supervisors Katy Tang and Malia Cohen still declined, and Supervisor Norman Yee has not confirmed a pledge since he tweeted a selfie on Muni after the challenge was announced in April.

Ratna Amin is SPUR’s Transportation Policy Director. This piece originally appeared in SPUR's The Urbanist.

Walk SF today released its second annual Street Score Report Card [PDF], which it bills as the "only comprehensive review of the City’s progress towards improving pedestrian safety and walkability." The report is the first thorough attempt to assess how well the city has followed through on the mayor's 2013 Pedestrian Strategy.

Six supervisors did not hesitate to commit to the SF Transit Riders Union's challenge to ride Muni for 22 days starting on June 1, but five supervisors and Mayor Ed Lee haven't signed on. The split is a good indicator of who supports transit at City Hall -- for the supervisors who have a record of legislating to improve transit, riding Muni every day is no biggie, and some do it already.