Community, Advocacy and Labor

With Muni all-door boarding underway, other transit agencies are watching and bus riders are catching on -- hopefully. To ensure a smooth transition to the new policy -- which will help Muni maximize the benefits of faster boardings and higher fare compliance -- the SF Transit Riders Union has created a brochure explaining the rules and etiquette of the all-door boarding system.

For the second time in a year, San Mateo County transportation officials are seeking funding for a proposal to improve conditions for bike riders at a dangerous highway interchange where a big-rig driver with a history of fatal collisions killed a 47-year-old Los Altos woman riding her bicycle less than two years ago.

In an op-ed in the Oakland Tribune yesterday, local business owner Randy Reed laid down a whopping piece of misinformation: For businesses, he wrote, enhancing East Bay transportation options with Bus Rapid Transit will be no different than when construction removes all of the car parking on a street.

In a pivotal vote Friday, the California Senate approved $4.5 billion in bonds to begin construction of CA High-Speed Rail (CAHSR) connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles. The funds will help fund construction of the line's initial segment in the Central Valley and upgrades for the Caltrain and Metrolink commuter rail lines in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, respectively.

Just after San Francisco approved a preferred design for its first Bus Rapid Transit route on Van Ness Avenue, the SF County Transportation Authority showcased the latest conceptual proposals for a companion BRT project on Geary Boulevard.

A preferred design for Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit was approved unanimously today by the Board of Supervisors, acting as the SF County Transportation Authority Board. Supervisor Mark Farrell, who delayed approval of the proposal a month ago after complaining that he "hadn't been briefed" on it, said he now stands behind the project after SFCTA staff brought him up to speed.

The SFMTA recently added green paint to increase the visibility of bike lanes around the city at five intersections where drivers merge across bicycle traffic.

[Update: BART released a video explaining the bikes-on-board rush hour pilot.]

In a "bittersweet farewell," the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition announced today that its policy director, Andy Thornley, has been picked for an internship at the SFMTA's SFPark program. His transition to city government is a positive sign for the livable streets movement in San Francisco.