Transit

As fans of San Francisco's F-Market and Wharves historic streetcar line are aware, the trains only clickety clack and clang as far as Jones St & Beach St--just shy of the Fort Mason tunnel, which once permitted trains to continue to Marina Boulevard and Laguna Street...and beyond. The San Francisco Examiner reported today that SFMTA has applied for a $1.1 million Federal Lands Access Program grant to study re-opening the tunnel.

After months of back and forth, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that it is approving $647 million in funds for Caltrain electrification. The grant approval will allow Caltrain to begin construction of its electrification project almost immediately, bringing smoother rides and cleaner air to the Bay Area.

Uber, Lyft, Chariot, autonomous cars, bike share--business models and technology for urban mobility and transportation are changing at a quickening pace. How can governments and private enterprise work together to encourage and anticipate these innovations? That was the subject of a panel discussion with car share, bike share, government and tech executives at the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR)’s downtown San Francisco offices yesterday evening.

Senator Dianne Feinstein took another step yesterday to push the Trump Administration to sign off on federal funding for Caltrain's beleaguered electrification plans. “I intend to oppose confirmation for every Transportation Department nominee until the Trump administration releases funding for the Caltrain Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project," said the Senator in a press release.

There will be many news stories generated by the announcement of the details of President Donald Trump's proposed budget next month. In advance of the announcement, the campaign to preserve funding for the electrification of Caltrain is working with advocates around the state and country to preserve a nearly $650 million grant agreement scuttled by the Trump Administration in February.

Over the weekend, 40 to 60 teenagers swarmed a BART station and train, robbing seven people. The story grabbed the headlines because it was so out of the ordinary. But several disturbing crimes have also hit Muni over the last few months.

San Francisco was hit by a major power outage Friday that impacted Muni bus services and temporarily closed the Montgomery Street BART station. Traffic in downtown was snarled into the evening thanks to traffic lights in various locations that were flashing red.

Katherine Roberts was biking home to the Haight from a Passover Seder in the Dogpatch at 11:30 on April 11. It was raining heavily. She got to Church and Duboce and slowed to let an outbound N-Judah pass. When she started to pedal again, the wheel of her folding bike slipped and got caught by a steel plate that wasn't flush with the pavement. She crashed and smashed her head.

The San Francisco Transit Riders (SFTR) has hired its first Executive Director, Rachel Hyden. “We did a thorough search...and interviewed many good people,” said Thea Selby, SFTR chair, in the official announcement made last week. "Hiring Executive Director Hyden means that we have the capacity to reach out to more diverse riders around the city and be a better rider-based grassroots advocate for world-class transit in San Francisco.”