GJEL
Top Categories
Trains Boats and Bikes: Sonoma-Marin Rail and Bike Path Update
Streetsblog was given a tour of the southernmost segment of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) project, which is currently doing finishing work and testing on the initial 43 miles of line, running from near Sonoma County Airport to downtown San Rafael. SMART is re-purposing the historic Northwestern Pacific Railroad corridor, an old 70-mile rail line that hasn't had passenger service for half a century. SMART has replaced all tracks and put in modern signal and safety systems. Service on this first phase will start late this year.
February 26, 2016
SFMTA Rolls out New Green Bike Lane and Program for Planning Talent
As cyclists who use Page Street know all too well, there's a tendency for motorists to jam up at the intersection with Octavia as they head to 101. And despite improvements and some traffic calming measures, it still turns into a bit of a mash up around the intersection, with cyclists trying to thread through the traffic jam. This weekend SFMTA rolled out a center-running green bike lane that helps formalize what most cyclists already do--pass to the left of the queue of cars waiting to turn right on Octavia.
February 22, 2016
Muni Taraval Meeting Met with Grimaces Groans and Grumbles
Over a hundred people braved the wind and rain yesterday evening to attend the latest public outreach meeting about SFMTA's planned "Muni Forward" improvements to the L-Taraval streetcar line. The meeting was held at Dianne Feinstein Elementary school, about two blocks south of Taraval.
February 18, 2016
Land Sits Fallow While Bay Area Housing Crisis Continues
Anyone who rides Caltrain has probably looked out the window once or twice at the Bayshore Station, a stop that practically nobody uses. There's nothing there but a giant brown field.
February 16, 2016
A Problem We Can Solve: Commercial Vehicles Blocking Our Lanes
It's been a rough couple of weeks for pedestrians and cyclists in the Bay Area. On Monday, we brought you the sad story of a woman in a wheel chair run over and killed on Market Street and a woman in Berkeley who barely survived getting hit by a car on Fulton Street. Yesterday word came down about another possible road-rage-hit-and-run on a cyclist, this one on Russian Hill. There were also hit-and-run deaths in San Jose.
February 12, 2016
Is BART Ready for the Big One?
Last week, the White House and members of Congress renewed a commitment to completing "ShakeAlert," a prototype early warning system developed at UC Berkeley that alerts users via cell phones and other means of an earthquake in progress. Although it can't predict earthquakes, it sends a signal a few seconds before the most violent shaking starts, giving people a chance to duck under a table or take other precautions.
February 9, 2016
Bigger Intersections and More Traffic Planned for Millbrae BART/Caltrain Station
As the City of Millbrae inches closer to final approval of plans for new construction at the Millbrae BART/Caltrain Station, officials have quietly proposed adding new traffic lanes and traffic signals to intersections near the station. The traffic expansions aim to cram even more auto traffic through the area, worsening already hazardous conditions for people walking or bicycling to and from the station.
February 3, 2016
Can the Uber App Stop Reckless Drivers?
Gyro-meters and accelerometers are circuits inside your cell phone that detect movement. It is part of how the phone helps you navigate and how the screen stays oriented. But it may also work to identify how harshly a driver is swerving, braking, and accelerating.
February 1, 2016
Meetings Underway for East Bay and San Jose Bike Share Expansion
A few weeks ago, Streetsblog was happy to tell you about meetings to get input for a huge expansion of San Francisco's bike-share program. The East Bay and San Jose are moving forward with their plans as well, bringing the number of share bikes in the region from 700 to 7,000 over the next few years.
January 26, 2016
North of Panhandle Meeting Stressed Data and Parking Parking Parking
Thursday night, I was exhausted from covering so many stories in this crazy city that I love. So I grabbed my laptop and headed out to my favorite Divisadero coffee shop to catch up on Facebook and maybe look at some funny cat videos.I walked in the door, ordered, and heard: "Hey Roger! So glad you could make it!"
January 25, 2016