Reporter Jerold Chinn, Multimedia Editor Monica Jensen and Social Media Editor Sarah Fidelibus rode one of the Muni bus lines that has the most trouble keeping on schedule — the 28-19th Avenue.
They documented the problems the bus faced while traveling on a recent Wednesday afternoon along the route from Fort Mason to Daly City. The bus travels for much of its route along 19th Avenue, or Highway 1, which leads to the Golden Gate Bridge to the north and Interstate 280 to the south.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is facing a $5.8 million deficit for the first budget quarter of 2011. The move of parking control officers to patrol special events and construction projects from regular duties is the main cause of loss in revenue for the agency. Also, officials addressed recent Muni Metro delays in the past two months, causing frustration with Muni riders.
As the Nov. 2 election draws near, Proposition G has come to the forefront as one of the city’s most hotly debated measures.
The measure would force the city’s transportation operators’ union into collective bargaining and backers say it would “Fix Muni.” But opponents say that Muni’s problems don’t start and end with drivers.
A subcommittee of The Muni Restoration Task Force met for the second time on Oct. 8 to discuss how to fully restore the service cuts made in the May and how to increase performance.
John Haley, director of transit operations and management, presented a nine page draft of several proposals to increase reliability and travel time for commuters. The task force looked at solutions that the agency would be able to implement within the next year.
SF Public Press multimedia editor Monica Jensen met with Muni operator Emmanuel Andreas, who was featured in a story in the Public Press’ summer print edition, to discuss how Muni’s on-time performance goals affect drivers.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., has come out swinging on environmental causes, linking the nation’s longer term economic prospects to growth in the green energy industry. She railed against corporations for sending jobs overseas, vowing to eliminate their tax breaks and reward those who build an environmentally benign economy at home. She is running a high-profile race against GOP opponent Carly Fiorina.
Which has a bigger carbon footprint, flying or driving from SF to LA? Can I compost my old clothing? Can a Safeway really be wind-powered? What’s the deal with the ozone layer? Writer Jon Mooallem digs into quandaries both weighty and lightheaded.
Sixty-one percent of summertime Muni service cuts would be restored under a financial plan proposed by Mayor Gavin Newsom and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. The changes could come as soon as Sept. 4, and are higher than the 50 percent restoration promised earlier in the summer. The $15 million one-year funding package includes money shaved from the San Francisco Transportation Authority and Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The agency also looked at cutting back on hundreds hours drivers are paid while waiting for shift changes.
The mayor and the president of the board of supervisors this week agreed on several Muni reforms to help the transit agency restore services cut in May and to improve oversight of the agency. The proposed reforms include a plan to fully restore May’s Muni service cuts by December.
Demolition of the existing Transbay Terminal will begin next month with the opening of a temporary facility, shifting the daily commute of thousands of Bay Area residents a block to the southeast. A new $1.2 billion terminal is slated to open in 2017 at the current location at First and Mission streets.
