Author: jeff

Update (9:44 a.m. Monday): SF Weekly reports that the victim has been identified as 71-year-old Manuel Tomaneng.

Update (7:05 p.m.): SFGate reports that the pedestrian in the accident has died from the wounds he sustained.

Update (7:02 p.m.): CBS5 reports that a witness says the pedestrian was jaywalking when he was struck by the Muni bus.

Original post: SFGate reports that a Muni bus has struck a pedestrian in downtown, pinning the pedestrian under its wheels.

Police and firefighters shut down Fifth and Mission Streets for a block while they worked to free the man from under the bus. Using wooden planks, they lifted the bus, freed the victim and took him away in an ambulance. His condition was not known.

Read the rest of the story at SFGate. We’ll update here if we learn more.

Photo by Nick Fisher

SF Examiner reports that, among other proposals, the SFMTA board is once again considering raising the price of a Muni ride and transfer. From the Examiner’s article:

“The cost of a single-trip fare could increase from $2 to $2.25, and passengers who pay in cash could get hit with another 25 cents every time they transfer to another line. Those two programs are projected to generate an extra $5.7 million for the agency.”

That’s to close a projected $80 million deficit. Drop in the bucket, no?

Fares were last raised in July 2009, but we’ve seen incremental hikes in fees a few times since then: January 2010: Fast Pass Fare Increase Today; June 2011: Fast Pass Fares Set to Increase Up to $2 on July 1 (Streetsblog SF).

What do you think of this proposal?

Photo by Steve Rhodes

So, what does Ed Lee, San Francisco’s new mayor, have to say about Muni?

[crickets] …

No, but seriously, we’re not the only ones who wished that then-Interim Mayor and Mayoral Candidate Ed Lee had responded to requests to talk about Muni. Before the election, Streetsblog SF wondered, “Where has Mayor Lee Been on Muni Questionnaires.” SF Public Press also asked the same question.

For what it’s worth, Mayor Lee’s spokesperson later told StreetsBlog SF:

In the next four years, Mayor Lee will partner with Ed Reiskin and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to boost Muni’s on-time performance and run it more efficiently with work rule reforms, new technologies and our Transit Effectiveness Project. We will invest in refurbishing tracks, buses and railcars. And we will expand the City’s public transit system for the future, with express bus lanes on Geary and Van Ness and the construction of the Central Subway to link jobs and housing in SoMa and Mission Bay to neighborhoods north and south.

We hope that now that he’s got his next four years settled, Mayor Lee will reach out to the community of people who care about Muni.

Photo by Simon Li

Muni and bike rider Helen watched her bike get crunched falling off the bike rack on Muni the other day.

I am curious to know from other bike riders if they have ever put a bike on Muni and had if fall out and then run over by the bus?

I put my new Fuji Absolute Hybrid 3.0 with all the bells and whistles on it. I had only rode it for two weeks. It was rainy and dark, and the bus driver didn’t make much eye contact with me. I put the bike in and put the lever lock over the wheel at about 1 or 2 pm. I shook it to make sure it was stable. Then when we were going downhill I heard a HUGE crunch.

Sadly, my bike is really messed up, but the frame is still ok. I do have renter’s insurance, but that has a $250 deductible. Has anyone had any luck getting a claim money back from the City Attorney’s office for a bike falling off of the rack? The Muni supervisor on scene stated that it happens. I’m so bummed out because I loved my new bike and spent a lot of time fixing it up. It also had all of its original components. On Muni’s website it says that you use the bikeracks at your own risk and they aren’t responsible for any damages.

The SFMTA’s “Bikes on Muni” page has information on how to put your bike on the racks, with an accompanying video. We posted a how-to rap video in 2009 here on Muni Diaries. And Helen was correct that you’re putting your bikes on the Muni bike rack at your own risk, even though we’ve known helpful Muni drivers who lend a hand. Cyclists have also told us about bikes being stolen off the racks. Be careful out there, everybody.

Photo by Jason Rodman

• Transbay Transit Center sails through hearing (City Insider)
• Van Ness BRT environmental report now available (Rescue Muni || SF Public Press)
• Proposed Van Ness rapid bus touted for speed, reliability (City Insider)
• Muni and state commission close to settlement on alleged safety violations (SF Public Press)
• Following Prop. G ruling, Muni’s $2 billion in federal funds safe (SF Examiner)
• Woman Pepper-Sprayed, Robbed While Waiting For Muni (BCN via SF Appeal)
• SFMTA saves $1 million during streetcar rehab project (SF Examiner)