Muni looks at the future of San Francisco rail transportation

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rail_capacity_strat

San Francisco is growing, y’all. Like, hella. Muni is already unable to keep up with demand. But they want you to know that they totally got this. Well, kinda.

Last week, SFMTA released its Rail Capacity Strategy (PDF), a pretty comprehensive look at the current system and how it will need to grow to keep up with expected growth in both the population of the city as well as the number of people coming into San Francisco each day to work.

Some key items from the report:

  • San Francisco’s population is forecast to grow by nearly 30 percent over the next 25 years.
  • Demand for Muni light-rail trains during peak times is forecast to grow by up to 80 percent by 2040.

Here are a few examples of how SFMTA is coping with the increased demand and some proposals for the future (some of which align with Supe. Scott Wiener’s proposals for more subways in SF):

  • SFMTA has purchased an additional 24 trains that will be in service by 2019 and plans to purchase 40 more trains for service by 2021.
  • constructing a pocket track east of Harrison Street along the Embarcadero to move trains around quicker at Embarcadero Station
  • extending the Central Subway to Fisherman’s Wharf
  • moving the M Line underground on the west side of the city

Read SFMTA’s announcement here and the full report here. As always, let us know what you think!

Category: News

Class is Warfare photo show opening, featuring SF as you know it

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nun waiting for muni by troy holden

Two of our favorite photographers in the city have joined forces tonight in an exhibit called Class is Warfare, featuring more than 100 black and white photos of San Francisco. These candid, moving depictions of our city by Troy Holden and David Root will show at Incline Gallery starting this evening. More than a third of the photos have painted overlays using watercolor, oil paint, and ink by Jarad Barkdoll and UPFUK.

Troy told us that while he and Root were hanging these photographs, a few themes emerged, including our love-it-or-hate-it public transit system. It’s hard to tell a story of living in San Francisco without Muni or BART in the background, and the photographers have captured many of these moments in transit.

Class is Warfare
Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. to March 3 at 10 p.m.
Incline Gallery
766 Valencia St between 18th and 19th (Side Gate)

Photo by Troy Holden

Category: News

Winnie-the-Pooh takes Muni to Ashdown Forest

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pooh

Everything’s just ho-humming along. You caught the bus you wanted. You’re headed home or to meet friends, not a care in the world. Maybe you’re lost in a daydream. It is nice outside today …

Then, lo and freakin’ behold, you notice that Winnie the Pooh is riding your Muni bus. This must be your lucky day!

This is exactly what happened to Muni rider Meelee7 yesterday. More of this, please!

Other characters spotted on Bay Are transit over the years:

Seven Halloween costumes seen on Muni
May the Fourth be with you, on Muni and everywhere
Swine flu spotted on BART!

Category: WTF: Weirdness on Muni

Muni may change fines for juveniles who don’t give up seats to elderly and disabled

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disabled seats

Hey kids: You should always give up your seat to the elderly and disabled, but Muni doesn’t want the fines to bankrupt your entire allowance either. According to a KTVU report, currently you could be fined if you don’t give up your seat to the elderly and disabled on Muni—this is a federal law. But for people under age 18, it could also be a criminal offense, which means it can double the cost you’ll need to pay because of court fees. KTVU reported that the fee could be as much as $300 for juveniles.

Read more

Category: News

Get ready for a long goodbye to Clipper cards

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clipper card by akit

It seems just like yesterday (actually, six years ago) when we bid farewell to colorful paper Fast Passes and welcomed Clipper Cards into our lives, but as the Ingleside-Excelsior Light reports, it’s already time to prepare yourselves to part ways with your little blue fare cards. Clipper card’s contract with Muni ends in 2019, and the agency is drafting a wish list that new technology could address.

Diana Hammons, revenue manager at MTA, updated the Citizen Advisory Council on issues in the current system such as the 3–5 day wait after loading cash onto the card online, and other problems that have existed since the 1990s, when the system was first installed.

More from the Ingleside-Excelsior Light:

In response to considerations like these from all of the transit systems, the Municipal Transportation Commission, which manages the Clipper system, is drafting a Concept of Operations, or what Hammons called a “dream system list.”

Other items on the list included demand based pricing, real time fares—every bus is connected and sends transaction information immediately—and more flexibility with fares. However, Hammons cautioned, incorporating too many features might bog down the system by making it too complicated.

The new system should address some of these big technical issues, and maybe even look a little prettier while we’re at it. For you nostalgic types, here is a look at Fast Passes through the years.

H/t: SFist, Muni rider Matt

Photo by Agent Akit

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