Employee errors appear to be the cause of an unattended Muni bus rolling down O’Farrell Street and smashing into a light pole on Van Ness Avenue, blocking traffic during Tuesday’s morning commute.No one was hurt in the 8:38 a.m. incident, according to spokesman Paul Rose of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates Muni. The front windshield of the bus was cracked from the impact, and the vehicle straddled the median, blocking north- and southbound traffic on Van Ness.
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Due to long-term construction underway on the Dumbarton Bridge, Caltrans began closing lanes in each direction on the bridge Monday night to facilitate the seismic retrofit that is expected to be completed by August 2012.Motorists should expect overnight lane closures in either direction during the ongoing construction work, with up to two of the three bridge lanes in each direction affected.
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Later this year, BART is expected to award a contract for a $3 billion train replacement initiative that will add 700 all-new cars to the rail system over the next decade.With most of its trains nearing the end of their useful lives and the first new trains scheduled to arrive by 2013, agency officials are already working on determining the new vehicles’ design, capacity and amenities. But when it comes to testing possible new seats, the contrasting needs of suburban and urban riders make the task a little more complex than just choosing new upholstery.
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Eight of Muni’s drivers were involved five or more accidents in 2010, but because most of the collisions were determined not to be their fault, they’re still behind the wheel.
Last year, two drivers were involved in seven accidents each, three were in six, and three more were in five apiece, according to data provided by Muni in response to a public-records request.
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Every morning, a familiar phenomenon begins to take place in the small San Francisco neighborhood of South Park.
Cars begin flooding the narrow South Park street, queuing up in long lines to find a coveted spot in the half-block of the thoroughfare that lacks meters and isn’t zoned for residential parking. Just a block away, scores of metered-spots remain empty, but these commuters are interested in only one thing — all-day free parking.
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Even though The City is eight months behind on its promise to offer discounted Muni passes for low-income students, some city officials are contemplating even bigger plans: offering free Muni rides for all schoolkids.
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Those “temporary” automobile restrictions on Market Street (they’ve been in place since September 2009) could officially become permanent.
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Police temporarily closed down Third Street between Howard and Market streets to vehicles Thursday morning due to downed Muni overhead wires. The two overhead wires were dangling on the road near Jesse Street around 10:15 a.m.Crews placed flares next to the wires as Muni buses navigated the shutdown street. Only Muni buses were allowed on the two-block strip of Third Street, a crucial downtown traffic artery.
No one was injured, a commanding police officer said at the scene.
Pedestrians were allowed to use the sidewalks.
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Ambulances have responded this morning to a crash near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park involving a vehicle and possibly a pedestrian, the Fire Department said.The crash was reported at 8:20 a.m. at the intersection of Park Presidio Boulevard and Fulton Street, according to the fire department.No other details were immediately available.
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Fruit vendors, book stores, technology centers and take-out restaurants might someday replace the drab, mostly featureless environs of BART stations.
Today, the agency’s board of directors could authorize negotiations with a private company on a proposal that would transform stations into commercial centers. If the board approves the negotiations, the two sides will have three years to figure out how to bring in retail opportunities.
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