The fate of the Golden Gate Bridge’s toll collectors will remain unknown for two more weeks.The Golden Gate Bridge District, which is facing a five-year shortfall of $89 million, has proposed eliminating its toll-collection staff in favor of an all-electronic system, a development that will save the agency $16 million over 10 years.
Read More
After months of waiting around with no place to go, public transit passengers at the temporary Transbay Transit Terminal might finally have a restroom — although the facilities will be off limits unless riders show some proof of transit payment.
Following the closure of the historic terminal in August, a temporary depot was set up on Howard and Main streets.
However, the $18 million facility was opened without any bathrooms or benches, in order to dissuade homeless people.
Consequently, the terminal’s patrons have deluged l
Read More
San Francisco motorists who park their cars in tow-away zones or stop in the middle of intersections will be targeted by new efforts to earn more money from parking scofflaws.
To eliminate a projected $21.2 million budget deficit by June 30, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency plans to reduce employee overtime and write more tickets.
Read More
The Dumbarton Bridge is closed because of a possible suicide attempt, according to the California Highway Patrol.Police activity was reported on the bridge for traffic heading east just after 3 p.m. Tuesday.Officer Brian Watkins said the closure of traffic in both directions is because of a person threatening to commit suicide on the span. Traffic is being held at University Avenue in Palo Alto and the Toll Plaza on the Hayward side. Additional information was not available.akoskey@sfexaminer.com
Read More
Along with big trucks, traffic snarls and talk radio, toll collectors are a staple of the highway commute. But they might soon disappear from Bay Area roads, starting with the Golden Gate Bridge.On Thursday, a subcommittee of the bridge district will vote on a proposal to lay off the 32 toll workers and embrace all-electronic payments. If approved, the system would debut by February 2012 and be fully implemented by the end of that year.
Read More
After a dangerous 2009, traffic accidents dropped dramatically last year in four double-fine zones in San Francisco, including a 35 percent decrease on 19th Avenue. The decline seems to spell success for this form of accident deterrence.For years, local state Sen. Leland Yee tried to pass a law that would double the cost of traffic fines on 19th Avenue, a busy thoroughfare that doubles as state Highway 1.
Read More
An inbound Van Ness Muni bus plowed into a bus shelter Sunday morning, avoiding injuries but causing major damage.The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. at the corner of 24th Street and Mission Street, according to San Francisco MTA spokesman Paul Rose.Though no one was injured on the bus or on the side walk, major damage was sustained by the 49-Van Ness bus after it struck the shelter on the corner.The shelter was completely destroyed.
Read More
Reports of a gun sighting delayed BART trains by more than 15 minutes Friday morning at San Francisco’s Civic Center station, a BART spokesman said.BART police responded to reports of a gun sighting at about 8:30 a.m. at the Civic Center station, but officers were unable to find a firearm, spokesman Linton Johnson said.The police activity caused delays of between 13 and 18 minutes for trains leaving from the station in the Millbrae, East Bay and San Francisco International Airport directions, Johnson said.
Read More
A 19-year-old man was likely committing suicide when a southbound Caltrain struck and killed him in Palo Alto early Thursday morning, the transit agency said.The Palo Alto resident, who has not yet been identified, was struck by the last southbound train of the night around 1:20 a.m. , Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn said. He was hit about a half-mile north of the California Avenue station, she said.
Read More
Muni employs about 2,100 vehicle operators — but on any given day, only about 1,225 are available to work.
The agency has lived with a hiring freeze for the past year or so, which has become expensive because the agency has lost employees to retirement and pays other drivers overtime to fill in for them.
Muni Chief Operations Officer John Haley said management expects to hire 120 new operators during the next four to six months.
Read More
URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/archive/103/103?page=139&type[story]=story
