BART’s hiring of an outside consultant for nearly $400,000 to lead its latest set of contract negotiations has its two biggest unions decrying the move as being disruptive and carried out in bad faith.
In October, BART approved a $99,000 pact with Thomas Hock of Veolia Transportation Services to engage in labor talks with its five unions, whose contracts are set to expire June 30. The contract was just below the $100,000 threshold that would have required approval by the BART board of directors.
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A revamped Polk Street proposal that would include safety upgrades at intersections but few improvements for cyclists has garnered support from residents and merchants.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which manages traffic policies, outraged merchants along the bustling corridor this year by proposing to reduce parking in favor of more access for cyclists. Following the backlash, the agency came back with six new options — three each for portions of Polk Street north and south of Geary Street.
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A new San Francisco startup is aiming to find a use for Muni’s decommissioned buses while also helping to address The City’s chronic homelessness.
Lava Mae, founded by entrepreneur Doniece Sandoval, proposes to transform old Muni buses into mobile showers and toilets for use by homeless residents.
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Every BART police officer will be outfitted with a portable video camera, unruly passengers could face bans from district property and station agent booths might be redesigned as part of the transit agency’s new strategy for improving safety conditions for workers and customers.
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Transportation officials said Wednesday that it is still too early to determine if a batch of broken bolts on the new Bay Bridge eastern span will prevent the planned Labor Day opening, since major answers about the repairs are still two weeks away.
In March, inspectors discovered more than 30 broken steel rods — which bolt the bridge’s deck to its tower piers for seismic safety — on the new eastern span. Originally, officials said the problem would not interfere with the planned opening of the span, but they backed off that assertion earlier this month.
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In an effort to increase privacy measures, the duration for which regional officials can keep personal information obtained by the Clipper card is set to be reduced.
Currently, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which oversees the universal transit payment system, can retain personal travel data for up to seven years for cards that are registered.
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BART will review its safety protocols and announce new initiatives to protect passengers and employees — measures that take on new significance in the wake of last week’s bombing attack in Boston and a thwarted railway attack in Canada.
At the Thursday board of directors meeting, BART officials will discuss new communication strategies, upcoming training programs and efforts to improve relationships with other agencies. All of the proposals are aimed at improving safety conditions for workers and passengers, with specifics to be discussed in more detail at the meeting.
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Labeling a band an institution — implying it is past its prime — is a dangerous game. But if any group is capable of wearing the tag without insult, it’s Built to Spill, playing a two-night stint at Slim’s this weekend.
Led by chief songwriter Doug Martsch, the Boise, Idaho, group’s devotion to all things guitar — from fuzzy, distorted riffs to angular and precise compositions — has created the template for indie rockers of the past two decades and is embraced by new groups such as California X and Cymbals Eat Guitars.
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Despite its deceptively low-key title, Muni Contract 1300 will cover construction of the vast majority of the agency’s Central Subway project, including three stations, the trackway and a train-control system.
It’s also about $100 million more expensive than originally anticipated.
That overrun will eat up about half of the contingency funds available for the project, which will extend the T-Third Street light-rail line 1.7 miles from South of Market to Chinatown.
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The first day of work furloughs for air traffic controllers passed without incident at San Francisco International Airport, as no delays were reported at the hub Monday.
As part of a series of spending cuts enacted earlier this year due to gridlock in Washington, D.C., the Federal Aviation Administration announced mandatory days off for airline workers across the nation beginning Sunday.
Although other airports — particularly on the East Coast — suffered delays due to the work reduction, SFO did not experience any notable setbacks, according to spokesman Doug Yakel.
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Tunnel-boring machines for Muni’s Central Subway project are set to arrive in San Francisco this week, with digging expected to begin in June.The two massive machines — which each are more than 300-feet long — will take about four to six weeks to assemble once they arrive from China, according to Sarah Wilson, an engineer on the project. Once built, the machines will be dropped into a launch box below Fourth Street, where they will start drilling at about 40 feet per day, Wilson said.
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Clearer protocols for exiting buses, different seat colors for disabled passengers, anti-graffiti material on ceilings and new floors are all features of the 80 recently rehabbed Muni buses set to hit the streets next week.
Muni’s 800 buses currently make up the oldest fleet in North America, and the aging vehicles are prone to breakdowns and malfunctions. As part of a $19 million rehabilitation project, the 80 buses will now have another four years of usefulness added to their lifespan, according to John Haley, Muni’s director of transit.
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A weekly gathering place in Noe Valley could become a permanent fixture in the community as part of an open-space project.
For years, the Saturday farmers market on 24th Street has acted as an impromptu meeting spot for neighborhood residents. However, the site is a parking lot for the remaining six days, and there are no officially designated public spaces in the heart of Noe Valley.
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More cabs will roll onto the streets this year, despite concerns from taxi drivers about the uncertain future of the industry.
Based on recommendations from an independent report, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s board of directors approved a plan Tuesday to add 120 taxis in 2013 and 200 in 2014. Depending on market needs, more cabs would be added in 2015 and the years after, eventually raising the total number of taxis in San Francisco from the current 1,620 to 2,300.
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Prop. A, five years later: The second part in a two-part series explores where funding from Proposition A has gone since voters passed the initiative in 2007. It was intended to give the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency more control over revenue from parking meters and off-street lots to put toward the Transit Effectiveness Project. It appears that money has been put toward other uses.
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URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/people/will-reisman?page=2
