Installed in 1970, Muni’s current train management system is disjointed and obsolete. When problems arise, it can take longer for technicians and engineers to pinpoint the issue than to actually fix the glitch, according to John Haley, Muni’s director of transit.
After years of struggling with on-time performance and service disruptions, Muni is now poised to overhaul the aging central control system — responsible for many of the notorious disruptions in the transit system’s underground subway — and replace it with a more reliable and updated network.
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Encouraged by strong on-time performance rates and a new commitment to train cleanliness, BART passengers indicated robust support for the regional transit system in the latest customer satisfaction survey.
Of the riders surveyed by BART, 84 percent said they were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the agency, an increase of 2 percent from when the last poll was conducted in 2010. Just 1 percent of the riders said they were very dissatisfied with BART.
The 84 percent rate marked the highest level of approval from BART passengers since 2006.
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On weekdays, BART commuters in San Francisco get to play the unwelcome equivalent of a human jigsaw puzzle.
Arriving at and departing the overcrowded Embarcadero and Montgomery stations often means riders have to squeeze, shimmy, sidle and shake their way through the crowds.
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Living in a region with some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation can be bad enough for commuters. But it’s even worse when the tools designed to manage that traffic are frequently broken or shut down.
Tools such as closed-circuit television cameras, metering lights and variable message signs are unreliable in delivering real-time traffic updates to motorists — a lack of results that has the Bay Area’s lead transportation agency clamoring for a bigger role in managing the system.
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At least 33 people died by suicide off the Golden Gate Bridge in 2012, increasing the documented tally from the span to more than 1,600 since it opened in 1937.
Although 2012 marked the 75th anniversary of the bridge’s opening, last year brought another grim death count. In 2011, 37 people jumped to their deaths off the bridge, and at least 30 have died every year since 2008, according to the Bridge Rail Foundation, an organization that advocates for a suicide-prevention barrier on the span.
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SamTrans will be changing the scheduling times on
nearly 40 percent of its bus lines this weekend to improve service.
Every four months, the San Mateo County transit agency adjusts bus schedules to address issues with on-time performance and to increase efficiency, according to spokeswoman Christine Dunn. During the latest adjustment, SamTrans reviewed its lower-performing lines and determined how their schedules could be tweaked to better meet the needs of riders, she said.
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Muni’s reduced holiday schedule could become a template for the future.
With ridership historically low in late December, Muni started service later and ran certain bus lines less frequently. Although projected to save $350,000, the $275,000 actually saved was enough for the agency to consider doing it again.
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Tossing a tasty morsel to a goose or a squirrel may seem like a nice thing to do, but the repercussions can be detrimental. So San Francisco’s animal watchdogs want The City to consider fining people who violate its ban on such feasts.
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Motorists a little short on change will now have the option of using their smartphones to pay for parking at nearly every meter in San Francisco.Previously available in areas with newer parking meters, the PayByPhone program has been expanded to 29,000 meters across The City, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. There are about 1,000 metered spots on waterfront property managed by the Port of San Francisco that don’t have the technology.
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After years of failed legislative attempts, governor vetoes and lengthy legal reviews, the path has finally been cleared for the installation of a red-light traffic camera at one of The City’s most dangerous intersections.
The former site of the Central Freeway, the intersection at Market and Octavia streets has long been a trouble spot for pedestrians and cyclists, many of whom are hit by motorists making right turns off Market Street.
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Weekend travelers using San Francisco International Airport can expect flight delays this month.
As part of a federally mandated improvement project, the hub will shut down a runway for three weekends this month. The first closure will start at 10 p.m. Jan. 11 and last until 8 a.m. Jan. 14. Similar shutdowns are scheduled for the following two weekends.
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With ridership growing steadily, Caltrain has outlined ambitious operating goals that could make the regional rail operator one of the most efficient transit agencies in the country.
During the past 8½ years, Caltrain has more than doubled the farebox recovery rate in which it recoups day-to-day operating costs through transit fares. It has posted a 65 percent rate in the current fiscal year, which is higher than most of its peers in the Bay Area and well above the agency’s stated goal of 38 to 50 percent.
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While neither Republicans nor Democrats seem thrilled with the results of the deal resolving the fiscal cliff, transit commuters scored an unexpected windfall.
Included in the package of tax increases was the restoration of a commuter benefits program that allows workers to pay for up to $240 of their monthly transit costs with pre-tax dollars. Transit passengers could exempt up to $1,500 of their annual commute costs from taxes as a result of the legislation.
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With the change scheduled to start this weekend, local businesses are begrudgingly gearing up for Sunday parking meter enforcement in The City.
Approved last April, the program is expected to bring in $1.9 million a year for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which oversees city transportation policies. The agency has said the meter enforcement, from noon to 6 p.m., will update antiquated parking rules, increase turnover in front of businesses and better manage traffic along commercial corridors.
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After a reprieve for the holiday shopping season, construction work on Muni’s Central Subway project will resume today near Union Square.
For the past 1½ months, work has been halted on Stockton Street to allow for greater access to the many businesses on the thoroughfare. However, construction will resume as usual today, with Stockton Street being shuttered once more between Geary and Ellis streets to all automobiles except emergency vehicles.
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