Muni’s preference for interrogating transit riders instead of installing fare-collection systems that work properly is appalling. If Muni won’t replace the defective downtown fare gates, then fare inspectors need to be posted directly at the gates to witness payment or evasion. On buses, inspectors should stand at the back doors to direct riders to enter and pay at the front. Read More

Where have all the public and business water fountains gone? In their place have appeared water bottles, and bottled-water bottle dispensaries providing hot and cold water. However, walking in cities is not like hiking on mountain trails, where canteens are carried to prevent body dehydration, so why is bottled water so necessary? Read More

The Central Subway Project is a bad transportation boondoggle that drains much-needed funds from immediate transit needs. Anyone can prove this themselves with a stopwatch. Consider the most common trip to Market Street and the Powell Street Station from a location in North Beach or Chinatown. A Stockton Street bus ride to Market Street would get you there faster than the Central Subway. Read More

Your Friday story “Businesses face more fee hikes” is yet one more piece of evidence of how totally out of touch with reality our Board of Supervisors has become. The unemployment rate in San Francisco now tops 10 percent. The City is littered with graffiti-covered vacant storefronts providing no jobs or tax revenue. More than 200 restaurants have closed down over the past 12 months. Many businesses are struggling to stay open and many have fled The City. Read More