Rescue Muni

If you haven’t had a chance to comment on the SF Transit Effectiveness Project at a public meeting, this week is your last chance (at least for the initial proposal). The SFTEP is holding three more public meetings this week where you can hear the detailed proposals and provide your feedback.

Some of the specifics that Rescue Muni is excited about include:
– a citywide Rapid network providing much faster service on key lines;
– increased service to meet demand on overcrowded lines;
– ticket machines, transit lanes, signal priority and bus bulbs to improve pedestrian safety and speed boarding; and
– improved wayfinding and marketing to make the system easier to use.

To comment or hear more, please mark your calendar for one of these meetings!

Monday, May 12 at 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
West Bay Conference Center
1290 Fillmore St. at Eddy St.
Nearby Muni routes: 5, 22, 31, 38 & 38L

Wednesday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Bessie Carmichael Elementary
375 Seventh St. at Harrison St.
Nearby Muni routes: 9X, 12, 14X, 19 & 47

Saturday, May 17 at 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Mission YMCA
4080 Mission Street at Bosworth St.
Nearby Muni routes: 14, 23, 49 & 67

The TEP is the biggest effort to revise and improve Muni service in a generation. Don’t miss your chance to hear about it and comment!

Last night, Rescue Muni members heard a presentation on the San Francisco Transit Effectiveness Project. Members asked a lot of great questions about the project. We told the TEP staff our members would ask a lot of detailed questions about the plan, and the folks at our meeting didn’t disappoint.

Members were generally supportive of the concept of the TEP, and the wide array of transit improvements contained in the project, like the ambitious citywide rapid network, but attendees expressed a number of concerns about the proposed elimination of some of the community service routes, like the 66-Quintara.

We’re in the process of formulating a formal position on the TEP proposal, and we want as much feedback as possible from our members. Please contact us with your thoughts on the project. And a very big thank you to the members who attended last night and made the meeting a success, as well as the TEP staff, led by Julie Kirschbaum, who stayed for over two hours answering questions and taking comments from members.

Also, we encourage members to attend one or more of the seven remaining community meetings about the TEP. The next one is tonight, and they run through May 17:

• Wednesday, April 30, 6:00 pm, City College Mission Campus, 1125 Valencia St. (at 22nd St.)
• Saturday, May 3, 10:30 am, Jean Parker Elementary, 840 Broadway St. (at Powell St.)
• Monday, May 5, 6:30 pm, Visitacion Valley Elementary, 55 Schwerin St. (at Visitacion Ave.)
• Saturday, May 10, 10:30 am, Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, 4235 19th St. (at Diamond St.)
• Monday, May 12, 6:00 pm, West Bay Conference Center, 1290 Fillmore St. (at Eddy St.)
• Wednesday, May 14, 6:30 pm, Bessie Carmichael Elementary, 375 Seventh St. (at Harrison St.)
• Saturday, May 17, 10:30 am, Mission YMCA, 4080 Mission St. (at Bosworth St.)

Also, while you’re at it, remember that you can join Rescue Muni or renew your membership online. And if you’re up to date, urge a friend to join up.

Eric of Transbay Blog has published a detailed series of articles on the Central Subway this week, including discussions of proposed alignments, photos of proposed stop locations, and the advantages and disadvantages of this very expensive project. This is an excellent introduction and analysis of the project for fans, foes, and those new to the project alike.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission and various regional rail agencies are updating the Regional Rail Plan, which covers proposed expansions to BART, Caltrain, Amtrak, and other passenger rail systems in the Bay Area. As part of this project, public workshops are being held – but despite San Francisco being the second largest city in the region (after San Jose) with the most transit boardings, there is no workshop here. Transit riders looking to promote expanded rail service should attend the workshop in Oakland on Wednesday, August 15 (there are two sessions, one at 3 pm and one at 6 pm). Nearest BART station is Lake Merritt.

Rescue Muni supports expanding High Speed Rail and Caltrain to the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco (so it’s not just a billion dollar bus station). And we support Geary Light Rail which should be part of any regional plan. BayRail Alliance also has detailed recommendations for better regional rail service.

Update: The Chronicle reports on the proposals discussed.

Some news this week: