Rescue Muni

Update: The proposal is dead, according to MTA Director Ed Rieskin. All the more reason to keep Sunday parking meters!

It seems like the SFMTA can’t give up on the desire to soak tourists on the F-line. The $6 special F-line fare is still on the table, with a possibly over $4m in revenue on the table for the agency. There are two ways the agency is proposing to make this money grab: Hit the riders with $6 all at once, or gradually increment the fare a $1 per year, like trying to boil to frog.

Opposition runs deep on this proposal. The SFMTA CAC voted with a recommendation to strike down the idea during their March meeting, and SFMTA board chair Tom Nolan went as far to say “We are not going to do that.” For now the idea still lives on, since ideas like rescinding Sunday Parking along with free rides for seniors, disabled, and 18 year olds are still proposed budget line items.

What isn’t included in this budget is what Muni’s union will be asking for, since the TWU 250-A members went without raises during the last budget cycle. Those negotiations will occur after the budget is closed and signed, leaving the agency up in the air as to if it can really afford to keep fares low, provide free service to those who qualify, and expand service 10%.

SFMTA has a series of proposed transit and streetscape changes for the important Ninth and Irving intersection, where thousands of riders board and alight daily for the N-Judah, and the 44-O’Shaughnessy also passes by. We urge all transit riders to review and comment! In general the proposals are very good, improving travel time and pedestrian safety.

We do recommend the option to include cycle tracks as bicycling on Muni trackways is dangerous.

Please submit your comments to SFMTA in favor of this proposal!

Market Street Railway has the details.

SFMTA is including in its budget proposals a suggestion to charge six dollars for a ride on the F-Market line, the same as the cable cars. This is a terrible idea! The F-line is vital public transportation for the Market Street and Embarcadero corridors, for tens of thousands of commuters (18,520 in 2006 when the TEP research was done) as well as tourists, many of whom pay cash. We stand with Market Street Railway in urging SFMTA not to target one specific set of riders for fare increases!

Are you a supporter of the Geary Bus Rapid Transit project living in or near the Japantown / Fillmore area? Do you have the time and inclination to participate in the planning process? Apply to join the Citizens’ Advisory Council which is providing public input on this important project.