Rescue Muni

In the extremely late, unloved California budget, what got whacked at the last minute by Gov. Schwarzenegger? Mass transit, of course. The budget included only $306 million for mass transit instead of the almost $1 billion required by formula, after the Governor line item vetoed $100 million more than the legislators had already cut.

The budget is “ripping thousands of new seats right out from under our riders,” said a spokesman for BART. Thanks, Governor!

Do you have an old but still functional TransLink card from the testing back in 2001? Or are you a current user of the card on Golden Gate or AC? You’re in luck, Muni is looking for testers again. Sign up and post your feedback!

Note that if you have a working card, Translink mostly works NOW. Just use your card on any reader that says “Testing In Progress.” However, some do not work and not all operators are familiar with the system, so always keep $1.50 on hand in case you need to pay cash. You’ll need to add cash to the card at the Add Value Machines located in the downtown BART/Muni stations, or online.

(Found on Akit’s blog. Also, covered in the Chronicle.)

Today’s Chronicle has a sobering article about the cost to the SF farepayer and taxpayer of Muni accidents where the city settles or loses a lawsuit: $66 million in the last six years. (This is $11M per year, or about one-tenth of annual fare revenues.) Of course a good chunk of this money goes to plaintiffs’ lawyers, and Muni is not at fault in every case, but still this is a pretty big amount for a system that is trying to improve its safety record and respond to increased demand for service.

After months of public input, the SF Transit Effectiveness Project is presenting its updated proposal for route changes to the MTA Board tomorrow. This proposal would make the most dramatic changes to Muni lines in a generation, adding buses and streetcars and speeding up service on the most important lines while keeping essential community service lines running. Staff estimates that this proposal will allow Muni to add 70,000 new riders every day – a 10% increase in ridership at a time when gasoline prices are rising and demand for transit is growing rapidly.

Rescue Muni supports this proposal as revised. We were very pleased that the TEP staff and CAC took our suggestions into account when the updated proposal was written, but we also want to reiterate our support for the concept of the TEP, which is to use modern measurement techniques to learn where passengers actually want to ride the system and align routes to this demand, and also to design routes to make service much faster and more reliable. If you have been stuck on a slow, unreliable line thinking that there has to be a better way, the SFTEP is designed specifically to solve this problem!

(If you haven’t already reviewed the detailed proposal for the lines you ride and the system as a whole (pdf), please take a look now.)

These will be considered at the MTA Board on Tuesday, September 16. If you agree with us that this proposal will make service much faster and more reliable both on YOUR line and citywide, please come to the meeting and speak in favor! Details:

SFMTA Board Meeting and Public Hearing on SFTEP
City Hall Room 400 (1 Carlton B. Goodlett Street)
Public Comment at 3:30 pm and again at 5:30 pm

Thanks!

The SF Transit Effectiveness Project has published an updated proposal for route changes, based in part on public and Citizens Advisory Council input. If you haven’t already reviewed the detailed proposal for the lines you ride and the system as a whole (pdf), take a look now.

These will be considered at the MTA Board on Tuesday, September 16.