Rescue Muni

Were you on the 22-Fillmore last night at Haight Street? Then you may have been doused with water due to one of the odder accidents in recent Muni history. The SF Appeal has all the details – and the news even hit the Associated Press.

Clearly some mistakes were made here. But don’t operators get reminded repeatedly not to move the bus when the wheelchair lift is down? Or was there a brake failure? Meanwhile taxpayers and farepayers will once again get stuck with the bills.

Concerned about proposed service cuts? Do you agree with us that extended meter hours (including enforcing meters on Sundays) is far better than cutting mass transit? If so, please attend and comment at one of these SFMTA meetings:

Town Hall Meetings, One South Van Ness Ave. @ Market St., 2nd Floor Atrium
Saturday, Feb. 6 – 10 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, Feb. 9 – 6 to 8 p.m.
Transit: 6, 71, 47, 49, Metro to Van Ness

SFMTA Board Meeting, City Hall Room 400
Tuesday, Feb. 16 – 9 a.m. (public hearing and possible Board action)
Transit: 5, 6, 19, 21, 71, 47, 49, Metro, BART to Civic Center

In response to SFMTA’s budget deficit and threatened service cuts and fare hikes, the Sierra Club San Francisco Group has some policy recommendations. Below is their letter by our board member, Howard Strassner. (Note: this is not Rescue Muni policy, though we are long-time proponents of expanded rapid bus service.)

Read the rest of this entry »

In the midst of all the budget troubles, you still need to find the next bus. Of course you can go to NextMuni.com or use Routesy on your iPhone, but if you have an iGoogle homepage, why not add this gadget? You can add up to three favorite stops by 511 stop ID.

Thanks to Dave Sohigian for this!

Rescue Muni unequivocally opposes the proposed $5 fare for the F-Market historic streetcar line.  We recognize that this is an extraordinarily difficult budget year, and that despite the recent fare increase, Muni is running short on money from other sources.  But the F-Market is one of the most cost-effective lines in the city, and other, better revenue options exist, not least of which are extending parking meter hours into Sundays and evenings.  We are unconvinced that these measures will hurt San Francisco’s economy.  Many cities—including cities with fewer transit options than San Francisco—keep their parking meters running on Sundays and weekends, and seem to suffer no ill effects from it.

Singling out a single line for a fare increase—and eliminating 313,000 service hours per year—shouldn’t even be considered in a “Transit First” city until all other options are exhausted.  They haven’t been.

We urge Rescue Muni members to attend today’s meeting of the MTA Board—2:00 p.m. at Room 400, City Hall—and let directors know that this plan is unacceptable, and that better options for closing the short-term revenue gap remain.

Update: Rick Laubscher of Market Street Railway has a very thoughtful letter in opposition to the $5 F-line.

Also: The Bike Coalition has a handy form to tell the Supervisors and the Mayor that you oppose higher fares and service cuts.