Results tagged “transportation”

While there's no word yet why a L-Taraval train derailed in the tunnel this morning, more than 20 bus shuttles are currently carrying Muni passengers between Van Ness and West Portal stations. All lines are affected. Appeal has word "that all Muni traffic is slow between Castro and Embarcadero stations," as well as the press release MTA just sent out. Ahem:

After "the second car of an L Taraval derailed in the Twin Peaks tunnel between Castro and Forest Hill stations," reports SF Appeal, the entire Muni system is chaotic this morning. No injuries have been reported. The accident occurred at 7::35 a.m.

In an effort to get motorists to slow down on the Bay Bridge, CHP officers had a "crackdown" in the bridge yesterday. CBS 5 reported that officers "issued 34 citations for speeding and arrested someone for driving under the influence. The crackdown was carried out between 11 p.m. Wednesday and 4 a.m. Thursday." This comes on the heels of a big rig toppling over the bridge on Monday. Also, later this month, "radar signs will also be installed to show drivers how fast they are going as they pass."

Scott James of NYT Bay Area did something a bit crafty. He perched a camera at Duboce and Steiner, capturing cars and cyclists during their morning commutes. While not the busiest or most dangerous intersection in San Francisco, it is, as James points out, a complex one where "cars, pedestrians, cyclists and the MUNI N-Line all converge."

Due to the Bay Bridge being closed over the weekend, BART will run on a 24-hour schedule for Friday and Saturday. According to BART.gov:

Bad news. The Bay Bridge will remain closed over the weekend. According to CBS 5, "officials said the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge would likely stay closed through the weekend and were unsure if it would open in time for Monday's morning commute."

Brittney Gilbert at Eye On Blogs brings our attention to what could be our new favorite blog, The Pedestrianist. More than any driver or cyclist, the delicate pedestrian is the single most maligned minority in the history of the world, ever. (Examples: Where are our energizer stations? Where are our street closures? Where are our coalitions? Where in the hell are our biergartens with porta-potties?) Apparently, jaywalkers make streets safer. We're living speed bumps, if you will. The Pedestrianist says:

Westbound travelers going over the bridge, listen up: a Safeway big rig truck overturned on the Bay Bridge, which has since caused an INSANE amount of traffic back-up. According to KTVU, the big rig tipped over at the new s-curve portion of the bridge on the top part of the span. The accident happened around 2:30. It's blocking "4 out of 5 lanes."

Although Muni is (understandably) having major delays today due to the rain, NextBus, it seems, is also out-of-order. On the worst possible day, too. Ugh.

The Central Subway plan got a boost yesterday care of a $9.9 grant via an unknown donor. (Though, according to Curbed, the Federal Transit Administration might be the culprit.) MTA spokesperson Judson True tells Streetsblog that "the funds would mostly go towards preliminary design work, since preliminary engineering on the project is essentially complete." The total cost for the SOMA-to-Chinatown underground fun will cost a total of $1.57 billion.

by Chris Jones

Apparently not all S-curves are a good thing. Ye olde Chronicle reported today that "the drive time from San Francisco to Oakland during the evening commute has taken 57 percent longer, on average, than it did a year ago." And what's to blame, you ask? Why, the new s-curve, of course.

Today, the Obama Administration announced plans to fork over $6-plus million to AC Transit of Hayward, "to help reduce global warming, lessen America’s dependence on oil and create green jobs." The funds come from the Economic Recovery Act, and will be yet another boon to the growing eco-industry in the Bay Area.

(Good grief, San Francisco. You're really making up for last week's glaring lack of BART strike with a busy morning, aren't you? First the fire, now this.) This afternoon, according to Appeal, an L Taraval smacked into a vehicle at a little after noontime today. "L Taraval Muni Metro service has been disrupted after the L hit a car at Taraval and 34th Ave.," they report. The male driver of the vehicle was "transported to San Francisco General Hospital with unknown injuries" Muni guru Judson True reveals. Expect a joyous ride on a shuttle bus until the L gets back on track. Update: The L is back and better than ever! Not really, but it's running again.

Tonight, City Visions Radio on KALW will chat about the Central Subway, its pros and cons. Naturally, the Central Subway is a super nifty project. (Because progress is building stuff, and building stuff is the FUTURE! No matter what!) Tonight's show will focus on San Francisco's plan to build a subway linking Chinatown with the new Third Street light rail. The $1.5 billion project would also link the Caltrain terminal at 4th and King with Chinatown.

But what does Mayor Gavin Newsom and/or the Mayor’s Office of Communications have to say about Sunday's impending BART strike, you ask? Good question. Here's the answer. Ahem:

The looming BART strike, which has been a verbal threat every since union negotiations crumbled, might be a distinct possibility. More of a distinct possibility, that is, than we thought earlier. This afternoon, the BART board voted to implement "terms and conditions," which means they basically forced a contract on the Amalgamated Transit Union. But just this morning, Jessee Hunt, the head of the union (a union filled with BART train operators), had said if the board decided to force a contract, then they would strike. So, while an official announcement has not been made, they're having a press conference at 4 p.m. today. Also. although the other unions agreed to the contract, they can't picket; but they won't cross the picket lines, so... no one will go to work. And the strike will cripple Bay Area transportation as you know it. A 72-hour warning will go into effect, which could mean--at last--a BART strike would rain down on Monday. (Gulp.)

So, you remember that old 1970’s movie, Logan’s Run, where Logan and Jessica 6 take a space shaped monorail pod thing to the bad part of the dome where they’re promptly assaulted by sassy gang members speaking the hip lingo of tomorrow’s youth? Well, according to today’s Examiner, it looks like everyone’s favorite public agency, the MTA, may be considering ripping out all the Muni buses in town and finally moving public transportation into the “Space Age” with our own Logan’s Run style public transit system just like we deserve. OK, not really. Apparently, the MTA recently entertained a pitch from Mountain View based Unimodal, Inc., proposing the installation of their SkyTran personal rapid transit (PRT) system as a total solution to the never ending problem of dragging people up and down Geary Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue.

According to SFGate, "Two of San Francisco's historic F-line streetcars and a car have crashed, injuring an unknown number of people and causing Muni to suspend train service at the height of the evening commute. KTVU claims that "[t]he crash happened at about 5:45 p.m. when a passenger vehicle somehow became sandwiched end-to-end between two of the historic streetcar that operate on the F-Market line." (Speculation time: Maybe this had something to do with it?)

by Chris Jones

After teasing us over and over and over with a strike that promised to cripple public transportation and the lives of many, BART and union leaders came to a contract agreement, tentatively. According to first-on-the-scene SFAppeal, "management and union leaders this morning announced a tentative agreement on a four-year contract. The announcement was made late this morning in Oakland by BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger, Services Employees International Union President Lisa Isler, and Amalgamated Transit Union President Jesse Hunt." After the sort-of agreement was reached, Duggar, according to SF Chron, "said the agreement was the result of 'sacrifice and compromise' and would allow BART to continue operations under 'stable financial footing.'"

The failed experiment that is the CultureBus -- a very slow, yellow Muni bus that would take passengers around San Francisco (downtown to Golden Gate Park) to look at art and trees, running every hour or so -- will come to a merciful end. According to SFMTA, the CultureBus will be discontinued effective August 15.

Certainly not rider-friendly arrival times.

Might want to rev up the Lexus or Prius today, readers. According to Appeal, the J, K/T, L, M and N lines are all "'experiencing rolling delays in the subway because of a problem with the train control system.'" That is to say, trains are currently operating in manual mode. (Oh oh.) So, you know, please check with NextMuni before hopping on a train.

Yesterday, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted 10 to 3 to approve $140 million to help pay for the long awaited automated people mover between the Oakland Coliseum BART station and Oakland International Airport. And by long awaited, this writers means he was like a sperm when the idea was first raised back during the misty beginnings of time and space. The entire project is anticipated to cost approximately $522 million and should be completed by 2013.

It has now been revealed that Saturday's collision at West Portal was the result of train operator Henry Gray switching to manual mode when approaching the platform -- a violation of official Muni protocol that was an informal practice by most operators -- twenty-four seconds before blacking out at the controls. Department of Motor Vehicle records show that Gray has a spotless driving record.

Walk Score, a site that tells you just how "walkable" your city or hood is, ranked San Francisco the top spot for those of us who get by on foot exclusively. Eating San Francisco's dust is 2. New York, NY; 3. Boston, MA; 4. Chicago, IL; 5. Philadelphia, PA; 6. Seattle, WA; 7. Washington D.C.; 8. Long Beach, CA; 9. Los Angeles, CA; and 10. Portland, OR. (Chinatown came in as the number one hood for walking.) On a score from 0-100, WalkScore decides which city is deemed "Walkers' Paradise," "Very Walkable,""Somewhat Walkable," and "Car-Dependent" like this: they "calculate the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking." The site also features helpful maps and other pro-pedestrian propaganda. Be sure to check it out. [via Curbed]

by Chris Jones

Apparently, the world won't come to an end for BART riders on July 1. It seems the strike probably, most likely for all intents and purposes won't happen. (That is some shitty news, Bay Area bloggers and media outlets. A Bay Area-wide public transportation meltdown would've been traffic gold during the holiday week. Alas.) But do you know what will happen on Wednesday? Wide-reaching fare increases. Yay! What are those changes, you ask? Akit's Complaint Department has the lowdown. the skinny. the scoop. On Muni, Adult fare (cash) goes up to $2; the same goes for AC Transit. Ferry service goes up a tiny bit. And BART will see a 6.1% fare increase for all riders (that is to say, "Inter San Francisco fare increases to $1.75." (Which, as Akit points out, is still cheaper than Muni.) Read more about the changes, right here.

by Chris Jones