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USEFUL MUNI BUDGET DATA—Moving SF – SFMTA Budget: Revenue, Expenditures and Future Projections
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SFMTA announces temporary service changes will take effect until further notice:
Subject: HeadsUp: Starting this Monday, 3/30, the following temporary service changes will take effect until further notice:
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| San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency | One South Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94103-5417 |
In a week, the coronavirus razed U.S. transit and rail systems
By Luz Lazo and Justin George : washingtonpost – excerpt
As recently as a month ago, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority was talking about increasing service, having finally turned a corner after years of precipitous ridership declines.
The gains were wiped out in a couple of weeks as the coronavirus pandemic swept the country, shutting down normal life and crippling Metro and transit systems nationwide as people teleworked and stayed home out of fear, by government order or because they had been laid off…
The financial losses for the transit sector are projected to be in the billions and the impacts and disruptions could stretch for weeks if not more, say experts and transit leaders who fear that even when the crisis is over, recovery could take months, if not years… (more)
This crisis points out what many have suspected for years. The public transit model is not financially sustainable in the worst of time and it may not be in the best of times after the virus scare subsides due to three things:
- Public distrust in government is at an all time high leading people to seek independence and freedom of movement.
- Financial burdens on the public health system will take precedence over other matters.
- Many off-site jobs may remain off-site leading to less commuters on streets and public transportation.
Updates from SFMTA
OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON SFMTA BUDGET. With declining transit ridership (before and after Covid-19), focus on simpler/ citywide transit improvements. No more boondoggles.
https://www.sfmta.com/projects/meeting-transportation-needs-growing-city-sfmta-budget-fiscal-years-2021-2022
For the duration of the current public health emergency related to COVID-19, we are responding by making important changes to key SFMTA operations. This is an evolving and challenging situation, and it’s reasonable to have questions. That’s why we created an up-to-date resource to help you keep up with changes that currently include:
- Modified Muni service
- Paratransit guidance
- Parking enforcement rules
- Parking garage operations that include some facility closures
- Temporary adjustments to SFMTA “Fines and Fees”
To get the most up to date information, please check our regularly updated webpage at SFMTA.com/COVID19.
The SFMTA is also taking proactive measures to minimize the risk of exposure for employees and customers and to ensure that our transportation system works for people when needed – like when residents need to make a grocery trip or when a healthcare worker needs to go to their job.
We all should continue to follow public health guidance
- Stay home if you are sick
- Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Cover your cough or sneeze
- Avoid touching your face
- Try alternatives to shaking hands, like a wave or smile
The current “Shelter in Place” Public Health order could be extended. And we are preparing. Thank you for your support and your patience.
SFMTA Updates: SFMTA.com/COVID19
Citywide Updates: sf.gov/topics/coronavirus-covid-19
FASTER Announcement Re: 2020
via email
Greetings BATWG friends,
I hope you are all healthy and safe.
I wanted you to know about a change in the timeline for FASTER Bay Area. As you know June 24 was already an incredibly tight deadline for state legislation, especially as FASTER is proposing a wide variety of transformative policy changes. With COVID-19 that timeline is no longer feasible. FASTER will continue to work towards passing legislation to authorize a Bay Area ballot initiative but we will no longer be proposing that it be eligible for the November 2020 ballot. Please see the attached FASTER statement for more details.
FASTER has developed a framework and a proposal for a regional transit network plan that we believe can be truly transformative and will form the foundation for our work moving forward. . We are releasing these in the attached documents Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
Best wishes to you, your families and your communities as this crisis unfolds.
Stay safe and know that we need to continue to watch this program.
San Francisco continues to issue parking tickets with a few exceptions
Amy Graff : sfgate – excerpt
With a shelter-in-place order in effect in San Francisco, the city is continuing to run essential services such as garbage pickup, police, the fire department — and parking enforcement.
Yes, the city will give you a ticket if you fail to put money in the parking meter or move your car before the street sweeper cleans the road. That said, there are a few exceptions and situations that won’t be enforced while the order is in place through April 7.
Here’s a rundown from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency:…(more)
Bay Area transportation agencies brace for coronavirus spread as ridership plummets
By Evan Semoffsky : ktvu – excerpt
OAKLAND – As counties around the Bay Area ramp up their responses to the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak, local transportation agencies remain on high alert, ready change how they will respond — including limiting or shutting down service — if the now-global pandemic becomes more critical.
Some agencies have already seen noticeable drops in ridership — BART reported a 30% decline in ridership on Tuesday — and many agencies are doing more frequent cleaning of trains and stations. But some are sticking with the protocols that were in place before COVID-19 took hold around the region…
BART:
BART said it has a “contagious disease plan” that was updated since the coronavirus outbreak. Officials would not elaborate on the plan, citing “security sensitive information,” but said it includes specific actions tied to specific “triggers.”
Ridership on BART fell by 30% on Tuesday and agency officials expect it will continue to drop as more people around the region telecommute for work… (more)
BART officials are not elaborating on the plan? Who trusts a system that refuses to elaborate on the plan?
Tutor Perini Exploring Potential Sale of the Company
By TBM staff : tunnelingonline – excerpt
In response to media reports, Tutor Perini Corp. (NYSE: TPC), a leading civil, building and specialty construction company, confirmed March 2 that a Special Committee of its Board of Directors comprised of independent directors, on behalf of the company, is engaged in discussions regarding a potential transaction for the acquisition of Tutor Perini…
Rueters reports that Tutor Perini had been approach by Apollo Global Management with an offer of nearly $1 billion. Construction Drive reported that Tutor Perini reported losses of $86 in the the fourth quarter of 2019 and $287.7 million for the year. Rueters reported that the company had a total debt of $834.5 million at the end of the December.
Tutor Perini is currently working on projects for the LA Metro, including the Purple Line Phase 2 and Phase 3 projects. Other recent underground projects include the SR 99 tunnel project in Seattle, and the Central Subway stations, tracks and systems contract in San Francisco… (more)
California is taking aim at Uber and Lyft’s outsized climate consequences
By By Carlyn Kranking : calmatters – excerpt
Uber and Lyft are bigger greenhouse gas polluters than they should be, two recent reports say. California’s climate enforcers aim to fix that.
To understand California’s climate change challenge, look no further than its popular ride-hailing companies.
Uber, Lyft and other companies make up a tiny piece of the biggest greenhouse gas polluter in the state: transportation. Yet their contribution to climate-warming emissions is outsized, drawing attention from researchers and lawmakers and raising an ambitious question: how can the state rein in emissions from gig economy companies built on drivers who own their vehicles?
The latest strike against Uber and Lyft comes from the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group that published a report last week showing ride-hailing trips release 69% more climate-warming emissions than the walking, biking, transit and other car trips they displace. The findings support California’s own analysis, which concluded ride-hailing increases carbon dioxide pollution by 50% for every mile a passenger travels, compared to when they drive themselves… (more)
Better late than never I guess. Perhaps they can take on the huge shuttle buses that line up daily on our city streets. What is their impact on GHG? We never got to find out because they were pushed through without proper CEQA analysis the way many entitlements are these days. If the impact is “inevitable” and it is “Infeasible” to mitigate the impact, it must be allowed. We have heard that over and over again from the Planning and Department and the SFMTA. Look where it has gotten us. The public has no voice unless the courts decide in our favor or we elect new officials to change the priorities and procedures that fail to regulate the industries.
Marin, Sonoma county voters say no to SMART train tax measure
By Rachel Swan : sfchronicle – excerpt
North Bay voters on Tuesday defeated a sales tax measure that aimed to infuse the struggling SMART train with needed cash.
Measure I would have extended a quarter-cent sales tax in Marin and Sonoma counties to 2059. It is set to expire in 2029. The tax raises an average of $40 million a year — not enough to bolster SMART’s plans to build three stations, 25 miles of track and 11 miles of bike trail, even as officials try to beef up service and attract new riders…(more)
