Great Highway – RPD Hearing

Another Town Hall on re-opening the streets

Here’s a notice of an important joint hearing with SFRPD and SFMTA about reopening the Great HIghway.
Save the Date, and, please, pass this on.

https://sfrecpark.org/civicalerts.aspx?aid=531

News Flash • San Francisco Recreation and Parks, CA • CivicEngage Tune in on Thursday June 10 at 1 p.m. at www.sfgovtv.org for a special joint hearing with the SF Recreation and Park Commission and the SFMTA Board to discuss a proposed pilot on the Great Highway.. Members of the public are encouraged to call in during the hearing or provide feedback via email: Day of Public Comment Call-In Number: (415) 655-0001/Access Code: 187 147 3320 sfrecpark.org

Geary BRT Changes Lanes

By Benjamin Schneider : sfweekly. – excerpt

Excluding Market and Mission streets, which are served by subway lines, Geary Street is far and away the busiest transit corridor in San Francisco. With about 54,000 daily riders pre-pandemic, the 38 and 38R bus lines see more daily passengers than any individual Muni Metro train line or the entire light rail system in San Jose, and nearly as many daily riders as Caltrain. Improving the journey for all of those bus passengers has long been a goal of San Francisco transit officials.

But now, after years of planning, it’s looking like the latest effort to speed buses down Geary is getting scaled back. And depending on whom you ask, that might not be the worst thing — at least in the near term

During a May 12 meeting of the Geary Rapid Community Advisory Committee, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) staff announced they are now pursuing a different configuration for Phase Two of the Geary Rapid project. …(more)

In the wake of the disruption on Van Ness, there’s a sense among both SFMTA staff and transit advocates that the center-running bus lanes on Geary aren’t worth the time, money, and frustration for local businesses and residents.

Does this mean they don’t have to kill the trees?

$85 BIllion for Empty Buses and Railcars

by Randal OToole : newgeography – excerpt

The future of public transit is nearly empty buses and railcars. Yet President Biden’s American Jobs Plan calls for spending $85 billion on transit. Although transit carries less than 1 percent of passenger travel in the United States, and no freight, this represents 28 percent of the funds Biden proposes to spend on transportation.

Considering that the pandemic has cut transit ridership by more than half , while driving has recovered to 97 percent of pre-pandemic levels, this a poor, and poorly timed, use of public funds. Biden’s plan claims that spend- ing more on transit “will ultimately reduce traffic congestion for everyone.” Other transit advocates claim that it will help low-income people as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But none of these claims are true.

Third-Class Transportation

Transit is fundamentally inferior to the alternatives…(more)