Over the past few months, a proposal to build a contraflow bus lane on the Bay Bridge has gained momentum among key transportation agencies such as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), BART, and AC Transit. The proposed contraflow lane would convert an underutilized eastbound lane to a westbound bus lane, providing much-needed capacity relief for […]
A report released earlier this week is urging San Francisco’s mayor and Board of Supervisors to increase efforts to reduce bike fatalities, calling for an ultimate goal of “zero bike fatalities.” Although the report [PDF] gave credit to the city for supporting and bolstering bike transportation, it also called for significant increases in bike safety. […]
San Francisco Municipal Railway kicked off a weeklong centennial celebration on Sunday by rolling out vintage streetcars on the city’s oldest existing rail line. Over the weekend, the J-Church–which opened in 1917–played host to vintage streetcars from the F-Market and Wharves fleet, kicking off eight days of festivities in honor of Muni’s 100th anniversary. Throughout […]
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is polling Bay Area residents on their customer experiences. The short survey asks for feedback on a variety of topics, from the timeliness of busses, cleanliness and availability of cabs, to street safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Results of the survey will be published later this year, and […]
Ensuring transit-only lanes are free of other vehicles is a costly endeavor. Even with just over 15 miles of transit-only lanes in the city of San Francisco, penalizing drivers who obstruct or abuse bus lanes requires too much manpower to make significant enforcement possible. Now, the city has found a more efficient way to cut […]
We’ve written a lot on this blog about the tragic result of San Francisco bus accidents. In the past, fatal Muni bus accidents have cost the city millions in lawsuit settlements, and most importantly, have claimed the lives of far too many San Francisco residents. Over the weekend, new city dweller Emily Dunn was struck and killed by a Muni bus in the city’s Castro District. The police report indicated that Dunn was struck 95% into the crosswalk by a Muni Bus making a left turn, an action that is commonly cited as unsafe.
It’s always fun to write about good news related to traffic safety in San Francisco. That pleasure comes this week as the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency reports that in 2010, Muni bus accidents dropped 50 percent below the previous year. The improvement is attributed to a new camera installed in all Muni busses in November 2009 to record the cause of Muni accidents and monitor dangerous driving behavior of Muni operators. The 50 percent drop in bus accidents is an indication that the DriveCam will have a serious positive impact on San Francisco traffic safety.
What would you do if your bus driver was texting while driving? If you’re anything like San Francisco resident Shawn Higgins, who saw a bus driver texting on the 24 Divisadero bus, you’d try to stop it. Though Higgins was backed by other riders, her confrontation did not go over well with the driver, who “took out her iPhone and started recording us. On the bus. And saying ‘I’m going to show you. I’ll never pick you up again a—hole.'” In past years, San Francisco bus drivers have repeatedly been caught acting irresponsibly, highlighting the importance of reforming the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency’s policy toward its staff.
As I’ve said before, getting hit by a bus has to be one of the worst nightmares imaginable. Clearly, much of the responsibility lies with pedestrians to be careful and avoid accidents. But far too often, San Francisco pedestrians are involved in bus preventable bus accidents due to inexperienced or incompetent bus drivers. A new report by the San Francisco Examiner found that although many preventable accidents are caused by bus drivers who have been in preventable accidents before, the city plans to fire very few drivers.
Serious accidents involving city public transportation agencies always draw major headlines. After all, there are fewer fates more terrifying than being hit by a train or bus. In the past year, Portland’s TriMet public transportation agency has been plagued by numerous high-profile pedestrian accidents. And San Francisco’s Muni system has had its share of accidents causing injuries and even fatalities. In one of Muni’s most costly debacles to date, the agency agreed to settle a personal injury lawsuit filed by a passenger injured in 2008 this week for more than $2 million.
