Muni

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…

Even in areas where drivers know to expect bicyclists, unexpected dangers can rear up at any moment. This was the case for Nob Hill resident Laila Brenner, who was cycling home from work when a double-parked car forced her to change lanes. The adjustment caused her to contact an 8X-Bayshore Express bus traveling in the…

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.

A string of high-profile multi-million dollar settlements against the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency indicates that the city would save millions in the long run by putting forward funds to improve street safety for cyclists and pedestrians. This point was underscored last week by a record $5.36 million Muni settlement for a 2008 Muni accident that killed cyclist David Wheeler near Ocean Beach in San Francisco.

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.

We wrote yesterday about the new “Dangerous by Design” report by Transportation for America, which found that pedestrian accident deaths make up 51 percent of all San Francisco traffic fatalities, more than four times the national average. The husband of the victim of a 2010 Mission Street bus accident filed a wrongful death lawsuit Monday against San Francisco Muni, saying the driver of a 14 Mission bus was unwrapping a candy bar when she failed to see 49-year-old Scott Whitsett crossing the street. When the operator, Kimberly Faye Johnson, saw Whitsett, she allegedly hit the accelerator instead of the brake by mistake, which led to the collision. This incident marks the newest in a string of serious injuries and wrongful death lawsuits that show a clear need for San Francisco to improve street safety.