Bayview Quick Builds: Uplifting Voices and Fostering Community

Bayview Quick Builds: Uplifting Voices and Fostering Community
By

When it comes to transportation planning in the Bayview, the SFMTA recognizes our involvement in the long history of past racist policies that have led to disinvestment in that community. Rectifying these injustices will take time but begins with near-term efforts like the Bayview Community Based Transportation Plan and the Bayview Quick-Build Transportation Projects. The goal of this work by SFMTA staff is to begin the process of building trust with community members and uplifting their voices.

A recent example are the murals painted along the Bayview’s first Vision Zero Quick-Build Project, unveiled by the SFMTA and multiple community partners on Saturday, April 3. Vision Zero Quick-Build Projects are defined by their ability to rapidly install inexpensive, easily adjustable street safety improvements.  For this project, safety improvements required the installation of concrete barriers to delineate space in the roadway, which provided a canvas for community art.

Community participation plays a key role in how we develop quick-build improvements. The location of this particular quick-build was identified as a recommended corridor for traffic calming improvements in the Bayview Community Based Transportation Plan (Bayview CBTP). That plan is a multi-year effort to foster a more collaborative and responsive relationship with residents of the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. Ariel Ward, SFMTA project planner and manager, who worked previously on the Bayview CBTP, brought her knowledge and relationships to help guide the Bayview Quick-Build project.

The project corridor along Evans Avenue, Hunters Point Boulevard, and Innes Avenue is on the Vision Zero High-Injury Network, the 13% of city streets that account for 75% of severe and fatal traffic injuries. Conversations with the community revealed that the location where Innes Avenue turns into Hunters Point Boulevard is often referred to by residents as “Dead Man’s Curve.” Over the past five years at this location, 20 collisions resulted in 32 injuries and one fatality, with many of these crashes caused by unsafe speeds, turns, and lane changes.

Influenced by the input received through the Bayview CBTP, the project team implemented quick-build improvements that include reducing the number of traffic lanes from four to two, a protected bicycle and pedestrian path using concrete barriers along Hunters Point Boulevard, upgrading and installing continental crosswalks and a creating a transit boarding island on Evans at Middle Point Road.

These improvements eliminate the possibility of drivers making high speed lane changes, encourage slower vehicle speeds, and provide protection for people to safely walk and bike along the corridor. While each of these tools has clear road safety purposes, Ariel viewed the concrete barriers as an opportunity to continue collaborating with the community and build on the relationships she established through the Bayview CBTP.

Through a call for submissions, the SFMTA worked with BMAGIC, Hunters Point Shipyard Citizens Advisory Committee, Shipyard Trust for the Arts, San Francisco African American Arts and Cultural District, and the India Basin Neighborhood Association, to select six artists who live and work in the Bayview to use the concrete barriers as canvases and helping to beautify the project. The community was able to raise $30,000 in philanthropic funds to paint murals along the entire length of the concrete barriers.

Listening to advocates and working with the community helps ensure that our traffic safety improvements benefit everyone. This requires fostering ongoing relationships by speaking directly with those who live and work in the project area to better understand their specific needs. Ultimately, the safety barriers will not only protect people walking and biking, but also celebrate the rich history, culture, and identity of the Bayview. We hope you’ll enjoy this celebration of a vision built in collaboration with artists, activists and community members over the years at Bayside Saturdays.

This effort would not have been possible without the generosity and time donated by BMAGIC, the Box Shop, India Basin Neighborhood Association, San Francisco African American Arts & Cultural District, Shipyard Trust for the Arts, Wendy MacNaughton, Livable City, SPIN and CEMEX.

View the slideshow below to learn more about some of the community members and groups who helped the murals come to life.

 

 

Published April 16, 2021 at 03:59PM
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Effective, Equitable, and Resilient Transportation for San Francisco

Effective, Equitable, and Resilient Transportation for San Francisco
By Lulu Feliciano

As we emerge from the current pandemic, what does an effective, equitable, and resilient transportation system for San Francisco’s future look like? Last week, just such a forward-looking vision was published by ConnectSF. ConnectSF is comprised of staff from the SFMTA, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and the San Francisco Planning Department. With input from residents, community and business groups, youth organizations, and other stakeholders, the collaborative’s Transit Investment Strategy lays out a vision for reinvesting in the city’s transit system.

The Vision

ConnectSF is advancing a bold vision for the future of our transportation system. In order to realize this vision, we will need to invest in creating a system that is better than before – faster, more reliable, and more accessible. The investment strategy details the big changes we envision and where we will need funding to achieve them. Transit is essential to keeping the city moving, and a stable, ongoing funding source will be critical for helping San Francisco manage congestion and rebuild its economy.

An Improved Citywide Transit Network

Increasing service and making changes that enable new or better transit options are among ConnectSF’s top investment priorities. Our Muni Forward toolkit already includes a number of proven methods for accomplishing this. Bus lanes, transit signal priority, car-free zones and transit queue jumps are just some examples. The Transit Investment Strategy goes beyond these methods and emphasizes the need to prioritize improvements for riders who depend on transit the most.

Reshaping Transit

The investment strategy also calls for reshaping the way we operate transit in San Francisco. San Franciscans need access to a robust network of frequent buses and trains that take them all throughout the city-- rather than focusing primarily on trips downtown. This will require changes along streets and at intersections so that the only time your bus has to stop is to pick you up and drop you off, not to sit in traffic and wait at lights.

Delivering a modern Muni Metro that residents can rely on also requires the funding necessary to catch up with our backlog of deferred maintenance and to enhance our light rail system – for example, upgrading Muni Metro with a new train control system. In the future, in those areas of the city where no amount of bus improvements will be able to meet the demand, long-term planning will also include major new rail projects.

The Transit Investment Strategy emerged as a key product of the Transit Corridors Study. The Transit Corridors Study, along with the Streets and Freeways Study, will serve to identify projects and policies to be included in the San Francisco Transportation Plan and the updated Transportation Element of the San Francisco General Plan. Rebuilding and advancing our transportation system will take the commitment and involvement of city staff and community stakeholders.

Learn More

Staff is eager to learn what transit improvements are the most important to you and to share their own ideas and proposals. You can engage with ConnectSF at their website, which also offers a short survey at the end for you to provide feedback.

You can also give feedback at an Online Town Hall.

When: Wednesday, April 21, 2021; 5-6pm

What: ConnectSF staff will discuss the transit strategy and answer questions.

How: Sign up at the Zoom meeting registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

ConnectSF’s transit investment strategy is available in the following languages:

English                                    
Filipino
Español                        
中文

 

 

Published April 12, 2021 at 07:09PM
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Supporting The City's Youngest Residents Returning to In-Person Learning

Supporting The City's Youngest Residents Returning to In-Person Learning
By Erica Kato

 

Parents: A reminder that Slow Streets are not closed to cars dropping off students or school buses. They are considered local traffic and can use Slow Streets to access drop-off and pick-up areas.   

The Agency is eager to support our students returning back to school! This is an exciting time for parents and students alike, and we are proud to provide a strong set of mobility options to help facilitate school trips. Recently, we covered the Muni service we’ve strategically invested in around key school routes (like the 29 Sunset and 44 O’Shaughnessy) to increase core network frequency around our major corridors that serve many of San Francisco’s schools. In preparation for the phased-in reopening of the schools, we’ve also been hard at work to get kids to school safely by foot, bike, and car:   

• Our beloved crossing guards are coming back to help the kids get to school safely! Over 30 crossing guards will be deployed starting Monday, covering 17 schools around the city.  

• Any missing or faded white paint at loading zone curbs has been refreshed for all elementary schools reopening. We’re asking everyone that has been parking in the white zones during the pandemic to comply with the parking regulations and move their cars before school starts to allow for safe drop-offs.   

• We will be deploying additional parking control officers to areas where schools are reopening to address any issues, if they arise.   

• In partnership with SF Bicycle Coalition, our SF Safe Routes to School Program will launch Bike and Roll to School Week from May 10-14th as a citywide celebration to encourage students and caregivers to bike or roll to school. 

• We’re also encouraging parents to utilize our Slow Streets network as a good way to introduce your children to walking and biking to school. 

We hope parents, students, and teachers heading back to the classroom enjoy the improvements we’ve made during the shelter-in-place order. We also want to remind folks that Slow Streets are not closed to cars dropping off students or school buses. They are considered local traffic and can use Slow Streets to access drop-off and pick-up areas. School traffic IS local traffic. Staff reviewed the location of all the schools in their proximity to our network of Slow Streets. We are in the process of evaluating how Slow Streets affect access and school circulation. In certain cases, we may initially remove barricades and assess how school access and queueing during drop-off is working. As schools reopen through April, we look forward to working with individual schools to best meet their transportation access needs. 

 

Whether your family finds a new route to school on two wheels, six wheels, by walking or by vehicle, we think you’ll find transportation is recovering from the pandemic healthier than what you may remember. Whether it's a school crossing guard at a nearby intersection or our Free Muni for Youth Program, the SFMTA plays a role in getting students to and from the classroom. No matter how your family chooses to get to school as in-person instruction reopens, SFMTA is committed to helping you to school safely and sustainably. We will train students and caregivers on the four fun ways to get to school (biking, walking, taking transit, or carpooling). We look forward to supporting the city’s youngest residents, and will continue to work with schools on their transportation needs to help everyone involved breathe (and move about!) a little easier after a challenging year.  

Published April 10, 2021 at 10:44PM
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Parking Meters Help Keep San Francisco Vibrant

Parking Meters Help Keep San Francisco Vibrant
By Monica Munowitch

Parking Meters Help Keep San Francisco Vibrant

In a dense, vibrant, expensive city like San Francisco which is bounded by water on three sides, space is at a premium.  On city streets, which take up about 20% of San Francisco’s land area, there are many different forms of transportation, all competing for that limited space.  As a result, on-street parking for cars is just one of many demands that residents, merchants, visitors and others have for the road network.  And of course when it comes to on-street parking, curb space is a very limited resource. As it’s not possible to build more curbs, the city uses regulations to help ensure that spaces are available when and where they’re needed most.

Multi-space Pay Station on McAllister Street

In managing these competing demands, parking meters are the most effective tool we have --particularly in commercial districts and other high-demand areas. They create availability by encouraging people to park only for the length of time they need.  This helps to keep spaces available for people whose only option is to drive and park.  Without parking meters, the availability of parking in high-demand areas would drop considerably—many spaces could, for example, be taken for days or weeks by people at work, at home or on vacation.

Additionally, when parking is hard to find, people in cars circle the area looking for spaces or double-park while they wait for a space. This leads to congestion for everyone on the street, slows down Muni, creates safety hazards for people walking and biking, and negatively impacts merchants, businesses, and residents. Successful parking management in San Francisco not only increases the availability of parking for people who need to drive, it makes transit more reliable, manages congestion, helps the economy, and creates safer streets.

While parking meters do generate significant revenue for the city, they also have substantial costs.  Single-space meters, which make up the majority of meters in San Francisco, cost over $600 apiece; each multi-space paystation (serving 10 or more spaces) costs $6,000.  Other costs that the city pays for this valuable tool add up to millions of dollars per year, including labor for installation and maintenance, battery replacement, coin collection, data/communications fees, credit card fees, vendor fees and enforcement staffing.

San Francisco’s City Charter mandates that parking revenues in excess of management costs be directed toward supporting transit —a progressive and forward-looking system that voters approved when they supported the creation of the SFMTA in 1999.  So in San Francisco, paid parking and transit are inextricably linked and create a virtuous cycle: paid parking keeps the streets clear of double parkers and cars circling in search of a space and helps transit move faster and more reliably; more reliable transit is more appealing for people and leads to more transit trips, which opens up more parking spaces for the people who need to drive. And when drivers pay for parking, their contributions help fund the transit service that in turn reduces the need for driving. A well-managed parking policy prevents congestion, reduces pollution, makes the streets safer, and provides a transportation lifeline to the hundreds of thousands of San Franciscans who do not have a car. This encourages the type of density and walkability that make San Francisco an appealing place to live, work, and visit.

 

Published April 08, 2021 at 10:56PM
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The 150 Year History of Muni’s ‘Newest’ Route: The 15

The 150 Year History of Muni’s ‘Newest’ Route: The 15
By Jeremy Menzies

With the return of Muni’s 15 route earlier this year as the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express, here’s a quick look back at a line that traces part of its lineage back over 150 years.

A 15 3rd & Kearny streetcar picks its way through a crowded downtown scene in this 1910 photo.

In the mid-1800s people began travelling San Francisco’s 3rd Street corridor by stagecoach and horse-drawn streetcars. At the turn of the 20th century, horse car service gave way to electric streetcars, with three lines eventually sharing the work of serving 3rd Street from north to south. Operated by the United Railroads Company, the combined service of the 15 Kearny & North Beach, 16 3rd & Kearny, and 29 3rd & Sansome lines ran from North Beach all the way to the county line in Visitacion Valley.

A photo from OpenSFHistory.org showing the 15, 16, and 29 Streetcars outside the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot in 1940, shortly before streetcar service would be replaced with buses.

In the 1940s, streetcar service was replaced by buses that combined multiple lines into one route.  Like their streetcar predecessors, the buses stopped at key locations along 3rd Street, including the factories in Dogpatch, Southern Pacific Railroad Depot (now 4th & King Caltrain), downtown commercial district, Market Street transit lines and the docks in the North Beach area. 

A Muni 15 3rd & Kearny bus makes a lane change on San Bruno & Harkness avenues in this 1957 photo.

As the years passed and the city changed, the 15 changed with it, serving different terminals depending on where passengers need to go.  Eventually this expansion led it to become one of Muni’s longest routes, running 11 miles from North Beach all the way to City College. The 15 Third was discontinued in 2007,  after over 60 years of service, when it was replaced by the T Third rail line on Third Street and by a rerouting of the 9x and 9AX routes north of Market Street.

A 15 Third Street coach passes Torino Market at 3rd and Palou on its way out to City College in 2002.

Rapid growth in Mission Bay in recent years has resulted in changing needs for people who travel to and through this corridor. So San Francisco residents began advocating for additional service, particularly through the Southeast Muni Expansion Project in 2018.  Based on public input, that project prioritized a more direct trip to downtown from the Bayview. Responding to these concerns, we established the “new” 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express in January 2021.

A 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express coach passes a city vista along Jerrold Ave in the Hunter’s Point neighborhood on January 25, 2021.

Starting out in Hunter’s Point and traveling to the transit hub at 3rd and Palou, the “new” 15 takes riders to locations within the neighborhood and then makes limited express stops to downtown and regional transit connections. The 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express route provides some of the same north-south connections as the original stagecoach and horse car lines back in the mid-1800s.  Just like its predecessors, it builds on a core 3rd Street service and offers a transportation option that seeks to meet the needs of today’s residents. 

 

Published April 08, 2021 at 03:18AM
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Muni Subway Gets Green Light and Wi-Fi!

Muni Subway Gets Green Light and Wi-Fi!
By Mariana Maguire

The recent wave of major subway repairs is finally wrapping up and customers can expect smoother, more reliable rides when Muni Metro reopens. New wayfinding signs and art projects are in place at Castro and West Portal stations, and – drumroll, please – Wi-Fi availability, thanks to routers being installed in stations and cellular antennas being installed in the tunnels. Safety certification for the subway repairs was approved on March 11, paving the way to reopen the subway and phase in more rail service in May. Soon, you’ll be able to let your loved ones know you’re on your way even when you’re underground.

Our staff used this rare extended subway shutdown as an opportunity to accelerate other upgrades and necessary maintenance work, by packaging them with subway repairs to maximize results. During normal service, subway maintenance crews can only work within the few hours a day when trains are not running.

SFMTA crew installing new overhead wire in the subway tunnel

The work we completed during the pandemic provides significant customer improvements, including a quicker ride, the convenience of Wi-Fi and fewer breakdowns in the tunnel. This work represents an important downpayment on a larger set of deferred capital needs including replacement of the train control system, track replacement between Castro and Embarcadero and upgrades to the subway and station support systems, such as station electrical panels and fan systems. We’ve also been able to train additional crew members in tunnel operations and maintenance.

One of the last and key steps in finishing repairs and reopening the subway is safety testing and certification. The SFMTA is testing the track, signal system and overhead wires to ensure they are functioning properly and meet safety standards. We’re also tested our train control system to ensure it is in proper working order. The train control system is a crucial part of subway safety and operation, overseeing all of our trains in the tunnel and directing them to the right places.

Other important repairs and improvements included:

Track grinding: Just as it sounds, our track maintenance crews grind the track to smooth it out. Like a freshly repaved roadway, track grinding provides a smoother, quieter ride with less wear and tear to vehicles. This work had been in the queue for a while but was deferred because it requires service to be shut down and takes many hours. We were able to take advantage of the extended shut down to finally undertake this vital improvement.

Tunnel lighting: Our subway maintenance staff replaced the lights inside the tunnels between Castro and Van Ness stations and are completing installation of new tunnel lighting between Embarcadero and Montgomery stations. These lights are vital for train operators to see potential hazards. They are also necessary for visibility in emergencies. The previous lights were 50 years old and dim, creating safety concerns. While customers might not notice these new tunnel lights, this important safety upgrade will nevertheless make their trips safer.

Signs: We are also installing new wayfinding and directional signs at Castro and Church stations--part of a larger effort to improve wayfinding throughout the Muni Metro system. This includes upgrading the wayfinding signs inside stations that point customers to stairwells, elevators and escalators, and indicate where they lead. New station identification signs will also let you know where you are when your train pulls into one of these stations. All these new signs will be brighter and more visible with LED technology.

With this new signage, we are moving away from the confusing and outdated use of “inbound” and “outbound” wording in the subway. Instead, we will use a combination of route end points and cardinal directions (north, south, east, west), that are easier for customers to navigate and consistent with rail systems and stations in most major cities worldwide. As an example, that means if you are taking the N Judah at Powell Station and your destination is in the Sunset, you will look for signs for trains going to “Ocean Beach/Westbound” because Ocean Beach is the final destination west on the route.

Public art: When entering or exiting Muni Metro at Castro or West Portal, you will also see brand new, beautiful artwork on our accessible bus platforms at street level.

With the reopening of the subway, we will continue to gradually phase back Muni Metro rail by extending the T Third Metro to West Portal and bringing back the N Judah Metro rail between Ocean Beach and 4th and King. We expect these service changes to take place in May and we will share additional details as they become available.

 

 

Published April 05, 2021 at 10:26PM
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Muni’s Equity Toolkit Helps Essential Employees Get to Work

Muni’s Equity Toolkit Helps Essential Employees Get to Work
By Mariana Maguire

The latest data from SFMTA’s new Equity Toolkit shows that Muni service changes are helping people in neighborhoods identified by our Muni Service Equity Strategy access more jobs and support the city’s recovery.  

In winter 2020, we launched the SFMTA Equity Toolkit to understand how service decisions are affecting neighborhoods where there is likely a high prevalence of essential workers who rely predominantly on Muni to get to their essential jobs. Our goal is to make better service decisions based on the trends and impacts we see in the Equity Toolkit.  

Recently, the greatest increases in access to jobs via Muni have been in Hunters Point and Western Addition. The Hunters Point neighborhood saw the largest gains from the addition of the 15 Bayview-Hunters Point Express, as demonstrated in the table below. Thanks to the return of key Muni lines and increased frequencies on connector routes, Inner Mission, Tenderloin, Oceanview-Ingleside and Treasure Island have also seen increased access to jobs via Muni.  

Lessons Learned 

The Equity Toolkit also shows some decreases in job access via transit in other neighborhoods identified by the Muni Service Equity Strategy. This reflects the Toolkit’s methodology and/or the impacts of service changes and helps us to understand where we need to make improvements in our data collection, transit service or both. 

Bayview job access increased for commutes of 45 and 60-minutes, but decreased 11% for 30-minute commutes. How can that be? The answer is that the T Third bus substitution was replaced with rail service in December 2020, which makes different and fewer stops than the bus within a 30-minute time period. Overall, Bayview residents are still able to access more jobs now than in August 2020 – roughly 644,500 now compared to 624,000 then, a 3% increase. 

In addition, we rely on fixed points of reference, such as the Bayview Opera House, to gather data and Bayview is a large neighborhood. We learned that using one community landmark for this area is not enough, so we will be adding additional landmarks in future analyses to more accurately capture service change impacts. 

In Visitacion Valley we see decreases in job access via transit across the board. Like in the Bayview, we determined that the issue is both methodology and service. When we redistributed buses from the 8 Bayshore to 8AX to respond to changes in ridership, the community landmark (John King Senior Community) we were using to track the data only showed us the decrease from the 8 Bayshore, not the increase from the 8AX. 

By comparison, more affluent areas show very low to no increases in job access via transit. This reflects our decision to prioritize resources on Muni service for essential workers and essential travel, especially for communities with the fewest options during this unprecedented pandemic. More affluent neighborhoods have more transportation alternatives readily available and more people who are able to work from home. 

These findings give us insights we didn’t have before and help us think about service in new ways. As we learn from the Equity Toolkit we will continue to refine it and make it more detailed by adding more reference points for our data analysis.  

As San Francisco gradually reopens and we continue to add back Muni service, we will also continue to evaluate the impacts through our Equity Toolkit and work to use these insights to inform service adjustments that support our city’s economic recovery. 

Read more about changes to our network on the SFMTA’s Transportation Recovery Plan webpage. 

 

Published March 30, 2021 at 07:33PM
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SFMTA’s Cable Car Signal Tower Gets a Refresh

SFMTA’s Cable Car Signal Tower Gets a Refresh
By Jeremy Menzies

At the corner of California and Powell Streets stands a diminutive but important building that has been in use for well over 100 years. This octagonal signal tower controls the crossing of the Powell and California Street cable car lines, and recently underwent a full restoration thanks to the skilled craftspeople at the Cable Car Division.

A group photo of Muni craftspeople and shop management who worked to restore the signal tower in 2020-2021.

The tower’s history dates to 1888 when the original was built by the Ferries and Cliff House Railroad, which operated cable cars on Powell Street at the time. That tower was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fires that ravaged Nob Hill. In March 1907, it was rebuilt by then-owner United Railroads of San Francisco (URR) and went back into operation.

Photo showing signal tower in 1908 with the Fairmont Hotel and passengers waiting for a cable car in the background. Photo courtesy OpenSFHistory.org.

In 1935, a runaway automobile on California Street struck the tower, causing severe damage and tragically killing the signal operator inside. The tower was subsequently rebuilt, and a heavy metal barrier was installed on its west side.

This 1966 photo shows the west-facing side of the tower, painted in green and cream, shortly before paint and repairs were done on the building.

The next major change came in 1967 when the tower was renovated and a new copper roof was installed. The structure was also repainted to reflect the maroon and tan color scheme of the California Street cable cars. Until 1982, the tower retained its manually-operated kerosene lantern signals originally installed in 1907.

A 1967 photo showing the newly repainted and copper-roofed signal tower.

The suspension of cable car service during the Covid-19 pandemic proved an opportune time to give the little signal tower some much needed T-L-C.  During 2020 and early 2021, SFMTA carpenters, painters, metal workers and mechanics undertook a complete overhaul of the building. A new floor, roof, ceiling, door, windows, steps, heating, lighting and electrical system were all built and installed.

As with our world-renowned cable cars, no detail was overlooked during the tower rebuild. Muni carpenters repaired woodwork throughout, custom-building both the octagonal ceiling and split Dutch door. Paint crews highlighted each element of the tower with colors that enhance the structure’s overall visual appeal. Our expert mechanics installed new electrical systems. Even the grab handles and handrails for the steps were custom built from materials that are also used on Powell Street cable cars by skilled metalworkers at the SFMTA’s Special Machine Shop. A final step in this rebuild will be the installation of new signals before the tower goes back into operation later this year.

Check out the gallery below showing photos of the tower through the years and the recent restoration.

 

Published March 29, 2021 at 11:10PM
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Better Connections from Bayview and Hunters Point to Downtown

Better Connections from Bayview and Hunters Point to Downtown
By Enrique Aguilar

To better connect southeast San Franciscans with downtown, the SFMTA debuted the 15 Bayview Hunters-Point Express in late January, coinciding with the return of T Third train service. Within weeks, average daily boardings reached 1,000 customers on this new service.

The 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express 

We added this route based on community feedback from the Southeast Muni Expansion Project in 2018, which prioritized a more direct trip to downtown from the Bayview. With the sudden rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impacts on communities in the Bayview and Hunters Point, fast-tracking the project became critical to our transit planning. Adding service capacity and a direct connection between these neighborhoods and downtown is a crucial step in supporting the City’s economic recovery and increasing job access for essential workers using transit.

Using data from the SFMTA Equity Toolkit, staff determined that the addition of the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express in the January 23 service changes resulted in the largest increase in job access for 45- and 60-minute commutes of any San Francisco neighborhood.

The SFMTA convened the Bayview Hunters-Point Express Working Group, comprised of community leaders who helped shaped the conversation on route options. Then, at a time when pandemic precautions precluded in-person community outreach, we invited all area residents to vote for their preferred route through both an online and text-based survey.

After months of planning and continuous support from the Bayview Hunters-Point Express Working Group, we were able to implement a route that offers service closer to residents’ homes and make trips shorter for community members.

“We appreciate the community process and approach SFMTA took to reinstate the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express,” said Lyslynn Lacoste, Executive Director at Bayview Hunters Point Mobilization for Adolescent Growth in our Communities (BMAGIC) and working group member. “Particularly identifying and prioritizing those that are most isolated in the Bayview community and ensuring that they have efficient access to the public transportation line extending to downtown. I look forward to personally utilizing [it] myself as I travel from the downtown area to my office in the Bayview.”

While in-person outreach remains limited due to COVID-19 physical distancing guidelines, SFMTA staff continue to engage community residents and leaders in order to evaluate the service and gather feedback. Discussions with the working group on the initial impact of the service began earlier this week. In mid-March, project staff also distributed handouts to customers of the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express waiting at bus stops and onboard when riding between downtown and the Bayview. Posters were also placed in businesses along Third Street in the Bayview.

Muni customer reading handout provided by SFMTA staff

15 Bayview Hunters Point Express signs were posted at businesses along Third Street

Community members are encouraged to provide comments on the 15 Bayview Hunters-Point Express by completing the online Muni feedback form.

Published March 26, 2021 at 04:27PM
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Hate is a Virus

Hate is a Virus
By

As a city we stand united against racism. While violence resulting from racism has been more visible in recent years, many of our colleagues and community members have been surviving the violence resulting from racism for generations. This is especially true for many Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander communities that have often grappled with the effects of racism in silence or without widespread acknowledgement and support.

Hate against Asian American Pacific Islander communities has risen at an alarming rate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anti-Asian violence has been fueled by rhetoric baselessly blaming people of Asian descent for the outbreak and spread of COVID-19.  We condemn all forms of racism and xenophobia and stand in support of any marginalized groups who are being targeted.

Let’s continue coming together to stop racism in all its forms, including Asian discrimination. We can all do our part to stop bias, hate, and violence by educating ourselves and taking action. 

One action to take today is enrolling in Hollaback’s online training, Anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment.  The organization has partnered with Asian Americans Advancing Justice to launch a free bystander intervention training to meet this moment.  

As this year has shown, San Franciscans excel at connecting with each other in order to create the change we want to see in our city and the world. And we can do it again.

Published March 25, 2021 at 11:25PM
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