SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA: Transit/Transportation News - Page 48

BTinSF · #**941** Posted **Jan 22, 2010, 8:45 PM**

Quote:

Friday, January 22, 2010
S.F. requesting pitches for fleet of water taxis
San Francisco Business Times - by Eric Young

Water taxis could shuttle passengers between Fisherman’s Wharf, the Ferry Building, AT&T Park and elsewhere on the San Francisco waterfront as soon as this spring under a plan being advanced by port officials.

The Port of San Francisco is preparing to issue a request for qualifications within 30 days, seeking companies interested in operating the service.

Water taxis are a popular mode of transportation in several cities, including New York, Chicago, Long Beach and San Diego. San Francisco port officials said they think a similar service might work here.

They envision a taxi, operating most likely during the spring and summer, that would zip along the waterfront at specified times . . . .

Port officials, who are the primary landlord along the waterline between Fisherman’s Wharf and India Basin, said the service would need at least three vessels. The boats would need to carry 25 to 49 people each, according to a study conducted for the port . . . .

Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2010/01/25/story7.html

peanut gallery · #**942** Posted **Jan 22, 2010, 10:43 PM**

The first sections of the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge arrived yesterday.

Quote:

Bay Bridge: 1st eastern span sections arrive
Michael Cabanatuan
Friday, January 22, 2010

New met old early Thursday afternoon as the first steel deck pieces of the Bay Bridge's new eastern suspension span passed beneath the 73-year-old western span, ending a 22-day journey from Shanghai aboard the Zhen Hua 17. Delivery of the wing-shaped deck pieces was delayed for about 15 months by troubles with welding, drawings and other parts of the steel fabrication process. Caltrans officials say those problems, including inadequate welds, have been corrected, but the delays threaten to push the eastern span past its scheduled opening in late 2013 as well as its $6.3 billion budget. The first eight segments of bridge deck - there are 28 total - will be inspected to make sure they survived the journey, loaded aboard barges, then - in about three weeks - lifted by a huge crane barge named the Left Coast Lifter onto temporary trestles just north of the existing bridge, and slid into place over Yerba Buena Island. "It's a historic day for us," said Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney. "The first Bay Bridge steel has arrived."

From the San Francisco Chronicle. Check the link for a photo of them going under the western span.

peanut gallery · #**943** Posted **Jan 22, 2010, 10:45 PM**

^^I've always wondered why we didn't have water taxis years ago. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

BTinSF · #**944** Posted **Jan 24, 2010, 4:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

From the San Francisco Chronicle.

I rather enjoyed (and agreed with) the comments appended to that article.

Considering all the delays and quality issues, you gotta wonder if getting the bridge steel fabricated in China was the right decision--other considerations aside (which they probably shouldn't be with tax money).

jamesinclair · #**945** Posted **Jan 24, 2010, 8:28 AM**

"They envision a taxi, operating most likely during the spring and summer, that would zip along the waterfront at specified times . . . ."

Yeah, that's not a watertaxi, thats a ferry.

Water taxi = call dispatcher for boat to pick you up.

BTinSF · #**946** Posted **Jan 24, 2010, 9:13 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesinclair

"They envision a taxi, operating most likely during the spring and summer, that would zip along the waterfront at specified times . . . ."

Yeah, that's not a watertaxi, thats a ferry.

Water taxi = call dispatcher for boat to pick you up.

I suspect in the minds of the SF Port people, a "ferry" crosses the Bay while a "water taxi" takes people from one point on the shore to another point on the same shore. Your view of it makes more sense, however (nobody ever accused the SF Port management of having good sense).

destroycreate · #**947** Posted **Jan 24, 2010, 2:14 PM**

What is the point of having a water ferry in those areas? Seems pretty ridiculous if you ask me.

northbay · #**948** Posted **Jan 24, 2010, 4:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by destroycreate

What is the point of having a water ferry in those areas? Seems pretty ridiculous if you ask me.

the point is transportation, duh.

get people out of their cars, relieve overcrowding on the historic trolley/muni lines, and for tourists to view the spectacular sf skyline from the water

BTinSF · #**949** Posted **Jan 24, 2010, 5:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by northbay420

the point is transportation, duh.

get people out of their cars, relieve overcrowding on the historic trolley/muni lines, and for tourists to view the spectacular sf skyline from the water

Also, depending on where they go, substitute for the E-Embarcadero streetcar service (from South Beach/Mission Bay to Fisherman's Wharf) that Muni has still been unable to get going (money and equipment they claim, and those factors have only gotten worse). Right now, somebody wanting to go between those points has to take 2 crowded (one especially crowded with tourists) streetcars and walk a block to make the connection.

mthd · #**950** Posted **Jan 28, 2010, 5:49 PM**

if any of you reading this thread care about the transbay terminal and the surrounding redevelopments, read this :

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=178015

it really is nothing short of an impending disaster.

peanut gallery · #**951** Posted **Jan 29, 2010, 3:09 AM**

BART has three weeks to address FTA concerns about the Oakland airport connector. From today's Chronicle:

Quote:

BART gets 3 weeks to fix airport connector plan
Michael Cabanatuan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, January 28, 2010

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted 11-5 to give BART three weeks to satisfy the concerns of the Federal Transit Administration, which last week threatened to withhold $70 million in stimulus funds allotted to the $440 million, 3.2-mile automated rail link between the Oakland International Airport and the Coliseum BART Station.

If BART cannot get federal approval for a plan to complete the necessary studies by Feb. 16, the commission will hold a special meeting and reassign the money to Bay Area transit agencies, which are cutting service, raising fares and laying off workers. The FTA must approve any Bay Area plan by March 5 for the region to get the money.

Rest of the article at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/28/BA1H1BOENS.DTL

maybetoday · #**952** Posted **Jan 29, 2010, 6:39 PM**

Quote:

Muni looks at some of the deepest service cuts ever
Rachel Gordon, Michael Cabanatuan, Chronical Staff Writers
Friday, January 29, 2010

San Francisco Muni riders face the prospect of some of the deepest service cuts in the agency's history, resulting in longer wait times and more crowding.

The staff-crafted proposal to trim costs and boost revenue will get its first hearing at City Hall this morning before the Municipal Transportation Agency governing board.

If approved, almost every line would be affected. Even the heavily used workhorse routes, such as the 14-Mission, the 1-California and the 38-Geary, would run less frequently. Late-night service - 1 to 5 a.m. - would be slashed in half, meaning buses would show up every 60 minutes. Service would end earlier on more than a dozen routes.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/28/MN0Q1BP8E6.DTL#ixzz0e1mmKk4n

See SFMTA's proposal here

Perhaps it's time I buy a bike. Forgoing a few months of Fastpasses would pay for a decent used bike. If only I had the space to store a bike.

BTinSF · #**953** Posted **Jan 29, 2010, 7:09 PM**

I got the following email. I'm out of town and can't go but maybe other will want to:

Quote:

Dear Community Leaders and Transit Colleagues,
The SFMTA Board of Directors confronts a challenging budget situation for both the current fiscal year and the next two-year budget cycle. After layoffs and other cost-cutting measures that began last November, the SFMTA still faces a current-year $16.9 million shortfall.
The solutions before the Agency and those impacted by its decisions are both painful and unpopular.
Proposed solutions include:
• Reduced frequencies and shorter service hours for Muni
• Muni fare increases and parking fee and fine increases

Your opinion counts. Please attend one of the following meetings to learn more and to provide public comment.

FY 2010 Focus
Town Hall Meetings, One South Van Ness Ave. @ Market St., 2nd Floor Atrium
Saturday, Feb. 6 - 10 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, Feb. 9 - 6 to 8 p.m.

SFMTA Board Meeting, City Hall Room 400
Tuesday, Feb. 16 - 9 a.m. (public hearing and possible Board action)

FY 2011-2012 Focus
Town Hall Meetings, One South Van Ness Ave. @ Market St., 2nd Floor Atrium
Wednesday, March 10 - 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 20 - 10 a.m.

SFMTA Board Meetings, City Hall Room 400
Tuesday, March 30 - 2 p.m.
Tuesday, April 6 - 2 p.m. (public hearing and possible Board action)
Tuesday, April 20 - 2 p.m. (public hearing and possible Board action)

If you cannot attend one of the meetings, visit www.sfmta.com for details or send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 311.

Sincerely,

Judson True
Communications Manager

fflint · #**954** Posted **Jan 29, 2010, 8:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by maybetoday

Perhaps it's time I buy a bike. Forgoing a few months of Fastpasses would pay for a decent used bike. If only I had the space to store a bike.

For $400, you can buy a brand new commuter bike, helmet and lights that will likely last you five years, minimum. Used bikes are even cheaper. Maintenance is fairly cheap--$15 to have someone replace a flat tube (at Box Dog), $50 for a new chain--and rare. Most months I spend absolutely nothing on my ride. My bike is now 2 years old and reliably gets me where I'm going, fast, whenever I need to get there. On the other hand, $400 will get you a piddling six months of Muni-only FastPasses, or worse, five sad months of the in-town BART+Muni pass. Reliability and speed are, of course, sold separately.

People at the MTA meeting are tweeting that it's very crowded and noisy. I hope they seize the 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 room.

jamesinclair · #**955** Posted **Feb 2, 2010, 8:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BTinSF

I suspect in the minds of the SF Port people, a "ferry" crosses the Bay while a "water taxi" takes people from one point on the shore to another point on the same shore. Your view of it makes more sense, however (nobody ever accused the SF Port management of having good sense).

Yeah, I just want to add that Im all for the extra transport, but calling it a water taxi is simply misleading.

It's like saying MUNI is adding new supertaxis (buses)

Im sure there's another appropriate word.

BTinSF · #**956** Posted **Feb 3, 2010, 2:56 AM**

Quote:

Bay Area transit projects get federal dollars
Michael Cabanatuan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
(02-01) 20:43 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- Muni's Central Subway and its Van Ness Avenue rapid bus project, plus AC Transit's bus rapid transit project, each will be awarded tens of millions of dollars in federal funding today.

The Department of Transportation will award Muni $20 million for the Central Subway project, which is to run from Fourth and King streets to Chinatown. The Van Ness project will get $15 million. AC Transit's project, to run from San Leandro to Berkeley, also will get $15 million. The money will come from the highly competitive New Starts and Small Starts programs, which help fund major transportation projects.

The $1.6-billion Central Subway would travel at street level from Fourth and King to the Interstate 80 skyway, then underground to Stockton and Jackson streets, with stations near the Moscone Convention Center, Union Square and in Chinatown. Construction is expected to begin this year with service starting in 2018.

The Van Ness project would add dedicated bus lanes, stations, ticket machines and traffic signals that give buses priority on a 2-mile stretch of Van Ness Avenue between Mission and Lombard streets. It is expected to cost $120 million, with construction starting in 2011 or 2012. Service would begin a year later . . . .

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/02/MNMR1BR59K.DTL

BTinSF · #**957** Posted **Feb 6, 2010, 12:05 AM**

Quote:

Project is right up SoMa’s alleys
By: JOHN UPTON and JOHN UPTON
San Francisco Examiner
February 5, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO — Vibrant alley life could soon replace the filth that overwhelms some narrow lanes in SoMa.

Ambitious plans this year to overhaul alleys between Sixth, Folsom, Seventh and Howard streets by adding streetlights, trees, crosswalks, modern paving and traffic-calming devices advanced Tuesday when some construction spending was approved.

The project aims to improve pedestrian and cycling access in the densely populated alleys while discouraging heavy automobile use.After construction from March to September, similar alley improvement efforts will begin between Fifth and Sixth streets . . . .

Improvements planned for northern Sixth Street:

•Raise crosswalks at intersections to slow traffic and create continuous sidewalks

•Texture paving to resemble bricks

•Add trees

•Add streetlights

•Add public art

•Have parking on alternate sides of one-way streets to create winding path for motorists

•Create car-free pedestrian plaza at Minna and Russ streets

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Project-is-right-up-SoMas-alleys-83616562.html#ixzz0ei28espb

Source: http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2010/02/05...treme_makeover_another_carfree_plaza.php

BTinSF · #**958** Posted **Feb 8, 2010, 6:15 PM**

441,000 parking spaces in SF . . . in a city of 800,000 people plus thousands more on workdays. It's harder to park than I thought.

• Video Link

dimondpark · #**959** Posted **Feb 12, 2010, 9:43 PM**

High-speed rail could skip San Francisco-to-San Jose route

SILICON VALLEY -- The California High Speed Rail Authority is thinking about potentially abandoning the San Francisco-to-San Jose section of its proposed high speed rail line -- saying running 200-mile-per-hour bullet trains through the Peninsula might be politically impossible.

The authority is instead floating a new idea, which would have the train line begin in San Jose, instead of San Francisco.

The authority is still trying to figure out how to run high-speed trains down the Peninsula.

They're looking at either elevated tracks, underground tracks or so-called "stacked trains" -- where the high-speed rail line would run either above or below the local Caltrain line.

The authority says starting the line in San Jose would be easier legally and financially.

They stress that the idea is still in its infancy, and has not yet been fully examined.

http://kliv.com/High-speed-rail-could-skip-San-Francisco-to-San-Jo/6349554

Leaving out SF makes the entire NorCal leg of the system useless.

Gordo · #**960** Posted **Feb 12, 2010, 10:06 PM**

^Where are these people getting this? The Authority has said no such thing, and it wouldn't even be allowable without a new proposition to overwrite prop 1A. They seriously think that passing a new statewide proposition to fund HSR from SJ to LA has a better chance of happening than dealing with a few NIMBYs in Palo Alto?

I'm sure that the "source" used by KLIV is an intern at most, and more likely, someone who doesn't even work at the Authority. Probably the Menlo Park newspaper or something.

The fact that the article mentions "200 mph trains running on the peninsula" even though that has NEVER been proposed by anyone (125 mph would be the limit between SF and SJ) is telling.