A recent episode of Russ Roberts’ EconTalk podcast featured a wonderful intersection of interests: economics, public policy and public transit.
One of Russ’ academia friends, economist Michael Munger, speaks at length on the program about the public transportation system quality in Santiago, Chile before and after nationalization of their bus network.
Prior to 2007 Santiago’s surface transit [...]

I wouldn’t be doing my Civic Duty if I didn’t link to yet another Municide.
This time the culprit was an articulated standard coach (non-trolleybus) 71-Haight/Noriega heading inbound on Market at 6th. A 77 year old female pedestrian was struck and later died at SF General.
6th and Market is a zoo of an intersection at best, [...]

I am so fond of ragging on San Francisco’s poorly managed Municipal Railway that I often overlook Muni’s remarkable, world-class achievements. (Yes, they really do have some remarkable, world-class achievements.) This post is a first attempt at fixing my glaring oversight.
Muni’s extensive trolleybus system is a modern treasure. Muni claims to hold the largest trolley-bus [...]

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is a bureaucratic whale, containing, in separate stomachs, the Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT) and the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) public transit system.
Recently, the SFMTA crunched some numbers and said, “Uh oh, we won’t have enough money to cover our costs over the next two years.” [...]

A week ago the Chronicle reported on some promising preliminary recommendations based on findings from the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP).
These recommendations are great. In many ways they are in line with common sense: improve highly used lines using BRT, ditch under-used lines.
Aside from the frustrating fact that it took Muni 40 years to figure this [...]

Wow, it looks like Nat Ford might actually know how to run a municipal transit agency.
Let’s hope the Board of Supervisors gets off his back and lets him do it right.
Link

On my ‘to write’ list is a manifesto of how to fix Muni. Lay out what’s wrong. Lay out what we need to do to fix it.
Dave Snyder of SPUR beat me to the punch. I met Dave last spring when I served under his leadership with a group of volunteers to pitch for approval [...]

Dear Mayor Newsom
You didn’t have to spend City taxpayer money on private consultants. Anyone could have told you: Just like any other shared and limited public resource, public transit needs user fees.
Offering ‘free’ Muni is a destructive proposal. Muni rolling stock is not unlimited. Removing user fees distorts a natural and effective form of limiting [...]

I like good signage. Good signage is clear in communicating a simple point or set of points. Good signage is a rare find.
I was surprised to see these well-designed signs posted at the cab garage when I went into work last week. They do an efficient and effective job communicating bike safety while driving a [...]

The Examiner and the Chronicle both report on a disturbing incident which occurred Wednesday in the Sunset District. A man attempted to board the N-Judah around 9pm when the doors evidently closed on him. The train proceeded to drag him for 2 blocks. Authorities pronounced him dead upon arrival.
Just one day before, Muni Executive Director [...]