Category Archives: politics

Open Letter to Board of Supervisors re CEQA Appeal Reform

SF Supervisors I am a local business owner in SF (10 employees in SOMA) and a former SF CTA Geary BRT CAC Board Member. I resigned in January 2013 from the Geary BRT CAC because of lack of progress and … Continue reading

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The future of local transportation startups: Is Uber doomed to follow in Napster’s footsteps?

A few weeks ago fellow entrepreneur and friend John Wolpert sent me a link to his thought provoking blog post, Is Uber the Napster of Transportation? His article is definitely worth reading in its own right, but I wanted to … Continue reading

Posted in econ, internets, politics, taxi, tech, transit | 4 Comments

Why I resigned from Geary Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) board

I love Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Implementing BRT is recognized by transportation professionals across the world as a proven set of techniques to significantly improve a bus line’s performance with little up-front investment in costly infrastructure such as rail. BRT … Continue reading

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Woman in Tears

I worked taxi dispatch phones Friday night, answering hundreds of calls from people looking for a cab all across the City during the busiest time of the week. A woman had called around 10pm for a cab from the Richmond … Continue reading

Posted in politics, taxi, transit | 3 Comments

SFMTA Taxi Medallion Sales Pilot Program

(PDF Link) I’m returning from my blogging hiatus at an amazingly unique time in the history of San Francisco taxi regulation. In the past I’ve written extensively about the San Francisco medallion system and other regulations, including: What would be … Continue reading

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“Sunday Streets” delights bikers, frustrates drivers along Embarcadero

When the Chronicle ran a story about Mayor Gavin Newsom’s idea for “Sunday Streets” I was a bit skeptical. I wasn’t so sure that we needed another street closure, especially on a Sunday when so many tourists rely on the … Continue reading

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Cabbies face financial burden from impending Yellow Cab contract changes

I’m still new at this whole ‘reporting’ thing. This was my attempt at figuring out what was going on with Yellow’s contract change. It’s rather long, and it’s rather boring unless you’re involved with the industry, but my goal was … Continue reading

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When should public transportation systems be private?

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 … Continue reading

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June 3 voting guide: No on 98, 99, F. Yes on G.

All these propositions are really annoying. I’ve received over 15 mailers for and against state and local measures and candidates. 15 * millions of Californians is a lot of waste. I really enjoyed SPUR’s voter guide. Or, ignore it all … Continue reading

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Mayor Newsom’s crazy ‘take back the streets’ idea is well founded but slightly misguided.

The Chronicle reported on Mayor Newsom’s idea to turn a good portion of the Embarcadero into a pedestrian-only safe zone during certain times of the weekend. This is similar to the City’s current closing of JFK Drive in Golden Gate … Continue reading

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