Tag Archives: public

“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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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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Station Manager of 91.7 KALW San Francisco reaches out to listeners.

During my Tuesday shift I was pleasantly surprised to hear a radio station manager speaking directly to listeners for an extended period of time about the state of the station. In the past, I’ve heard station managers speak during pledge … 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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You’re richer than you think.

While sitting in the queue to pay the toll for the Bay Bridge Monday, I heard two great counterintuitive pieces on KQED. The first was a thoughtful comparison between our quality of life now compared to the distant past. It … Continue reading

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Radiolab: another great radio show

I recently stumbled upon another great radio show: Radiolab. Radiolab tries to explain things. Big things. Philosophy and science things. Radiolab features a simple theme for each episode such as Love, Pop Music, or Deception. My initial frustration while listening … Continue reading

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TEP proposes good things for Muni. Is this good news?

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, … Continue reading

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Muni’s Nat Ford doing good things?

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

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How to fix Muni (for real)

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 … Continue reading

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Why is Congress wasting its time (aka our money) with baseball players?

I’ll admit right up front: I’m not sure what Congress actually does at their meetings in Washington. But, what I glean from an ear half-tuned to NPR is that it’s usually a discussion on legislation germane to American citizen’s lives … Continue reading

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