San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

Head Count: How Little We Know About the Mysterious Bikers in Our Midst!

Golden Gate Park 420 Revelers' Illegally Parked Cars Go Unticketed

For the dazed, happy 420 celibrants shambling about San Francisco on Saturday like characters in a George Romero film, all was well. For those left to clean up after them, it was less so. Picking up tons of detritus will cost the city a pretty penny. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that, ... More >>

Color Schemes: The Underground Taxi Market

Chopped Livery: Start-Ups Revolutionize the Cab Industry

Here's Something You Can Do If You're Pissed About Paying for Parking on Sunday

Did you forget to plug the meter this past Sunday, despite our friendly reminder that you can no longer completely rest on your one day of rest? The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency hasn't responded to us, so we can't tell you how many drivers forgot to feed the meter on Sunday, when p ... More >>

What Little Parking Relief You Had in San Francisco Is About to End

In most American suburbs, Sunday is a chance for respite, which means driving from strip mall to strip mall, consuming crap. But in San Francisco, Sunday respite comes in the form of free parking and a nice mimosa brunch. Sadly, that one day local drivers can count on to be stress-free will be no m ... More >>

S.F. Unbeautifies Parking in the Richmond

As if parking in the city wasn't depressing enough, the San Francisco MTA had to go ahead and make it even more cheerless. Transportation officials have reportedly uprooted the only pleasant thing about parking in the Richmond when they removed the vibrant bushes that had been attached to meters alo ... More >>

Muni Logos We'd Like to See (PIX!)

Last week, we reported how the new logo for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency managed to be both boring and unoriginal. As you can see above, the MTA's self-applied symbol is eerily similar to a mark created two years ago by Chicago-based design firm AKTA. The Midwesterners describe ... More >>

SFMTA's New Logo Looks Really Familiar

What do AKTA, a Chicago-based design firm, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency have in common? A logo, apparently. To celebrate Muni's 100th anniversary, the SMFTA was excited to get a new look for its taxis, parking, bikes, and pedestrian services -- among other things. After fo ... More >>

San Francisco, FEMA Differ on How $5 Million Anti-Terror Grant Ended Up in the Ground

Last month, the Chronicle published an eye-opening story alleging Muni squandered $37 million in anti-terror grants on cameras it largely wasn't using. Perhaps the most jarring allegation, however, is one that Muni quickly copped to -- it shunted $5 million in federal anti-terror money into rail rep ... More >>

Free Parking: ENUF Targets Proliferation of Parking Meters

1906 Earthquake: Look at These Awesome New Photos of the Historic Disaster

As part of the anniversary of the 1906 earthquake, the the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency released these amazing images of one of the city's most devastating tragedies. Check them out:

Muni Still Hasn't Confirmed Responsibility for Hit-and-Run Accident in SOMA

​A day after a cyclist collided with an elderly pedestrian in the Castro, Muni put out a heartfelt statement, sending its condolences to the victim. "The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) today joined the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) to issue the following statements ... More >>

Supes Should Rethink Kids' Free Muni Rides

Mighty Celebrates SFMTA Victory With Free 'No Parking on the Dance Floor' Party

Last week, we reported on Mighty's successful efforts to mobilize its patrons to oppose the threat of all its nearby parking spaces becoming tow-away at night. Now, the club has announced a free party on Dec. 2 to thank people for their support -- about 800 letters that ultimately led the San Franci ... More >>

SF Nightclub Mighty Mobilizes 800 Supporters to Keep Its Parking Spaces

Flickr/Dennis​Patrons and staff at Mighty breathed a small sigh of relief yesterday as the San Francisco nightclub (which doubles as a venue for corporate events during the day) at least temporarily eluded the threat of losing hundreds of public parking spots on Utah and San Bruno streets -- s ... More >>

Street Artists Block F-Market Stop

​It's less of a NIMBY case and more of a Not-In-My-Selling-Spot case. Street artists who've spent years selling art, caricatures, and photos to tourists near the Fort Mason waterfront are fighting the city's proposal to extend the F-Market and Wharves line to Fort Mason, arguing that it will hurt ... More >>

Who Can Help San Francisco's Cycling Conditions? The Dutch

​According to HG Wells, "After your first day of cycling, one dream is inevitable. A memory of motion lingers in the muscles of your legs, and round and round they seem to go." As Arthur Conan Doyle saw it: "When the spirits are low, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth ... More >>

Tom Otterness, Sculptor Who Killed Dog, Wins Art Contract for Central Subway Project

Not necessarily a cat person ​Is art still subjective if it involves killing a dog?The Examiner gives us a not-so-uplifting story today about a Brooklyn sculptor who once shot and killed a dog for art's sake. While Tom Otterness is a well-known artist in the streets of New York, this slight fact s ... More >>

Taxi and Muni Drivers Band Together to Plan Public Transit Strike

Aug. 2 is tentatively walk to work day​Though their City Hall protest last week successfully rustled some feathers (even Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi was riled up), cab drivers are already talking about staging an even bigger strike next month.This time, they want to join forces with Muni drivers to ... More >>

Taxi Drivers Strike at City Hall

Taylor FriedmanShowing Muni drivers how it's done​At City Hall this afternoon, there was honking -- lot's of honking. Taxi drivers shouted and chanted as they circled the Civic Center protesting, among other things, higher credit card fees. Taxi driver Tariq Mehmood, who organized the protest, est ... More >>

Leland Yee: Drivers Could Park Three Days for Free at the Cost of Nat Ford's Severance Package

Wants three days of free parking ​Last week, City Attorney Dennis Herrera took what seems to be the first real potshot at a fellow mayoral candidate when he publicly said that he has better things to do than fight with Rush Limbaugh and ban shark fin soup. Anyone who has even barely scanned the he ... More >>

Nat Ford, Muni Chief, Accused of Violating Ethics Laws

Did Nat Ford grant an inappropriate favor to his personal attorney?​Nat Ford, executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, violated ethics rules when he moved to scuttle a lucrative parking garage contract in 2009, according to a new lawsuit."Ford violated the ethics co ... More >>

Muni Operators Forced to Accept a Contract They Don't Want

Muni operators are so mad, they can't even see straight​Last week, Muni operators sent a strong message to management when the union overwhelmingly rejected the contract proposal on the table, which would have, among other things, frozen their pay and revamped disciplinary process. But that messa ... More >>

SFMTA's Taxi Reform Plan Incites Shouting Match Among Cabbies

You don't want to upset taxi drivers​Impassioned cabbies gathered at a town hall meeting yesterday afternoon where they expressed their skepticism about the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's ideas for reforming the city's taxi industry. But that skepticism quickly turned into heated ... More >>

Taxi Cab Fares to Increase in San Francisco

It will cost you an arm and a leg​Not only is it seemingly impossible to hail a taxi cab in San Francisco on a Friday night, but then if you find one, it could to cost you more than the entire night out, including dinner and a movie.Here is something that's sure to upset locals. San Francisco Muni ... More >>

How to Get a Cab in San Francisco with Your iPhone

Was it ever easy to hail a cab?​We just told you that in 30 years we could be living in a spooky world where we use our iPhones to do everything -- even robbers will you hold you up with iGuns. And here is evidence that we are well on our way to living in the iWorld. The Examiner this morning kind ... More >>

John Avalos Wants Central Subway Project to Hire Locals

Local hiring is still an option, not an obligation​Update: Paul Rose, spokesman with the MTA, returned our call just now and said that the agency would not delay the bidding process. He pointed out that any delays could result in the loss of federal funding. Original Story, 2 p.m.: Yesterday, The ... More >>

Obama Budget Proposes $200 Million for S.F. Central Subway

Nat "Pro Shop" Ford​Muni boss Nat Ford on Monday praised Barack Obama for including $200 million in spending for the controversial Central Subway rail project as part of the president's federal budget proposal."The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency applauds President Barack Obama's pro ... More >>

Stranded Muni Riders Throw Rocks at Buses

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Unless you really need to get home. ​Muni passengers revolted against the transit agency hurling rocks -- and curses -- at drivers who left them stranded for hours. At about 3:20 p.m. on Thursday, the Fourth Street Bridge across Mission Creek, a draw ... More >>

Nannies Get Ticketed, Moms Revolt

She didn't need a parking spot​Nannies are part of the family, too, which is why a legion of San Francisco mothers is pushing the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to let their nannies reap the benefits of residential parking permits. It's understandable that parents do not want their ... More >>

Richmond Blogger Proves Power of the Press

Believe it or not, more service​It's not often that Muni gets good press. So here it goes. As the Examiner reports today, Richmond resident Aaron Kitashima was sick and tired of the crappy and non existent bus service along 48th Avenue. So he did what every pissed off person does -- he complained ... More >>

Sunday Streets Comes Back to San Francisco Another Year, First Event in March

Sunday Streets Means Safe Streets​The recent wave of bad news  -- shootings, parking tickets and skyrocketing pensions -- would make anyone feel down on San Francisco. But here is a piece of good news: The wildly popular Sunday Streets festival is coming back. San Francisco Municipal Transpor ... More >>

Towed S.F. Cars Sold Before Owners Properly Notified, Report Claims

Seriously...​SFPD Records Said Dept. Was Holding 80,000 Impounded Cars. For Real. AutoReturn, the company contracted by San Francisco to tow cars, sold 56 vehicles at auction before giving owners a full chance to pay their fines, according to a new Controller's audit.According to the report, betwe ... More >>

Smartphone apps will soon help you find parking in S.F.

SF Weekly Letters

Path to Civility

Cyclists jumping lights and drivers blocking bike lanes need to get cited.

Muni Finds Way To Halve Service Cuts -- Even Without Union Concessions

​The plan to soften the blow of Muni's 10-percent service cuts -- that last month appeared as hopeless as catching a timely late night bus after the drivers' union spurned give-backs -- has apparently been resurrected. In a deal brokered by the mayor's office with the San Francisco Municipal Trans ... More >>

Bicycle Plan May See Another Day in Court, Main Opponent Says

​If city government prevails in court tomorrow, expect to see more lanes and clearer paths for bicyclists.The San Francisco Superior Court will hear closing arguments Tuesday to determine whether the city's Bicycle Plan, which seeks to meet the demands of San Francisco's large and growing bike ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Your Rundown on the Week in S.F. Government

Pride of the city​Over the weekend Your Correspondent was lucky enough to have one of those reality-check conversations with a reasonable layperson -- these sorts of chats come far too seldom for us poor hacks, who spend a lot of our time talking to the wonkish caste that includes legislative aide ... More >>

Cabbies cry foul over plan to sell medallions

Sky-High Sign Mystery: Did SFMTA Quietly Switch to Metric System?

Is this the reason San Francisco's cycling-related signs are so darn high? ​Measurement units regarding bicycles are an odd jumble of the metric system, United States customary units, and bicycle-specific standards almost nobody in the industry knows the origin of.Spokes are measured in millimeter ... More >>

NYC's Metropolitian Transporation Authority Threatens Man Marketing S.F. Muni T-Shirts

Joseph Moore is K-onfused​ A few weeks back, San Francisco resident Joseph Moore got so fed up with Muni that he decided to express his disdain via custom-made clothing. The resultant T-shirts utilize various San Francisco Metropolitian Transportation Agency line names, which appear in black block ... More >>

Double Bogey

Muni's bogus tax shelter and theGuardian's bogus lawsuit.

Your Inappropriate Sexual Conduct With Minors Roundup

MTA War Is Brewing on MLK Day as Archduke Gavin Newsom Inspects His Troops. It's ...

Porkmistress Pelosi

Madam Speaker says she wants to tame pork-barrel spenders. Takes one to know one.

Gridlock

Bill Lieberman, new planning director for the Municipal Transportation Agency, wades into the swamp of San Francisco transit politics

Unbalanced Budgeting

The city's proposed parking-rate increases are a scandal. They aren't nearly large enough.