San Francisco

The Many Ongoing Public Transportation Projects of the Bay Area
The San Francisco Chronicle offers a round-up of 11 big transit projects, by Caltrans, BART, SFMTA, and others, making progress around the bay.
New Leadership at SPUR
Alicia John-Baptiste, a veteran of transportation and planning agencies in San Francisco will take the helm of the influential planning and urbanism think thank.

Amendments to Sen. Wiener's 'More HOMES Act' Address Jobs-Housing Balance
"Jobs-rich area," a new term that targets some suburban regions, is among amendments added March 11 to Senate Bill 50, the reincarnation of Wiener's controversial SB 827 housing bill that died last year.

It Takes a Fatality to Remove On-Street Parking
On March 8, 30-year-old Tess Rothstein of Berkeley was riding a rented Ford GoBike in San Francisco's SoMa district when a car door suddenly opened, forcing her outside the narrow white line of the conventional bike lane into the path of a truck.

Design Review: Massive Civic Center Renovation Proposed in San Francisco
The city of San Francisco is proposing an ambitious renovation of its Civic Center—the series of public spaces connecting Market Street to City Hall.

High-Speed Rail Galvanized Development in San Francisco's Transbay District
Even as prospects for high-speed trains dim in California, San Francisco's Transbay Transit Center has already spurred a development spree in the surrounding area.

Role of S.F. Parklets as Public Space Not Always Clear
Parklets in San Francisco are available for public use, but often they serve as extensions of the dining rooms of eateries.

More Fallout From Downsizing California High-Speed Rail
A San Francisco Chronicle editorial warns that San Francisco must find funds, intended to come from the state's ambitious rail project, to extend the Caltrain commuter rail line to the SalesForce Transit Center.

New Report on San Francisco Transportation Trends: Driving on the Rise
The city is seeing more transit use and biking, but driving and congestion are also on the rise.

More Bad Polling News for Cordon Area Congestion Pricing in the U.S.
Only a handful of cities in North America are considering applying tolls to congested urban streets, as opposed to highways. Efforts in one of those cities, San Francisco, just received negative polling results on a potential $3 auto access fee.

Cheaper, Easier Affordable Housing Development Proposed in San Francisco
San Francisco Mayor London Breed is proposing major reforms of the permitting process for affordable housing and accessory dwelling unit projects in the city. The idea is that cheaper projects are much easier to build.

Warming to Transit Oriented Development in San Francisco
A new survey finds growing support for transit oriented development among San Francisco residents.

By-Right Approval for Affordable Housing Projects Proposed in San Francisco
San Francisco Mayor London Breed is fighting hard to make it easier to develop affordable housing in the cost-impacted city. A fight will likely be required.

S.F.'s Transbay Transit Center Won't Reopen Until June at the Earliest
The Transbay Transit Center, opened for a brief stint in the latter half of 2018 before structural flaws were discovered, won't be open to the public again anytime soon.

San Francisco's Massive 'Central SoMa Plan' Faces Litigation
The Central SoMa Plan took more than seven years of planning and debate to approve. A new lawsuit, expected to be just the first of many, threatens to erase all that work.

Bus-Only Lanes in San Francisco Show Impressive Results
Bus lanes along a primary transit corridor have sped up travel times and point to the potential for major citywide improvements.

San Francisco Ferry Launches New Commuter Line
The San Francisco Bay ferry system is growing as commuters flee congested roads and overcrowded BART cars.

Is Pay by Distance Unfair to the Poor?
Sam Raby argues that BART’s pay by distance fair structure exacerbates transit inequities.
On Demand Shuttle Operator to Cease Operations in Nine Cities
San Francisco-based shuttle operator Chariot, acquired by Ford Motor Company in 2016, will end its operations by March in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin, New York, Columbus, Detroit, Denver, and London.

Editorial Calls for Automated Enforcement for Bus Lanes
The Seattle Times Editorial Board argues that automated enforcement would remove scofflaws from blocking bus commuters.
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