Aaah, Spring is on the air!

Friday, 11 April 2008

¿The New and Improved MUNI !!? Can’t you smell it? It is the time when the flowers are blooming and people are sneezing. It is the time when the days are getting longer. And you don’t mind so much if you have to work late into the evening. It is the time of hopes and promises. It is the time when City officials roll out their budget and service plans for the next year’s cuts.    Yes, it is time for the Annual MUNI Budget and Service review. For this year MUNI will start its annual event with a series of community meetings and reviews entitled: “Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) Draft Proposals to Transform Muni”.    In the words of MTA planners: The TEP is the first comprehensive review of Muni in over a generation. The project is a joint effort of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which operates Muni, and the Controller’s Office. The TEP’s preliminary proposals aim to transform Muni so people can get where they want to go quickly, reliably, and safely. The proposals would also help address Muni’s structural budget deficit by making service more efficient, and would reduce traffic congestion and pollution by attracting new customers to Muni. Under the TEP’s draft recommendations, virtually every Muni customer would experience some amount of change, with the majority of Muni customers benefiting from improved Muni service, in particular on the system’s most heavily utilized routes. The preliminary TEP proposals are the result of countless conversations with Muni customers and will be further refined through continued dialogue.    Some of the proposed changes for the Haight-Ashbury Neighborhood are discontinuing the 7 Haight, rerouting the 6 Parnassus, and shortening the 21 Hayes route.    For the April 10 General Meeting, HANC will host an open discussion with residents and merchants of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and MTA planners regarding the proposed MUNI changes for the neighborhood. The General Meeting starts at 7:00 pm at the Park branch Library, 1833 Page Street. Muni Route Proposals at a Glance For the Haight-Ashbury Neighborhood Hundreds of changes are proposed, from the relatively minor (e.g., buses running slightly more frequently in the middle of the day) to major route redesigns. Highlights for the Haight-Ashbury include: Trains and buses would run every 5 to 10 minutes all day on the Rapid Network, consisting of rail lines J, K, L, M, N and T, and the busiest bus lines, the 1, 5/5L, 9, 9X, 14/14L, 22, 28/28L, 30, 38/38L, 47, 49/49L, and 71/71L. Muni’s busiest rail line, the N-Judah, would have more service, running every 6 minutes during peak hours. Most limited-stop routes such as the 38L and 71L would operate more often, all day and into the evening. Service could double on 24th Street by rerouting the 24-Divisadero, also connecting the Bayview to the heart of the Mission. The 33-line would replace the 24 south of 24th Street. Extensions of some of Muni’s other zero-emission electric trolley coach lines are proposed, such as bringing the 6-Parnassus to West Portal, the 30-Stockton to the Presidio, and the 24-Divisadero to the Marina. A new 5L-Fulton Limited would offer Richmond residents a much faster ride downtown, while 5-Fulton local buses would continue to make all stops east of Stanyan. The 6-Parnassus would be rerouted onto Cole Street, replacing the 7 Haight and providing an alternative to the N-Judah at Carl and Cole. Stronger links would be established between Community Connector routes and major transfer points, such as a revamped 36-line connecting Mt. Davidson to Glen Park BART. Service on lines 3, 4, 26, 53, 56 and 66 would be discontinued. Some portions of lines such as the 2, 17, 35, 36, 37 and 39 would also be discontinued 21 Hayes route shorten to end at Stanyan and Hayes The 35 Eureka replaces segments of the 37 Corbett. The 37 Corbett will be expanded to the 16th Street Bart Station.

 

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