Director of Transportation Report: November 5, 2019

In this week’s Director’s Report from the SFMTA Board of Directors meeting, Tom Maguire gave the following updates:

VISION ZERO

• A pedestrian fatality occurred on Halloween in the late afternoon. A female walking near 19th/South Van Ness was struck by a driver. The San Francisco Police Department is investigating.
• On Oct. 24, the Board of Supervisors Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee passed an emergency resolution focused on Vision Zero enforcement projects and programs. The resolution, calls for the SFMTA to expand the number of Parking Control Officers to increase enforcement for violations such as stopping in bicycle lanes and double parking, and to increase the number of intersections with red light camera enforcement.
• With the end of daylight saving time over the weekend and days becoming darker earlier, we know that pedestrian collisions go up 20 percent and even more concerning, collisions between the hour of 6 and 7 p.m. increase by 80 percent. Starting November 3, we have included safety messages on our variable message signs reminding drivers to be extra vigilant at this time of year.

CENTRAL SUBWAY UPDATE

• We are currently rolling out the next phase of construction mitigation for the Central Subway Project with our partners at the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. It includes grant funding, an advertising campaign and support for local businesses along the alignment.
• We made the progress we expected over the past month, thanks to new resources from the contractor and remain on track to meet our substantial completion date of June 29, 2020.
• We are excited to announce that work on the Chinatown Plaza has begun above the new station. This plaza was the community-preferred design and when complete, will be a valuable amenity in the neighborhood.
• At the Union Square/Market station, crews are working on station finishes and the public art installation – an exciting development as we move closer to completion.
• To help us stay ahead of potential issues, the team recently completed a comprehensive risk assessment with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

SFMTA RESPONSE TO SONOMA FIRE

• Many of the nearly 200,000 evacuees from the Kincaid Fire in the North Bay came to San Francisco seeking shelter and services and hundreds of thousands of Bay Area residents, including many of our staff, have been impacted by PG&E’s Public Safety Power Shutdown.
• In response to the extra vehicles on San Francisco streets, the SFMTA parking control group opened extensive parking in the Grace Cathedral area for evacuees, waived parking enforcement fees and provided free Muni passes to our neighbors from the north.
• I want to recognize the outstanding efforts out our SFMTA colleagues. Muni experienced only minimal impacts to the 81X, 82X, 83X and 88 lines, because our colleagues reported to work despite a variety of challenges.

Our Board of Directors meeting is usually held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. To watch the meeting in full, go to sfgovtv.org.