Matthew Roth
Recent Posts
The Long and Winding Road to Traffic Calming the Bernal Cut
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Photo: Rick Mordesovich. When a group of Bernal Heights and Glen Park neighbors began discussing the need for traffic calming last year on San Jose Avenue between Interstate 280 and Randall Street, a one mile segment known as the Bernal Cut, they had no idea it would take so long to get the attention of […]
Mirkarimi Vows Fix to Fell Street Bike Lane, Protest Leads to 5 Arrests
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Organizers at the Fix Fell coalition protested the dangerous conditions at the Fell Street Arco station for the eleventh week last Friday and now they have a video to document the festivities. This week was notable for several reasons. First, District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi showed up and vowed to fix the problem by putting […]
Federal Civil Rights Review Raises Governance Questions at MTC
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The long-term impacts to transportation funding as a result of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) civil rights compliance probe of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) won’t be clear for some time, but the action by the federal administration has transportation policy circles buzzing. Experts in civil rights and regional planning policy couldn’t point to another […]
This Pavement Condition Index Map of San Francisco is Amazing!
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Click image to enlarge SF’s Pavement Condition Index map. Go to their website to use the fully interactive map feature. The incredible design and data teams at SimpleGeo and Stamen, known among other things for Polymaps and Cabspotting, recently teamed up to tackle a data set only the wonkiest of us could love: San Francisco’s […]
Advocates Argue San Francisco Must Improve Pedestrian Safety
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Photo: Myleen Hollero/Orange Photography. Though San Francisco has been getting a lot of attention recently for its trial pedestrian plazas and "parklet" sidewalk extensions in former parking spaces, which has drawn interest from cities around the country and even spawned a copycat in New York City, the Big Apple has raised the bar considerably on […]
Better Market Street Project Announces Citizen Advisory Committee
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Mayor Newsom and Blick’s Edward Ogorzaly. Photo: Mayor’s Press Office. On the same day San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced yet another intervention along central Market Street aimed at rejuvenating the beleaguered section between 5th and Van Ness, the Department of Public Works (DPW) announced it was convening a citizens advisory committee (CAC) to help […]
FTA Probes MTC Civil Rights Policy, Casts Shadow on Funding Practices
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MTC’s Executive Director Steve Heminger, foreground, listens to public testimony against MTC’s plan to use federal stimulus funds for the Oakland Airport Connector last year. Photo: Matthew Roth The Federal Transit Administration has increased the likelihood the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Bay Area’s regional transportation planning and funding body, will undergo a full civil […]
With Clipper Card Change, Some Communities Bemoan Lack of Outreach
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FTA Regional Director Lesley Rogers, SFMTA CEO Nat Ford, and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Appointment to the MTC, Jon Rubin, at a press conference in the Civic Center Muni Metro station. Photos: Matthew Roth. With the roll-out of the Bay Area-wide Clipper smart card, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the many transit operators adopting […]
SFMTA Hones Enforcement, But Minority Rights Groups Still Leery of Stings
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Flickr photo: Troy Holden. Enforcement of laws on Muni has been a balancing act for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), as safety fears and controversy over work orders with the SFPD have led politicians and advocates to complain the police are charging for services they don’t deliver. At the same time, saturation enforcement […]
Eyes on the Street: From New Bike Lanes to Chairs in Trees
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Photo: swampzoid. Sorry for the long gap since our last weekly review of photos you’ve submitted to our Flickr pool. Thanks as always for adding photos and keep up the beautiful work. Here’s a selection of some of our recent favorites. Have a great weekend! Photo: B. Wise
Eyes on the Street: Tango Electric Car in Glen Park
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Larry Page’s Tango in Glen Park. Photos: Matthew Roth. The Tango personal electric vehicle made a bunch of headlines when George Clooney bought one in 2005, but there haven’t been too many on the road given the cost of $150,000. The manufacturers pitch the vehicle as a high-performance electric car that can zip through traffic […]
Excitement at Transbay Event, But Federal Transportation Bill Uncertain
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Senator Barbara Boxer, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, US DOT Secretary Ray Lahood, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Transbay Joint Powers Authority Board Chairman and SFMTA CEO Nat Ford at the Transbay Transit Center groundbreaking. Photos: Matthew Roth. Though most of the California political class celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Transbay Transit Center with U.S. […]