Michael Rhodes
Michael Rhodes is a former reporter for Streetsblog San Francisco. He lives in the Mission Dolores neighborhood and is a graduate of UC Berkeley's Department of City and Regional Planning.
Recent Posts
Former Trash-Strewn Lot Becomes An “Off-Ramp Park”
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Sixth and Brannan Park. Photos: Michael Rhodes San Franciscans don’t often spend their days contriving ways to spend more time near freeway off-ramps, especially when proximity to freeways can be a risk to your health, but the city’s newest park along the I-280 exit at Sixth and Brannan Streets may make you think twice about […]
Board of Supervisors Rejects Muni Service Cuts Appeal
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David Pilpel, the appellant, speaks before the Board of Supervisors. Photo: Michael Rhodes The Board of Supervisors rejected an appeal today that would have halted the 10 percent cut in Muni service that’s set to go into effect May 1. By a 7-4 vote, the supervisors affirmed the Planning Department’s determination that the service cuts […]
What’s the Best Smartphone App for Checking Muni Arrival Times?
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Routesy Bay Area. Flickr photo: torrez As most San Franciscans with a smartphone know, having access to real-time arrival information while you’re away from home can make taking Muni a much more pleasant experience. That will be true more than ever if 10 percent service cuts go through as planned. Ideally, there would be no […]
This Week in Livable Streets Events
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Miss yesterday’s Sunday Streets event because of the rain? Make up for it next weekend with Sunday Streets in the Bayview! Here are the highlights from the Streetsblog calendar: Tuesday: Oakland Public Works Committee Meeting – BRT agenda item. The Oakland Public Works Committee will discuss BRT as an agenda item before it goes to […]
High Speed Rail Board Nixes Beale Street Alignment and Peninsula Berms
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Click to enlarge. Downtown San Francisco alignment alternatives. The Beale Street routing was rejected today. Image courtesy CHSRA. Transit advocates in San Francisco and residents up and down the Peninsula breathed a collective sign of relief today as the California High Speed Rail Authority Board ruled out two of the more unpopular routing options for […]
Muni Charter Measure Supporters Take to the Streets to Collect Signatures
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Supervisor Sean Elsbernd canvasses near West Portal station this morning. Photo: Michael Rhodes People catching Muni near West Portal station this morning were greeted by an unusual sight: Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, SPUR Executive Director Gabriel Metcalf, and a team of volunteers were out canvassing the avenue to gather signatures for a ballot measure that would […]
Caltrain Riders Try to Prevent Dramatic Service Cuts as New Blog Launches
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Deep cuts could leave Caltrain closing its gates much earlier every day. Flickr photo: prawnpie At Streetsblog, we’ve covered a lot of transit cuts over the past year, from Muni to AC Transit to SamTrans. But none of those agencies has seen cuts quite as devastating as what appears to be on the way at […]
SFMTA Faces New Budget Shortfall as State Assistance Funds Delayed
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After seemingly getting the current fiscal year’s budget under control, the SFMTA now finds itself back in a budget mess. Flickr photo: Dave Schumaker The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates Muni, may have $24 million less in revenue to work with than it expected for the current fiscal year, a development which suddenly […]
This Week in Livable Streets Events
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This week, Sunday Streets heads back to the Great Highway for a second year! Here are the highlights from the Streetsblog calendar: Tuesday: SPUR Lunchtime Forum: From heaps of dirt to grassy knolls: A proposal for a temporary park at 399 Fremont. Learn about proposals for a network of temporary parks at 399 Fremont Street, […]
SFMTA Installs More Safe-Hit Posts on Market Street Bike Lane
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New soft-hit post on Market Street near 10th Street. Photo: Michael Rhodes Riding a bicycle down Market Street may not be a completely hassle-free experience just yet, but new safe-hit posts installed on the bike lane today between Gough Street and 8th Street are a big hit with bicycle riders. Crews from the San Francisco […]
MTA Could Boost Revenue by Enforcing Downtown Commuter Parking Law
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Unlike numerous downtown garages, this one adheres to planning code and charges a non-discounted monthly parking rate. Photo: Michael Rhodes. You’d hardly know that it’s illegal to charge discounted daily and monthly parking rates at numerous downtown San Francisco garages because enforcement of the law is almost non-existent. Planning Code Section 155(g) prohibits discount rates […]
This Week in Livable Streets Events
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If you can afford to take off work Tuesday morning come attend a special meeting of the MTA Board that will include a vote on declaring a fiscal emergency. Then, take a long lunch on Thursday to check out an example of new transit-oriented development in the Bayview. Here are the highlights from the Streetsblog […]