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
MTA Board Chairman: Spending State Windfall Will Provoke Tough Choices
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MTA Board Chairman Tom Nolan. Flickr photo: sfbike On the heels of the good news from Sacramento that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA), which operates Muni, will get $36 million in state funding for this fiscal year and the next, the agency’s directors must now make difficult decisions about how to spend that […]
Muni Operator Wage Measure Now Official
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A ballot measure that would change the way Muni operator wages and benefits are set now has an official name and summary from the City Attorney’s Office. The measure [PDF], titled "Setting Transit Operator Wages Through Collective Bargaining," would do just that: instead of the current City Charter provision requiring the MTA to set operator […]
Eyes on the Street: 511 ID Numbers Going Up at More Muni Stops
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A new stop ID sign at a Muni shelter. Photo: Michael Rhodes It will soon be a lot easier for any Muni rider with a cellphone to find out when the bus will arrive. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates Muni, is in the process of posting unique identification numbers at nearly all […]
San Francisco Moves to Lessen the Impact of Truck Traffic
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Click to enlarge: The revised San Francisco truck route map. Image: SFMTA In a city as dense as San Francisco, it’s inevitable that truck traffic often travels along streets where people live. But public health and environmental justice groups, the MTA and the Department of Public Health are now collaborating to ensure that the impact […]
This Week in Livable Streets Events
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Come see some of Streetfilms’ newest work this week! Plus, more highlights from the Streetsblog calendar: Monday: The Legacy of Livable Streets: Three decades later, what have we learned? Donald Appleyard’s seminal 1981 book Livable Streets revealed the detrimental effects of automobile traffic on street life and communities. Join for a discussion on the book’s […]
Speeding Up Muni By Letting All Aboard, Through Any Door
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The back door of one of Muni’s new low-floor buses. All-door boarding and more low-floor buses could speed up Muni by reducing boarding time. Photo: Michael Rhodes Some of the most important changes for Muni are also the simplest ones and there are a number of relatively basic adjustments the MTA could make that would […]
Better Streets Plan Provisions Stripped from Chiu Garage Legislation
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Revised legislation could slow down Ellis Act evictions in Chinatown, North Beach, and Telegraph Hill, but would not require garages to meet the design principles in the Better Streets Plan. Photo: Michael Rhodes In a move to gain the support of Supervisor Bevan Dufty, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu has stripped language from his […]
With Two MTA Directors Termed Out, Advocates Ponder Wish List
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Photo: Michael Rhodes The City Attorney’s office has determined that the short first terms of MTA Board members Shirley Breyer Black and James McCray do count towards the three-term limit for directors, meaning both are termed out as of May 1. That answers an open question about the seats that Streetsblog first raised last month. […]
Broad AC Transit Service Cuts Coming, But There Could Be a Silver Lining
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AC Transit Route 72R. Flickr photo: daniel_gies AC Transit announced today it plans to cut service on 108 of 113 lines across the East Bay on March 28th, amounting to an 8 percent overall reduction. Despite the broad cuts, the agency is pitching the change as one that will spare its most transit-dependent riders. By […]
This Week in Livable Streets Events
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This week, watch a movie about the mid-century dismantling of America’s public transit systems before speaking up for the future of Muni on Saturday. Here are the week’s highlights from the Streetsblog calendar: Monday: SFBC Phone Banking. Volunteer to phone bank with the SFBC: no cold calling, just simple reminders to friendly lapsed SFBC members […]
Head to the Embarcadero this Weekend for the Year’s First Sunday Streets!
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Susan King of Livable City flanked by beautiful bikes. Photos: Michael Rhodes As if the lure of playing in the street wasn’t enough, city leaders and organizers gathered at City Hall yesterday afternoon to promote the first of nine Sunday Streets events this year, which will run along the Embarcadero up to Fisherman’s Wharf [route […]
Are Muni Service Woes and Fare Hikes Pushing People to Bikes?
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Many San Francisco bicyclists got their start by apparently taking this sign’s message to heart. Flickr photo: mattymatt Could rounds of Muni service cuts and fare hikes push more people to start cycling in San Francisco? The MTA, which operates Muni, doesn’t have data on the phenomenon, but anecdotally, it’s already happening. For Christopher Janson, […]