Recent Streetsblog SF posts about Community, Advocacy and Labor

CA Transit Operators Hopeful State Diesel Tax Will Create Stable Funding

By Matthew Roth | Mar 9, 2010 | 2 Comments

Photo: Richard Masoner When Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed eliminating the sales tax on gasoline in his new budget, transit operators and advocates saw the announcement as a move to subvert a California Supreme Court ruling that required the state to stop raiding transit funds. Rather than comply with the court’s ruling, they argued, the Governor […]

MTA Board May Finally Get Creative on Funding, But Obstacles Remain

By Michael Rhodes | Mar 5, 2010 | 17 Comments

MTA Executive Director Nat Ford and Board members Jerry Lee, James McCray, and Chairman Tom Nolan. Could the bleakest budget in the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s history force its directors to finally get creative in funding Muni? The answer, judging from Tuesday’s MTA Board meeting, is yes. Fresh off approving a 10 percent cut […]

Advocates Concerned That Cyclists Are Included in Distracted Driving Bill

By Matthew Roth | Mar 3, 2010 | 73 Comments

Photo: markofphotography A bill introduced last month by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), who has been a steady advocate for reducing the dangers of distracted driving, would increase first-time and repeat fines for drivers who text while driving or who don’t use hands-free devices, and would extend the prohibition of cell phone use to […]

Are More Service Cuts the Last Straw For a Public Fed Up With Muni?

By Matthew Roth | Feb 26, 2010 | 48 Comments

Photo: blarfiejandro Widespread outrage at the MTA Board, so visibly on display at today’s meeting on Muni service cuts and fare increases, appears to be driving a growing surge of organizing that transit supporters hope might finally create a sustained movement with the potential to pressure the MTA into developing long-term fixes for Muni. Most […]

SPUR Director: Muni Drivers Deserve Good Pay, But Work Rules Must Change

By Michael Rhodes | Feb 25, 2010 | 50 Comments

Flickr photo: tehf0x With Muni riders looking for somewhere to direct their frustration at potential service cuts and fare increases, and with the Mayor eager to frame the MTA’s budget deficit as a choice between labor concessions and fare hikes, it’s easy to view a proposed charter amendment that would change how Muni driver salaries […]

Saving Life and Limb By Avoiding the Door Zone

By Matthew Roth | Feb 25, 2010 | 18 Comments

DIY Door Zone stencil from Portland, OR. Photo: BikePortland.org Many urban cyclists have a tale to tell about a car door that swung out into their path and nearly knocked them from their bikes. Hopefully, the story ends there, with no injuries or further harm. Some haven’t been so lucky, however, as they’ve been thrown […]

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