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COUNTDOWN TO 2015 ANNUAL MEETING |
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SFMTA Is On the Move in San Francisco; Use Public Transit to See the City by the Bay
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BY EDWARD D. REISKIN, Director of Transportation, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
The city of San Francisco, the San Francisco  Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and the Bay Area’s regional transit agencies are delighted to host this year’s APTA Annual Meeting. I look forward to welcoming you and your colleagues to our wonderful city and region.
We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in how we see transportation, and not just in dense urban areas like San Francisco. Technological innovation is allowing for new travel options—and changing people’s expectations for getting around. As public transportation providers, we must work together to face the challenges and harness the opportunities of these new technologies, including everything from mobile ticketing to bike sharing to real-time data collection and analysis. |
The SFMTA is unique because we manage San Francisco’s streets and taxis in addition to public transit. This mandate provides a great opportunity as we, like cities and towns across the nation, are redesigning our streets in support of efficient, safe public transit. We must build transportation systems with safety and interconnectivity in mind by supporting bicycling to transit and focusing on pedestrian safety at and around transit stops and stations. Public transit helps keep transportation affordable and accessible to all. This year we are celebrating accessibility nationwide with the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We have come so far in supporting mobility for people of all abilities since the disability advocacy movement started in the Bay Area decades ago.
Still, other challenges remain. In spite of strong public support for investing in public transportation, funding problems persist. We must advocate vigorously for increased investment and a 21st-century vision for public transportation. Critical projects like San Francisco’s regional Transbay Terminal, now in construction, and California high-speed rail depend on federal support. We will need these projects in place to support growing demand for transit now and in the future.
In San Francisco we are making strides. Near the conference site at Union Square, you’ll see construction in progress on a new Muni subway station, the Central Subway’s Union Square/Market Street Station. When in service in 2019, the Central Subway will connect our eastern neighborhoods to SoMa, Union Square and Chinatown, some of our fastest-growing and most densely populated areas.
You can enjoy our beautiful waterfront on the new E Embarcadero historic streetcar line. Launching this summer, it’ll travel on the weekends between AT&T Park, home to the World Series champion San Francisco Giants, and beloved attractions such as the Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf.
By the time you arrive, we will have launched a new mobile payment app for Muni, allowing visitors and locals alike to pay their fare on a mobile phone. We are also in the process of increasing Muni service by 10 percent throughout the city and installing highly visible red transit-only lanes. And we’ve added more than 150 new efficient buses to our fleet, with more to come. Whether going to Golden Gate Park or the Golden Gate Bridge, you’ll experience a more enjoyable ride.
It’s an exciting time in our industry, and the APTA Annual Meeting is a great time to share our collective expertise and work together on solutions.
See you in San Francisco!
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SFMTA is increasing Muni service by 10 percent throughout the city, installing highly visible red transit-only lanes, adding more than 150 new efficient buses to the fleet and launching a mobile phone app to facilitate fare payments.
Photos courtesy of SFMTA |
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