The Lasting Legacy of the 1913 Bion Arnold Report

The Lasting Legacy of the 1913 Bion Arnold Report
By Jeremy Menzies

Looking back at San Francisco’s transportation history, one study from 1913 has impacted the city’s transit system for over 100 years. Commissioned by city officials, the “Report on the Improvement and Development of the Transportation Facilities of San Francisco” by engineer Bion J. Arnold, is a comprehensive study of transit in the city. The 450-page report covers everything from rush hour congestion to plans for a Market Street subway. This document is essential to understanding our city’s transportation history and some of its recommendations are still in use today.

This 1910 view of Market and Sutter streets shows just some of the complex issues that the Arnold report addressed.

 

Building Muni

One section of the report is entirely dedicated to specifications for building and improving the city’s cable and street cars. Muni’s very first streetcars, frequently called “Arnold” cars, were specified based on construction cost, passenger comfort, ease of operation, and even the unique climate of San Francisco. Today, historic Streetcar 1 is one of these streetcars that still runs in special service.

This photo of one of Muni’s first streetcars was used on page 178 of the report and shows the open end sections, boarding platforms, and “automatic” ventilation features specified by Arnold.

In addition to the vehicles, Muni’s earliest lines, and service to the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition, were all directly influenced by the report. Versions of the A, B, C, E, F and H streetcar lines all appear in the report. It also influenced later lines like the J, K, L, and M.

Passengers alight from a Muni streetcar at the 1915 world’s fair. Arnold dedicated an entire section of the report to discussing service to the fair, which was provided by Muni and the United Railroads Co.

 

Tunnels & Streets

The report also detailed several tunnels and street changes throughout the city meant to speed travel across town. Of the more than ten tunneling projects proposed, the Stockton Street, Twin Peaks, and Sunset tunnels were all built by 1930. The Broadway tunnel followed in the early 1950s.

A cable car on Mason Street passes by the Broadway Tunnel, still under construction in this 1951 shot.

 

Among the street changes proposed, the extension of Market Street over Twin Peaks was perhaps the largest. This extension was built alongside the Twin Peaks Tunnel in 1917-18.

Improving and Expanding Transit

Arnold also called for a consolidated transit system and a subway under Market Street, both of which were achieved by the mid-20th Century.  In 1944, voters approved the purchase of the Market Street Railway Company, the largest transit operator in SF. This merger unified public transit service under Muni. Instead of navigating two competing services, riders finally had a one-fare ride to virtually anywhere in town. Consolidation also allowed improvements to be made across the system.

Bion Arnold’s Market Street subway plans were just one of many ideas floated over the years. This drawing from 1937 shows a proposed subway station at Powell and Market streets.

 

Arnold’s report is one of the earliest documents to include clear plans for a Market Street subway. 50 years later when Bay Area voters approved general obligation bonds to build BART & Muni Metro, elements of Arnold’s subway showed up in the design.

Ongoing Legacy

Even today, suggestions from the report can be found in the SFMTA’s Muni Forward and Vision Zero Quick Build programs. Moving and consolidating stops, increasing boarding area size, building transit boarding islands, and all-door boarding are all mentioned in the 1913 document.

A common sight today, double-length platforms and two-car trains like those pictured here were just two improvements to transit service recommended by the Arnold report.

The Arnold report is one of the most extensive studies of transportation in San Francisco. 109 years later, many of the changes recommended by the report have become normal parts of our streets and transit system.

Published June 30, 2022 at 07:29AM
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Details on Expanded Bus Service Coming July 9

Details on Expanded Bus Service Coming July 9
By Mariana Maguire

Photo caption: The 6 Haight-Parnassus is one of the Muni bus routes that will be brought back into service July 9, 2022 after being temporarily suspended since March 2020.

On July 9, the next phase of the 2022 Muni Service Network plan will go into effect, focused on expanding bus service including the return of the 2 Sutter, 6 Haight-Parnassus and 21 Hayes (with some route changes), as well as other route extensions and modifications.

Public feedback helped us prioritize bringing back routes and connections many communities rely on. Read more about what we heard from the public and how we incorporated feedback into the 2022 service proposal.

As resources allow, our service changes will continue prioritizing service linking neighborhoods identified by our Muni Service Equity Strategy to essential destinations like hospitals and neighborhood commercial corridors, accommodate changing travel patterns and getting the most of our system. We heard from many seniors and people with disabilities that bringing back the connection to the Jewish Community Center food hub is an important priority, so we are bringing back the 2 Sutter between Presidio Avenue and California Street and the Ferry Plaza at Embarcadero. For service west of Presidio Avenue, customers can take the 1 California, which runs more frequently one block north of Clement Street.

Restored Routes

Route	Details	Frequency
2 Sutter	Restore pre-pandemic route between the Ferry Plaza and Presidio Avenue at California Street, restoring connections to the Jewish Community Center food hub.	Every 20 minutes
6 Haight-Parnassus	Restore pre-pandemic connections in response to community feedback.	Every 20 minutes
21 Hayes	Restore modified pre-pandemic route from St. Mary’s Hospital to Grove and Hyde streets, by Civic Center Station and the Main Library.	Every 20 minutes

Modified Routes

Route	Details	Frequency
23 Monterey	Extend to pre-pandemic route along Sloat Boulevard to the San Francisco Zoo and Great Highway in response to community feedback.	Weekdays every 20 minutes Weekends every 30 minutes
28 19th Avenue	Extend east of Van Ness Avenue at North Point Street to run between Daly City BART and Powell at Beach streets, providing connections to Fisherman’s Wharf to customers on the westside of the city and who are no longer covered by the 49 Van Ness-Mission.	Weekdays every 12 minutes Weekends every 15 minutes
43 Masonic	Extend north of Presidio Avenue at California Street to the Presidio, the Marina and Fort Mason on its pre-pandemic route between Fort Mason and Munich Street at Geneva Avenue in response to community feedback.	Weekdays every 12 minutes Weekends every 20 minutes
49 Van Ness-Mission	Shorten to its previous route between City College and Van Ness Avenue at North Point Street.	Weekdays every 6 minutes Weekends every 8 minutes
57 Parkmerced	Extend from Eucalyptus Drive and Junipero Serra Boulevard to West Portal Station, restoring the connection to West Portal.	Every 20 minutes
58 Lake Merced	Modify to run along Lake Merced Boulevard instead of Sloat Boulevard and Brotherhood Way instead of John Daly Boulevard, from Mission Street and Daly City BART to Stonestown.	Every 30 minutes
66 Quintara	Return to pre-pandemic alignment terminating in the Inner Sunset.	Every 20 minutes
L Bus	Shorten route to run between the SF Zoo and West Portal Station and increase frequency in response to changing trip patterns.	Weekdays every 8 minutes Weekends every 10 minutes

Looking Ahead

We plan to continue implementing the approved 2022 Muni Service Network in additional phases as we bring more operators onboard. Read more about the complete 2022 Muni Service Network plan.

Published June 25, 2022 at 12:34AM
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Golden Gate Park: Spring 2022 Update

Golden Gate Park: Spring 2022 Update
By Eillie Anzilotti

Credit: Lauren White

Since the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to keep three miles of roadway through Golden Gate Park—including the JFK Promenade—free of cars, the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department and the SFMTA project team have been hard at work implementing the over 40 programmatic efforts to support safety, equity, accessibility, and mobility in the Park.

Curious about what we’ve been working on? Read on for recent highlights:

New accessible parking options in the Bandshell lot

At the end of May, the new Bandshell lot was officially completed and opened for use! The renovation opened up 20 new accessible parking spaces and four spaces for accessible vans, along with new curb ramps and direct, accessible paths of travel to the Japanese Tea Garden and Music Concourse.

Credit: Chava Kronenberg

The community shuttle program rolls on

Since February 2022, Rec & Park has been running a community shuttle program in coordination with nonprofits such as the Rafiki Coalition, Network for Elders, BMagic, and Mo’Magic. Each trip, organized with a community-based organization, has included a guided tour, tickets to the SkyStar Wheel, and an emphasis on encouraging return trips to the Park with family, friends, and neighbors of visitors. Based on the success of the community shuttle program so far, more trips are being planned for the summer.

More ways to get to and from the Park

Rec & Park and the SFMTA will be installing two taxi stands in front of the Cal Academy and the de Young museum in the coming weeks. These stands will give visitors a clear space to access pick-ups and drops-offs directly in front of the museums. Additionally, Rec & Park, in collaboration with SF Travel and the Tour Guide Guild established new zones for tour buses to park near the Bowling Green so they can safely wait while tour groups visit the park.  

It’s Google Maps official!

Following the April 26 vote, Google and Apple Maps are now providing clear and accurate directions into the Music Concourse Garage, and more clearly indicating the car-free route on their respective platforms.

More to come

In the first month since the Golden Gate Park Access & Safety Program became permanent, Rec & Park and SFMTA have already made progress toward fully realizing the commitments of the program—and there is so much to look forward to. Every quarter, we’ll be sharing what’s been done to date, and what improvements you can expect to see in the near future. For now, keep your eyes out for an adaptive bikes program in the park, a new solution for traffic circulation on MLK Drive, and more!

 

 

Published June 17, 2022 at 03:57AM
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In-Person Pride Parade & Celebrations Return This Month!

In-Person Pride Parade & Celebrations Return This Month!
By Pamela Johnson

The SFMTA is happy to join San Francisco Pride celebrations when they return to in-person events this month as the city continues its recovery from the pandemic. This year’s theme is “Love will Keep Us Together.” The Trans March is happening on Friday, June 24 and the Pride Parade is on Sunday, June 26. SFMTA staff are, of course, an important part of the LGBTQIA+ community that keeps SF moving with Pride. Pride is an opportunity for us to demonstrate our continued support of the LGBTQIA+ community, promoting our core values of respect, inclusivity and integrity. 

History/Background of SF Pride  

San Francisco had its first Pride celebration in 1970. For more than three decades the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies have been moving San Francisco forward to become a better, safer, and more equitable world for the LGBTQIA+ community and the city a better place for people to live, work and enjoy.   

Historically, San Francisco's Pride parade is the largest in the country with more than a million people in attendance, usually including travelers from cities across the country and around the globe celebrating and paying homage to the members of the LGBTQ+ community.  

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for All 

Pride is a celebration and counterpoint to the discrimination and challenges the LGBTQIA+ community has historically faced. And we can all be proud that San Francisco has been a pioneer on such issues as same-sex marriage, health care and anti-hate legislation. 

Recognizing the strides and achievements made by the LGBTQIA+ community over more than five decades, the SFMTA’s theme for 2022 is "Moving San Francisco with Pride.” As home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQIA+ communities, we look forward to celebrating Pride all month long. 

What You Should Know About SF Pride 2022 

Trans March – Friday, June 24  

• This year’s Trans March takes place Friday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m. 
• We’ll be partnering with the Trans March to provide our rolling cable car for the march. 

Pride Parade and Celebration – Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26 

• This year’s Pride Parade and Celebration takes place the last weekend in June. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. 
• The parade begins at 10:30 a.m., Sunday and is estimated to end between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. 

Links

• Visit the SF Pride website to learn more about the city’s Pride festivities.
• Visit the San Francisco Trans March website to learn more about San Francisco’s Trans March. 
• To catch Muni to any of these events, use the SFMTA Trip Planner.  
• Participating in one of the world’s largest Pride events is a thrilling and unique experience. We hope you can join in this fun, inclusive event. Whether you identify as LGBTQIA+ or as an ally, everyone is welcome.

Published June 10, 2022 at 11:49PM
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Muni Metro Fix It! Week Improves Rail Service, Safety and Reliability

Muni Metro Fix It! Week Improves Rail Service, Safety and Reliability
By Jessie Liang

Overhead Line Department replacing wire and custodians cleaning metro station during Fix It! Week, April 19, 2022

A new quarterly effort to increase work time to accomplish necessary Muni Metro system maintenance in April 2022 was a resounding success. Here is a behind-the-scenes video recap. The maintenance initiatives aimed at making subway operations more reliable and preventing feature breakdowns. The maintenance teams were able to perform an entire month of work within the 10 days when subway service was substituted by bus service to provide SFMTA workers the extended Fix It! Week work window. 

Every night after Muni Metro subway service hours, SFMTA maintenance crews work to maintain the tracks and equipment underground. On most nights, this gives our teams only about two hours to get work done. During the first Fix It! Week, from April 14 to April 23, 2022, buses provided substitute service for Muni Metros lines and the subway between Embarcadero and West Portal was closed early for work to begin at 9:30 pm. These nightly early shutdowns gives SFMTA maintenance crews more hours to complete infrastructure improvement works underground that cannot be completed during the normal windows. 

The Fix It! Week provided 56 total work hours, during which several SFMTA teams completed over 2,000 hours of maintenance and inspections. On the busiest nights, the maintenance teams had up to 55 staff in the tunnel from West Portal to Embarcadero delivering safety improvements, station and tunnel enhancements, subway track and wayside equipment maintenance, and traction power upgrades.  

Each night during Fix It! Week, custodians from the Buildings and Grounds teams did deep cleaning at West Portal, Forest Hill, Castro, and Church stations, while the Maintenance Engineering staff was in the tunnel inspecting and collecting data. Stationary engineers from Mechanical Systems in various stations focused on safety enhancements such as installing new safety handrails at the platform ends, new ventilation for station agent booths, new pump covers, fire and life safety systems, and new electrical room ventilation.  

The Overhead Lines crew also used Fix It! Week to replaced 600 feet of wire at Castro Station while the Track Maintenance team brought two pieces of 1,500-pound stock rail in and out of the subway. The Motive Power crew replaced emergency battery systems and worked with all-electrical clearance holders to restore systems on time for rail service to restart as the Signal team removed legacy train control systems for future upgrades. The Underground team and the Paint Shop staff also contributed to this remarkable accomplishments. The Cable Car division, who had not previously participated in extended maintenance periods, did channel and conduit cleaning and checked and confirmed all wires were in good condition during the April Fix It! Week. 

Many people in the support team who were not doing the maintenance but coordinating the efforts all helped to make Fix It! Week successful. They ensured safety standards were being upheld, critical repair priorities were being addressed, and the subway was being reopened to restart rail service on time every day. 

Muni operations and transportation infrastructure are vital to San Francisco’s economic vitality, environmental sustainability, and cultural diversity. The FY 23 - FY 24 SFMTA Budget will continue to invest in infrastructure improvements to keep the Muni Metro system in a state of good repair. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we improve the safety, reliability and on-time performance of the Muni Metro system. 

The next Fix It! Week will be happening in August of 2022. 

For more information, visit the Muni Metro Maintenance Project page. 

Published June 06, 2022 at 11:09PM
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Muni Adding More Service July 9

Muni Adding More Service July 9
By Mariana Maguire

The 6 Haight/Parnassus was temporarily suspended in March 2020 and will be brought back into service July 9, 2022, along with the 2 Sutter and 21 Hayes. 

As the SFMTA prioritizes service equity and responds to changing travel patterns, we are planning to bring back additional routes that have been temporarily suspended since March 2020: The 2 Sutter (formerly 2 Clement), 6 Haight/Parnassus and 21 Hayes. The 6 Haight/Parnassus will return to its full pre-pandemic route, while the 2 Sutter and 21 Hayes will return in response to community feedback with changes to make the most of limited resources. System improvements like transit-only lanes and subway upgrades have helped us make transit service more reliable overall as we keep restoring routes.  

These changes are part of the 2022 Muni Service Network plan. Read more about what we heard from the public and how we incorporated feedback into the 2022 service proposal.  

The 2 Sutter will run between Ferry Plaza on Steuart Street near Embarcadero and Presidio Avenue and California Street, restoring connections to the Jewish Community Center food hub – a priority for many seniors we heard from. Customers who want to reach Clement Street (one block south of California Street) will be able to transfer to the 1 California at California Street and Presidio Avenue to continue west. 

The 21 Hayes will run between Fulton and Shrader streets near St. Mary’s Hospital to Hyde and Grove streets, by Civic Center Station and the Main Library, restoring connections to the hospital. Customers who want to continue along Market Street can transfer to any eastbound Muni Metro subway route, the F Market surface rail, or one of the bus routes serving Market Street including the 6 Haight/Parnassus and 7 Haight/Noriega. 

We will publish comprehensive service change details including maps later this month. 

Route Modifications 

We plan to make modifications to several existing routes to restore access and connections that community members have requested. These modifications improve or restore connections to food hubs and hospitals for people with disabilities and seniors and access to jobs for Service Equity neighborhoods 

• The 23 Monterey will be extended to its pre-pandemic route along Sloat Boulevard. 

• The 28 19th Avenue will be extended to Powell and Beach streets to provide east-west connections to Fisherman’s Wharf across the northern part of the city. 

• The 43 Masonic will be extended to its pre-pandemic route to serve the Presidio, Marina and Fort Mason. 

• The 52 Excelsior will return to its pre-pandemic route. 

• The 57 Parkmerced will be extended to West Portal. 

• The 58 Lake Merced will return to Lake Merced Boulevard and Brotherhood Way. 

• The 66 Quintara will return to its pre-pandemic route. 

In addition to these changes, the L Bus will be shortened and increase frequency between the San Francisco  Zoo and West Portal Station in response to changing trip patterns and subway improvements. With more subway reliability after extensive repairs and maintenance, many L Bus riders are choosing to transfer to the subway at West Portal for a faster ride to downtown. This allows us to shorten the L Bus route while increasing frequency and putting limited resources on other routes that are experiencing crowding. 

Looking Ahead 

We plan to continue implementing the approved 2022 Muni Service Network in additional phases as we bring more transit operators onboard. Read more about the complete 2022 Muni Service Network plan. 

Published June 03, 2022 at 10:07PM
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Muni Forward Gets San Francisco Moving

Muni Forward Gets San Francisco Moving
By Shalon Rogers

A new, red transit lane on Stockton Street 

The SFMTA’s Muni Forward program is delivering transit reliability improvements that are transforming the Muni system and enhancing the customer experience. With 80 miles of upgrades since 2014 that often bring travel time savings of 20% or more, Muni Forward is making a big difference in how San Francisco moves. These upgrades, which can be seen in this Muni Forward Photo Map, draw from a “toolkit” of over 20 reliability and customer experience improvements, such as transit lanes that provided dedicated space for Muni vehicles to cut through traffic, transit bulbs that reduce delays at transit stops and traffic signals with transit priority that give the green light to transit vehicles as they approach the intersection, when possible.

The recently completed Van Ness Improvement Project thrust Muni Forward back into the spotlight with San Francisco’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. While the Van Ness Improvement Project was a massive overhaul that required significantly more time and money to implement than the average Muni Forward project, we are seeing familiar benefits resulting from the transportation improvements. In just under two months, Muni riders on Van Ness are seeing a travel time savings of up to 35% northbound (up to nine minutes per trip) and 22% southbound on weekdays. After the first week of this drastically improved service, ridership on the 49 Van Ness-Mission increased by 13%.  

We’ve seen similar outcomes on past Muni Forward projects that share many features implemented on the BRT corridor. In addition to improved travel times and reliability, ridership has increased by 10% or more on many of the lines where Muni Forward improvements have been implemented, such as the 5R Fulton Rapid, 9R San Bruno Rapid and 38R Geary Rapid. And though ridership has decreased during the pandemic, it has returned fastest on many of the lines where we’ve made these improvements, such as the 22 Fillmore, which now has more riders than in 2019. 

New transit bulb on Irving Street

Thanks to Muni Forward, San Francisco now has over 60 miles of dedicated transit lanes. Among these are the lanes that were installed as part of the Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes program. Made permanent in late 2021 and early 2022, these lanes have provided travel time savings of up to 31% for routes that carry 40% of current Muni customers, including the T Third, 1 California, 14 Mission, 14R Mission Rapid, 19 Polk, 27 Bryant, 28 19th Avenue, 38 Geary, 38R Geary Rapid, 43 Masonic and 44 O’Shaughnessy. 

New carpool lanes on Park Presidio Boulevard

Another notable recent Muni Forward project is the Park Presidio Lombard Temporary High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, which are the first urban arterial carpool lanes in the state. In partnership with Caltrans, this pilot project is already seeing travel time savings of up to 10%. 

Looking ahead, Muni Forward is not slowing down. Planning is underway for improvements on the 29 Sunset, and we’ve started construction on improvements to the 22 Fillmore, 28 19th Avenue and L Taraval. We’re also preparing for construction on improvements to the 14 Mission, 5 Fulton, 27 Bryant and 30 Stockton. Plans for transit delay hot spot improvements are also in the works, which will help improve Muni reliability at specific intersections where we have seen the most transit delay for Muni.  

Additionally, making improvements to Muni’s Metro service will be a major focus over the next few years. Upcoming Muni Forward projects will focus on surface-level improvements for the J Church, K Ingleside, M Ocean View, T Third and N Judah, which will complement the Muni Metro Modernization efforts that are already underway. 

Map of Muni Forward transit priority improvements

For a look at Muni Forward plans across the city, check out the map of Muni Forward transit priority improvements and see how Muni Forward is improving the system for customers, one project at a time.

Sign up to stay informed about future Muni Forward improvements.

Published June 03, 2022 at 04:37AM
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Emergency Response Transit Lanes Program Shows Long-term Success

Emergency Response Transit Lanes Program Shows Long-term Success
By Erin McMillan

After the Temporary Emergency Transit Lane program used a quick-build approach to install over 15 miles of emergency-response transit lanes in about 18 months, we have the numbers that show its success. Here is the program evaluation summary. 

During the early months of the pandemic, with traffic at an all-time low, Muni routes saw a 15% reduction in travel time on average and as much as 50% on certain corridors. Building off this analysis, the SFMTA identified key routes that could benefit from transit lanes that would preserve those speed and reliability improvements. These transit lanes improved reliability along the entire line, improving rider experience in Muni Service Equity Strategy neighborhoods and throughout the city. This allowed us to provide more frequent and less crowded service at a time when resources were very limited.

We launched the Temporary Emergency Transit Lane (TETL) program to preserve this time savings even as traffic returned, so people making essential trips on Muni wouldn’t get stuck on slow and crowded buses. The program also helped us provide as much frequency as possible despite pandemic-related limitations on operational resources, and build up Muni’s resiliency to ensure an equitable and sustainable economic recovery.

Overall, the TETL program saw the following measurable benefits:

• Travel times savings of up to 31%.
• Improved reliability on lines serving 40% of all Muni riders.
• Up to 89% of surveyed operators stated that the improvements made their jobs easier.

The TETL program helped make the last two years the fastest expansion of transit lanes in the city’s history, benefitting riders on the 1 California, 14 Mission/14R Mission Rapid, 19 Polk, 27 Bryant, 28 19th Avenue, 38 Geary/38R Geary Rapid, 43 Masonic/44 O’Shaughnessy and T Third. Moreover, all these projects benefit lines that serve neighborhoods identified by the Muni Service Equity Strategy.

With these great results early in the program’s implementation, six of the seven TETL corridors were made permanent in late 2021 and early 2022 after extensive evaluation and outreach. One corridor, the Park Presidio Lombard Temporary HOV Lanes, will continue as a longer pilot to allow for further evaluation in partnership with Caltrans.

The TETL program was a critical piece of the SFMTA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving forward, the initial shelter-in-place travel time savings analysis used to identify corridors for TETL improvements will be used to identify additional corridors for future improvements as part of Muni Forward, the SFMTA’s ongoing transit priority program.

Published June 02, 2022 at 12:05AM
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