Streetsblog SF
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Previewing California’s Nearly Completed State Rail Plan
California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) is finishing up its California New State Rail Plan
September 27, 2017
San Mateo Joins Legislative Charge into ‘Jaywalking 2.0’
San Mateo's Board of Supervisors passed a resolution that could be the first step towards a statewide ban on texting while walking in a crosswalk
September 14, 2017
Hyperloop Breaks 1955 Rail Record
Hyperloop remains much slower than those pesky "dinosaur" trains that use good-old fashioned tracks and wheels.
August 30, 2017
Bay Area Victory: Caltrain Electrification Groundbreaking
Brown, Pelosi, and other leaders celebrated electrification groundbreaking in Milbrae. Pelosi bemoaned the “fight that shouldn’t have been,” with the Trump Administration to get $647 million in federal matching funds approved before he took office. Fortunately, Elaine Chao, Trump’s Secretary of Transportation, finally signed the Federal Full Funding Grant Agreement.
July 24, 2017
Caltrain Electrification Approved
After months of back and forth, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that it is approving $647 million in funds for Caltrain electrification. The grant approval will allow Caltrain to begin construction of its electrification project almost immediately, bringing smoother rides and cleaner air to California.
May 23, 2017
SPUR Talk: Big Data for Safer Streets
Motorists and business owners claim that the controversial 14 Mission Rapid project, with its "red carpet" transit lanes, has made traffic worse and more dangerous. But what if the real-time data proves otherwise?
April 5, 2017
A Note of Caution on Tech and Privatizing Transit
At a recent SPUR meeting, an audience member asked why cities continue to invest billions in long-term projects, such as the Central Subway, when ride-hail services such as Juno, Lyft, and Uber Pool have rendered urban rail more or less obsolete. This sentiment is reflected in a recent piece in the Atlantic by former Los Angeles Times writer Alana Semuels, entitled: "The End of Public Transit?" She wrote about her experience riding Chariot instead of Muni:
November 1, 2016
French Flair and Bullet Trains at Rail~Volution’s California Day
The Rail~Volution conference at the San Francisco Hyatt concluded yesterday with three hours of presentations and break-out meetings about California High-Speed Rail. The focus: how to build the communities we want around HSR stations in Los Angeles, San Jose and Fresno. An important part of that was to learn from the experts: the French designers who have already developed and built beautiful, place-making stations in Strasbourg, Lille and other cities in France.
October 13, 2016
Panel Asks: How do We Get More Diversity in Bike Advocacy?
Yesterday evening, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) held a discussion about diversity as part of its "Bike Talks" series at the Sports Basement Grotto on Bryant Street. Janice Li, Advocacy Director for SFBC, moderated a panel comprised of Lateefah Simon, President of the Akonadi Foundation, Tamika Butler, Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, and Renee Rivera, Executive Director of Bike East Bay.
August 17, 2016
SPUR Talk: Gabe Klein on Technology and Past and Future Cities
Gabe Klein, entrepreneur, writer and former head of transportation for Chicago and Washington DC, spoke yesterday afternoon at the Oakland office of the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) about how technology can be guided to shape the future of our cities.
July 19, 2016