SFMTA Newsletter

Paratransit Coordinating Council 30th Anniversary Celebration Page 6

SFMTA Launches Translink® Trial Phase Page 7

SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

Citizens’ Guide to the Bicycle Plan

VOLUME 5 / ISSUE 1

W I N T E R 2 0 0 9

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WINTER 2009, Volume 5, Issue 1

Executive Director’s Message

Top three Combined Charities donors accept their awards at the campaign’s Leadership Event held at the California Academy of Sciences. Pictured from left to right: Debra A. Johnson, SFMTA Chief of Staff and Director of Administration on behalf of Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.; Robert Sanchelli of the Public Utilities Commission; and Peter Straus, SFMTA Senior Planner.

For all 5,000 of us here at the SFMTA, these are challenging times. We read and hear about daily impacts of the economic downturn around the globe, across our nation, throughout our state and in our city. This is also a time of opportunity for us individually and collectively to SFMTA Executive Director/CEO, demonstrate our strong commitNathaniel P. Ford Sr. ment to the responsibilities of this agency and to focus on our strategic goals despite difficult economic times.

With penguins as the backdrop at the California Academy of Sciences, Dr. Gregory C. Farrington, Executive Director of the Academy, welcomes those who pledged $500 and above to the Combined Charities Leadership Event.

While we are losing state transit funding as well as running an SFMTA budget deficit this year of $40 million—and a projected $129 million deficit in the next fiscal year beginning July 1—we are seeing a vast increase in federal capital funding for transit as part of President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress in February. Specifically, the SFMTA is eligible to receive $67 million for a range of projects that will allow us to update, rehabilitate and renew our bus and rail fleets, facilities and vital systems while providing new and additional convenience features to our transit customers. We also anticipate that additional federal economic funding will soon be available to underwrite improvements in our pedestrian, bicycle, traffic and parking programs. All of these new federal funding sources are focused on retaining and creating new jobs.

manner. Moreover, you are generous and sensitive to those in our community who are less fortunate, as evidenced by your pledges of $208,025 to the 2008 City and County of San Francisco Combined Charities Campaign—an increase of nearly 25 percent over the 2007 campaign.

Please be assured that I will continue to report back to you on developments as we navigate through this economic storm. I also extend my deep appreciation to each of you for the vital services that you provide to the people of San Francisco and for your suggestions as to how we can do our jobs better and more efficiently.

Many of you will be directly involved in leveraging these funds and implementing projects. All of us, however, need to play an active roll in making certain that we fully exploit every opportunity to conserve resources and to control costs. While transit ridership and revenues are up, other sources of revenue, such as parking, have declined as our costs continue to rise—thus the SFMTA budget deficit. Accordingly, I would ask each of you to seek out ways to lower costs by working smarter, by finding better, more efficient ways of accomplishing our tasks and by identifying those expenses that do not contribute to service delivery to our customers. Please share your ideas and suggestions with your supervisor or manager.

Finally, please join me in welcoming Jim Dougherty as our new Chief Safety Officer and Director of Transportation Safety. Jim brings to the SFMTA 24 years of experience in transit safety, occupational safety and health, industrial hygiene and environmental protection.

Since 2004, he has served as the General Manager of Safety and Security at the Charlotte Area Transit System in Charlotte, North Carolina. Please introduce yourselves and work with Jim to Jim Dougherty, the SFMTA’s new Chief Safety Officer and uphold our long-standing commitDirector of Transportation Safety. ment to safe operations.

It has been said that tough times demand tough people. I believe that the SFMTA team is not just tough, but diligent, dedicated and capable of meeting our core transportation functions in an exemplary 2

SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

Bicycle Plan Ready to Roll

the SFMTA Board of Directors for their endorsement and then move on to the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor’s Office for final approval.

Bicycle advocates, deflated by a 2006 court injunction putting a halt to the City-approved 2005 Bicycle Plan, are feeling pumped up again.

The SFMTA has cleared an important hurdle in passing its 2009 update of the Bicycle Plan with the release of a comprehensive draft Environmental Impact Report by the City Planning Commission (CPC). After passing a 45-day public comment period ending on January 13, City staff are now working with a consultant team to develop a Response to Comments Document. A final certification from the CPC may come as early as late spring, at which time the plan will go before

Spearheaded by the SFMTA’s Bicycle Program, the 2009 Bicycle Plan comprises eight specific goals, over 60 proposed near-term and long-term projects and more than 80 actions aimed at increasing safe bicycle use in the City. The highly anticipated project is an integral part of the SFMTA’s Strategic Plan and San Francisco’s Transit First policy encouraging auto-alternative modes of transportation throughout the City.

Implementation of the approved plan is projected to begin this fall.

Elevator Enclosure Replacement Project Underway

As a result of the work at Civic Center Station, the street elevator at that station will be inaccessible until April.

The BART/Muni Elevator Enclosure Replacement Project started at Civic Center Metro Station in early January. The SFMTA Accessible Services group joined the Marketing and Community Outreach team to kick off an outreach campaign to alert the San Francisco disabled communities.

Once the work is completed at Civic Center, the construction will continue at the Embarcadero, Montgomery and Powell stations as follows: • Embarcadero Station elevator: May—August 2009 • Montgomery Station elevator: September— December 2009

The outreach components included a mailer to thousands of Muni customers with disabilities. Other materials included station posters, platform display signs, station announcements and information posted on the SFMTA Web site. Outreach teams were deployed the first three days of construction at Civic Center Station.

• Powell Station elevator: January—April 2010 The purpose of the project is to upgrade the elevator enclosures at four Muni/BART Metro stations, extend the life of the equipment and improve the reliability of the elevator doors.

In December 2008 Christiane Hayashi joined the SFMTA as the Director of Taxis and Accessible Services. Before accepting this appointment, Chris served as a Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco for more than 18 years. As a Deputy City Attorney, she worked in a broad range of subject matter areas to improve City government: representing Hetch Hetchy in the Bay Delta proceedings to protect Christiane Hayashi, SFMTA’s San Francisco’s water rights; assisting the City new Director of Taxis and Purchaser’s Office to draft modern procurement Accessible Services. laws; reaching out to San Francisco communities to improve emergency preparedness as part of the Year 2000 project team; and for the past five years, representing the SFMTA. Most recently, she assisted the SFMTA with reorganizing and updating the City’s transportation laws in the new San Francisco Transportation Code.

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Editors’ Note: You may have noticed that your SFMTA quarterly newsletter has undergone a facelift. This quarter’s edition introduces the publication’s new name and a redesign that we hope will make the newsletter not only more relevant to SFMTA activities but more enjoyable to read as well. Our new title, En Route, encapsulates the SFMTA’s goal of keeping San Francisco moving and on its way. End of the Line, a new photo feature that showcases the lighter side of our Agency, is the first of a number of new features we hope to roll out this year.

We welcome your suggestions, submissions and comments. Story ideas and photos are welcome as well, as are information updates on the great job your division or a colleague may have done on a recent project. Please send correspondence to Janis Yuen at janis.yuen@sfmta.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

WINTER 2009, Volume 5, Issue 1

Rail Improvement Project On Track to Begin Construction, tentatively slated for this summer, includes the following locations:

The Rail Improvement Project is one of the priorities of the SFMTA’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The project, scheduled to start this summer, will replace rails at seven locations, perform one platform reconstruction and reconstruct an accessibility ramp.

• Judah Street at La Playa (Ocean Beach Key Stop) • Judah Street at 19th Avenue • Judah Street at Sunset Boulevard

The project is now in the bidding process, having completed the Conceptual Engineering Report and the Detailed Design phases late in 2008. While working with Muni Operations on the logistics, the Transportation Planning and Development Division, supported by the Marketing and Community Outreach team, is gearing up for the community outreach programs.

The first two community meetings will be held in March in the Sunset District.

• Taraval Street at 19th Avenue • Taraval Street at Sunset Boulevard After construction is completed at the above locations, the Rail Replacement Project will move to Church at 18th Street, Church Street at 30th Street and San Jose Street at 30th Street. Construction at these locations is scheduled for 2010.

Off-Street Parking: Clearing City Streets streets and by promoting alternative modes of transportation. The Division monitors current and anticipated parking demands and evaluates the need for the expansion and development of new parking facilities.

SFMTA’s Off-Street Parking Division manages 16,000 spaces at 40 parking facilities and generates nearly $85 million in gross revenue annually. A list of these facilities can be found at www.sfmta.com.

The mission of the Off-Street Parking Division is to provide clean, safe and convenient parking to visitors, employees and businesses in the downtown core as well as commercial and residential districts.

Various parking policies and programs administered by the Division support San Francisco’s Transit First policy by helping to reduce traffic congestion on City

For visitors, these parking facilities offer a first impression of San Francisco. Parking facilities must be managed and operated in a manner that reflects our commitment to customer service, our careful stewardship of the public’s capital investments, our protection of crucial revenues and our professional management of City services.

Wi-Fi Online at One South Van Ness Avenue

SFMTAGuest service allows for connection to the Internet so our guests can connect and communicate as needed.

This service will not allow access to SFMTA network resources.

Wi-Fi service is available on the 3rd and 7th floors at 1SVN and will be extended to the 8th floor and basement soon.

As SFMTA’s occupancy grows, service will be extended as needed.

BlackBerry or other SmartPhone users: • The SFMTAGuest service is available for SFMTA users who have Wi-Fi capable BlackBerry devices. If requested, the SFMTA Help Desk will forward instructions on how to access the Wi-Fi from your SFMTA-issued BlackBerry.

All other non-SFMTA issued SmartPhone devices are able to access the Wi-Fi network, but will not be supported.

The new Wi-Fi service comes in two versions: • The first Wi-Fi network is called “SFMTA” and provides a secure and private connection to the SFMTA’s IT infrastructure for SFMTA staff. The use of this network is limited to SFMTA-issued laptop computers, which are automatically connected when they boot up. Staff can now “roam” between floors and maintain IT connection while on the move within the building.

For assistance, contact the SFMTA Help Desk at 415.701.4320 or SFMTAHelpdesk@sfmta.com.

• The other version is intended for temporary use by our guests. It is called “SFMTAGuest” and operates like a typical public Hot Spot found in many coffee shops. The 4

SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

The Habit’s Annual Christmas Walk The Habit Family of Lodi makes an annual pilgrimage to San Francisco to celebrate the season and to ride the cable cars. Below, Jodie Habit tells us about the family’s excursion and their wheelchair-bound daughter’s anticipation of this yearly tradition.

For the past 17 years, on the second weekend of December, the Habit family sets off on our annual “Christmas Walk” in San Francisco. We have between 20 and 25 family and friends of all ages who take the hike from the cable car turntable at Powell and Market to Fisherman’s Wharf. We trek through Union Square, march up Grant Avenue in Chinatown, take a coffee break at a bakery in North Beach, wander through Washington Square and finally end up at Fisherman’s Wharf for dinner. Once dinner has ended, we head back to Powell Street via the cable car.

The Habit Family at the Powell and Market Street Cable Car Turnaround.

remainder of our party to board along with others waiting in line. The rest of the adventurous Habits opt for the chill and breeze on the outside of the car.

The tickets are collected and the Conductor smiles at Elizabeth warmly and says “hold on.”

Then we’re off. Elizabeth squeals with excitement.

Her laughter makes others on board laugh, too. The other Habits hoot and holler, hanging on to the outside poles as we pass other cable cars. The Grip and Conductor give us historical information about San Francisco. They seem to enjoy the ride as well.

This is the part of the walk my daughter, Elizabeth, looks forward to the most—as we all do! Elizabeth, who is 10 years old, has physical and mental disabilities and uses a wheelchair. While waiting in line for the cable car at Aquatic Park the family sings Christmas carols. The closer we get to our turn, the more excited Elizabeth gets. She waves her arms and can’t wait to get out of the wheelchair for the exciting ride down to Powell Street.

Once the ride comes to an end on Powell Street, the Conductor ensures that everyone has disembarked. Then the Conductor assists Elizabeth and me off the car and retrieves her wheelchair. The San Francisco cable car workers are always polite, warm and friendly to us. My family and I are always impressed with how courteous and kindhearted the cable car workers are toward Elizabeth and how they make the ride stress-free. We sincerely thank them for making the best part of our annual Christmas Walk so memorable.

Once it is our turn, the cable car Conductor always allows Elizabeth and me to board first. We collapse Elizabeth’s wheelchair and the Conductor places it in the back of the car by the rear brakes. The Conductor then ensures that Elizabeth and I are seated comfortably inside of the car. Then the Conductor allows the

SFMTA Takin’ It to the (Sunday) Streets

House, a route through the Mission district and a Great Highway route connecting Golden Gate Park to the San Francisco Zoo along Ocean Beach.

Local streets will be closed to most traffic during the events, which are free to all.

Family-friendly activities and healthoriented events for all ages will be featured. “We encourage everyone to join us for this wonderful opportunity to explore our beautiful city and to come together as friends, families and as a community in a healthy and environmentally-friendly way,” stated Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., SFMTA Executive Director/CEO. The first Sunday Streets event is slated for April 26.

An expanded Sunday Streets program will return this year with the SFMTA at the helm. The 2009 version of Sunday Streets will accommodate six different events at four locations throughout the City beginning in April and concluding in September. The popular San Francisco event focusing on family fun and physical activity allows locals and visitors an opportunity to exercise and explore their way through various parts of the City. This year’s Sunday Streets venues feature two waterfront routes, from AT&T Park to Aquatic Park and from AT&T Park to the Bayview Opera 5

WINTER 2009, Volume 5, Issue 1

Paratransit Coordinating Council Celebrates 30th Anniversary Formed in 1978, the San Francisco Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC) was one of the first organized advocacy groups working on behalf of paratransit services in the country. Comprised of paratransit customers, van and taxi providers and social service representatives, the PCC advises the SFMTA on matters of paratransit and accessibility. It also advocates for the needs and views of the elderly and disabled community. Working in close collaboration with the SFMTA, the PCC has helped shape the SF Paratransit Program into one of the premier paratransit programs in the country. The SFMTA provides door-to-door paratransit services to seniors and people with disabilities who are not able to use the fixed-route Muni system.

This year the PCC turned 30 years old. To honor the sustained and passionate service of PCC members over the years, the 30th Anniversary celebration was held at San Francisco City Hall’s South Light Court on November 17. The grand celebration was attended by over 300 people and featured speeches by State Senator Leland Yee, Senator Mark Leno and Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., SFMTA Executive Director/CEO. Former PCC member Jane Bolig served as an exceptionally witty and charming mistress of ceremonies. The event also honored award-winning paratransit drivers with special proclamations from the PCC, Senator Yee and Senator Leno.

The PCC has been instrumental in establishing a comprehensive, demand-responsive paratransit system with an extremely high level of customer satisfaction—93 percent satisfied with their surveyed trip. The Paratransit program provides over 1.1 million trips annually to San Francisco’s senior and disabled community.

Revitalize Your Office Day

SFMTA Director Bruce Oka with Senator Mark Leno and PCC Chair Cheryl Damico.

Senator Leland Yee presents Cheryl Damico with a Resolution from the California Legislature.

Here are a few effective exercises: • Lower back—Stand up, place your hands on your hips and while looking forward, gently bend backwards at the waist. Hold for a second or two. Repeat two times.

Did you know that the fastest growing number of workplace injuries in the United States take place at the computer workstation? According to Physical Therapist and BackFirst Director Michael Leary, the reason for this trend is that the body does not have to move to accomplish its task. “We were originally meant to move around to hunt and gather for survival,” said Leary. “Now all that’s necessary is to point and click for several hours at a time to bring home the bacon.”

• Neck—Stand and place a couple of fingers on your chin. Glide your head back without tilting upwards to gently stretch the small, sub-occipital muscles in the back of your neck. Take in a big breath and exhale, hold the stretch for three seconds.

Repeat twice and finish with a few shoulder rolls to relax the larger muscles in your neck and shoulders.

Static postures, such as sitting in one position in front of the monitor all day, can create problems of decreased circulation in the arms and hands, increased muscle tension in the upper back and neck and contribute to low back disc protrusion and pain. The solution to these problems is very simple added Leary: “Just taking two to three minutes every half hour or so will break up those static postures, improve circulation and revitalize your body.”

• Arms—Stand up and raise your hands overhead. Shake your hands with fingers open back and forth for 10 seconds to reduce the swelling in your hands and forearms. If you are so inspired, let out a few “Hallelujahs!”

During this “mini-ergo” break, you have accomplished a lot.

For more information on specific exercises and benefits of ergo breaks, contact Michael Leary at BackFirst at 923.6030 or at ask.michael@BackFirst.net.

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SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

SFMTA Launches Translink® Trial Phase

in the public trial. The final stage of the trial will expand Stage 2 initiatives to include youth, senior, disabled and Chinese and Spanish-speaking customers. At the end of the trial, approximately 25,000 TransLink cards will be distributed.

TransLink on Muni is currently scheduled for public launch later this year.

No longer a futuristic form of fare payment, the TransLink smart card fare payment system is finally aboard all Muni buses, trolley coaches and light rail vehicles.

Currently the trial phase is in full swing. The trial phase is instrumental in helping reinforce training of SFMTA staff, retailers and TransLink customer service staff. It will also help identify any glitches within the system and provide helpful feedback from customers prior to TransLink’s availability to the general public.

SFMTA employees can sign-up to receive a free TransLink card loaded with their employee pass and enter the Tag2Win contest via the SFMTA intranet News and Services section. Employees without SFMTA intranet access can receive a card by e-mailing TransLinkFeedback@sfmta.com or by calling 415.701.4367.

Stage 1 of the trial phase began in October with approximately 1,500 employees registered to use the card. In December, Stage 2 of the trial phase was launched. It included recruiting a limited number of trial customers and select community groups via online and promotional activities. As of March, approximately 4,500 customers registered to participate

TransLink is currently not available on cable cars, Caltrain or BART. By 2010 all Bay Area transit agencies will join AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit and Ferry in offering TransLink.

Every Penny Counts

After a thorough review the BOE agreed to reclassify some of the purchases identified in their audit as audit adjustments and, as such, not subject to sales or use taxes. The City received the $685,000 refund from the BOE as a result of the re-audit. An additional $18,273 was received by the City on behalf of three departments (Police, Port and Sheriff) as a refund for sales tax paid to out-of-state vendors that do not have permits in California.

SFMTA Staff Recovered $685,000 from Board of Equalization Tax Audit The City and County of San Francisco received a $685,000 refund from the California Board of Equalization (BOE) in September 2006 resulting from its re-audit of the taxes assessed for the period from April 1, 1999 to March 31, 2002.

The BOE routinely audits the City for purchases it makes that require payment of sales or accrual of use taxes. For the audit period, the City was assessed and later paid $2.6 million in taxes, interest and penalties based on an auditor test employed by the BOE’s auditors. The City also was assessed and paid $2.83 million in taxes, interest and penalties in the prior audit period, from April 1996 through March 1999.

The SFMTA Finance division felt a review of the audit process used by the BOE’s auditors was sorely needed to comply fully with the BOE’s sales and use tax guidelines, and to avoid the excessive penalties incurred in the last two audits. Gani Soy, SFMTA Capital Assets Coordinator and a former BOE Sales Tax Auditor himself, spearheaded the re-audit request with the BOE after getting approval.

West Portal circa 1917.

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WINTER 2009, Volume 5, Issue 1

Transit Effectiveness Project Moving Forward

San Francisco Labor Council Community Services Here to Help

As the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) transitions from planning to implementation, employees throughout the agency are working together to develop the TEP Implementation Plan, which will include a schedule and prioritization. The plan will be the guiding document for the duration of the project. Concurrently, the TEP team is working with the San Francisco Planning Department to initiate the environmental analysis process and other regulatory obligations.

The San Francisco Emergency Hardship Fund, which is administered by the San Francisco Labor Council (SFLC), needs your support. They assist San Francisco City workers who have been laid-off, providing emergency hardship assistance to working people who are often unfamiliar with social service programs, but suddenly find themselves with an emergency need.

The SFLC focuses on helping individuals maintain access to basic services while making transitions.

When assisting laid-off individuals, SFLC strives to: avoid power or utility shutoffs, keep families and individuals from losing their housing, support emergency medical needs and ensure that families or individuals have sufficient food.

While this effort is underway the SFMTA will continue to work on improving Muni service by hiring more Operators. Muni Operations has also initiated reliability improvements ranging from new terminal practices to the strategic deployment of Parking Control Officers.

To make a donation or for additional information, please contact Tom Ryan, Community Services Director, SF Labor Council at tom@sflaborcouncil.org.

This is an exciting time as Muni evolves into a 21st century transit system of which SFMTA employees and customers can be proud. Check for more TEP updates in the next newsletter or visit sfmta.com/tep.

Call for “Commutercizers” and Shape Up Participants Want to be part of a team that proves a healthy new concept? Shape Up and participate in the Shape Up SF Walking Challenge that begins in March.

toward your destination, not to it. You ride part way and walk the rest of the way.

Interested? E-mail Dan at Dan.Rosen@sfmta.com.

Dan Rosen is looking for volunteers to be part of the “commutercize” team. Commutercizers alter their commute routine to include walking part of the way to or from work. The idea is that you take Muni

Help demonstrate that a Muni Fast Pass can be a pass to a healthier life!

Transit Effectiveness Project Honored On February 23 the Municipal Fiscal Advisory Committee (MFAC) honored the excellent work of the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) team as part of the 29th Annual Public Managerial Excellence Awards. The awards recognize and acknowledge exemplary job performance and leadership by San Francisco City employees.

The TEP is the first comprehensive review of the Muni system in a generation and is a partnership between the SFMTA and the City Controller’s Office.

Pictured from left to right: Chris Gruwell, MFAC Event Chair; Liz Garcia, Program Manager and Sally Allen, Program Manager, from the Controller’s Office; Britt Tanner, Engineer; Julie Kirschbaum, Program Manager and Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., Executive Director/CEO from SFMTA.

The team was recognized for demonstrating effective crossdepartmental collaboration, strong project management and the useful application of data collection and analysis.

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SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

Recognizing a Job “Whale Done”

The four steps to complimenting your colleagues with a Whale Done are:

“Whale Done” recognizes a job well done. This process of recognizing appropriate and commendable behavior is derived from the book, Whale Done, by Ken Blanchard, author of the “The One Minute Manager,” along with Thad Lacinak, Chuck Tompkins and Jim Ballard.

1) Praise immediately or as soon as possible verbally, by e-mail or in writing 2) Thank the person for the specific behavior 3) Share why this is important; perhaps link the behavior with a goal or strategic plan item

Two of the authors trained Killer Whales at Sea World in Florida. They observed that you cannot repeatedly punish a 9,000 pound whale, then get in the water with it and expect it to do what you ask. The same is true for people. We cannot repeatedly ignore or criticize our colleagues and expect their performance to improve.

4) Encourage them to keep up the good work That’s it. Pretty simple, right? Perhaps the best thing about delivering a Whale Done is how good you feel once it’s given. You might have heard the adage, “Whenever I point out a flaw in someone else, there are three fingers pointing right back at me.” This is also true in the reverse. “When I recognize others’ positive behavior, three fingers are pointing back at me.” A simpler way of saying this is, “You get what you give.”

This Whale Done approach is being taught to all Operations Supervisors and Managers and soon will be shared with all SFMTA Supervisors and Managers. Perhaps the best part of using this approach to building positive relationships is that it can be used by anyone and anywhere, at work and at home. Go ahead and give someone a Whale Done and let us know how it was received. Share your feedback with Warren Cole by sending him an e-mail warren.cole@sfmta.com.

Connecting and building positive relationships require trust, which takes time. Once trust has been established we must make an effort to accentuate the positive.

This is accomplished by focusing on what is being done right and by recognizing any improvement.

This approach understands that human beings are bound to make mistakes. When mistakes are made, we must use our words to build people up not tear them down. We can further encourage the desired result with a detailed, targeted compliment called a Whale Done.

Muni’s Diverse Heritage Celebrated The SFMTA carries a long tradition of celebrating our rich and diverse heritage.

Well ahead of the rest of the country, the City and Muni recognized the rights of minorities. The first minority Operator joined Muni in 1941.

The 5th Annual Celebration of Black American History Luncheon, co-sponsored by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the SFMTA, took place on February 18 at the Hotel Whitcomb in San Francisco.

The event was attended by many City departments and several City officials. SFMTA Board Vice Chair Reverend Dr. James McCray Jr. delivered the invocation.

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WINTER 2009, Volume 5, Issue 1

Cable Car Safety Campaign Rolls Through Chinatown As part of a large, agency-wide safety outreach effort, the Cable Car Division and the Marketing and Community Outreach team recently launched a cable car safety campaign. The campaign was tailored to help Cantonese-speaking cable car customers understand safety issues on and around cable cars.

The theme of this campaign was “Respect the Rail: Look, Listen & Live.”

During the presentations at Chinatown senior centers, senior residential housing and apartment buildings, two Cantonese-speaking cable car Operators and former Superintendent Brendan Scanlan offered cable car safety tips while sharing personal stories with the audience.

Andy Chen (left) and Ken Liu (right) offer cable car safety tips during a community meeting in Chinatown. Photo by Eric Lavina

COMTO Scholarships Awarded The Northern California Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) awarded $30,000 in scholarships to 23 undergraduate students of color at their Fifth Annual Holiday Dinner and Dance on December 12 at the Oakland Marriott Hotel. Danielle Harris, an SFMTA intern, was awarded one of four $1,800 scholarships named for Muni’s late Curtis E. Green, the nation’s first African American general manager of a major public transportation agency, who served from 1974 to 1982.

Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., SFMTA Executive Director/CEO, congratulates awardee Danielle Harris. Photo by Kim Walton

Melbourne Car’s New Look On January 16 officials from the SFMTA, Market Street Railway and the government of the State of Victoria, Australia, unveiled refurbished Melbourne W Class Tram No. 496 along the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building.

The tram, which came to the City as part of the Trolley Festivals in 1984 and was one of the first vehicles on the historic F-line, has been given a new green and gold paint scheme, Australia’s national colors. Melbourne operates the largest network of trams or streetcars in the Southern Hemisphere.

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SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

ACCESSIBLE STOP BART STATION

OTHER STOP

CALTRAIN DEPOT

INBOUND CONTINUES AS OUTBOUND CONTINUES AS

BALL PARK

TO SUNNYDALE TO BALBOA PARK All Muni Route & Schedule Information: 311 or visit www.sfmta.com Map Not to Scale

Check out our new Light Rail Vehicle decal maps intended to complement the signs in the subway stations. The current installation on 150 trains is an experiment for function and durability. Modifications to the map were made to make it easier for Muni customers to navigate the Metro system.

Walking in the Year of the Ox

A group of cheering SFMTA employees, joined by Chinatown’s Jean Parker Elementary School students, marched in the 2009 Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade on February 7. By taking part in the Parade, the SFMTA reaffirmed its commitment to build the Central Subway that will connect San Francisco’s eastern communities to Moscone Center, Market Street, Union Square and Chinatown. According to the event organizers, a record-breaking crowd of one million people attended the parade.

Asian Heritage Street Celebration Returns The SFMTA will participate in the Fifth Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration on Saturday, May 16. The event takes place from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. in front of the Asian Art Museum on Larkin Street near McAllister Street. Considered the largest gathering of Asian Pacific Americans in the nation, the event features arts and crafts, anime, free community health screenings, delicious food and a Thai kickboxing ring.

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WINTER 2009, Volume 5, Issue 1

A look at the lighter side of the SFMTA

Harlem Globetrotter guard Buckets Blakes takes a spin on the Powell Street cable car on a recent visit to San Francisco.

Blakes and the Trotters were in town to promote public transit use for their January appearance at Oakland’s Oracle Arena.

The Globetrotter’s SFMTA-sponsored appearance also included a special skills demonstration and ticket giveaways to SFMTA customers by Blakes in the Powell Street Muni Metro station.

SFMTA Employee Discounts Debra A. Johnson: Chief of Staff/Director of Administration Murray Bond: Deputy Director of External Affairs Janis Yuen: Manager of Internal Communications & Editor Chimmy Lee: Graphic Designer Carmen Magana: Photographer Mark De Anda & Kristen Holland: Associate Editors

If you have a story idea for the SFMTA Newsletter, send an e-mail to Janis Yuen at Janis.Yuen@sfmta.com

The current economic downturn does not mean you have to completely eliminate entertainment or necessities from your budget. SFMTA employees are automatically eligible for fantastic savings. Current entertainment discounts include the San Francisco Symphony, Sesame Street Live and the San Francisco Ballet. Other offers include auto insurance and cell phones. Visit the Employee Discount Web page as new offers are added periodically. More information is available on the SFMTA internal Web site under the SFMTA Employee News and Services section.

Thank you to: Jeffrey Banks, Warren Cole, Lulu Feliciano, Eric Lavina, Michael Leary, Jay Lu, Maggie Lynch, Corey Marshall, Dan Rosen, Isagani Soy, Judson True, Kim Walton and Gina Zagotta for their contribution to this publication.

En Route is the official employee publication of the SFMTA. In an effort to keep our City green, this newsletter is distributed in an electronic/printable format. A limited number of hardcopies is available in reception areas and Gilley rooms.

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