Author: Rahman Law PC

BART to see Fare Hikes through 2020

Posted on by Rahman Law PC
BART’s Board of Director’s renewed the inflation-based fare increase measure through 2020. This move by the board means that on January 1, 2014 BART users fares will increase 5%. In 2016, 2018 and 2020 the increase will be 4%. The new plan also allows for an increase in parking fees if BART should think it necessary. With the new measure BART stations are now allowed to increase parking by 50 cents twice a year with a maximum daily limit of $3 (West Oakland being an exception). The parking and fare increases are expected to net around $410 million between 2013-2020.

The parking increases were of particular concern for those BART representatives from areas with few other public transport options. In these areas BART riders commute to the station and park there at a rate much higher than in areas with more public transportation options. These representatives were worried that any parking increases would disproportionately affect their constituents. In order to remedy these complaints, the proposal was amended to stipulate that parking increases would go toward access improvements in the more remote stations.

The fare and parking hikes are considered necessary because although BART has come out of the past two years with surpluses, they have many long-term operational projects that experts anticipate  will create a shortfall for this coming fiscal year. The additional $410 million in revenue would go towards those projects in an attempt to offset the $10 billion shortfall.

Source:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/02/bart-riders-face-higher-fare-parking-costs

San Francisco’s Mayor Lee to Take on Transportation Issues

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

In his State of the City speech Mayor Ed Lee made it known that he was planning on creating a task force to take on San Francisco’s complicated and worn-out transportation system. This task is by no means an easy one. San Francisco’s public transportation network is a complicated web of city and regional agencies. These agencies each have their own complicated network of funders and these funders (and by proxy the agencies they fund) don’t always have the same agenda.

It looks like the task force’s main focus will be the aging MUNI system. However, the task force will need to partner with BART and Caltrain to help create a functional regional system. One of their first tasks may be to coordinate with the two agencies to put forth a measure for voters to approve new funding such as a vehicle license fee, a general bond measure or another tax-based initiative. All three agencies would benefit from such a measure.

Many task forces have been convened on this very issue in the past, all with limited success. However, “Lee has a history of getting results from such panels. Similar groups helped push through major reform plans for public pensions, the payroll tax and affordable-housing measures.”

So far, Supervisor Scott Wiener, Gabriel Metcalf, executive director of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, Tom Nolan, chairman of Muni’s board of directors, and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu are top candidates for the task force. Although his nominatins have yet to be finalized, there are two groups that seem to be unrepresented in Ed Lee’s task force. First, the group is all male. Second, the pedestrian and cycling advocacy groups in the bay are unrepresentted. These oversights may be corrected before the task force is finalized, but it is important to recognize their absence.

In spite of these obvious oversights, this panel may see some actual results. “If Mayor Lee were not the person convening this, I would be very pessimistic,” Wiener said. “But his track record has shown that he knows how to take on these intractable long-term disputes.”

Sources:

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/SF-Mayor-Ed-Lee-aims-at-transit-4244862.php

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/02/mayor-lee-s-task-force-hopes-tackle-transportation-issues-both-local-an

Hit and Run Suspect Still at Large

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

SFPD are investigating a hit and run in Cow Hollow that occurred on February 24th at around 2 a.m. Video surveillance and evidence left at the scene implicate a 2008-2012 Honda Accord.  It is described as “dark in color with major damage to the right front headlight, right fender, right side of the hood and the passenger-side windshield.” No other information has been released about the suspect

The accident occurred when the two pedestrians were walking along Green and Fillmore streets. The driver was traveling westbound on Green when they hit both pedestrians. The driver then fled the scene.

One victim was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries and subsequently releases. The second victim remains hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

Anyone with information is asked to contact San Francisco Police anonymously at 575-4444 or Text-a-Tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.

Source:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/03/SFPD-Cow-Hollow-hit-and-run%20

San Francisco Joining the Big (Bike) Leagues?

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

The SFMTA has announced its goal of increasing the percentage of trips taken by bike in San Francisco from 3.4% t0 8-10% in the next 5 years. To do this, the agency has proposed three different plans. The proposals all have the same general focuses; more bike lanes, bike lane improvements and intersection improvement. The difference is really in the extent of these projects and the amount of money needed to make the projects happen. The cheapest proposed plan is for $60 million, the next for $190 million and the most expensive proposed plan is for $500 million dollars. This mother-of-all bike plans which would “add 35 miles of new bike lanes and improve 200 miles, outfit 200 intersections to better handle bicycles, add 50,000 bike parking spaces, roll out a bike sharing system with 3,000 bikes and 300 stations”, and would put San Francisco on the same bike-friendly level as Copenhagen and Amsterdam. The problem that faces all three plans, however, is that only $30 million dollars in funding has been allocated to bike projects over the next five years, which means that anywhere from $30 – 470 million dollars will have to be found from other funding sources.

 

Sources:

Big bucks for bikes?

Biking in L.A. is Taking Off

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

L.A. is known for Hollywood, for its sprawling suburbs and for those jam-packed freeways. It is not known for its cycling-friendly culture. That’s because until very recently L.A. was not a safe place for cyclists to ride. It can’t really be called safe now either, but the difference is that L.A. is changing. The story of L.A.’s journey to becoming one of the U.S.’s most bike-friendly cities is one for the record books.

According to the Los Angeles Times “On July 17, 2010, after a P90X workout, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his police bodyguard began riding mountain bikes west in the bike lane on Venice Boulevard. About 6:30 p.m., heading toward La Cienega Boulevard, they were cut off by a taxi cab. Villaraigosa flipped over the handlebars. His elbow shattered on the asphalt.” His accident, along with his trip to Copenhagen (what may be the most biyclce-friendly city in the entire world), and his trip to Mexico City where he saw a Ciclovia event, the Mayor became a cycling advocate.

And it’s amazing (and often-times discouraging) the affect one person can have. With the Mayor’s support, the cycling culture in L.A. has been completely transformed.Projects and ideas that cycling advocates have been supporting for years are finally gaining some traction. 1,680 miles of bikeway are to be implemented over the next 30 years. L.A. is now the home to the biggest cycling event in the U.S., CicLAvia; and we have already written a post or two about L.A.’s new bike rental program. These changes have really had an effect. For the first time, L.A. has been recognized as a Bike Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists.

And all of this because a major public official put their weight behind cycling. Villaraigosa leaves office in June. Bike advocates in L.A. can only hope (and vote) for the next Mayor to be just as or more cycling-friendly.

If you ever need a bicycle accident attorney in San Francisco, Paso Robles, or the surrounding Central California Coast area, contact us for a free consultation.

Source:

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-0126-villaraigosa-biker-20130126,0,4079324.story?page=1

Cycling on the Up and Up in the U.S.

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

San Francisco gets a mention in this great short video by Al Jazeera!

 

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/americas/2013/01/201311675349997107.html

 

They make a good point: Businesses who want to attract young professionals should actively support bike lanes and cycling infrastructure because many of today’s ‘young professionals’ don’t want to sit in a car and commute for an hour, they want the ease and environmental-friendliness of cycling to work.

We’ve Said it Once, We’ll Say it Again.

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

Two new studies suggest (as bike advocates have long argued) that bike lanes are good for small businesses. The rationale is very simple. Bicyclists tend to eat and shop more locally. For example, they are more likely to stop in at a mom and pop diner than at a McDonald’s drive-through.

One of the studies was conducted in Manhattan by the New York City Department of Transportation. This study, entitled Measuring the Streets, compared the growth of businesses on small city streets with bike lanes and that of ‘borough-wide averages’. The results of the study are convincing. Ninth Avenue, which received the nation’s first parking-protected bike lanes in 2007, saw business grow nearly 49%, 16 times the borough-wide average.

The second study, called Consumer Behavior and Travel Mode Choices, was conducted in Portland, Oregan  by  the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC). It found “that people in the Portland, Ore., metro region who drove to bars, convenience stores and restaurants often spent more money per visit than bicyclists, but bicyclists visited the same venue more often, and spent more overall.”

Business owners are often worried that bike lanes will reduce their available parking and therefore hurt their business. However, although this may be a short-term effect, the bike lanes will actually increase business as it brings in more locals more often. The health and environmental benefits of cycling are often those heralded loudest by cycling advocates. However, in this time of economic crisis in the U.S., it may be time to change the conversation. Cycling is good for the economy. It is truly as simple as that. Cycling advocates have been saying it for years. Now, they have some more data to back it up.

If you ever need a bicycle accident attorney in San Francisco, Paso Robles, or the surrounding Central California Coast area, contact us for a free consultation.

Source:

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/bike-lanes-may-benefit-small-businesses-1C7488581

Fiscal Cliff Deal Unexpectedly benefits Transit Commuters

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

The lukewarm compromise reached by Democrats and Republicans to avert the impending doom that was the fiscal cliff contained a New Year’s surprise for transit commuters. The new deal included a return to the 2009 commuter benefits program “that allows workers to pay for up to $240 of their monthly transit costs with pre-tax dollars.” This means that transit commuters could potentially exempt up to $1,500 of their annual commute costs from taxes.

“Any incentive to get people to take transit is a bonus,” commented Tom Nolan, who sits on the Caltrain and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board of directors. And in the Bay Area, any relief from the often high financial burden of taking public transportation in the Bay Area is welcome.

Since the fiscal cliff package is retroactive to January 1, 2012, commuters may be able to apply the benefits program to their upcoming tax returns. The details of how to do this are still being determined, however, since the reinstating of the program was so sudden and unexpected. The Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance, a transit advocacy organization, is working on determining how it can be done.

Source:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/01/transit-benefits-package-unexpectedly-included-fiscal-cliff-deal

Traffic Camera finally gets the Green Light

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

On Thursday, Attorney General Kamala Harris approved a welcome addition to the intersection of Octavia and Market Streets; a traffic camera. The camera installation, which Assemblyman Tom Ammiano proposed over three years ago, has been repeatedly delayed as it made its way through the state government approval process. This delay can partly be attributed to the unique nature of the camera. Unlike most traffic cameras, the Octavia and Market Street camera is not designed to catch vehicles that run red lights. Instead, it will be positioned to catch vehicles that make illegal right turns and endanger pedestrians.

The camera has had a long and incredibly frustrating bureaucratic journey. The traffic light’s problems first  began in 2010 when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it because it was ‘unnecessary’. Assemblyman Ammiano then went through the arduous process of trying to prove that the camera was indeed necessary. First, he went to the City Attorney’s Office for a legal opinion. However, the office concluded that they could not rule on it since the camera was being used for a ‘new’ purpose (catching right-turn violators, not red-light runners). Therefore, they passed the proposal on to State Attorney General Kamala Harris. Finally, on January 3, 2013, Harris approved the camera.

Unfortunately, there is more bureaucratic red tape to cut through before the camera can be installed. The SFMTA must find funding, define the project’s goals/scope, and then bid out the contract. The agency will not have an accurate timeline for installation until these steps have been completed.

For the SF Bike Coalition and WalkSF, the camera cannot come soon enough. Last year, the Octavia and Market Street intersection was given the infamous honor of being the most dangerous intersection in the city. In 2011 alone, there were an astounding 10 injury collisions involving bicyclists and pedestrians at the intersection. Both WalkSF and the SF Bike Coalition have previously noted their frustration with the SFMTA over their seeming lack of focus on problem areas like Market and Octavia. However, SFMTA has responded that the intersection has undergone signal-timing changes and improvements to crosswalk markings in a concerted effort to make the notorious intersection more safe. “There have been some physical improvements to Market and Octavia” admitted Leah Shahum, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, “but this enforcement mechanism will really make people think twice about making that illegal turn.”

The proposed camera will not be a magical solution to the problems plaguing the intersection. A comprehensive effort including “engineering changes, increased enforcement and technology upgrades”, like the traffic camera will be needed to tackle the intersection. However,  the camera is a good place to start.

If you ever need a bicycle accident attorney in San Francisco, Paso Robles, or the surrounding Central California Coast area, contact us for a free consultation.

Source:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/01/right-turn-targeting-cameras-approved-dangerous-san-francisco-intersect

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2012/08/dangerous-intersections-continue-plague-san-francisco