This was just sent in by a reader (thanks Dave!). The SFMTA will hold a meeting tomorrow night to discuss the proposed changes to the 2 Clement MUNI route.

Due to a $129 million budget deficit, the SFMTA is making service cutbacks in October on several MUNI lines, including a few here in the Richmond District.

As part of these changes, the 2 Clement will no longer provide service west of 14th Avenue. This will require a terminal on either 14th Avenue or Funston Avenue just north of Geary Blvd to provide a connection to the Geary buses.

The meeting will review and discuss the following proposals:

Proposal 1: Bus terminal on the east side of 14th Avenue, just north of Geary Blvd.
Proposal 2: Bus terminal on the west side of Funston Avenue, just north of Geary Blvd.

The meeting will be held from 6:30pm – 8:30pm at Congregation Beth Sholom at 301 14th Avenue. Official Meeting Flyer

Note that the meeting is not to discuss whether or not the 2 Clement service change will be made (that’s locked and loaded). But if you want more information abotu the proposed terminal or have an opinion about that, please attend.

If you can’t attend but would like more information, call the SFMTA at 415.701.4500 or email them at sfmtabudget@sfmta.com

Sarah B.

While many Muni bus shelters have digital displays that tell you when the next bus is arriving, it’s only useful if you’re already at the bus stop.

511 offers a new service that lets you call and get the next departure time for your bus right over the phone. So now you don’t have to leave your home or office early and stand at the stop for extra minutes. Genius in the cold and rainy seasons!

From your phone, dial 511. After the man welcomes you, say “departure times”. They’ll ask you for a stop ID but if you don’t know it, they’ll talk you through identifying it (what line, inbound or outbound, cross streets of your stop).

Then you’ll get an estimate of when the next bus is due to arrive at your exact stop. And they’ll provide you with your stop ID to make calls faster in the future. My Muni bus stop ID was 5 digits so you may want to jot it down somewhere.

Sarah B.

P.S. – Reader Troy points out in the comments that momuni.com is another great resource if you have a smartphone or are at a PC. Thanks Troy!

Here’s some good MUNI news for a change… This week, MUNI debuted its latest bus shelter design which aside from looking pretty, is also environmentally friendly. An unveiling ceremony was held on Thursday next to one that was installed at the southeast corner of Geary and Arguello Boulevards.

A red wave design sits atop the shelter but it’s not just for show. Solar panels are embedded inside the wave that power the NextMuni display, a Push-To-Talk system so blind people can hear the NextMuni information, and environmentally friendly light bulbs.

According to an article on SFGate.com, “Each new shelter will also include comfier seats and more maps and transit information. The city is also testing whether the new shelters can have WiFi connectivity.” Green and possibly wired – love it!

So who’s paying for this? Actually, it’s not the taxpayers. According to the SFGate article, “Clear Channel Outdoor is paying to create and maintain the shelters in exchange for the advertising space on the sides.” The good news is that it’s no more advertising space than what’s on the old shelters.

All told, 1,100 shelters around the city will be converted over the next few years. Check out the photos below to get a closer look at the new shelter.

Sarah B.

P.S. – The NextMuni display in the pics isn’t broken – my camera just didn’t pick it up properly.

Like everyone else, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority is running lean these days. As a result, they’re proposing some cutbacks in service on certain Muni routes, several of which run through the Richmond.

See the list below to see how certain lines may be affected or go to the SFMTA website to read all the details of the proposal. The proposed changes would represent an annual operating savings of $13.4 million for SFMTA.

According to the Chronicle, “The Board of Supervisors has scheduled a special meeting for Wednesday to consider rejecting the MTA’s $766 million budget plan, which in addition to service cutbacks calls for fare hikes. Now, Ford [Muni chief Nathaniel Ford] can insert his new plan — which would put an extra 150 service hours a day on the street citywide — into the debate.”

If you want to voice your opinion on these changes, I recommend contacting our Supervisor Eric Mar before Wednesday’s meeting. You can contact him through his website.

2-Clement
Eliminate segment of 2-Clement west of 14th Avenue. 2-Clement and 3-Jackson would provide a combined 5-minute peak period frequency on Sutter Street east of Fillmore Street.

5-Fulton
Modify 5-Fulton during peak periods to address current crowding and additional customers that may shift from the outer segment of 21-Hayes. [Note this is an increase in frequency of service for the 5 Fulton]

31-Balboa
Reduce peak period frequency from 10 to 12 minutes.

38-Geary & 18-46th Avenue
Eliminate Ocean Beach branch of 38-Geary. Alternating 38-Geary buses would run between Fort Miley and Downtown and between 33rd Avenue and Downtown. Eliminate segment of 18-46th Avenue from Point Lobos Avenue and Geary Boulevard and reroute 18-46th Avenue along the discontinued Ocean Beach routing of 38-Geary. During owl period, operate 38-Geary to Point Lobos Avenue.

Sarah B.