they have no say in the terms of their employment. so what is there for cabdrivers? what has been there his starkly. that was your path to a stake in the taxi industry. that path has been all but closed to anybody who can't afford a medallion. we are talking about the possibility of some sort of peak time permit that will create more competition for drivers, and we are talking about giving them the cab companies because that is the predominant idea that has been put out there. rather than allowing some drivers the consolation prize of the peak time of medallion. it is a potential revenue source for the agency and they will be

very marginal in terms of the economics. [chime] director nolan: any more speakers? is there a recommendation? director heinicke: it is no secret that i have been urging this for years. it is not that i lost focus on that, it is is that there are a lot of hoops to go through. when i hear people come together with general support, that is a low bid gratifying. -- little bit gratifying. we have not heard from the hundreds of thousands of people that would save their major complaint is not that the drivers are not professional.

not that the cabs are not safe, it is that they can't get one when they need one. let's make no bones about this. the political pressure is there to put more cabs on the street. we can either accommodate that were bent to it. i don't think flooding more medallions as a solution. that would hurt our drivers and that would hurt the industry and would hurt customer service. i have pushed for this idea because we need a more service. they are getting calls because there are not cab services in the peak times. it will be good for drivers. drivers can may money when passengers are willing to spend money.

let's let them profit from these very valuable shift. it will be good for companies. and of course it will be good for customers. the key issue is, if we are going to do this in the somewhat surgical or more focused fashion, there has to be a way that the companies can take these permits and operate them. that is why this proposal sends it, so we can model at to make it -- i am excited about this. i am appreciative for their support in this. the supervisor has introduced a board resolution.

there is a lot of momentum here. unless there are other comments, i am prepared to move it. director nolan: second? okay. >> if we, you know, there are several comments made about a meeting to increase the meter. i agree with that because we have a younger, professional community and that are able to spend more money. i want to be careful because if we are talking about raising the meter, our transit program is going to be affected by that.

i am not sure that we are ready to evaluate this. 16%, maybe a little less than that. we really need to build some way to minimize the impact on taxi drivers that can't afford to pay. we have some that won't be able to pay for any kind of increase. director nolan: we have a motion and a second. all in favor? the aye's have it.

item 12, we will hold that until around 4:00. >> be required right turns on eastbound market street permanent including the existing a right turn only. there are few members of the public. [reading names] >> good afternoon, chairman. and the director of the san francisco great streets project. i am here to speak in support of making these permanent.

three things have brought me here today. as you may already know, market street serves about 13 transit lines and the transit system here in the city. it has a big impact throughout the city. we are a very data conscious organization. we have conducted a foot traffic counts to compare the years we have done an increase over the course of this trial. they are also encouraging because they managed to work with other agencies, they are bringing more people. congratulations on that.

finally, we have business owners up and down the street. we found a diversity of opinions including people that had no idea that it was happening. some people don't like it. others that like a, you have letters from supervisor chiu. i want to review things that will be on the record. this is from the owner of a new coffee shop and wine bar on market street. i am all for decreasing [chime] -director nolan: thank you. >> i will submit this. >> elizabeth followed by tara

houseman and neil patou. >> i'm elizabeth stamp. we support making permanent the right turns on market street. this has resulted in increased public transit speed and you have heard more people walking. increasing walking on market street means more eyes on the street to increase personal safety. it is a concern by many folks. and more foot traffic that will support local businesses. while san francisco congratulates, we encourage you to make the pilot permanent.

>> these are the last members of the public. >> you will hear from everybody that adores this program. the walkers, bicycle riders in transit. you will not hear from the people that have gotten tickets because of this. i am not affected. if i am not mistaken, these are moving violations. i don't feel that the area is adequately signed. i think there is an awful lot going on. people don't get what is going on until they are in a situation where it is too late. it victimizes the visitors, and

we don't know how many people it takes away from san francisco. we don't know how many people who decide to heck with it. i will shop at the mall were ever there is a parking spot. i realize there are many benefits to this. i am asking that you extend to the pilot program because there are people you can't hear from that have been really affected by this. >> neil is the last person to turn in a speaker card. >> i am the community planner with the coalition. on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people that ride a bike in the city of san francisco, i urge you to make these permanent.

just to pull out a few points, i heard from a woman who has biked for many years. not until these required right turns went in did she feel safe an d comfortable. another woman often takes the s- line. i also want to applaud the efforts of the staff. they put in this trial, which, as you know, making any change on market street is very difficult. through their work and through the constant flexibility and change, what we have today is a very strong improvement for taking transit in san francisco.

i encourage you to make these changes permanent. >> i also want to urge you to make this permanent. you know by now that it saves a minute earth so on every bus ride in the city. it is probably easier to improve. the other thing that you want to work at, i hope you can figure out a way to enforce this. that is always a crucial issue. >> i am in very strong support of this. when the trial started, i was not on the mta board. when i found out we were speeding up transit, that got my

attention. we had a 3% increase. it is fabulous. another thing. when we got the e-mail, reading through them, it really completely put to bed the urban myth that the cyclists are young, strong men. i. cycle myself, and i am not a paragon of athletic ability. it really brought home to me the same people that are on the streetcars. the same variety of ethnicities, and that should be out there. some of the ones that really struck out to me, there were a public -- a couple of public school teachers.

we had a nanny that gets there by bicycle. the diversity struck me. director nolan: we have a motion. do we have a second? director heinicke: i won't address the biking nanny. but some nannies have to work on hills. director brinkman was taken by the positive stuff and the opposition. i think people have gotten comfortable with that.

is it the case that as we move to a more permanent and established system, that we will have the he were -- fewer pco's on this? >> definitely. right now, i don't believe there is a limit to manage this. everyone is pretty much agitated on the way that does intersections are designed. -- indicated on the way that those intersections are designed. director nolan: we have a motion and a second. all those in favor say aye? the ayes have it. one more item. >> item 14, exactly.

director nolan: will this take time? >> we only have two members of the public to speak. [laughter] >> maybe taking a break and getting a history. director nolan: a ten minute break?