it is 30 miles an hour, to go to 35 -- i want to know if there are traffic studies. these are one-one way streets -- these are 1-way street. last, but not least, 10.3, i asked you, you need to continue or table be -- the item. you need an interim executive director. until that person comes in, it is premature to give that much authority without discussing how to deal with this. in view of just begun approving -- i think you have just begun approving this particular authority. you are giving away your rights over contracts to the executive

director. in this case, by giving away the authority on this issue as well, it is premature, until you see the new director of transportation. thank you very much. chairman nolan: do you want to respond to 10.2, those items? [unintelligible] >> good afternoon, mr. chair. members of the board -- [chime] the first one, i think there is a petition from the neighbors, the general area in that vicinity does have parking effective until 9:00 p.m., and for the reasons that mr. toronto mentioned.

there is heavy activity from the clubs and restaurants in that area. with other areas that are similar. -- we have other areas that are similar. >> on c, i guess the question was has there been specific about reach? >> yes, it was a petition. they originally wanted a four- hour limit. we were not able to accommodate them superviosr wiener >> ok. -- we were not able to accommodate them. >> ok. >> 12 folsom, now instead of

running until 5:00 p.m., they are running until midnight. every day. it is not utilized much, so this will allow the left-turn no. 12 bus heading north bound, so it can turn into the bus the zone on the other side of the st.. -- it can turn into the bus zone on the other side of the street. we will work with ms. hiyashi and her staff. on the last item -- the speed limits -- this is the type of policy direction that was given to us by you, the board, to look for every opportunity, especially in the self market area. -- south market area.

we did do a rigorous traffic study. this is a good starting point to improving things in that area. chairman nolan: thank you. how about on those items? is there a motion? basically e and g. >> i move that. >> second. >> the ayes have it. it is unanimous. >> mr. chairman, if you look to this item, it requires a cfo to review before the authority is granted to the executive director to make that decision. it is related to the issues quickly coming down the pike, making sure we do not lose momentum with those small

decisions that need to be made regarding real-estate. chairman nolan: is there a motion on this one? >> i will move that. >> is there second? >> second. >> all those in favor, say aye. >> item 11? >> you do have a few members of the public who wish to comment. >> we have consultation on this fairly recently. and we have received -- >> and we have a citizens advisory committee recommendation. >> [reading names] chairman nolan: good afternoon. >> hi, good afternoon, directors. in an 18-year resident of parker

said -- parkmerced. i have used muni forever. chairman nolan: thank you for that. >> it has become known that sustainable transit is the best development you can have. right now, there is excellent transportation. you can get to any part of the city from 19th and holloway. the plans will enhance transit in that area by providing shuttles to the residents, to local shopping areas. it will also provide retail with in parkmerced, so there are fewer trips outside of the area, and any opportunities for

the improvement of transportation, as well as traffic improvements, as far as rearranging entrances into the area for automobile traffic. of course, the hallmark is the m-line street car, the hordes of people from parkmerced do not have to cross 19th avenue. thank you very much. chairman nolan: next speaker, please. >> hello, i am elizabeth keene. ditto on everything anne-marie said. this really makes 19th and holloway saber.

there are so many older, disabled residents in parkmerced who have been there for years and years and years. it helps everybody. it helps the business is, and it -- it helps the businesses, and it will hopefully will encourage students to bring it less cars into our neighborhood. i think it is a great program. >> my name is jeannie scott. i am faculty at san francisco state university. i agree with everything the other two said, but what i really want to see happen is the m-line get out of the middle of 19th street and come to the side

of san francisco state. i use the m, as well as the students. it is narrow and dangerous. there are a lot of backpacks, a lot of jostling, a lot of waiting. thank you. chairman nolan: ok, then we have a recommendation in front of us. is there a second? >> second. chairman nolan: all those in favor, say aye. >> item 12 -- chairman nolan: before we do that, our distinguished former chairman is here. i do not know if you would like to say anything. would you like to address the board? [laughter] >> you did not think he was going to say no, did you? chairman nolan: i did not think

there was a chance of that? thank you for greasing a room this afternoon. >> good afternoon, mr. scherer and the members of the board of directors -- mr. chair and the members of the board of directors. earlier, i shared the news of mr. ford's moving on, and it was painful for me because i sat where you set when we went through the work of replacing the former director at that time, mr. burns. we did a national search, and we believe with all of our hearts that we found the top tier of candidates for our agency. i believe mr. ford did an excellent job under all of these circumstances in which he had to labor, and i wanted you all to know, and i wanted to stick

with you because i understand how difficult these decisions and transitions are. you hear all these people -- this ought not happen, this is unfair. i wanted you to know that you were in my prayers as you make the decisions for the agency, as i am praying for mr. ford as he goes through this time. thank you for being as fair and just as equitable as you can with one another. chairman nolan: we appreciate it. good to see you. i could not agree more with your comments. ok. >> item 12 -- discussion as to whether to conduct a closed session. >> is there a motion? >> ok, the commission will go into closed session.

to discuss the troy and wheeler cases. on the 14 directors, we will not disclose the information discussed. >> we will not disclose. >> i am sorry. just for the record, both cases were not unanimous. uofd wheeler case was not your man -- unanimous. it was a 6 to one vote. chairman nolan: any further discussion? all in favor say aye. >> are you ready for the next item? item 15? >> which one is this? >> item 15 is for the public interest item, also with regard to appointing an acting executive director.

that item has been continued -- chairman nolan: i will come back to that one in a second. >> item 15, approving a separation agreement between nathaniel p. ford executive director and the city in any of san francisco, to end his appointment effective june 30, 2011. directors, you do have members of the public who wish to address you on this matter. james bryant. anthony thomas. chairman nolan: mr. thomas? >> good afternoon, mr. chair, members of the board.

i am here on behalf of mr. mcgee. he did not be here today. i have a petition from 12,000 voters opposing the golden parachute you are voting on today. is equivalent to giving the entire city of san francisco free parking for three days. i just want to make clear that our issue is that with mr. ford, personally. our issue is with the management of the mta. six months ago, the board approved the contract with mr. ford. the mta has no business signing a contract that rewards poor performance superviosr wiener --

proof -- poor performance. this $80,000 golden bears to -- we argue, plus the 1200 boaters -- voters -- argue that this is one. please agree with us. to the right thing. did the right thing for the city and for muni. chairman nolan: would any other members of the public like to address the board? simenon, public comment is closed. we should have talked about it in there, but in terms of going forward, are we ready to talk about that? >> we might want to ask if it is appropriate. chairman nolan: 2 we have legal

counsel here? -- do we have legal counsel here? >> on the advice of counsel, i refuse to answer that question. actually, we will of more on that topic -- >> mr. chair, i do not know if this is permissible, but as a matter of personal privilege, one of our long time unique employees did want to speak -- one of our long time muni employees did want to speak on the items. i do not know if we can reopen the items for public comments. >> do we want to vote on that? [laughter]

>> well, he was "ed" when i knew him. >> hello. i am james ryan. u.s. seen some of my group earlier today, -- you have seen some of my group earlier today. i asked you all to think about this. whenever someone has a contract, you have to honor it. the only way to not honored this contract would be malfeasance. that has not happened. he has done things like "clipper." did you all see that move? [laughter]

i have become proficient of the clipper machines, and i think that is a great tool for the the subway. he sees me almost every night. ladies and gentlemen, we must support mr. ford. we must send anyone a signal that if he or she were in the same situation, we would support them. we ask the citizens of the city and county of san francisco -- we recognize the many good things he has done and we recognize we have to as a group support mr. ford. let me tell you this. the best ride that we have is our ride from castro to fort hill station. i have spent many of my 35 years going through a real bumpy ride that he has moved out.

i asked you again to support mr. ford in his separation deal, and thank you for your time. >> that includes the business before you today. >> ok, thank you everybody.

>> cents and cisco's buses and trains serve many writers -- san francisco buses and trains serve many riders. the need to be sure they can get off at their intended stop. the digital voice announcement system, which announces upcoming stops, can help these low vision riders know where they are, but only if set properly. >> it is a wonderful piece of technology, but in practice, it is a little bit more tricky. oftentimes, i find that the automatic announcement system is turned off or turned down so low that i'm unable to hear it, or it is turned up so high that the sound is distorted. >> most of the time, it does not ever seemed to be on.

or is it is, it is a really quiet. occasionally, it is so loud that it is distorted. >> driver, may i have california st., please? >> no problem. >> whenever the announcement system does not work properly and a driver does not call out the stops, and i'm totally lost as to where i am. the announcement system calls out the stops, but to help the customer, i caught the destination, transfer points, and requested stops. and it is the law. >> i use the p a system to make sure everyone on the bus here is my announcements. >> i have had both experiences with the loudness and the to stop for the announcements. you are never going to have it exactly balanced for every trip because your level of noise changes. the announcement system ranges from 1 to 10. 10 would be too loud, a little distorted.

eight is a good number. not too loud, but loud enough for everyone to hear and understand what is going on. >> i think bus drivers might not be aware of the fact that if you let a visually impaired person off at the wrong stop, number one, they may be absolutely unfamiliar with the area they are in. >> the driver overshot the stock that i wanted. i decided to get off and find my way back, but it was very disorienting, not exactly understanding how far i was. number 2, it might be a potentially dangerous situation if they do not know the area and are attempting to make crossings that they are unfamiliar with. >> they let me off somewhere else. i had no idea where i was. i missed the stop, and the bus was gone. then, i look around. i tried to find someone to help me, and i cannot find anybody. i would have no way of knowing

where i am at. >> [inaudible] i asked why he did not stop when i asked. we did not panic. we do not know where we are. we do not know what is going on. i get over there, and right away, i almost got killed. >> #3, it's the person in question is trying to get somewhere, it is going to make them late for whatever they are doing. >> i had to find my way to a corner and ask someone where i was going to and how to get there. i eventually made it to my appointment, which was with social security, but i was very late, and they almost did not see me. >> i was very late former doctor's appointment, and there was concern about whether or not i could be fit in. >> when i get off i stock that

is unfamiliar to me, because i have no sight, i cannot just automatically orient myself off to a new environment. it takes a lot of training, a lot of work. there are a lot of skill sets involved when i am first introduced to a new area. to get off at an unfamiliar bus stop for the first time and to do it unintentionally -- it can be a really disorienting experience. >> i think there is a sense that it is ok, that person is going to find their way, and did they do not know where they are, you are potentially putting them in a seriously dangerous situation. >> i always appreciate when the drivers are proactive in asking questions like, "where do you want to get off?" i appreciate when they help find a seat for me. i also appreciate when everything is working properly as far as the voice announcement

system. they make sure that it is turned on, that it is loud enough for everyone to hear, not turned down so low that it helps no one. >> excuse me, driver, what stocks are we at? can you remind me when we get to venice and broadway? thanks. >> what we're talking about here is full participation and inclusion. i want to be able to lead a full life. the only way that i'm able to get from place to place this by using a fully accessible public transit system like meany -- muni. >> the americans with disabilities act of 1990 is a wide-ranging federal civil- rights law that prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. title two of the ada addresses

access to public services, including public transportation for persons with disabilities. it requires transit operators to call out stops at transfer points, major intersections, and major destinations, and to announce particular stocks requested by customers with disabilities. stop announcements are especially important for passengers who are blind or have low vision. these individuals cannot travel independently if they are not assured of getting off at their intended destination point.