i will mention something like that in my public comment. i want to say that i think contract services needs to work closely with one that is actually official, which is out of h.r.c. and if there are conflicts, it may draw into litigation against you and your staff. he mentioned pride. did we make arrangements -- i don't mean maybe two. but are cab stands around the celebration so cabs can stage and pick up people? have you made arrangements for cab stands? just like you probably did not bring the meter increase today but you delayed it for a week or more. it wasn't mentioned in the report so we know what's going on. in closing, something that i request of mr. ford in his

meeting next week. mr. ford always seems to read from a script. i would like him to ask kindly to be more extemporaneous next time. >> next speaker? >> no. moving on to item eight, citizens advisory council report. >> mr. murphy is here. good afternoon, mr. murphy. >> good afternoon, mr. chairman and directors. i'm daniel murphy, i'm the chair of the m.t.a. citizens advisory council. first of all, i want to extend the welcome to director ramos. welcome to the sfmta and also to invite director ramos to attend any of our c.a.c. meetings. all members of the m.t.a. board are always welcome at these meetings, and if you're interested in when they happen, they're on the m.t.a. website

and also ms. boomer can direct you to the correct time and date and what's being discussed at those meetings. so welcome. we look forward to meeting you. >> thank you. >> i also want to express my thanks to executive director ford. it has been, as i was reminded before this meeting, 5 1/2 years. we have worked very productively with the executive director. we have made many demands on his time and staff time and he has been most aecom dating in those. -- most accommodating in those. we have been glad to be included in many of the major undertakings this organization has gone through in the last 5

1/2 years, particularly the transit effectiveness project and as you may know, once a month, i and the vice chair of the c.a.c. and dan weaver sit down with mr. ford and give him a hard time about the signs on the subway platforms to the daily service report to, well, everything you can imagine. and that has always been a relationship i believe of mutual respect between the c.a.c. and mr. ford, and we wish him the very best in his future efforts. we feel the c.a.c. is more integrated into if agency now than it was before you arrived, and we would like to thank you for your efforts in that regard. we appreciate it very much. i do sincerely wish you well as you leave the agency.

also want to express the c.a.c.'s best wishes to mr. roham, who i understand is departing, and who is somebody who has also given a lot of time to the c.a.c. also sometimes in those meetings with mr. ford, giving a hard time about whatever the c.a.c. has told me to give him a hard time about. and we wish him well. he is certainly without question the c.a.c.'s favorite texas rangers fan. i don't think there's any competition that comes even close on that. so that said, i have a number of recommendations to present to you.

three. one pertains to the thorny issue of switchbacks. we recognize that to the agency does a lot to try to prevent having too many switchbacks. that this is something that we all recognize as being a less than optimal situation. we recommend that when switchbacks involve vehicles that are next to each other where the one vehicle being switched back is right there with the vehicle that is going to be continuing forward, that the vehicle with fewest passengers be switched back in order to inconvenience the smallest number of passengers. this may seem like a small thing, but sometimes people who experience switchbacks see that the vehicle with a huge number of people is the one that switched back and everybody has to get off, and the vehicle without very many people is the one that goes through. and we hope to the extent possible that it would be the

full vehicle that continues through. just to inconvenience the smallest number of people possible. nobody likes these switchbacks. and we think this is a small measure that could make that situation a little bit better for passengers who are caught in them. the other recommendation we have is that when acts add destination announcements to the recorded voice announcements on the platform, and a better alert to passengers of upcoming switch baks. for example, on the platform when judah subway, it could say n judah to sunset boulevard as opposed to just n judah. that would alert passengers early to vehicles where there is a planned switchbacking so if they know where this vehicle is only going to sunset and they

can act accordingly. we also recommend it show the accurate destinations of vehicles. i don't think this is the first time we've made this recommendation. this is something that is just so important, particularly to people who are unfamiliar with the system. somebody like me who rides muni every day, i don't even look at the head sign on the vehicle unless it's red and says sorry, no passengers. but it is a source of confusion to people who are infrequent riders of the system and who are tourists and other visitors to the city when the head signs on the vehicles, or the sign above the front window of the driver is wrong. and this drives us crazy. i was just in washington, d.c. on business, and one thing i noticed about the metro system there is that the signage and

everything was very oriented toward the idea that they understand that many people taking that system don't live there. because obviously it's like a big tourist destination. and i think we need to take that same philosophy here at m.t.a. and really in everything we do, including these signs, think about what is the impact on people who are unfamiliar with the system, tourists to the city, visitors to the city, and to look at everything through the eyes of somebody who has never ridden transit before. and in fact, we were just talking -- the executive director was just talking earlier about the success of the encouraging early signs about the m.x. express, and one of the things mentioned about underlining success was that it's very legible, it's very clearly explained to passengers where it goes, where it stops, etc. and that kind of legibility builds ridership and builds

public confidence that they can get where they want to get on muni. my last recommendation has to do with item 11 on your agenda today, the park merced issue. the c.a.c. has had a presentation about the transportation plan and development agreement of at park merced, including the realignment of the m oceanview. it is our recommendation that this board adopt the transportation plan and development agreement. at least as presented to the c.a.c. on june 2. i can't comment, obviously, on any changes that might have occurred since then. it would be very easy to just look at this and say, well, we

just have more people there, so we have to find a way to ship more people around and deal with increased traffic from there. but what you have instead is a really comprehensive transportation plan for that site, something that integrates a lot of principles of good planning and urbanism, and we were very impressed with that and we think that this plan represents a very positive step forward. some of the feedback we got about the m oceanview was the people in the o.m.i. very much value the trip they have to the west portal commercial district. we were pleased to see this plan keeps that intact. this we were glad to see that. it is our recommendation that when you come to item 11 today, that you adopt such a plan. if you have any questions, i would be more than happy to answer them.

>> thank you for your helpful situation. pebs of the board, questions or comments to mr. murphy? treasure heinicke? >> first of all, let's talk about the switchback issue and your recommendation that we have platform announcements of the pending switchback, which assumes that at that point in the ride, the switchback is known or planned. currently, it is the case that if such a switchback is planned or known at the time of boarding in the market street corridor, the operator is making those announcements and letting folks know as they get on, correct? >> exactly. >> so what you're suggesting is that if it's a situation, and i think this board has called on if we're going to have switchbacks, let's know about them as soon as we can for this reason, is to supplement that operator instruction with the machine not only saying l taraval but l taraval that will end at sunset or something like that. >> yes. that is our recommendation.

it's good when the driver makes the announcement. in my experience, that's uneven. >> that anticipated my next question. i'm sure staff will look at your recommendation about automation on this. my own thing is that might be complicated because i just don't know. but it seems that one interim step is to make sure again that our operators are making the announcement in the switchback situation where they know about it. the recommendation is heard and i just wanted to follow up to make sure there is a way to deal with that through the operator. >> we'll take a look at that. >> the other thing is the bike coalition had its event the other day where we got this award and one of the many issues i've been talking about with them is i realize a perennial issue which is bikes on l.r.v.'s, which obviously we can't have during peak rush times or probably can't because of crowding issues. i don't mean to put you on the spot, but i think this is something that there's some

interest with the bike coalition. certainly some interest with me personally about whether we could try a pilot of bikes in off times or weekend times and i would encourage you and your committee to work with the bike coalition on that issue because that's something where i'd really want to hear from a committee like you all as well as just the bike interest groups on that issue. >> i will definitely take that recommendation that we look into that back to the full council. it's something that we have given some thought to in the past. members of the council have been -- director oka may remember back when we last addressed that issue, it's certainly something that we've wrestled with a bit because there are complicated tradeoffs there. we are aware of places like portland which designed their service for bikes to be used on the l.r.v.'s. there are tradeoffs involved in

that. >> i realize it's a complex issue and that's exactly why i say that if we're going to hear this issue, i would certainly want to hear from more than just a bike coalition. >> i will make sure that that happens. just one thing with regard to the announcements on the subway, our recommendation is that when you do the atcs upgrade that the change be made. obviously we don't think -- you know, doing a change to the existing atcs would be wise. you know, that's very complicated. it took a long time to get the programmers to get the t third to show up correctly as the t third. but when we upgrade and replace it, we think there's an opportunity there to integrate that kind of announcement. those kinds of announcements are present in a lot of other systems. train control and train

announcement systems. and we think that having it announced by the electronic voice which is very audible and which does the announcement every time is kind of the ideal way to go there. >> mr. chairman, you do have one member of the public who has asked to address you under the citizens advisory council report. >> peter whit, yellow cab driver, 23 years native san franciscan. i'm sorry to -- this may be or maybe not on the subject. the citizens advisory council, all right? the citizens take taxis, too. i was wondering why citizens are not involved in taxi service. they seem to complain through you, but i don't see anything on

paper. there was a report that was put in the taxi town hall meeting and it said there was a survey done in 2000, that was the latest survey that was done, and that was with dispatch. put out by the police. so i just wondered where is the input on the outreach to the citizensry of such -- san francisco. or tourists, specifically if there was a tourist problem, which i don't believe there is a tourist problem. i believe it's a localized program amongst san francisco's city residents, and i believe it specifically has to do with dispatch. so if i may inquire about that, why is there no relationship to citizens, dispatch, and taxi service? thank you very much. >> thank you. ms. boomer, next item, please?

>> moving on to public comment. this is an opportunity for members of the public to address the board on matters that are within the jurisdiction of the sfmta board of directors but not mr. chairman, there are several members of the public who have turned in speaker cards and i understand you have set a time limit of one minute. >> also, let me say in the beginning that two items -- two items that are on the calendar, one item is on the calendar this afternoon. for those who have come to talk about the personnel issues involved in the transition, that item will be heard after the closed session this afternoon. and secondly, there are no sanction items on our agenda, that's why we're limiting it to one minute. we have heard repeatedly from folks, so we're anxious to hear from you. let's go. >> christopher fulkerson.

>> thank you, directors. should be appropriate to say i'm in solidarity with today's taxi demonstration as a matter of legitimate concern for laborers who are true to their work and unreasonable and ignorant threats to these. one unreasonable threat to these is the m.t.a.'s obsolete con flation of service with more cabs. malcolm heinicke is most consistent on this mistake. i'd like to ask what good service makes good dispatch? don't you understand? of the recent recommendation, the most useful to genuinely improving taxi service, making a google map type of publicly operated cab dispatch. that would answer mr. whit's recent remarks about involvement of the public.

what better way to solve problems than to empower the people with this themselves. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i'm a taxi driver for 21 years. i've been a resident of san francisco for 40 years. in my opinion, something has happened with nathaniel ford that he now gets a pension of $400,000. that's the amount of two medallions that were sold. why are we selling medallions when we give him a huge pension? what's the point? you're wasting money and saving money at the same time. he should not get a pension. i don't see anything he's done of any use to us. and i'm glad he's retiring. i'm glad to see the back of him.

anyway, we should carry on -- i agree with all the cab drivers who are outside demonstrating. there was a lot of them, more than i've ever seen since i've been driving were out today. and they all represent the cab drivers. you're going to have a problem. >> thank you, sir. next speaker. >> barry toronto. >> good afternoon, barry toronto. quickly i want to bring two issues regarding the park garage contracts. i've done some research. san francisco general hospital garage is operated by p.p.m. p.p.m. also has marina security services as subcontractors for security. the general managing partner is actually the general managing partner for both companies. sam sedesi runs p.p.m. and also security services. what's up with that? it's a conflict of interest.

it's immoral and unethical, or it's illegal. why isn't anybody doing anything about that? you're just enablers, like the people who covered amy whitehouse the other night in belgrade. at closing, the policy does not give the authority to change r.f.p.'s. giving him the authority to not accept contracts or to go out to bid again but not to change r.f.p.'s. thank you. >> next speaker, please. >> brad newsham fold by john hawn and herbert winer. >> i'd like to thank tariq mahmoud for sticking his neck out and declaring the strike we're in the middle of right now. it's a real testament to what one person working his rear end off can do. he has given real genuine voice to the real genuine frustration that cab drivers feel out there.

and i appreciate that very much. i would also like to say that whenever -- the one thing tariq has done is he has opened up a discussion or room for a discussion about what an idiotic idea it is for the cab industry to be used as a revenue stream by the sfmta. this cannot last. it won't last. i would like to leave this for mr. ramos' welcome. i would like to say whatever happens in regards to the sfmta and the cab industry moving forward, i'd like to put in a good work for christiana. i'd like to see what she could do if freed from this idea that the cab industry should be enslaved here. >> next speaker, please? >> john hawn. herbert winer. >> good afternoon. i hope that the -- >> state your name for the record. >> john hawn, san francisco cab

driver. and i hope that the board of directors would not take the suggestion that was suggested in a may 6 memo that regarding the allocation of credit card fees, that you simply endure the firestorm of the protest and the strikes and then just move on. i hope that you would consider some ideas and suggestions, one that i have would be that the rear seat payment terminals is causing the credit card fees to be superfluously high, 5%, and that removal of the credit card fee -- i mean, removal of the pims from the waiver requirement could conceivably bring our fees down to 3%. i've talked to a number of drivers who have said they'd go for that. i think that's much more driver friendly and an amiable way to deal with protests and make them go away.

>> transit first, writers, motors, buses, frail and elderly last. success, you through so many under the wills -- under the wheels. there could have been improvements made bringing quiet and peaceful streets to an end and eliminating runs so crucial. many thrown under the wheel and now the wheels welcome you but not the victims. you're buses finally crashed, your run is over, you must leave by the rear doors. i want this to be inserted it minutes of meeting and also a

copy signed. >> good afternoon. >> solo. i may very proud crowd driver in san francisco. for almost 23 years, i must say that i hate personal attacks of any kind and in the old days, the democrats and republicans used to fight like hell and then go have a drink together. there used to be some more of that feeling around here and i don't like to see people being attacked right now. i am very much against the back seat terminal. we have tried our best. we don't want that corporate advertising, we don't want the fact that people get hit on like this other backseats that they tried. we feel that 5% is way too much, 3% would be more fair.

the electronic waybills are an issue except for those that don't want to fill them out. i will say that i do believe that the director has been trying hardest to be fair. she has been fair about the financing and trying to affect the people buying the medallions. >> next speaker, p>> i have beei around here. i would like to say then that i don't want to operate a taxi and i don't want the way bills. >> thank you, sir.

>> good afternoon, sir. >> i am a cab driver. i am so disappointed and feeling betrayed and that the meter increase is off the table. it was falsely reported a month ago that you people approved a meter increase than and you gave good service to a meager increase. the director thinks to increase services is to put out more dalliance and -- more medallions and needed to be postponed. i think it is outrageous. gas prices are still up, we are paying 5% which we did not pay for credit-card. we are told -- we are feeling totally peseta on. if you look out the window, you

are not seeing at all because the police are able walkaway in each direction. >> mr. ford, the two items are on this calendar because of the review that was required. >> we went to the planning department and they said they could not complete the review in time for this meeting so that will be completed and those items will be on the meeting of the 28. >> thank you. >> net speaker, please. >> good afternoon. i've invested 26 years in this industry as of this spring and i would not do it over again,

believe me. we have all had the plans of we had known our fate and what was going on today. i would like to say that i am for open access. i think that would be a much more efficient way than to put out more cabs. i am a cab driver and i don't have a place to park. i thought to the cab drivers every day and they go by and i'm walking my little dogs. they are all racing down posts between height and union square line for a ride because there are not many. it is foolish to put out these camps. gillette's try to be innovative. -- let's try to be innovative. it is very difficult to hear mr. high on she attacked. she has done well by us when she started. she told us we would not get everything that we wanted but