to make sure that that happens. >> advisory council report. i don't see chairman here. >> comments on directors reports. only one nine [indiscernible]. >> good afternoon sir. >> good afternoon chairman and directors. i want you to know that when we you allow the cab companies to add more cabs on special events, where is the money going? that should be useful. that's all. >> thank you. >> next item. >> citizen advisory committee. >> this is just on the directors report at this point.

>> good afternoon. >> herbert weiner, sometimes has parking problems when he uses his car in the city, rarely. one thing that i noticed that contribute to the problem of parking is the parking spaces have been depleted over the years. dpt snatches up parking spaces. you have restored some of them. >> sorry this is for items discussed by mr. ruskin as part of his directors report. >> bethlehem addressing, the problem of parking.

it also brings less revenue to the city. >> there will be no report, item 9, public comment an opportunity for members of the public to address the board within the jurisdiction of the board of directors but not of today's calendar. we will start with benjamin [indiscernible] >> good afternoon sir. >> my name is benjamin [indiscernible] i would like to say, as a cyclist in san francisco i am excited to see the handout with new bike lanes. as a taxi driver that will impact my commute to work. it can be a a harrowing ride for me. c not on the agenda today but was on the agenda at the last

meeting were 200 taxi medallions issued directly to companies. i would like to mention that there have been really shockwaves that have gone out throughout the industry by this decision. when the current program for sales was initiated, there was a promise made to the cab drivers, one medallion, for every new medallion issues we will be offered to the list on a seniority basis, and one for purchase. this has broken the promise. when i first came to san francisco i was 22 years old. i left my hometown on the east coast looking for a more progressive city, more in line with my own politics.

i cannot help but view this decision is essentially corporate welfare, and the handout to the companies which had really done nothing but impede [indiscernible] -- anti-progressive agenda, and middle road politics, takes thousands of dollars of potential revenue away from working families in san francisco. thank you. >> mark kruger followed by herbert --

>> mark gruber [sounds like] in case you have not seen it you should read this article in th san francisco guardian. direct predecessors began in england in 1635. (reading article from the san francisco guardian) these companies are thumbing their noses at hundreds of years of regulation. are you going to sit on your hands and let them get away with it?

united taxicab workers has appeal the decision to release the medallions. the way you make your decisions is as important as what you decide. due process and fair process are essential. it has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. the report was a joke, a conclusion on 12-year-old information suspect even at that time. uses as a comparison the city of washington, d.c. you approved full-time permits without giving a thought to part-time permits that can serve the public every bit as well. thank you.

>> herbert weiner [sounds like]. >> i am ssmta, i have been waiting for my bus for 100 years. you had a logo. my own idea of a logo is a ruptured duck, over it written the inscription hell's transit. 67% delivery, 4 points off the 63% in the days of the [indiscernible] -- this is very bad. throughout the years people could not -- and before any implementation of the transit effectiveness, you have to focus on keeping your present schedule. that is what you should be focused on. transit effectiveness project should be doing that. even with the service cuts

some lines have been cut, those buses don't show up. it's terrible. i have a suggestion. should spin off the taxi division. you should spin off the department up public parking and traffic, and leave muni intact as one agency. you have a lot of work to do. you should be doing that. is that interesting that 100 years ago -- ran just fine? they had all of these bus stops, all of these lines. why can't you do today? you have the technology and the personal to do it. it is time to really start doing this. is a failed, defective agency happening on your watch. >> [indiscernible]

>> good afternoon, my name is [indiscernible], l living in san francisco for 29 years, driving for 24 years. we don't need more regular cabs. in[indiscernible] directors, this is unfair. when we put our name on the medallion list, we saw the concert with the city of seven san francisco to earn the medallion not to buy one. you ignore us.

then you started the medallion partner program and ignored is again. we will never sign up for it. now you're releasing the medallions directly to the cab companies? don't do this. who is serving the public? [indiscernible] people call three companies, and take the first that arrives. we lose time and money. who is ready for people to [indiscernible] it is the cab driver. why are you avoiding those [indiscernible]

can i have a few seconds? why are you giving those medallions to the companies and ignoring the cabdrivers who are doing the work? >> next speaker. [indiscernible] >> good afternoon david -- this is muni's 100th anniversary. i wonder what is upcoming for the next of the year. i spoke earlier this meetings that the director held in relation to the budget. anchors that we do that not just related to the budget; it would be good to do this again so it is not an adversarial, budget driven exercise. next the bart + fare instrument, i

understand there is a notion to eliminate that. i wonder how that will be handled as if their change. t do believe that constitutes a fare increase to the passengers using it. new traffic signs appear to have mixed case lettering, i was told it was related to the mutcd. lettering and traffic signs is easy to read and this mixed case is more difficult. next item, dpt friday hearings. i was at two of them and asked for written procedures and guidelines for how the hearings work. i was given some documents. there is no complete set of procedures of what

people can expect. i suggest that be developed. over the weekend i was at embarcadero. there was a new map on the platform that reflects service changes that have not been approved, that have not been cleared environmentally. i question that. i wonder if that is confusing to the public and somewhat disingenuous. suggestion changes that not happen. finally muni signs at three locations. all of which are high-traffic locations. it would be great if we can get muni signs at those shelter locations. >> i am a child advocate on pedestrian safety advisory, and one of the things i am advocating is the bicycle ambassador program.

i have addressed this to cheryl in other meetings and we have talked about this, and in the pedestrian safety task force meeting. i am looking at the rules of the road that the bicycle coalition puts out with respect to yielding to pedestrians and stopping at stop signs and not running red lights. i cannot remember when i saw a bicyclist not running a red light were stopping at a stop sign. support the safety program currently given by the coalition but we have people out on the street handing out the rules of the road to bicyclists who don't obey the law. the same thing for pedestrians who jaywalk or do other things that are extremely egregious and could cause injury and to drivers, being able to hand them out to them.

this would be a transportation safety issue, and i know that fmta does have federal funding. i hope that you will consider this, because it would really be helpful. and i think that it would be good-will for the bicycle community to have a program like this, bicycles monitoring out of bicyclists. not easy but something we should look at. >> [indiscernible] >> good afternoon. barry -- with the san francisco cabdrivers association. you have ignored the three years of meetings that we had discussing a fair way to go about this process without jeopardizing what people have worked for her whole career. in looking at

some of the e-mails, a lot of chatter going on, director hyneke [sounds like] -- in a previous board meeting he said some of the money will be towards illegal limo and taxi enforcement. it's not good for cabdrivers of public safety. people are running around mad because they cannot lift anybody. you can't make a living. you get frustrated. people start driving around angry. that is not a public safety thing. so, you need to consider the industry more and not just be in it for your profit.

the main priority here city seems to be that the mta is making a profit, not doing anything about the illegal demos and cab services. that seems to be okay with you as long as you're making money. >> hello directors, i will keep coming here until i get my point across. i know i am getting my point across. i'm here to talk about the lists, number 34 on the waiting list, driving almost 20 years. i've done of the things. i used to act; i almost went back to

new york, i wanted to stay in san francisco, i had the anticipation i was going to receive the medallion. people that i know who have got medallions much older, sold their medallions, received something, not retirement but something. and i am just pleading my case. i don't know what else to say. i am driving right now. i parked my cab. i'm here to plead with you, to give your medallions out. i have anticipated, worked almost 20 years. i still have to call in for shifts. that's the way the cab industry is. pleases, it's been said, i

drove friday and saturday nights, pink cars, sedans, picking up people without reservation. from the street. and they are charging more. it is frustrating. i have taken pictures of them. i have said something to them. i wish there was some way you could get people out there. s would do it myself if you would deputize me. they runaway when i say something. i don't want to get into a whole lot of argument. >> mary mcguire the last person. >> taxi driver, mary mcguire. what he said is exactly true, playing the lines at caltrans, regency, did not customers.

what is it with these private cars? they are soliciting us. there was a recent article. kind of made the cab industry like dinosaurs. you are. you have not kept up with the demand for cabs, so busy trying to figure out how to make money from that but we have a huge gap in your doing nothing. i hope you are doing something we're thinking about it. how much insurance do these people have? i was told that one driver has 15,000 dollars insurance which is the minimum. we have 1 million. i don't understand how they can do that because it is an app, how can an app insure cars? can you regulate this? something that is going to happen. we are losing all our

business to these people and part of it is as the article described, it is dated. you are not allowing us to have a universal app to compete. we cannot advertise. we cannot prepay. need an additional cab stand, on the west side of townsend, 90 percent of the rides are heading westbound. if you have another stand, the cabs would not be forced to make a u-turn. thank you so much.

>> all those in favor? opposed? >> moving on to the regular agenda item.

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