Skip to main content

tv   [untitled]    March 22, 2013 7:30am-8:00am PDT

7:30 am
prepare for and manage large events and a restructures of our enforcement division and in a very short period of time has made significant steps so we think you know we're biassed we think this is a very well deserved award and i'll be there at the event tonight to introduce her as she receives the award it's a big deal we're happy she joined the mta and i think this is award is very fitting and representative of the great work she's done -- i don't know -- oh she's here. congratulations. applause. >> absolutely. >> the next one is bike sharing and i think maybe we've given a few updates along the way but
7:31 am
just a few weeks back the area quality management district proceeds authorizes them to share throughout the bay area the contract is for a total of 7 hundred bikes 350 will be in san francisco the rest will be down the cal train corridor so very much a pilot and used to evaluate the benefit of bike share in terms of getting more people on the bikes and out of their car giving people more options how to make short trips in the city. although the time it's taken this pilot up and going i think many other cities have already gone past proofing the concept this pilot program
7:32 am
was initial ly meant to be 500 bikes but because of funding constraints it's only 7 hundred but we will be reaching out to our regional partners to see if we can get that number up to a thousand. and look to expand we're very confidence that as every other city that's tried this it will be very successful. the good news is the contract is finally awarded and the bikes should be in place and operational by august so a great big step forward. and then just two items on muni service changes 2 different things we're doing one temporary one permanent the temporary one is an extension of what we did during the
7:33 am
christmas and new year holiday. we looked at historical rider ship partners and the drop off and adjusted our service accordingly and we were able to achieve a number of things one we saved money running fewer buses in terms of operators who would be driving those buses and the vehicle maintenance. so if we run vehicles fewer miles we spend less maintaining them we were also able to allow our operators to have more time off it's a week when a lot of them want to be on vacation and we've traditionally kept our service 11 levels as if it was not a holiday week so we see it as a win-win and it saved around 275 thousand dollars for
7:34 am
the agency. we had very little in the way of complaints there were very few adjustments we needed to make so i'd say it was a significant success. so now we're going to be doing the same for spring break week the public school spring break week is next week it's a smaller rider ship it's still a measurable some where on the order a decrease of rider ship as a result we're going to make very minor schedule adjustments so we're not putting out more service on the street than is needed and we'll define this concept of trying to provide the level of service for days of the week so we'll gather data and adjust during the week if needed but also add this to
7:35 am
lessons learned for the future so i think it's a smart use of resources for us and helps offset when we have to increase service when we have additional demand public special events or other things so when we need to increase the service and when we can afford to we are adjusting the service downward and in could njunction with this we're also making basically adjustments on the 80 and 80 x and 82 x which have some overlap so adding and dropping of stops to make those coordinate better and we're also making some adjustments on our afternoon express routes the 31-a x and bx and the 38 ax
7:36 am
and bx to adjust the depart ure times and recognizing the issues that we have in dealing with rush hour traffic so relatively small adjustments but should help the on time performance and rationalize the service a little bit so that's all i have for this report. >> just one question. if we could get an update maybe at the next meeting on -- i know we had public comment last meeting about the pace of the project and the next steps and when it would be completed i don't know it's up to you maybe just a verbal update at the next meeting because i know we have comments on that. >> i'd be happy to. >> the members of the public
7:37 am
have comments on just the directors report at this point. >> these are only matters that are discussed by mr. -- at this point. >> at the executive directors report he mentioned rush hour and traffic and on time and what i'm noticing by the way i'm 25 years native san francisco an and i'm concerned about this i live here in the city still and i know i'm on the endangered species list and i know it's open season for native san francisco ans i know it's the third most could most conjested met ropolis in the
7:38 am
united states. i was in new york in 1969 and i thought traffic was terrible back then. i grew up in san francisco and we didn't have traffic until a few years ago and now we're the third most conjested city in the country. i don't mind that as a cab driver but as a resident of san francisco and as a person that lives here and has to breath the air i'm concerned about the air quality, i'm concerned about the quality of life and i'm concerned about getting from one place to another in a short period of time i see muni pushing cars into a funnel and making them wait and the cars when they sit in traffic you
7:39 am
know they cause conjestion and if you think about it if any of you can think what about emergency services that have to get through what about if someone is dying? you can't get through if there's an emergency service. >> thank you i understood that it's very kind of you. >> very good. >> my name is [inaudible] i'm a long-term resident of this city i'm also a cab driver but i would like to comment on the very strange way that you use bus service here you are going if you will force into saying we want to get rid of cars we want to get rid of cars we want to increase taxis bicycles and pedestrians and you do the
7:40 am
opposite. you reduce the service and in reducing the service and you have done this so many times before from years and years as you reduce services as the buses get more conjested, more people travel in cars because they have no alternative. the idea that san francisco ans which has a fairly large aging population is going to get on a bicycle to go to their doctors appointment is absurd. so you've got to find a different way of measuring things and if you want to be proactive about service and reducing cars, then you've got to find a lot better things than measuring things
7:41 am
than saying well in the past you know the buses weren't used so much and we're going to reduce them and for an measley -- which is nothing on your best of my knowledge on your budget. so look at new ways to reduce the cars. >> any word on the directors report? no one coming forward i guess? >> good afternoon. i was born and raised in this city in 1940 i've never seen such a shamble in my life. they block all the
7:42 am
traffic. people are trying to jump in the left lane why don't they make cut outs on sunset i don't understand it maybe you could explain it to me. anybody got an answer for that? there's going to be a lot of accidents thank you. >> okay next item? >> citizens advisory report i don't see mr. murphy here. this is an opportunity for members of the public to address the board that are within the jurisdiction and not on today's calendar -- >> i'd like to comment on the report -- the advisory
7:43 am
committee? >> there is no report. >> that's what i want to comment on. how come we don't have one? and that's my comment. >> okay. members of the public. >> 25 years native san francisco . >> hello my name is tara house man i'd like to talk about the no left turn on powell it used to be you could turn left at as sutter now it's no left turn whatsoever as i as a cab driver if i pickup at ellis and powell i either have to take my passengers 12 blocks to sacramento which is the first legal left or i have to go right right right and right and
7:44 am
therefore please consider having that instead of no left turn period please consider putting no left turn except taxis and buses. you are costing tourists a lot of money and need less air pollution thank you. >> that was raised last time. >> then you have responded? so okay. next speaker please. >> k u.n. takas and john lazar good afternoon. good afternoon sir and thank you -- for letting us express ourselves i
7:45 am
just want to add the same thing i'm supporting my colleague here i'm a cab driver with yellow and actually a left turn for taxis should be allowed since it is you know we don't need to make people run away from taxis anymore. >> thank you, sir. next speaker please. >> mr. kantakas followed by john lazar and -- >> hi ladies and gentlemen. nice to be here. i have been here 29 years never take a vacation never been to my country. i drive a --
7:46 am
[inaudible] so i saw my friend in 2012 he said to me going to mta you pickup -- i meet them i said to him sir i never put my name on the list i never signed up anything could i apply for the senior permit he said yes you qualify. sure? yes you qualify. if you put your name on the list you qualify. so i said to him sir, i come back september 28 from greece so the first appointment happened 2012 and they said to me when i come back they said to me just a minute -- what happened he took
7:47 am
it from me because i'm a retired -- soshe can
7:48 am
talk. you will spend the same amount of time. >> next speaker please? >> i'm sorry i'm sorry we can't do that okay next speaker please. >> john lazar, robert shizana, greg gilzler. >> good afternoon how are you. i'm president of -- cab company i've been brought up here to speak on behalf of the fisher man's wharf community there used to be a cab standing there for many years now it's gone. the wharf business improvement district are asking for a stand at that corner we strongly support that request and ask you to install a taxi stand at taylor and jefferson. this
7:49 am
will help drivers more easily find fairs we have said for years there should be many more stands in san francisco. the current request is supported by the cab ministry and approve a stand as soon as possible. >> good afternoon commissioners . i want to talk about the fact that in the proposal for new cabs which we haven't seen and we're not discussing today proposes approximately 800 new cabs which if you do the mathematics is about 240 million dollars over approximately 10 years, 24 million a year something like that. you guys are too cheap
7:50 am
to look at your own self interests and start doing something about all the illegal applications with the driving around on these streets now, it's no use waiting for your city attorney and everything else. i'm on that committee and i can tell you -- will arrive before they make a ruling so in the meantime in order to safe the taxi industry you have got to start telling the taxi cab division that they have got to higher some police officers to check what these people are doing. for one thing, they are taking flags off the street. now, if you have a police officer who can
7:51 am
check their electronic devices, then you can prosecute them because they are operating as a taxi cab. now, there's one other interesting thing that you should know -- that many of these eliminate limos and taxi applications are not always using the means of dispatch. they are going to hotels and therefore are not using any electronic applications and you sit on your hands and do nothing. >> next speaker please. >> all right actually anybody who's standing because of the fire code you are either going to need to find a place to sit or we do have the south light court setup so you can observe the meeting so if we can ask people to either find a place
7:52 am
to sit or have you go downstairs . >> thank you for allowing me to present here my name is -- i'm speaking on behalf of mark br u.n. o safe north beach mark is undergoing oral surgery at this very minute and a copy of the statement has been submitted to your secretary back at the december 4th hearing you were enthusiastic at the possibility of evidence code extracting -- mark and i believe the move to go to the theatre is a well meaning compromise. the numerous north beach businesses that are represented there are now 53 of them contributing
7:53 am
only one of them beliefs it's reasonable and conserves public resources the other businesses involved in our suit they do not believe that it's fair that any neighborhood particularly ours, should face a 2 to 7 year period of construction when the city itself admits that there is a better way. the better way is to leave the machinery particularly the -- heads in the ground we've been in contact with the company that makes these machinery this is the companies one of the largest manufacturers and has the automation on your website. is there any reason why this machinery has to be left in the ground they said the material
7:54 am
in the machinery there are no materials of construction are any different than the other materials already being left in the ground as part of the subway itself so there's no reason for removal. and if i can say we are continuing the suit. >> next speaker please. >> lance -- charlie walk er and -- deutchman. >> is mr. -- here? charles walk er. >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon. board members and mr. riskin i'm a resident of north beach and after a fire alarm cut short a meeting on january 22 in north
7:55 am
beach regarding the site project we were happy to hear that the board meeting one month ago today that mr. nolan and mr. rifkin -- we scheduled a meeting we notified your office that it will be held at 630 p.m. tuesday march 25 lombard street. we look forward to your visit to north beach we've sent a letter on march 14 outlining what we would like to accomplish in addition to the letter we sent a set of questions you will return by march 20th tomorrow i would appreciate it also if you would let us know which members
7:56 am
of your staff will be in attendance so we can welcome them and include their names on the meeting agenda and other board members are also welcome to attend in closing the neighborhood looks forward to a productive meeting with you next tuesday thank you, sir. >> thank you. next speaker please. >> charlie walk er followed by -- and. >> good afternoon does it seem racial to you members on the board. the police knocked on black people's door told us we couldn't park in our own driver 's anymore and gave tickets to predominantly black people we
7:57 am
need to know if this is a racial thing with you all or what it is really all about. where muni said that -- they have not done that in 10 years but yet the city manager comes to a meeting tells us we're going to put the parking lots up there for you black folks but you got to be patient. they haven't provided one parking space now you all got third street used to be a 6 lane road now it's a one lane road because they put the bicycle lane and the street cars and now we got one lane for cars and is that just for us in bay view? just tell us the name of the game so we can learn how to play it. it's extremely unfair and it seems
7:58 am
racial to us that you guys would tell the police to come out here in our community and give every black person a ticket that was parked in his own drive way they told us and they told me at my home that we can't park in the drive way no more by your orders so what are we supposed to do? give us the rules where we can park our cars where you guys are taking the spaces up and there ain't no place to park what are we supposed to do. >> next speaker please. >> good afternoon i was born and raised in san francisco i've been a car driver about five years about last year i left yellow cab went to work for -- i was a little diss enchanted since then i left and
7:59 am
came back to yellow cab and they were kind enough to accept me back what happened at uber they flooded the market with car and see my income went down by 40 percent and i see that's about to happen here. to add 500 taxi cabs and i was told that the number is more realistically 250 which -- it would be like thank you thank you for adding 500 i understand that's the way politics works but i urge you to see if you can try to make the taxis work better not everybody wants a taxi is always going to get a taxi when they want one it doesn't work like that in new york or chicago or anymore. to make them work more