this is a challenging fleet we recently entered into a contract with siemens this is going to revolutionize our system it will come up and deaccompany them as and enter the subway and we'll have another advantages to them as well we'll ultimately have twice as many but time to roll them out we'll get the first what i have woody allen wave in a couple of years that will be used to or used for the t line system and so for the next few years we'll be operating exclusively with our inadequate fleet and for a few years after that, the number one t line portions the system will continue to operate exclusively

with the vehicles and gradual transition after that a so we need to make the most of the light rail vehicles and make sure their bridging the gap and that as we grow as a city the light rail system will grow in captivity and to be reliable for the needs of our riders so i would like to invite up governor jerry brown director of operation for muni to provide us with an just want and get us to one piece to the semen vehicles. >> thank you, supervisor wiener and supervisor kim it's a pleasure to be here again, i have the opportunity to talk about what happening in realtime meaning to improve the system we're at a pivotal or transition moment because part of what you

referred to over the loose couple of years we've made with our help and support made a lot of improvements in the service and in the core product i'll ask by way of introduction if you can imagine what is the service is we put america's cup all the service open the street and number 2 the perform of the fleet if we didn't have one hundred and 90 service incidents a week that detailed the rail service i'll ask you to imagine if we did a better job when we have detailed we will have with consulting that to our riders and the public in general and finally just also i would ask you to imagine we're taxing care and breaking and entering those state of the infrastructure in

support to a condition where you have a quiet ride and less vibration and have a more comfortable ride than right now and clearly we're novelist there but i'd like to walk you through some of the things we're doing i believe that we're in the process off both laying the foundation and building on this to get us to the point we say a first class service i think everybody enjoys and is entitled to the order of business is the baseline i think there's a number of good things and number one over the last 18 months to two years we've had as much of seven to eight 0 are percent of the service not go out and the training of operates and putting the schedule we'll have safety

and r50ib89 benefits number 2 we've made substantial changes to the maintenance we've put in place the quality insurance team and understanding more issues with our inspections and completing them faster and looking at the maintenance programs to make sure that the programs we have in place as both the ridership and the miles go up our goals focus on the kinds of maintenance in the 17 year-old fleet without usage and communications and details we'll talk about that that continues to be a soar point despite urging the social media we've talked about looking at those by the time at that cars b will be here in service for of more

years and some of them as long as 10 or 11 we need to continue to make investment in the right things to move forward and the vanessa of the l l rb project it is a transformational extent for the agency we'll talk about the particulars but this will really change the face it is a whole new generation of cars from a performance standpoint as well as a customer amenity standpoint and one of the things to note despite our issues we continue to work through them we're joining unprecedent ridership people continue to use the system and we all know given the leadership what is coming down the road we're at a point we believe we're beginning to make progress but right now and to

our question supervisor wiener what are we doing now and in the short term and while there's a number of capital improvement like a new radio system one of the things we need to do it help our workers and help our operates and station agents deal with the details and make announcements we're in the process of putting in station booth and some standardized messages for when the system is detailed if you ride the busses the stops are called out automatically and announcements last week, we met with the provider of that technology to have it put on the rail system to do the - have the same kind of announcements if in fact, there's a detail we're looking

this summer we'll begin the process to as a matter of law the platform sizes up that will be highly viable and better able to make the announcements on the cars and station platforms the next one is a point i think this is time for culture change, if you will, in terms of of helping our employees and our riders understand the impacts of holding doors open and kicking doors the handle of the doors the doors represent again, the single biggest source of details on the cars we have to help people understand when they hold the doors open it has a negative impact in areas we'll be undertaking a series of announcements to help people understand that frankly the other thing our system we're going to have details it's difficult because you have a subway detail is effects 5 line we're doing we're

stepping up the trouble shooting stills skills for the first responders including a system where our rail inspectors will be working with us to move a vehicle to expedite details we're trying to 0 moved in reducing this details and communicating nor focusly in terms of the capacity and before i leave communications could you what is the agency doing to get the operators for consistent in terms of communication there are operators that do a great job keeping riders updated and others you'll be stuck in the subway for minutes and not hear a word sometimes, i hear

the operators have a problem getting feedback so they don't know what to say what is the improvement. >> number one and our observation is correct tocy it's uneven and some operators do a terrific jimbo bob city job we need to number one we'll refocus a special aspect of training not only for operators on customer service, and, secondly, this will - this help will be available in 3 languages to help the operators make the announcements, if you will, a script or guidance if - in how they do that and we'll train not only the operators but our station agents and front line employees that's along with some of the if

we can go to a similar first of all, the advantage of having a report or push button announcement system to call out the stops and also to have probably a series of messages depending on what the cause of the incident that if the operators are uncomfortable or not confident communicating then they can push a button and have that prerecorded it works well on buses there's no reason we can't do it on the rail see the other thing we're trying to support them with the staff that's in the field from the control center to make announcements the biggest technology breakthrough that will come with a radio system that allows multiple announcements and multiple people to talk to one another it

relies so much on the performance of humans to file that gap by the limit technology but i indicated we can help them out we can do a lot better so - >> again, thank you. >> so with that, we then i talked about the service and capacity and this becomes important and i thank tip my hat to all of you both as policymakers and regular riders of the system to suggest something that frankly i'm not sure we would have looked at it makes sense we're pleased with what we're seeing as you pointed out we don't have enough cars to serve everybody again for a lot of different reasons to rehab

them and do regular maintenance the fact we're starting with less than we should have to the incision to look at with the one car we did alternative it goes like a longitudinal or more open isle we've got mixture feedback but more positive than negative so we're going to do right now in the next couple of months tend to the cars from the first seating to the reconfigure to the longitudinal seating to create more space we're going to focus with the number of operators out over the last several years and some of the problems with the fleet we're trying to get back in front of one of the things we want to see is refocus on timeliness and schedule leaving the terminal

early we're in the process you see on the screen to put at key terms a clock clock to provide departure times and we're reassessing the schedules they were built with operate and car restraints and don't allow turn around time for a break we're doing another thing from a service and safety standpoint we have a lot of relieve points on the streets it's more efficient to have an operator meet another operators on both the rail and bus side we want to revisit those locations every operator will makes relieve will make the relief in a location there's a supervisor or manager that can

answer questions and give them combines as to what might be going on in the system those are some right of short term actions we're doing to deal with the service and capacity issues you mentioned the vehicle side of it we have improved the maintenance program and looking at the preventive maintenance skefldz making them better fit the mime of the fleet and created a strong qualify assurance we've doubled the number of rail parts we're focusing on doing the prevent of preventive maintenance and with our support we look at the report on the cars they need work constantly some of them maybe here as long as 10 years we need to focus on

the key systems that are failing and ata any muni riders knows occasionally you, you see waters dripping down on you and the cause of that is basically, the cooling system has not been replaced in over 10 years that's one of the things we need to focus on and focus on the doors and finally on this one we need to leverage newest facility and muni on third and 25th it got the most room and the most potential we've started the process to build that out and make it a full service maintenance facility some of what has happened this is not a reason to stop and applaud but this is a good trend

typical mean distance between failure it's a trend you're starting off low and moving in the right direction it's might have and consistent we should continue that and get even better by focusing our maintenance programs on things like doors and steps and propulsion that represents the majority of details again, we can't get the new cars here soon enough but we have almost two years the public is excited they realize the potential for the cars on our outreach process to ask for input on 3 factors most importantly the comparison configuration got own 9 thousand responses we met looker-on the

design we'll have that done by the end of the year some of the key systems integration issues we'll work through them and we want to move forward and make sure we stay on schedule to have the first car coming in december of 2016 and really in terms of transformation was it maples not just new, new is sometimes not better in this case it's spectacularly better standpoint we even though up the procurement we looked at with 2 hundred and 60 cars long term contract and great communications from the signage to the announcement standpoint by most importantly from a performance level you see the current l l r v what the proposed siemens they're a whole new generations and whole new

way of doing business and great maintenance practice and great savings for the maintenance and reduced the time of details and maintenance because of the location of the components and the modules vs. the old ones we're excited we feel that we'll really help us meet the needs of the future and really begin the process to make us what we believe will be the premier of the light rail system in the u.s. with that, i thank yourself time and happy to answer questions. >> great. thank you very much so you know we clearly have a path in terms of the new vehicles that are arriving i know that the agency is doing more and more to try to keep

those vehicles in shape and keep a higher percentage of them in operation to increase our reliability and again, we have seen results sometimes the result are up and down i know earlier in the year there was accident and now more vehicles s are coming in so i guess the question is how this all sounds good but how can we avoid slipping obviously only so much control over accidents you train the operators to drive correctly but with the best driving there's going to be accidents and mechanic problems and given the small margin of error then we have with the l l r vs how

can you maximize the chances of not slipping back again and also in the context of growing ridership like bart and caltrain and b c a is growing it's ridership our population is growing where people want to ride transit so in two or three years from now more people trying to get on the trains than now and before the siemens arrive you can't expand the vehicles how should we be thinking about that. >> a couple of things on the vehicle side how to keep the car count up and reliability we focus on first of all, on the reliability side euphoric number one you don't look at our maintenance prevented active maintenance it is mileage based

and the number of miles going up as ridership goimz goes up there will be expected to be more service in the next couple of years it's important that the inspections be done on time and correctly and thoroughly so it gets really to good supervision or first level supervision that the investments we make and the benefits on over halls are driven at the components such doors and computation that are failing the most where the trucks where the brake we need to focus those forevers the schedules are very important we need to do more work on the schedules because we're do have to schedule to what we have in the capacity and having a full

compliment of operators who are putting service on the streets give us more flexibility in that regard but the scheduling and the detailed recovery strategy, if you will, it becomes very important and better supervision financially i'll say the other thing we're looking at and have the pilot going on which is critical to follow the city processes sometime and the acquisition of parts can be a long process especially, when you have vehicles like ours where many of the parts are no longer made and have to be mustards or purchased from say a supplier that's not close to san francisco we've undertake a pilot program for better planning and focus our inventory that helps those kinds of things

but most importantly from our standpoint the management and the supervision and the instant attention to keeping the service out there and making sure that we do our inspections and organ our workforce so we get work done in an efficient manner. >> okay. i guess another question is when the first wave of siemens l l vs arrive in 2016 i believe and 2016. >> 24 or 28. >> 24 starting in december 2016 to 2018 and the t line the central subway in 2018. >> 2019. >> so those vehicles will be dedicated to the central subway

or - >> no, we don't do that with our real cars we operate the system because all of the lines go through the subway they'll be by the times, if you will, there's be substantial mileage so on any line in the system. >> at one point we were told the first wave would be the central subway but that's not the case as you no, it isn't the central subway will pay for a small autumn but not speculated to the subway. >> so once the central subway opens the t lines like the other lines will be siemens.

>> yes. >> will they be able to link together or vehicles that are multiple car. >> they can mechanically couple so as opposed to training lining if it's a two car train you'll see the power systems and lighting through the two cars siemens will not be able to do that but if say awe probate were to break down and siemens were coming up they have the ability to come up to tow or push so in that sense you'll not see a mixed fleet. >> so in 2015 we see the first one that are roll call into service. >> yes. early 2017 and we'll have 3 cars on the property so

theoretically a 3 car train. >> okay supervisor kim any questions. >> okay. thank you very much, sir. >> any public comment on item 4 seeing none, public comment is closed okay. so sir, thank you and to the agency i know this is challenging aspect of the system but incredibly important and do everything we can to maximum misses the vehicles until the cars arrive with that, could we then continue or actually why not a motion to file item 4 we'll take that without objection. we'll file item 4 madam clerk call item 5. >> item 57 an ordinance mit the planning code and this is supported by

supervisor chiu i'd like to add my name a co-sponsor to item 5 and aaron starr from the planning department t is here. >> thank you, supervisors aaron starr for the affairs the planning department item is before you to allow nor exemptions from the height limit for mechanic equipment on hospitals the proposed ordinance will ply to the structures with regard to height and the structures will have equipment without limitations as long as the following new equipment that can't be honoree the exposure and minimal endorse and necessary for the function of the building and no other feasible all of the elements the office stipulates that any

outdated equipment must be removed prior to installation requested by the city of san francisco their burn center in the bay area can update it's treatment facilities and comply with the state protections the department thanks supervisor chiu for taking up the sponsoring it was heard by the planning commission over october 13th and adapted by. >> unanimous vote that concludes my presentation. >> thank you mr. star any questions and okay public comment on item 5 seeing none, public comment is closed and can i have a motion to forward item 5 to the full board with a positive recommendation. >> so moved. >> we'll take that without objection. that's the order madam clerk, any other business before this committee? >> there's no further business. >> then we're adjourned

thank you >> good evening and welcome to the november 19, 2014, meeting of the san francisco board of appeals, the prosiding officer tonight is ann lazarus and joined by frank if you think and honda and commissioner wilson. there is one seat on the board that is vacant and pu su ant to the charter, the board may over rule the action of a

department on appeal by a vote of three members all votes are not required. my left is robert brian and he is the deputy city attorney who advises it is board and the board's legal assistant, and i'm the board's executive director, we will be joined this evening by representatives from the departments that have matters before the board. sherry kaiser is here, deputy city attorney, representing the environmental health, and we will be joined by scott sanchez, and representing the planning commission and duffy representing the department of building inspection and joined i believe by representative from the department of public works bureau of urban forestry. if you could go over the board meeting guidelines and conduct the swearing in process. >> the board requests that you turn off all phones and pagers so that they will not disturb the proceedings and carry on