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All over America, the public sector is renowned for being slow to consider new ideas and innovation. For the past three years, the Newsom Administration has tried to shatter that notion at every turn.
Today, Gavin Newsom took another step in that direction by saying that he is willing to consider making Muni free. That’s right, free. Now, here is the important part: he said it is an idea worth considering. No commitment to do it, because it might be a terrible idea.
But, it might be a brilliant idea that will change this city and show how acting locally really makes a difference in the world.
That is the hallmark of the Newsom style of governing – try new things; consider the idea that many have dismissed as impossible.
So now we have a good idea to talk about here on ActLocallySF.org.
Our Municipal Transportation Authority is looking under the hood to see if free Muni makes sense.
What is your take on it? Leave a comment. Talk to your friends and family and let us know what you all think.
Watch video of the Mayor discussing free Muni with San Franciscans at his 1st of 100 MeetLocally events. You can only see it here.
- : 3.0
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March 8th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
The mayor’s decision to approach the idea of FREE MUNI…is revolutionary and brillant. It is also right.
with all the talk of global warming, air pollution, traffic jams congestion etc., we need real solutions not just talk and a movie. we need action. The whole idea of a downtown is what it has always been a large open space - in short, a Plaza. something american cities dismissed as old and america was young etc., ok, that was a mistake and our cities need a plaza because our cities are alive or should be ( think commuters : they come in and they go out everyday ).OK back to point : FREE public transportation. it will get people out of their cars, think about that for a minute, it would change our way of life. all of us. it would be a beginng to change.
March 17th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Making MUNI free for passengers is possible but making is cost effective would be the biggest problem. Nothing is free. It would simply mean that someone other than the passenger is paying. I would imagine that most of the people that would be forced to pay for the free system with taxes would be the wealthiest portion of the city, who probably do not use MUNI and couldn’t care less about those who do. If that is the case then an alternative method of financing needs to be found.
I would suggest trying to dovetail the project with another initiative: making SF the world’s most “Green” city. Target and challenge the most innovative alternative energy companies to sponsor, subsidise and create a mass transit system that is both environmentally sustainable, functional and dependable. Those that participate would receive massive exposure for their brand (bus advertising) and in a city that has the tourism levels that we do, could effectively raise environmental awareness for not only our city but potentially the whole world. Start with something small like installing solar panels in the roofs of MUNI stop/shelters that receive a good deal of sunlight. The power generated during the day could power the lights when the sun goes down.
One more thing that has been bothering me. There is an old gazebo near the trolley stop at Hyde and Beach. I think it’s atrocious we drop a good number of tourists off and force thousands more to wait in long lines next to this dilapidated eyesore. Tourism is our number one industry and the trolley cars, according to the Visitors and Convention Bureau, the number one tourist activity. There is a tremendous opportunity to make a positive impression on these people and all they see are SF residents performing for pennies, a group of our local indigent population loitering on the far side of the park and a dirty and useless gazebo. I would suggest redesigning the gazebo and making it a symbol of “green” innovation. Install solar panels and some sort of wind energy capturing device that would charge during the day and light up that area after the sun goes down. Something simple, beautiful and relatively inexpensive could influence thousands of visitors weekly, change their perception of the City and give them something more than fleece jacket with an embroidered Golden Gate Bridge to take back with them: an idea.
A major element to becoming the world’s leading Green city is making the visitors to the city believe that we are.
March 21st, 2007 at 9:15 am
MUNI has to be truly competitive as a transportation service for people to leave their cars at home and switch to public transportation. People who can afford cars don’t mind paying a buck fifty. Unless people believe in the environmental benefits of riding MUNI then the service offering might not be that compelling. I am taking public transportation to Mountain View every day and I have to say that MUNI is the most erratic part of my trip. I’m not taking MUNI because it’s fast and reliable. I’m taking it because I like taking CalTrain and using that time to read, work or just relax. I’m also conscious of the fact that by riding public transportation I can cut my personal carbon emissions. For other people who do not value the same things I value MUNI has to be fast and predictable. The service has to be better than cars or, at the very least, on par.
Improve the MUNI service and increase ridership. That will also provide additional revenue to hire more drivers, buy busses, do more advertising for the service and other such improvements. If MUNI had a stellar record then the public might be willing to accept additional taxes to support the service.
I really wish the City could run MUNI like a business. Giving the service away for free is not the way to increase revenue and improve the service. In the morning it takes me 40 to 50 minutes to get to the Caltrain station. The route is just over 3 miles and takes about 20 minutes by bicycle (a great alternative!). I’m pretty sure that I could walk to Caltrain in the same time it takes MUNI. When MUNI is barely competing with pedestrian traffic something has to be done. Making it free is not the solution.
June 2nd, 2007 at 10:40 pm
We live in an society that is constantly bombarded with advertising images. In SF it’s virtually impossible to get from one place to another without being pitched the latest iPod, Windows version or the next blockbuster movie. Why? Because advertising works. People see things, remember them, and act accordingly by making a purchase, telling a friend or altering their own behavior.
In order for advertisers to reach their audience they need a medium in which they can communicate their message; the most popular being television, radio, print, web, and open-air (posters, billboards etc.). The organizations that provide access to their audience can usually be classified as commercial, those that allow advertising, and non-commercial, those that have a message to convey that would be diminished by the existence of commercials, such as NPR, HBO, etc.. By the looks of it, San Francisco is a commercial city.
We take BART or MUNI and are bomBARTed with adds. I’m beginning to think that Viacom provides public (commercial) transportation as a service to its clients
Is it really necessary to fill our public spaces with adds that we’re all going to see somewhere else anyway? I already pay for this space with fares and taxes and would rather have nothing there than to be subconsciously coerced into parting with more of my expendable income.
I advocate removing the adds and replace them with something that serves the entire community; Art. Thinking primarily of the BART/MUNI stations, we can create a cross-section of permanent and rotating exhibitions from local, national, and international artists that communicate the majestic and inspiring culture that is San Francisco. Although there will be debate as to what and who to exhibit, I’m pretty sure that nobody will be crying to stop the Art and bring back the advertising.
The SFO Museum started out as an extension of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and has successfully developed into its own organization that serves millions of Bay Area visitors and residents every year. It’s been done before, let’s do it again. We can call it the “Mobile Movement”!