Muni Newsletter Fall 2010 Edition

Phase Two of California Street Cable Car Infrastructure Improvement Project Starts Jan. 3 Page 3

New Muni Text Line Seeks Customer Help in Fighting Muni Vandalism Page 8

SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

Muni Steps Up to the Plate

Agency Keeps City Moving Throughout Giants World Series Journey Pages 6 & 7 VOLUME 6 / ISSUE 4

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FALL 2010, Volume 6, Issue 4

Executive Director’s Message

• Installing new faregates and ticket vending machines and proceeding to transition customers to the Clipper smart card

As we come to the end of 2010 it is worth recounting that it was a year of continuing economic turmoil, yet also one of great accomplishments by you and your colleagues throughout the Agency.

• Installing new, customer-friendly parking meters— at the rate of 200 a day—in preparation for unique parking pilots in early 2011 that will be followed by cities around the globe • Selling the first Taxi medallions since 1978, launching the Taxi Advisory Council and leveraging a grant for electric taxis and testing recharging technology

Despite the Great Recession SFMTA Executive Director/CEO, and all of the difficult actions Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. that it generated, we jointly managed to focus on safety, service to our customers and keeping the City’s transportation network in a state of good repair while advancing major projects that will usher in a new era of convenience for those traveling about San Francisco on foot, on a bike, on transit or in a vehicle.

• Providing service to Giants games during the playoffs, World Series and to the ticker tape parade after their victory that attracted more than a million people to the event—including 900,000-plus who rode Muni that jubilant day • Continuing to install Pedestrian and Accessible Countdown Signals at intersections to enhance safety for able-bodied and sight impaired people

The achievements that you and your fellow workers attained are not just admirable but especially impressive given the harsh economic environment of the past two years. Simply consider the following list:

• Transforming City neighborhoods to safer, greener and more welcoming environments through our vibrant Livable Streets projects

• Reducing systemwide collisions seven percent, pedestrian collisions five percent, all accidents and collisions involving LRVs 13 percent and LRV customer accidents, including falls, a remarkable 25 percent

• Installing 100 new transit shelters that feature solar power and NextMuni messaging for customers with visual limitations • Fielding hundreds of volunteer SFMTA Ambassadors to provide personal assistance to our customers during service changes, construction projects and major events

• Restoring 61 percent of the Muni service that was reduced in May to balance the operating budget • Achieving our highest on-time performance in years--75 percent

The list goes on and on and many of your achievements are featured in this issue of En Route.”

For these and your many other accomplishments throughout 2010, I extend my deep appreciation.

I also emphasize that we could do all these things because of our supportive Board of Directors and elected officials, our transformed Agency structure, our ability to leverage grants and other funding and our steadfast focus on a sustainable transportation network for those whom we serve every day of the year.

• Completing vital track replacement work, including the massive St. Francis Circle Rail Replacement Project, on schedule and within budget • Unveiling the Streetcar Canopy that will shelter the SFMTA’s F Line historic streetcars and welcoming the newest addition to the fleet, President’s Conference Committee car #1071 • Entering final design on the Central Subway Project and advancing planning for the Van Ness and Geary Bus Rapid Transit projects

Needless to say, I look forward to working with you in 2011 to surpass our record of achievement this year. In the meantime, I wish you a safe and most enjoyable holiday season and best wishes for the New Year.

• Leveraging federal stimulus and other funds to rehabilitate LRVs and buses as well as to repair damaged vehicles • Completing the first new bicycle lanes immediately after the injunction on bike projects was lifted by the court 2

SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

Phase Two of California Street Cable Car Infrastructure Improvement Project Starts Jan. 3 The SFMTA will continue collaborating with the Department of Public Works (DPW) during Phase Two of the California Street Cable Car Infrastructure Improvement Project to replace aging electronic and mechanical components underneath the cable car trackway. The second phase of the project, commencing Jan. 3, entails installing new conduit and cables, pipes, non-clog strainers, manholes and replacing spring depression beams, offset depression beams, electrical panel batteries, charger systems and alarm switches. Work also involves reconstructing four blocks of concrete streets and repaving California Street between Van Ness Avenue and Drumm Street.

SFMTA Community Relations, along with the DPW Public Affairs Office, launched an extensive community outreach campaign during Phase One which continues as the Jan. 3 construction start up approaches.

During construction, which will continue through summer, the California Cable Car Line will be closed, and Muni will provide substitute bus shuttle service. Muni’s 1 California bus route will continue to serve customers.

The SFMTA and DPW began Phase One of the project in September. Sidewalk curb repairs, sewer replacement and curb ramp installation that started as Phase One will continue during Phase Two.

Rides on San Francisco’s signature cable cars will still be available to Muni customers and visitors on the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines. However, these two cable car lines will undergo safety improvements which will require brief shutdowns tentatively scheduled for spring 2011. A five-day shutdown of all three cable car lines also will also occur.

The City completed the last major overhaul of the cable car system on California Street in 1984. As a result, much of the system’s infrastructure, including key electrical and mechanical components, is worn and in need of renewal. DPW last repaved California Street 25 years ago.

SFMTA Near-term Bicycle Program Projects Coasting to Finish Line Despite an appeal to the recent August 2010 lifting of the 2005 Bike Plan Injunction, the SFMTA Bicycle Program continues to speed ahead with a laundry list of nearterm projects that have been mothballed for more than half a decade.

Bike lanes scheduled for this fall/winter include 17th Street from Corbett Avenue to Kansas Street; Alemany Boulevard from Bayshore Boulevard to Rousseau Street; John Muir Drive from Lake Merced Boulevard to Skyline Boulevard; Market Street from 17th Street to Octavia Boulevard; plus additional lanes planned for the Glen Park area, McCoppin Street and Illinois Street.

Moving forward within days of the Aug. 6, lifting of the original injunction, the SFMTA began an aggressive bike lane An example of one of the many bicycle corrals sprouting up throughout San Francisco. implementation schedule, which, in a few short months, Though the recent appeal of has seen striping of 11 miles of new bike lanes, as the original Bike Plan injunction will probably extend identified in the Bicycle Plan--32 percent of the full ongoing legal battles for another nine months, the long build out--and 31 miles of “sharrows,” or 41 perlist of near-term projects outlined in the plan is under cent of the Bike Plan build out. In addition, 750 bike construction and continues to move forward at a rapid racks have been installed and 10 new bike corrals pace, many scheduled for completion by spring. will be installed by the end of this year.

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FALL 2010, Volume 6, Issue 4

Bike Sharing Becomes a Bay Area Reality As a Dynamic Pilot A regional bike-sharing initiative facilitating two-wheel travel through the Peninsula Corridor is about to see the light of day.

The regional program follows the lead of other successful programs in Paris, London, Barcelona, Chicago, Denver, Washington and numerous other cities around the world. The MTC grant was awarded as a result of the intrepid work of the SFMTA Sustainable Streets and Finance and Information Technology Divisions.

The pilot program, enabled by a $4.29 million Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) grant, along with additional funding provided by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and other partners, is scheduled to launch in late 2011 and run through mid-2012. The program will place 1,000 bicycles in 100 strategically located kiosks throughout the Caltrain corridor between San Francisco and San Jose.

San Francisco will receive Bike-sharing facilities, similar to those showcased during July’s Sunday Streets the lion’s share of available event held in the Mission District, will be placed throughout the Bay Area late kiosks—50 with 500 bicynext year. cles—while the remainder of the kiosks will be distributed throughout Redwood City, Mountain View, Palo Alto and San Jose.

Seismic Wave Shelters Arrive with a Splash Like fall clover, Muni’s new Seismic Wave transit shelters are sprouting up at an increasing pace throughout San Francisco neighborhoods. Over 100 of the iconic aluminum and plastic refuges have been installed to date. SFMTA vendor Clear Channel expects to have over 1,100 current shelters replaced with the new, more environmentally friendly models

by December 2013.

“Bike sharing is the final ingredient in our recipe for citywide mobility options,” says Timothy Papandreou, Deputy Director of Planning for SFMTA’s Sustainable Streets Division. “Once fully realized, these bicycles will be available on demand for short trips and to fill in the first and last mile of longer trips by bus or rail transit.”

Photo by Ryan Hughes

Participants will need to acquire a bike-share account either online or in-person at any station within the network. Once customers are registered they can use any of the bikes stationed throughout the network. Annual and one-day memberships will be offered. A credit card or prepaid smart card will allow customers to unlock the bikes electronically.

To encourage short-term use, there will be no charge for trips of 30 minutes or less. Long-term pricing has yet to be established. Bikes will be outfitted with GPS units and radio frequency identification tags along with other security components to minimize theft and to allow for location tracking.

Form and function combine with green technology to create Muni’s new, iconic transit shelter.

The new “Wave” shelter features a rippled, crimson or amber plastic roof made of 40 percent post-industrial recycled content and galvanized steel support beams created with 60 to 70 percent reclaimed product. Some of the shelter roofs are embedded with solar-powered photovoltaic cells which not only generate sufficient electricity to power dramatic rooftop lighting and NextBus and Push to Talk technologies, but also feed surplus energy created back into the power grid. The shelters were designed by San Francisco’s Lundberg Design.

Muni Moving Stops as Temporary Transbay Terminal Is Completed As of Dec. 11, final build out of the Temporary Transbay Terminal was complete; Muni moved its buses to their updated stops on the perimeter of the terminal on Dec. 16. The Phase Two configuration will be in place until construction of the new Transbay Transit Center is completed in 2017.

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SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

LRVs Get New Lease on Life The majority of Muni’s fleet of light rail vehicles (LRVs) is about to receive a clean bill of health thanks to a $56 million rehabilitation contract awarded in September that will ensure the Agency workhorses will be serving San Franciscans safely for years to come.

The first refurbished, “like new” LRV was unveiled on Oct. 14 as part of the six-year contract that is replacing aging systems on 143 of the fleet’s 151 trains. The LRVs are being rehabilitated by manufacturer AnsaldoBreda under the LRV Doors and Steps Reconditioning Project funded in part by $15 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funding.

From Right to Left: FTA Regional Administrator Leslie Rogers, SFMTA Board Member Malcolm Heinicke, SFMTA Executive Director/CEO Nathaniel Ford and SFMTA Board Member Cheryl Brinkman are flanked by the Ansaldo Breda executive team at an Oct. 14 news conference.

The scope of the project calls for the rebuilding of the LRV door and step systems, air supply units, traction motors and automatic couplers to their original operating specifications. During the rehabilitation process, articulation pins in the center of the vehicles and articulation wire harnesses will also be replaced. The renovations are expected to extend

the life cycle of the vehicles by an additional 10 to 13 years. The Agency’s fleet of 151 LRVs carries more than 160,000 customers each weekday. The rehab process will directly improve system performance by assuring vehicle availability and component reliability as well as service reliability and performance.

Parking from the Ground Up—SFpark’s New Hi-tech Approach creating—in most cases—one free parking space per block.

Likewise, demand-responsive pricing will be implemented at City-owned garages to create a competitive pricing arrangement with metered spaces, steering customers to underserved garages and creating additional on-street parking.

With a little help from new technology and the information superhighway, SFMTA’s SFpark is in the process of implementing a new approach to parking management that is being hailed as the first of its kind.

SFpark’s sophisticated, two-year pilot program will soon make parking less daunting for City travelers. By early next year, City motorists will have electronic access to real-time parking data acquired from over 8,200 street-embedded parking sensors that provide accurate data showing available parking on City streets and in City-owned garages. Information will be conveyed to motorists via the Internet, 511 system, variable message signs, text messaging or through handheld mobile devices. Using historical information, SFpark will then adjust meter rates, known as demand-responsive pricing, based on time of day, location and parking availability in each of the pilot areas.

Along with demand-responsive pricing, other parking management strategies incorporated by the innovative SFpark pilot project will include longer time limits and new meters that accept credit cards as well as coins and the SFMTA Parking Card. Use of these new strategies, says SFpark’s Jay Primus, will help motorists circle less, reduce double parking, improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, cut down on parking tickets, create more reliable Muni service and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The SFpark pilot project received major funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Urban Partnership Program. To find out more about SFpark please visit www.SFpark.org.

Meter rates in test areas will be adjusted monthly by no more than $0.50 an hour with an end goal of 5

FALL 2010, Volume 6, Issue 4

SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

Muni Steps Up to the Plate: Agency Keeps City Moving Throughout Giants World Series Journey There all kinds of champions: athletes, dancers, actors, spelling bee winners, beauty contestants and others.

And then there are those who perform like champions out of simple dedication but don’t get a laurel crown, a gold medal or a statuette.

The SFMTA is full of such people, and they turned in championship performances on the stage of the World Series this year in San Francisco—an event that took 56 years to happen.

From beginning to end every member of the SFMTA Team stepped up to the plate and hit one out of the park, and all are MVPs. These champions represented a veritable cross section of the Agency:

Photo by Lulu Feliciano

• Operators, Mechanics, Dispatchers and Street Supervisors • Planners and Engineers • Stations Agents, Transit Fare Collectors, Parking Control Officers, Revenue employees and Community Relations staff • Taxi staff • Our San Francisco Police Department colleagues The SFMTA Team responded selflessly by providing extra service to playoff and Series games at AT&T Park and then moved over 900,000 happy Giants fans to and from the ticker tape parade that attracted more than a million people to downtown and Civic Center. They executed a game plan that included traffic and parking control, logistics, security, crowd control and advance ticket sales. Others volunteered as SFMTA Ambassadors to provide information and to assist customers, many of whom were visitors and unfamiliar with the City and the transportation network.

The World Series was an extraordinary event that is now part of baseball history and lore.

The SFMTA Team also turned in a championship performance by keeping San Francisco moving from the first playoff game to the fantastic ticker tape parade.

Photo by Lulu Tong

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Photo by Eric Lavina

Photo by Eric Lavina

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FALL 2010, Volume 6, Issue 4

New Muni Text Line Seeks Customer Help in Fighting Muni Vandalism A new anti-crime campaign to stop vandalism on board Muni vehicles puts the “power to prevent” in customers’ hands.

train number from the customer’s text. The SFPD then dispatches an officer to intercept the bus or train on its path of travel in an effort to confront the vandals before they exit the vehicle.

The new campaign, “Not in My House,” produced by SFMTA Marketing staff, introduces a number that allows customers to covertly alert authorities to vandalism on Muni vehicles.

Graffiti abatement and cleanup throughout the Muni system costs the Agency $11 million annually and creates unwelcome blight on Muni property and vehicles.

While vandalism is occurring, Muni customers with cellular phones can text the four-digit bus or train number, located above the Operator’s cab and throughout the vehicle, to 710.4455 to reach Muni’s Central Control Center.

After receiving the text message, Central Control alerts the SFPD and provides the specific bus or

SFMTA Engagement Survey Campaign Wins APTA Award The SFMTA’s five-poster Engagement Survey campaign took first prize in the Shoestring Category in this year’s American Public Transportation Association (APTA) AdWheel Awards competition. SFMTA’s Director of Administration, Taxis and Accessible Services, Debra Johnson, was on hand to accept the award in San Antonio at the APTA annual meeting in early October. The Shoestring Category features marketing or communications campaigns conducted on a limited budget. This marks the second year in a row that the SFMTA’s Marketing Section has won at least one award in the annual APTA awards competition.

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SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

SFMTA’s Islais Creek Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility Project Receives a Financial Boost The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced in October that $43.8 million in State of Good Repair funds was on the way to the SFMTA’s Islais Creek Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility ($35 million) and a capital asset management system ($8.8 million). These two crucial projects will improve Muni bus service by providing increased capacity for service and repairs and better asset management.

tions Building as part of the $92 million Islais Creek Bus Facility Project, an undertaking that will result in a fully functioning, state-of-the- art facility.

The Islais Creek Facility Project will be built on 5.32 acres of City-owned land and 2.4 acres of Caltrans property located on Cesar Chavez Street. It will include operations and maintenance facilities and parking for 165 of the SFMTA’s 40-foot motor coaches and 19 non-revenue vehicles, as well as a fueling and wash facility.

“Reliable transit service is crucial to local economies and improving our environment,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “We need to re-invest in the infrastructure of the Muni system to fulfill the promise of our Transit First City.”

Phase One of the project will also bring major waterfront improvements on a strip of land to reflect the historical industrial and port uses along the San Francisco Bay and Islais Creek. Using federal and local funds, the SFMTA prepared the design package for Phase One site development, which was advertised in September. Phase One construction is expected to begin this winter. Once this phase is completed, the project will advance to Phase Two in summer 2012. The facility will open for operations in the summer of 2012 and the entire construction project will be completed in 2014.

“San Francisco’s infrastructure is at the core of our quality of life,” said Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., SFMTA Executive Director/CEO. “Accordingly, the SFMTA will continue to aggressively prioritize keeping Muni in a state of good repair in order to provide safe and reliable service to our customers.”

The $35 million in State of Good Repair grant funds will be used to construct a Maintenance and Opera-

Artist rendering showing front and side views of Islais Creek Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility.

Third AT&T Taxi Stand Keeps Customers from Being Stranded on Base Responding to a big league request for additional taxi service to and from AT&T Park during the 2010 National League Championship Series, the SFMTA Taxi Division plunked down a third taxi stand near the ball park as a way of alleviating pre- and postgame traffic congestion.

The new stand, installed on a trial basis on the east side of 3rd Street just north of King Street, was a sight for sore eyes for game-day travelers who complained of the difficulty in hailing taxis post-game at the 2nd Street taxi stand south of Townsend Street due to travel restrictions along the route imposed to minimize exit congestion.

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FALL 2010, Volume 6, Issue 4

Customers Sailing through Clipper Transition As part of the Clipper card transition initiative, new, state-of-the art faregates and interactive ticket vending machines were installed in Metro stations in record time. The new faregates replace the over 30-year-old turnstiles and are designed to accept regional, reloadable Clipper cards. The new ticket vending machines add a new level of customer convenience as they accept cash, credit and debit cards and dispense and reload Clipper cards and Limited Use Muni Tickets.

Use of the Clipper card has grown exponentially since its launch in June when 6,700 passes were sold on Clipper cards. In October 42,000 were sold and in November 74,000. That equals nearly half of the number of passes sold monthly.

Clipper faregates, like this one in the Montgomery Station, were recently installed in all Muni Metro stations.

wrapped with Clipper information for three months leading up to the November transition deadline and every RTC sticker was attached with information starting in May. Clipper Ambassadors were deployed to inform and and provide personal assistance to customers in stations, onboard buses and at select retailers. Transit Fare Inspectors (TFIs) and Station Agents played a primary role in this initiative, providing hallmark customer service during this massive fare media transition.

The tremendous growth in awareness and use are the result of an aggressive marketing and outreach campaign as well as quality customer support.

“Time to Switch” ads appeared in Metro stations, on Muni vehicles and in transit shelters. The campaign was seen on TV, in newspapers and heard on radio. Customers also learned about the transition from direct mailers. Every paper Fast Pass sold was

Next: Transitioning youth, senior and M Pass holders in the coming year.

Bay Area Leads the Charge in Electric Taxi Implementation The groundwork is being laid for a regional electric vehicle (EV) corridor in the San Francisco Bay Area that will cement the region’s reputation as a leader in the EV movement.

The collaborative effort between Better Place and the cities of San Francisco and San Jose will establish an electric taxi program that will have far-reaching implications for an industry that currently operates large, predominately gas-powered vehicles in urban areas.

This effort will be launched through an initiative that will include the nation’s first electric taxi fleets in the cities of San Francisco and San Jose by 2014. Over the next three years Better Place, an EV services provider, will deploy and operate four automated battery-switch stations in the San Francisco to San Jose corridor to support a fleet of zero-emission, electric taxis. These stations will service over 50 battery-switchable taxis to operate in both San Francisco and San Jose. In addition, San Francisco will acquire 25 zero-emission neighborhood, or “ZEN,” taxis that will be deployed to improve service to outlying neighborhoods.

Photo courtesy of Better Place

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SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY NEWSLETTER

Livable Streets Making Street Life Better for City Residents Diligent efforts from Livable Streets, a subdivision of SFMTA’s Sustainable Streets Division, are changing the face of San Francisco’s famously urban landscape.

reconfiguring sidewalks and truck loading zones, installing bicycle preferential signal timing and adding art elements and new trees to enhance the sense of place in the heavily traveled corridor.

In recent months, a number of projects have either been completed or moved forward that will, in the near future, transform various City neighborhoods into safer, greener and more welcoming environments for pedestrians, local residents and all roadway users.

Two other large-scale projects incorporating similar enhancements, The Cesar Chavez Streetscape Improvement Project, a multi-agency collaboration, and the Masonic Avenue Street Design Study, will incorporate total streetscape redesign and have similar impacts on their respective neighborhoods when completed.

The recently completed Valencia Streetscape Project between 15th and 19th streets incorporated traffic calming techniques to address growing traffic and safety concerns. Streetscape enhancements included

In addition the SFMTA, in coordination with the Better Streets planning process, has initiated a citywide movement to enhance pedestrian safety at 60 “uncontrolled intersections,” those with crosswalks where there are no stop signs or traffic signals, within the next year. Selected intersections will receive new signage, roadway markings and Red Visibility Curbs that restrict parking near intersections to increase pedestrian visibility.

People gathered at parklet at 17th and Market streets in the Castro. Similar oases are being developed in other San Francisco neighborhoods to make them friendlier and more attractive to residents and visitors.

These and other projects dovetail with the Agency’s Better Streets Plan, which provides a blueprint for the future of San Francisco’s pedestrian environment, and was introduced to the Board of Supervisors for adoption into the City’s official plans and codes by Mayor Gavin Newsom on September 21.

Muni New Year’s Service Means a Safe Trip Home As residents and visitors prepare to ring in the New Year, the SFMTA is gearing up to ensure that customers get home safely.

For New Year’s Eve 2011, Muni service on all routes and lines, including cable cars, will be free from 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31 until 6 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 1.

Extra Metro service will also be provided, including: • Metro service between West Portal and the Caltrain Station from 8 p.m. to 2:15 a.m.

• Metro service between Embarcadero and West Portal Station until 4 a.m.

• Extra Owl service from 1 to 5 a.m. with shortened frequencies from 30 to 15 minutes on the 5 Fulton, 14 Mission, 22 Fillmore, 24 Divisadero, 38 Geary, 90 Owl, 91 Owl and L and N Owl motor coach service.

F Market & Wharves service will be provided by motor coaches after 4 p.m.

Photo by Marcin Wichary

To assist customers, Variable Message Signs will be displayed on The Embarcadero advising motorists to expect delays from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

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FALL 2010, Volume 6, Issue 4

Maintain, Don’t Gain This Holiday Season!

The goal for the holidays is to maintain your pre-holiday weight by avoiding calories and associated weight gain during this festive time. Don’t set an unrealistic goal to try to lose weight. Instead, take a daily E³C break.

in the same position all day can be hazardous to your health. Studies show that movement, stretching and light exercise effectively break up unhealthy, prolonged static postures and greatly decrease the likelihood of work-related aches and pains.

What is E³C? The Employee Exercise & Education Center, better known as E³C, is located at One South Van Ness on the Sixth Floor, Room 6051 and is open 24/7. This facility is a welcome haven for SFMTA staff to enjoy a private and safe environment to stretch, strengthen, de-stress, monitor blood pressure and to learn effective ways to improve their health and well-being. If you cannot get to the South Van Ness facility, vans regularly bring health and wellness advice and activities to SFMTA facilities and offer onboard strengthening, stretching, aerobic exercise and blood pressure screenings. Backfirst’s Healthstrong Mobile services are available weekly at:

How do I use E³C? The center is open daily for your personal use at your convenience. All equipment and wellness tools have been carefully selected to ensure safe and effective self-monitored stretching, gentle strengthening and cardio exercise. Try the “Fine in 9” routine, a session, guided by a BackFirst trainer on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon until 2 p.m., of stretching, relaxation and strengthening that you can do in just nine minutes!

Where can you get additional help? Please contact the staff at BackFirst for more instruction and help with the use of equipment, guidance with a specific exercise program and nutritional counseling. You can reach BackFirst at 415.923.6357 or by e-mail at www.BackFirst.net.

• Green Division, Monday, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

• Flynn Division, Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Woods Division, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

• Potrero Division, Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• Kirkland Division, Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Caution: Please use all equipment safely and only as directed. If you suspect that you may have a medical condition that precludes you from exercising, please contact your personal physician before starting.

If you wonder how these services can help you, consider that sitting in front of your computer or working

Combined Charities Fundraising Campaign Update

SFMTA Welcomes Tess Navarro and Mike Keohane

The un-audited results are in. Overall, 18 percent of City and County of San Francisco employees participated in the Combined Charities Campaign, generously donating a total of $1,112,763 for those in need. As an Agency, the SFMTA racked up a 24.7 percent participation rate with 1,046 pledges.

Of particular note, we got 700 pledges in seven days!

Congratulations to the following SFMTA winners of the Campaign’s Final Drawing: C. Scott, a baseball autographed

by San Francisco Giant Edgar Renteria; Darton Ito, PUC water bottle; George Gaitwood, PUC water bottle; and Manito Velasco, SFPD tee-shirt.

On November 18, Tess Navarro joined the SFMTA as Manager of Accounting/ Controller. Navarro, a 28-year City employee most recently with Laguna Honda Hospital, takes over for Interim Manager Eloida SFMTA Manager of Leonardo. Day-to-day Accounting/Controller Tess Navarro responsibilities will be for the management and operation of the Accounting Section. Leonardo will SFMTA Payroll Manager return to her role as Manager of Finan- Mike Keohane cial Reporting and Compliance.

En Route Debra A. Johnson: Director of Administration, Taxis and Accessible Services Murray Bond: Deputy Director of Communications and Marketing and Editor Mark DeAnda: Public Relations Officer and Associate Editor Chimmy Lee: Graphic Designer Heather Moran: Photographer

Another recent addition to the SFMTA Team is Payroll Manager Mike Keohane. Keohanee, who joined the Agency in October of this year, will be responsible for all daily payroll operations for the SFMTA as well as managing a staff of 12 payroll professionals. Keohane has worked for the City Controller’s Office and for the last 14 years was the Payroll Supervisor for the Public Utilities Commission here in San Francisco.

To share comments about En Route or to suggest story ideas, please e-mail murray.bond@SFMTA.com.

En Route is the official employee publication of the SFMTA. In an effort to keep our City green, this newsletter is distributed in an electronic/printable format. A limited number of hard copies are available in reception areas and Gilley rooms.

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