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Rescue Muni Canıt Support Mayorıs Recommendations
Rescue Muni, the San Francisco transit riders association,
announced today that it cannot support the proposed Muni reform
initiative developed by Mayor Brownıs ³New Muni Task Force.²
³Itıs just not strong enough,² said Andrew Sullivan, the groupıs
chair and chief spokesperson. ³Without enforcable standards of
service, weıre just moving boxes around on the org chart.²
The proposal approved by the mayorıs task force creates a
relatively independent Municipal Transportation Agency,
establishes a protected municipal transportation fund, and
requires that the agency adopt various goals and objectives for
better service. These goals are not defined, however, and there
is no requirement for incentive pay to ensure they are met.
Sullivan also expressed concern about the scope of the new agency.
³The proposal doesnıt put Muni and the Department of Parking and
Traffic under one umbrella, and thatıs unfortunate,² he said.
³San Francisco needs a single transportation agency that can move
people in the most efficient way possible. Leaving DPT separate
means that buses will still be stuck in traffic.²
Rescue Muni co-founder Ken Niemi also noted the failure to address
Muniıs notorious lack of management flexibility. ³Thereıs nothing
at all in there to reduce absenteeism or let dispatchers send
trains out of Embarcadero in order,² he said. ³Sounds like the
status quo to me.²
Vice chair Daniel Murphy emphasized that time remains to develop a
consensus proposal before the November election. ³Weıd be happy
to work with the mayor on improving his proposal, but we wonıt sit
idly by if he doesnıt accept our help. Riders have seen
reorganizations come and go. We need a measure with teeth.²
Rescue Muni, a transit riders association for San Francisco, was
founded in 1996 by concerned Muni riders seeking to make service
reliable, safer, faster, and more responsive to ridersı needs.