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Taken with Transportation
Taken with Transportation

Taken with Transportation

Welcome to Taken with Transportation, the official podcast of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).  <br><br>Each episode will take you along for the ride as we profile the people and policies that make accessible, equitable transportation in San Francisco possible. These stories will cover everything from the city’s streets to the inner workings of the SFMTA and offer insight and perspectives you won’t get anywhere else. We’re passionate about the work we do and want to share that passion and commitment with you. <br><br>About the Host: Melissa Culross comes to the SFMTA from the radio industry where she spent three decades hosting broadcasts and creating content for a variety of stations, including KCBS, Star 101.3 and Alice@97.3 in the Bay Area. Melissa has been drawn to storytelling her whole life and has been a regular San Francisco public transit rider since moving to the city in the 1990s.  </p>

Available Episodes 10

Ten years ago, we began implementing an ongoing series of transit improvements as part of a new program called Muni Forward. These improvements have made Muni faster, more reliable, more frequent, easier to access and safer.  

In this episode, we celebrate Muni Forward.

We learn about history of the program and some of the specific improvements we've made. We speak with SFMTA Transit Director Julie Kirschbaum, Muni Chief Planning and Implementation Officer Sean Kennedy, Transit Priority Manager Michael Rhodes and Transit Engineering Team Manager Cheryl Liu. We also hear from riders and a small business owner who discuss their experiences with Muni.

September is Transit Month in the Bay Area. And we’re celebrating on board Muni’s Boat Tram open air streetcar. In this episode we discuss the beloved 90-year-old boat’s history and how we maintain it. Plus, we talk about the joy it brings to the streets of San Fransico.

SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeff Tumlin, Board Member Dominica Henderson, Muni Historic Fleet Superintendent Kevin Sheridan and Muni Operator David Gunter appear in the episode. We also speak with Market Street Railway President Rick Laubscher, SFMTA Citizens Advisory Council Vice Chair Chris Arvin and SFCTA Community Advisory Committee Chair Kat Siegal.

San Francisco’s Slow Streets are low-vehicle-traffic residential corridors. They provide comfortable options for walking, biking and rolling, as well as driving. But some of them also have become community spaces that bring neighbors together. In this episode, we take a look at a few of the ways San Francisco residents are embracing their Slow Streets. 

We speak with SFMTA Transportation Planner Julia Malmo and Analyst Elijah Enis. They talk about the Slow Streets Mural Pilot Program. Slow Street Stewards Tim Hickey and Molly Hayden also appear in the episode. So does Zaid Zayouna, the founder and creator of Slow Street Coffee.

An increasingly popular way to get around San Francisco is by scooter. This includes shared scooters that riders pick up in one place, use for a fee and then drop off when they’re done. The SFMTA regulates the companies that rent those scooters. We also promote scooter safety for all riders.

In this episode, we discuss scooter safety with Kate Toran, Philip Cranna and Danny Yeung from our Taxis, Access and Mobility Services Division. We also go out with Inspector Peter Woods on safety enforcement patrol. 

And we check in with the Mayor’s Office on Disability to talk about how they work with us on scooter safety.

In this episode of Taken with Transportation, we speak with SFMTA Chief Financial Officer Bree Mawhorter. We talk about the agency's budget and how more efficient service can save money. Plus, we take a little transportation tour with Mawhorter and discuss the many ways she gets around town.

The road to school should always be a safe one, and it also can be a fun one. The San Francisco Safe Routes to School program works to make walking, biking, rolling, and taking transit to school safer and more accessible for all SF kids. In this episode, we speak with SFMTA Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator Crysta Highfield and Transportation Planner Ben Frazier about their work on the program, along with San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Safe Routes to School Program Manager Kenny Kruse. 

We also attend a couple of Bike and Roll to School Week events where we have a chance to talk to elementary school commuters and their parents. Plus, we hear from San Francisco Supervisors Rafael Mandelman and Myrna Melgar, as well as Dolores Huerta Elementary School Principal Edward Garnica. 

And finally, we learn what a bike blender is and get to see it in action.

In late-March 2014, San Francisco adopted Vision Zero, the road safety policy to eliminate traffic deaths and reduce severe injuries in the city. This episode of Taken with Transportation looks at the impact of that policy and what has changed over the last decade. 

We discuss the origins of Vision Zero, as well as the work the SFMTA is doing today and will do into the future to make San Francisco streets safe and joyful. Appearing in the episode are SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeff Tumlin, Board of Directors Chair Amanda Eaken, City Traffic Engineer Ricardo Olea, former Streets Director Tom Maguire and former Director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Heath, Equity and Sustainability Program Megan Weir.

There are things on our streets that we probably take for granted but most definitely help us move around cities safely and efficiently. We’re talking about street signs, street markings and parking meters. 

In San Francisco, the SFMTA Street Operations shops handle the signs, street painting and meters we depend on, whether we are getting around by walking, driving, cycling or scooting. In this episode of Taken with Transportation, we pay a visit to those shops and speak with Traffic Paint Shop Supervisor Brian McBride, Meter Shop Manager Tony Massetti, Temporary Sign Program Manager Gretchen Rude and Traffic Sign Shop Manager Noel Laffey. We also get a chance to talk to Thermoplastic Crew Six lead Jarrett Laws and Traffic Sign Installer Patrick Rose as they are on the job.

If you're new to San Francisco Muni, using it can feel overwhelming at first. Well, don't worry. Whether you've just moved to the city, are planning to visit and don't want to rent a car or have lived here for some time but haven't taken advantage of all Muni has to offer, we at Taken with Transportation have your back.

In this episode, we offer a practical how-to guide for getting around on Muni. Host Melissa Culross speaks with SFMTA Senior Manager of Revenue Collection and Sales Diana Hammons, operators Lynnette Richie and Arnold Gray, station agent Rigo Ortega and Deputy Chief Security Officer Teresa Scism to go over all the ins and outs of the system from how to pay your fare to how to be a courteous passenger. A couple of regular riders even share their experience on Muni and offer a bit of advice.

26 years ago this month, Fannie Mae Barnes made history when she became San Francisco's first female cable car grip. In this episode of Taken with Transportation, Barnes talks with host Melissa Culross about that experience. The episode also features Willa Johnson, the second female grip.

The women discuss what it takes, physically, to be a grip and what it was like to break the glass ceiling that hung over San Francisco's beloved cable cars for more than a century.