Is new Muni boss Ed Reiskin for real? Is he really going to help take a once-isolated agency and make it work better and work with the rest of the city?

A press release that crossed our desk this morning might be a good sign of things to come. It is a promise and a plan to work to promote biking alternatives while the Municipal Railway works to upgrade the N Judah and J Church lines. A small gesture, certainly. And just one of the many ways Muni needs to help commuters find alternatives as the streetcar lines are upgraded. But it is an encouraging sign — Muni thinking about whole streets and how there are many ways we can work to navigate the city safely, quickly and reliably.

Their whole release is below.

**PRESS RELEASE**

SFMTA and SF Bike Coalition Encourage Customers to Bike the Shutdown

San Francisco Bicycle Coalition offers free “bike trains” and bike maps to lead commuters downtown; Detours in place for the Wiggle

San Francisco — The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which manages transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), encourages its customers and San Francisco residents and visitors to consider bicycling to get to work, shopping and entertainment destinations along the N Judah and J Church lines during the upcoming Muni Rail Shutdown.

Starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 25, and ending at 5 a.m. on Monday, June 4, the N Judah Line will be shutdown, the J Church Line will be partially shutdown and the 22 Fillmore, 37 Corbett, 43 Masonic and N Owl routes will be subject to rerouting. This work is essential to keeping Muni in a state of good repair and will provide pedestrian and street improvements. The construction dates have been coordinated between both the Church & Duboce and Carl Street projects to minimize inconvenience to residents, businesses, and will only impact four working weekdays.

“Bicycling is a great way to get around and is a superb alternative as we do this critically important work that will help Muni run better and make for safer travel for people on bikes and on foot,” said Edward D. Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “There will be disruption, but we are endeavoring to make it as painless as possible. We’re asking everyone who can to bike, walk or even work from home to ensure space on the Muni shuttles for those who cannot.”

“More and more people are discovering how easy, fun and efficient it is to get around San Francisco by bicycle, and the Muni shutdown is a perfect time to start bicycle commuting,” said Leah Shahum, Executive Director of the 12,000-member San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “With the miles of new bike lanes and better bicycle parking, it’s easier than ever to get around San Francisco by bicycle. We welcome you to join a bike train and discover just how great it is to commute by bicycle.”

Bike Trains and Bike Routes

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will be leading commuter convoys along the N and J lines for each workday morning of the shutdown (May 29-June 1). Each “bike train” will leave at 8 am, from Java Beach for the N Line and the main entrance of the Glen Park BART Station for the J-Church Line, picking up people along the way. Each convoy will bring commuters to downtown Market Street by 9 am, traveling at a safe pace, friendly to those new to bicycle commuting. See full bike train schedule at www.sfbike.org/transit.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is also providing a map that shows the bike route equivalents of the N and J lines, as well as some other options for residents who live, work or shop along these transit corridors. More details on the commuter convoys and the N/J-Church bike alternative map can be found at: www.sfbike.org/transit.

Bicycle Route Detours

Bicyclists are advised that there will also be detours along the Steiner/Sanchez route and the connector route from the Wiggle to eastbound and westbound Market Street from Duboce Avenue to allow for track work. Electronic messaging boards will be used in affected areas to alert motorists and cyclists of detours.

All of the dates and details are subject to change and adjustments due to weather, operational or other unexpected conditions.

Once complete, the “shutdown” projects will provide:

New track for a smoother, faster ride on Muni

Bulbouts to enhance safety and boarding at N Judah Line stops

Curb and ramp upgrades

Water and sewer improvements

Overhead wire pole and streetlight pole replacement

Streetscape improvements

For more details and updates, please visit www.sfmta.com/longshutdown or contact 311. For more details on the bike trains and bike maps, visit sfbike.org/transit.

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Established by voter proposition in 1999, the SFMTA, a department of the City and County of San Francisco, oversees the Municipal Railway (Muni), parking and traffic, bicycling, walking and taxis. With five modes of transit, Muni has approximately 700,000 passenger boardings each day. Over 35,000 extra vehicles enter San Francisco on any given business day, and rely on the SFMTA to keep the flow of cars, transit vehicles, taxis, delivery trucks, pedestrians and bicycles moving smoothly through the streets.

311 Free language assistance / 免費語言協助 / Ayuda gratuita con el idioma / Бесплатная помощь переводчиков / Trợ giúp Thông dịch Miễn phí / Assistance linguistique gratuit / 無料の言語支援 / 무료언어지원 / Libreng tulong para sa wikang Tagalog / คว“มช่วยเหลือท“งภ“ษ“โดยไม่เส’ยค่าใช้จ่าย

About the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition:

With the mission of promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition works in partnership with government and community agencies to create safer streets and more livable communities for all San Franciscans. In coordination with the SFMTA, the SFBC teaches free bicycle education classes to adults and children throughout San Francisco. More information at sfbike.org.