Rachel Swan
@rswansf.bsky.social
San Francisco Chronicle reporter. Mother of daughters. Pedestrian but aspirational.
North Berkeley's Hopkins protected bikeway debate is coming to a head (again!) with a vote at City Council this Tuesday, July 28. We & our local partners are in support of the council referral, and we encourage you to get involved too! Learn more here: BikeEastBay.org/Hopkins
Hopkins Street Protected Bikeway Vote at Berkeley City Council - Bike East Bay
Show your support at the final, final, FINAL vote to approve a protected bikeway on Berkeley's Hopkins Street.
bikeeastbay.org
Rachel Swan@rswansf.bsky.social · 2w agoOn Tuesday, Berkeley City Council will vote on whether to install protected bike lanes on both sides of Hopkins Street. The aim: resolve an 8-year conflict that has become a distillation of all the madness that can swirl around bike lanes. Story: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
Why one Berkeley street has become the Bay Area’s latest bike-lane battleground-Merchants contend that lost parking equates to lost customers; Alexandra Sussman, owner of Elixir Salon, believes… www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
Why one Berkeley street has become the Bay Area’s latest bike-lane battleground
Here’s the latest salvo in a battle that’s spanned two mayoral administrations and endured endless rhetoric about the war on cars. It could result in 100 lost parking spaces in Berkeley.
sfchronicle.com
Most bikes are banned from S.F. Muni trains. Some riders want that to change—For years, San Francisco has only allowed folding bikes into trains. (Muni buses are outfitted with bike racks.) www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/m... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
Most bikes are banned from S.F. Muni trains. Some riders want that to change
For years, San Francisco has only allowed folding bikes into trains. Now transit activists are pushing for reform, and they have the support of at least one city supervisor.
sfchronicle.com
Bikes are overwhelmingly not allowed on Muni Metro. This ban applies to cargos, small beaters, kids' bikes with streamers hanging from the handle bars, bikes with flat tires. But what if that changed? Story: www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/m...
Most bikes are banned from S.F. Muni trains. Some riders want that to change
For years, San Francisco has only allowed folding bikes into trains. Now transit activists are pushing for reform, and they have the support of at least one city supervisor.
sfchronicle.com
On Tuesday, Berkeley City Council will vote on whether to install protected bike lanes on both sides of Hopkins Street. The aim: resolve an 8-year conflict that has become a distillation of all the madness that can swirl around bike lanes. Story: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
A bike lane battle has consumed this Berkeley street. Now comes the vote
It’s the latest salvo in a battle that’s spanned two mayoral administrations and endured endless rhetoric about the war on cars. And it could result in 100 lost parking spaces in Berkeley.
sfchronicle.com
A San Francisco man was trapped inside a Waymo as it was being vandalized. But who was the victim? Gift link: www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/w...
‘They’re going to kill me’: A Waymo rider was trapped inside as vandals smashed the robotaxi
In a strange twist, the police report doesn’t list the rider as the victim of the attack. The self-driving car is the victim of malicious mischief. The rider is merely a witness.
sfchronicle.com
The education of SF Mayor Lurie has reached the write 3 letters stage, beginning w demanding from those he neither represents nor regulates (Waymo) that which they most cannot do: “prove it before you deploy it” Another scoop by @sfchronicle.com's @rswansf.bsky.social archive.ph/h2CNG#select...
archive.ph
‘They’re going to kill me’: A Waymo rider was trapped inside as vandals smashed the robotaxi (by @rswansf.bsky.social ) www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/w...
‘They’re going to kill me’: A Waymo rider was trapped inside as vandals smashed the robotaxi
In a strange twist, the police report doesn’t list the rider as the victim of the attack. The self-driving car is the victim of the of malicious mischief. The rider is merely a witness.
sfchronicle.com
Public records emails detail how a few "road obstacles" caused the July 4 traffic meltdown in SF. Gift link: www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/j...
Emails to S.F. leaders suggest July 4 traffic meltdown was sparked by key road obstructions
Congestion at the peak of the fireworks event was nearly twice as bad as it was at the height of Fleet Week last fall, according to data from Uber sent to San Francisco officials.
sfchronicle.com
From @sfchronicle.com reporter @rswansf.bsky.social, Uber informed SF gov the Presidio was congested on July 4th, plus...statistics which are kinda funny bc ave speed in SF is normally ~11 mph. Videos show Waymo created a >40 count roboclot ~in pic2 red area BEFORE the fireworks. archive.ph/08CfE
During the pandemic, BART tested an ambitious idea: Install two high-end ADUs in 16 unused parking spaces at Castro Valley Station. The plan was announced with a lot of fanfare. Then it unraveled. Story: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
Two abandoned tiny homes sit in a BART parking lot. Their owner owes the agency over $150,000
These buildings have sat vacant for years, and a parcel that was supposed to generate revenue for BART has instead become a source of vexation.
sfchronicle.com
Companies want to build "hyperscale" data centers in the Central Valley. They may wind up paying for high-speed rail. Gift link: www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...
California’s high-speed rail may be laying the way for a ‘valley of data centers’
High speed rail’s plan could lead to leasing land or providing energy for data centers that could be built in California’s Central Valley, fueling a massive tech boom up north.
sfchronicle.com
This Bay Area highway was known as ‘Blood Alley.’ Rebuilding it could cost $11 billion—Population growth in Solano County and job opportunities to the west have mounted pressure on Highway 37, making it… www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
This Bay Area highway was known as ‘Blood Alley.’ Rebuilding it could cost $11 billion
The big-swing megaproject would transform the whole Highway 37 corridor, 21 miles from the Highway 101 junction in Novato to Interstate 80 in Vallejo.
sfchronicle.com
‘Do better’: San Francisco is fed up with this Waymo behavior—California law generally prohibits motor vehicles from stopping in bike lanes, with specific exceptions for… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/w... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
‘Do better’: San Francisco is fed up with this Waymo behavior
A video of a Waymo parking in a bike lane in San Francisco sparked an uproar from bicyclists who argued that the driverless vehicles should be designed to follow all traffic rules.
sfchronicle.com
Some of the cars parked illegally in San Francisco bike lanes don't have drivers: www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/w...
‘Do better’: San Francisco is fed up with this Waymo behavior
A video of a Waymo parking in a bike lane in San Francisco sparked an uproar from bicyclists who argued that the driverless vehicles should be designed to follow all traffic rules.
sfchronicle.com
Bay Area transit leaders have a message: Don’t drive to the World Cup games at Levi’s Stadium—With some matches scheduled late in the evening — transit operators have added special late night service and… www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
Bay Area transit leaders have a message: Don’t drive to the World Cup games at Levi’s Stadium
Bay Area transit leaders also say they will not try to gouge transit users with surge pricing. Trips will cost as little as $10 each way.
sfchronicle.com
Ticket sales are slow and prices are dropping. Fans are reselling at a loss. Hotel rooms and rentals remain vacant along the Peninsula. The World Cup is turning out to be a flop for the Bay Area, @rswansf.bsky.social reports: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
The World Cup was supposed to be a Bay Area bonanza. Why does it feel like a flop?
In the Bay Area, “nobody I know is talking about the World Cup,” said a former mayor who lives within a short drive of Levi’s Stadium, where matches are scheduled.
sfchronicle.com
I bet this is a sentence that @rswansf.bsky.social never thought she'd write: "In the men’s restroom, people can pee on a tiny soccer ball in the urinal, sending it into a toy goal." www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
The World Cup was supposed to be a Bay Area bonanza. Why does it feel like a flop?
In the Bay Area, “nobody I know is talking about the World Cup,” said a former mayor who lives within a short drive of Levi’s Stadium, where matches are scheduled.
sfchronicle.com
Bay Area voters rejected new taxes Tuesday. Can transit funding survive in November?—“Is there a strong anti-tax sentiment in the Bay Area? Well, yes,” said John Goodwin, spokesperson for @mtcbata.bsky.social “But… www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
Bay Area voters rejected new taxes Tuesday. Can transit funding survive in November?
Bay Area voters made one thing resoundingly clear during Tuesday’s election: They do not like new taxes. This does not bode well for BART and Muni in November.
sfchronicle.com
As you're waiting for election results, read this article to understand the heated battle over El Cerrito's Measure C to fund a new library. El Cerrito gets little media coverage, so we're very lucky to have wonderful SF Chronicle reporter @rswansf.bsky.social who lives here and wrote this.
Rachel Swan@rswansf.bsky.social · 2mo agoHello El Cerrito neighbors! By now you probably know that the most polarizing issue in town is not the governor's race, not climate change, not Cybertrucks, but whether to build a new library. We voted today. Here's a gift link to my story: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
One more gift link, for live Contra Costa County election results (in fact, you can get all results on our project page!) www.sfchronicle.com/projects/202...
Contra Costa County Live Election Results - June 2026
See live election results for Contra Costa County, including for the Board of Supervisors and races in Richmond and Pinole.
sfchronicle.com
Hello El Cerrito neighbors! By now you probably know that the most polarizing issue in town is not the governor's race, not climate change, not Cybertrucks, but whether to build a new library. We voted today. Here's a gift link to my story: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
A new library could transform this Bay Area downtown. Residents are fiercely divided
The library debate has become personal and ruined friendships in this Bay Area city. “This is the most divisive measure I’ve ever experienced,” one resident said.
sfchronicle.com
San Francisco wants more street festivals. Vendors say parking tickets could drive them away—Their concerns have mounted at a moment when San Francisco leaders… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/p... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
San Francisco wants more street festivals. Vendors say parking tickets could drive them away
San Francisco merchants said they have experienced parking ticket issues while loading or unloading for festivals, particularly those downtown where curb space is limited.
sfchronicle.com
New poll shows what San Francisco residents really think about Waymo cars—When robotaxis first appeared on San Francisco streets, people weren’t sure whether to treat them as… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/w... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
New poll shows what San Francisco residents really think about Waymo cars
A new Chronicle poll shows residents’ thoughts about the driverless cars are divided along ideological lines.
sfchronicle.com
Gov. Newsom shakes up high-speed rail board, appointing former S.F. leaders to steer the project—This week’s leadership shake-up comes at a tense moment for the state’s transportation megaproject, which is under construction… www.sfchronicle.com/california/a... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
Gov. Newsom shakes up high-speed rail board, appointing former S.F. leaders to steer the project
Two former chiefs of staff for San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee will join the High-Speed Rail Authority Board for California’s long-gestating bullet train line.
sfchronicle.com
Can BART’s new speedy fare gates finally solve the ‘piggybacking’ problem?—It’s a new chapter in BART’s ongoing quest to find the perfect fare gate, a Platonic ideal that dogged the agency for years. Pressure began mounting… www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
Can BART’s new speedy fare gates finally solve the ‘piggybacking’ problem?
It’s a new chapter in BART’s ongoing quest to find the perfect fare gate, a Platonic ideal that has dogged the agency for years.
sfchronicle.com
Add a $1 billion detour for California high-speed rail to Cesar Chavez’s legacy—disgraced civil rights icon Cesar Chavez: A reroute around his gravesite has inflated… www.sfchronicle.com/california/a... @rswansf.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
Add a $1 billion detour for California high-speed rail to Cesar Chavez’s legacy
The change, one of many to hobble high-speed rail over the years, stemmed from good intentions. Now it’s another example of how politics warped the state’s marquee transit megaproject.
sfchronicle.com