Whether
he’s commuting or going to a meeting, Muni chief Michael Burns
prefers riding his system’s buses, trolley coaches and streetcars to
driving. (Photo: Katherine Du Tiel)
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November 2002
Grand Award:
Michael T. Burns,
Executive Director,
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
In 1998, the highly publicized “meltdown” of San Francisco Municipal
Railway’s new train control system left the popular Metro light-rail lines in a
two-week standstill. The Bay Area’s largest transit system was clearly in trouble.
Enter Michael T. Burns, the recipient of this year’s Grand Award, who as Muni’s
new chief took on the enormous challenge of restoring riders’ confidence and
reclaiming pride for the agency.
A 20-plus-year veteran of the transit industry, Burns is the first execu- tive director
to be hired under the mandates of Proposition E, a Muni reform measure passed by San
Francisco voters in 1999. The measure provided a dedicated funding source, called for
performance standards and reorganized the governing structure, creating the San Francisco
Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) to oversee Muni.
Under Burns’ leadership, Muni has deployed a new fleet of light-rail vehicles,
procured over 250 new motor coaches and 275 new electric trolley buses, opened an extension
of the F-line historic streetcar service to Fisherman’s Wharf, and broken ground for
the massive $1.3 billion Third Street light-rail project. Burns also has transformed Muni
into a future-oriented organization, publishing a long-range vision document that proposes
a series of incremental transit improvements in 12 major corridors in San Francisco.
The proof of Burns’ management success is in the numbers: Safety performance has
improved by 20 percent since 2000, while on-time performance has gone from 47 percent to
over 70 percent. “Muni is no longer listed in the litany of problems people focus on
in this city,” San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown recently observed.
In a recent survey, 57 percent of riders rated Muni’s service as good or excellent, a
reversal of figures from two years earlier showing 58 percent rider dissatisfaction.
Moreover, some 90 percent of employees indicated they are satisfied with their jobs. The
agency’s esprit de corps is no doubt buoyed by Burns’ 12-hour days and his
penchant for riding Muni for his commute and business meetings.
“Through hard work, dedication, and superior management skills and vision, Michael
Burns transformed crisis into opportunity. In doing so, he has not only brought Muni back
from the brink, but has once again placed public transit at the very heart of San
Francisco’s unique urban vision,” commented H. Welton Flynn, MTA chairman.
Contents
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2002 Transportation Awards
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In Memoriam
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