Skip to main content

Effective, Equitable, and Resilient Transportation for San Francisco

By
Effective, Equitable, and Resilient Transportation for San Francisco
By Lulu Feliciano

Artistic rendering of city with buildings and streets and various forms of transit including cars, buses, bikes, walking and alternate modes

As we emerge from the current pandemic, what does an effective, equitable, and resilient transportation system for San Francisco’s future look like? Last week, just such a forward-looking vision was published by ConnectSF. ConnectSF is comprised of staff from the SFMTA, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and the San Francisco Planning Department. With input from residents, community and business groups, youth organizations, and other stakeholders, the collaborative’s Transit Investment Strategy lays out a vision for reinvesting in the city’s transit system.

The Vision

ConnectSF is advancing a bold vision for the future of our transportation system. In order to realize this vision, we will need to invest in creating a system that is better than before – faster, more reliable, and more accessible. The investment strategy details the big changes we envision and where we will need funding to achieve them. Transit is essential to keeping the city moving, and a stable, ongoing funding source will be critical for helping San Francisco manage congestion and rebuild its economy.

An Improved Citywide Transit Network

Increasing service and making changes that enable new or better transit options are among ConnectSF’s top investment priorities. Our Muni Forward toolkit already includes a number of proven methods for accomplishing this. Bus lanes, transit signal priority, car-free zones and transit queue jumps are just some examples. The Transit Investment Strategy goes beyond these methods and emphasizes the need to prioritize improvements for riders who depend on transit the most.

Reshaping Transit

The investment strategy also calls for reshaping the way we operate transit in San Francisco. San Franciscans need access to a robust network of frequent buses and trains that take them all throughout the city-- rather than focusing primarily on trips downtown. This will require changes along streets and at intersections so that the only time your bus has to stop is to pick you up and drop you off, not to sit in traffic and wait at lights.

Delivering a modern Muni Metro that residents can rely on also requires the funding necessary to catch up with our backlog of deferred maintenance and to enhance our light rail system – for example, upgrading Muni Metro with a new train control system. In the future, in those areas of the city where no amount of bus improvements will be able to meet the demand, long-term planning will also include major new rail projects.

The Transit Investment Strategy emerged as a key product of the Transit Corridors Study. The Transit Corridors Study, along with the Streets and Freeways Study, will serve to identify projects and policies to be included in the San Francisco Transportation Plan and the updated Transportation Element of the San Francisco General Plan. Rebuilding and advancing our transportation system will take the commitment and involvement of city staff and community stakeholders.

Learn More

Staff is eager to learn what transit improvements are the most important to you and to share their own ideas and proposals. You can engage with ConnectSF at their website, which also offers a short survey at the end for you to provide feedback.

You can also give feedback at an Online Town Hall.

When: Wednesday, April 21, 2021; 5-6pm

What: ConnectSF staff will discuss the transit strategy and answer questions.

How: Sign up at the Zoom meeting registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

ConnectSF’s transit investment strategy is available in the following languages:

English                                    
Filipino
Español                        
中文

 

 



Published April 12, 2021 at 05:09PM
https://ift.tt/3e0cfIQ
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reconnecting San Francisco Across Streets and Freeways

By
Reconnecting San Francisco Across Streets and Freeways By With limited space on San Francisco city streets, how can we ensure that current and future transportation options remain accessible and affordable to all? The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), the SFMTA and the San Francisco Planning Department are collaborating through ConnectSF in creating a template for an equitable, sustainable and effective future. Their Streets and Freeways Strategy examines approaches that support San Francisco’s Transit-First , Vision Zero , climate action , and equity goals .  The strategy complements the Transit Investment Strategy released in April 2021. SFMTA staff provided expertise in developing the strategy and is leading the Active Transportation component, exploring ways to build a connected network of bike and pedestrian routes across the city that make biking and walking safe and enjoyable. SFMTA staff from across the agency also developed strategies to ma
Post a Comment
Read more

Have Feedback on the COVID-19 Muni Temporary Service Plan?

By
Have Feedback on the COVID-19 Muni Temporary Service Plan? By Shalon Rogers In March 2020, due to unprecedented constraints on resources brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the SFMTA had to make significant transit service reductions. As of January 2021, the agency has been able to restore service to a level where 91% of San Franciscans are within a quarter mile of a transit stop. This is reflected in the SFMTA’s current  COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan .   ' COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan Map The SFMTA is committed to ensuring that our programs and services are  compliant with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  and therefore do not have a discriminatory impact based on race, color or national origin. As part of this work, we conducted a Title VI service equity analysis to evaluate the current COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan. The results of this analysis will be presented to the MTA Board of Directors on May 4. The public is invited to attend and provide comments on
Post a Comment
Read more

Chinatown Connects to Muni Metro

By
Chinatown Connects to Muni Metro By Deanna Leo With the completion of Central Subway, customers will be able to ride the T Third Muni Metro all the way from Visitacion Valley to Chinatown. Starting November 19, when Muni Metro riders can first take Central Subway's special weekend service to Chinatown,  prepare to spend the day in Chinatown enjoying all its sights, sounds and flavors. There is so much to explore in the largest Chinatown outside Asia! Tourist attractions include the Dragon’s Gate, Old St. Mary’s Cathedral and Portsmouth Square, the site of San Francisco’s original customs house where today, members of the Chinese community spend the days singing or playing mahjong, a traditional and very popular tile-based game. Fans of Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club, can meander the streets of Chinatown searching for the places where her story unfolds. On Wavery Place you can visit the First Baptist Church where the four mothers in the story meet to play mahjong. Muni M
Post a Comment
Read more