SFCTA April Newsletter

Last week, Mayor Mark Farrell announced a new goal to make 80 percent of all travel in San Francisco by a sustainable mode of transportation. That includes walking, biking, public transit, and carpooling. Having exceeded our former goal of 50 percent sustainable trips, San Francisco is well-poised to achieve this new goal—and we look forward to helping the city get there.

The new 80 percent goal supports another major pledge the Mayor made during Earth Month: committing San Francisco to become carbon neutral by 2050.

→ Learn more about San Francisco’s carbon reduction efforts.

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Regional Measure 3 is a $4.45 billion traffic relief and transit improvement program funded by increased bridge tolls on the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges (all toll-bridges except the Golden Gate Bridge). Residents in San Francisco and other Bay Area counties will vote on this measure in the June 2018 election.

If approved by a combined majority of all voters, these projects would be financed by a $1 increase in tolls on the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges beginning Jan. 1, 2019, followed by a $1 increase in January 2022 and another $1 increase in January 2025.

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The Transportation Authority Board allocated $145,000 in half-cent sales tax funds for this project at the request of Commissioners Hillary Ronen and Jeff Sheehy, with support from the Neighborhood Transportation Improvement Program. This study will culminate in near- and long-term recommendations in fall 2018.

→ Learn more about Valencia Bikeway Improvements from the SFMTA.
→ Read the SFMTA’s memo and presentation to our board.

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As San Francisco’s congestion management agency, the Transportation Authority measures bus and vehicle speeds in the city every two years. Our latest data confirms what many of us know from our own commuting experience: Traffic is getting worse. In the past two years, vehicle speeds declined four to eight percent. The good news is that transit speeds are holding steady, a significant accomplishment in the context of recent growth.

→ Watch the video to learn about how San Francisco is working to tackle congestion.

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Last month, the California Transportation Commission dedicated nearly $14 million in funding for the SFMTA to improve operations of the Muni light rail system. The funds will help SFMTA replace and install additional equipment that helps the agency better monitor and manage trains. These upgrades will improve train reliability and shorten wait time between trains.

Project funding comes from the California Transportation Commission’s State Transportation Improvement Program, which is partially funded by Senate Bill 1.

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Transportation Authority planner Colin Dentel-Post heads out to the intersection of Mission and 13th streets to talk about a street safety study we’re working on in the South of Market neighborhood.

The study will identify ways to improve safety for all travelers, especially the most vulnerable populations, in 10 key SoMa intersections.

→ Watch the video to learn more.

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Last week, schools and families throughout San Francisco celebrated Bike and Roll to School the full week. Thousands of youth and adults at 100 schools rode in “bike trains,” rolled with parents and teachers, and used their own pedal power to get to pre-school, elementary, middle, and high school. On Tuesday, we joined in on the fun as we rolled with students from Buena Vista Horace Mann to school.

Bike and Roll to School Week is sponsored by the San Francisco Safe Routes to School Partnership and organized by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. The Transportation Authority is a proud sponsor of Safe Routes to School.

→ See some photo highlights on our Facebook page.

Bike to Work Day is San Francisco’s biggest day of the year to show that San Francisco bikes.

How to participate: In addition to biking to work, you can sign up for a commuter convoy to bike to work with your neighbors or volunteer to help out.

→ Pledge to bike, sign up volunteer, nominate a friend for bike commuter of the year award, and more.

The Transportation Authority is a proud sponsor of Bike to Work Day.

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Sunday Streets reclaims car-congested streets for community health, transforming them into car-free spaces for all to enjoy on select Sundays each year.

Routes are 1-4 miles in length, with fun, free activities provided by local nonprofits, community groups, and small businesses.

→ Next up: Sunday Streets is coming to the Tenderloin on May 6.

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Chariot will start providing transportation data to SF: Chariot must ensure new routes complement, rather than replicate, pre-existing Muni routes, as well as provide San Francisco with GPS and ridership data in order to enable the city to better understand the company’s impact. [Tech Crunch]SF supervisors pass law to regulate scooters that have descended on city: The motorized scooters that have appeared in San Francisco over the last few weeks will need a permit to be parked on a sidewalk, under a law the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Tuesday. [SF Chronicle]

Nightmare 90-minute ‘super commutes’ more common as Bay Area housing shortage intensifies: “We should be able to get more people into a vehicle,” Ratna Amin, transportation policy director for SPUR said, “and let that car go faster.” [Mercury News]

Ford GoBike goes electric: Custom pedal assist e-bikes expand the Ford GoBike network and add a safe, reliable and affordable mobility option exclusive to San Francisco. [Ford GoBike]

SF elementary school students gear up for new curriculum with 100 free bicycles, riding lessons: Learning how to ride a bicycle could soon become part of the physical education curriculum for San Francisco’s second grade students. [SF Examiner]

Caltrans releases bicycle, pedestrian plan to improve transport: Caltrans has released its first-ever bicycle and pedestrian plan to improve and organize “active transportation” methods in California. [SF Gate]

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority plans, funds, and delivers transportation projects in San Francisco. The agency collaborates with transit providers like Muni, BART, and Caltrain, as well as with other government agencies and the public to enhance the safety, sustainability, and economic competitiveness of the city and region.