By Emmanuel Stamatogiannakis
As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, what does an effective, equitable, and resilient transportation system for San Francisco’s future look like? ConnectSF, comprised of staff from the SFMTA, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and the San Francisco Planning Department, has been envisioning just that. Now, after engaging with residents, community groups, businesses, youth organizations, and other stakeholders to gather feedback, the collaborative has released the ConnectSF Transit Strategy. The strategy details how we can reinvest in the city’s transit system to achieve our shared vision of a growing, diverse and equitable city with transportation options that are accessible and affordable to all.
The Vision
The ConnectSF Transit Strategy calls for four key investments to build our bold vision of San Francisco’s transportation system:
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We will make the current system work better with aggressive renewal and restoration of our current network.
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With targeted investments in our street infrastructure, we will deliver a Five-Minute Network that provides reliable service every five minutes on key bus and rail lines.
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By renewing and modernizing our rail system, we will build a Modern Muni Metro with increased speed, reliability and capacity for all riders.
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We will build more rail to San Francisco’s busiest places to get people quickly and reliably to their destinations. This includes a new subway along Geary and 19th Avenue, an extension of the Central Subway, and a new Caltrain station in the Bayview.
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 ConnectSF Transit Strategy details the big changes we are calling for 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.
Reshaping Our 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 proven methods for accomplishing this. Bus lanes, transit signal priority, car-free zones and transit queue jumps are just some examples. The ConnectSF Transit Strategy goes beyond these methods and emphasizes the need to prioritize improvements for riders who depend on transit the most.
The ConnectSF Transit 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 catching up with our backlog of deferred maintenance and enhancing 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 ConnectSF Transit Strategy, along with the Streets and Freeways Study, 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.
For more information, please visit www.connectsf.org.
Published December 14, 2021 at 11:55PM
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