Transportation

By Lisa Feldstein

We can be a lot smarter about the way we spend our transportation money, the way we manage our public transit operations, and the way we design our streets

Even in times of budget crisis, we can be a lot smarter about the way we spend our transportation money, the way we manage our public transit operations, and the way we design our streets. Dealing with San Francisco's transit and transportation needs will be among the top action items I will deal with as Supervisor:

Recognize That People are More Important Than Cars

We need to do more to get people out of their cars. As Supervisor, I will aggressively push legislation to promote traffic calming, to keep cars off the sidewalk, and to establish speed limits appropriate for residential streets. I will also do everything in my power to make sure that seniors, families with young children, and physically challenged residents can use and cross the streets in safety.

Implement Muni's Major Overall Proposals

We don't need a `quick fix' for Muni; we need to upgrade the City's 12 major transit corridors with minimum headways between buses, express service from the residential neighbor-hoods to downtown, and minimum standards for clean, well-maintained buses. Muni has put these goals on paper; it's up to the Board of Supervisors to make this upgraded bus service a reality.

Speed up Muni

While residents wait at bus stops in the rain, Muni buses are stuck behind automobiles carrying only one person. As a result, Muni goes slower than cars on most of its routes. San Francisco needs a "bus rapid transit system" where buses control the timing of street lights; we need better bus stop planning to speed up route completion times; and we need transit preferential streets where Muni can bypass cars that are clogging up traffic. Many cities already have in place similar bus rapid transit systems, and we should implement their best ideas to improve bus times and efficiency here in San Francisco.

Expand Muni Service in District 5

Millions of people visit Golden Gate Park each year, and too many of them drive there. A long-term solution may include extending the N-Judah line into Golden Gate Park to reduce traffic and parking congestion in District 5 while allowing visitors to enjoy the District's extraordinary recreational resources in an environmentally-sound way. Until light rail service to Golden Gate Park becomes a reality, I will work to make sure that the Golden Gate Park shuttle service is continued, enhanced and promoted.

Expand Transit Funding

We must increase funding for Muni. In addition to boosting parking fines, we must consider increasing the parking tax so that commuters driving into the City help foot the bill for better transit services. San Francisco's transit system is designed to move daytime employees to and from the central business core (downtown) from residential neighborhoods. Downtown businesses that benefit from a transit system that brings their employees to work each day must pay their fair share. A Transit Impact Development Fee is a fair and reasonable way for those who benefit from Muni to help pay for the benefits, and an effective way to fund commuter bus service to and from residential neighborhoods.

Improve the City's Bicycle Network

To get people out of cars and onto bikes we need a bicycle network that really works. My top bicycle policy priorities are to improve the Fell/Masonic intersection; come up with a new concept for Page Street that works for both pedestrians and bicyclists; put bike lanes on 7th Avenue in the Inner Sunset; work with the Japantown community to find a bike-friendly redesign that works for Post Street; and improve bicycle access to, in and around Golden Gate Park. Lessons learned from expanding the bicycle network in District 5 could be easily transposed on other districts in the City, creating a comprehensive bicycle network that is safe and a real alternative to driving.

Expand CarShare to Allow Car Use Without Car Ownership

As a Planning Commissioner, I developed and enforced the City's now-standard requirement that major new garages include a CarShare parking `pod' within walking distance to homes and jobs. The City CarShare program gives people access to cars when they need one without requiring each resident to own their own vehicle or worry about maintenance, insurance, and--most of all--parking for each individual's car. Because every CarShare vehicle put into service results in six people selling their private vehicles, and because parking and traffic are major concerns in the City, we need to fill in remaining gaps in the CarShare network. I will be aggressively looking for both public and private garages to participate in the CarShare program.

Focus on Citywide and Regional Solutions

The solutions to the City's transportation problems don't stop in San Francisco. We all depend on the big pieces of citywide infrastructure, which is why I'm committed to making the most critical transportation projects happen even if they're outside of our district. The new Transbay Terminal, with its highspeed connection to Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, is at the top of my list. Moreover, Muni and other transit systems in our region suffer from a lack of good coordination between systems. The more integrated regional transit systems are, the easier they are to use and the more people will use them. I support putting greater emphasis on regional transit planning through the MTC.

As someone who rides Muni on a daily basis, as a Planning Commissioner who took a leadership role in transportation issues, and as a member of Transportation for a Livable City, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and City CarShare, I have the demonstrated experience and expertise to make tangible improvements to the transit and transportation options serving residents of District 5 and San Francisco.

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