Yesterday San Franciscans voted resoundingly to improve Muni and build safer streets citywide. Proposition A passed with 71% of the vote—more than the required two-thirds majority and a strong affirmation of the importance of transportation to our dynamic, growing city. Until yesterday, a bond for Muni had not passed since 1947.
We are grateful to the people of San Francisco for recognizing the need to invest in the transportation system and for making your voices heard at the ballot box. We also thank Mayor Lee, all 11 members of the Board of Supervisors and the SFMTA Board of Directors for their tremendous leadership and support every step of the way.
We’re excited to get to work right away on the many projects Prop A will fund. Projects to improve the 9/9L San Bruno, 71 Haight/Noriega, 8X Bayshore Express and 30 Stockton Muni routes will move forward in 2015 thanks to these funds. We’ll also implement proven safety features at dozens of intersections in the Tenderloin, SoMa and other neighborhoods, focusing on the 6% of streets where 60% of serious and fatal traffic injuries occur.
These projects and many more will help repair our transportation system and prepare it for the future—particularly important as the city and region continue to attract new people and jobs. They’ll also support our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths in San Francisco by 2024.
In total, Prop A will provide $500 million for transportation infrastructure projects that will make Muni more reliable and make traveling on San Francisco streets safer. The local economy will benefit, too. Prop A is projected to create more than 4,500 jobs in San Francisco over the next six to eight years.
The success of Prop A is great news for everyone who moves around in San Francisco, but it’s just the first part of a long-term plan, called Transportation 2030, to build the transportation system San Francisco needs and deserves. With incredible growth expected and a history of underinvesting in our local transportation infrastructure, we’ll return to voters in the coming years with proposals for additional local investment.
We sincerely thank the people of San Francisco for your support. Together we can and will make it faster, safer and easier to get around town.
The official SFMTA media statement on the election can be read here.
Prop A will allow us to build safer streets and improve Muni. We thank voters for supporting investment in our local transportation network.