This Saturday we rolled out the largest Muni service increase in decades as part of our Muni Forward initiative. Thanks to San Francisco voters, soon we’ll also commence new projects around the city to make some of Muni’s busiest lines more reliable and to improve safety for everyone, no matter how you travel.
Last year local voters passed two ballot measures that significantly increased investment in our transportation network. The Transportation and Road Improvement Bond, Proposition A on the November 2014 ballot, dedicates $500 million to critical transportation projects citywide. Proposition B adjusts funding for transportation each year based on population growth, with an initial boost of $26 million this summer.
Improved Transit, Safer Streets
You can track our progress on the projects and programs supported by these funds on a new webpage — www.sftransportation2030.com/progress. The page contains an interactive project map and lists of approved projects under three categories: Improved Transit, Safer Streets and Better Roads. We’ll update the page as more projects gain approval, and we’ll also post in-depth reports every six months to track bond-funded investments.
Some of the first projects moving forward will improve reliability on heavily used Muni lines like the 22 Fillmore, the 30 Stockton and the 28 19th Avenue. Early funds will also go toward new Muni buses, new traffic signals and pedestrian crossing signals, upgrades to Caltrain’s signaling system, and improvements to sidewalks and crosswalks that protect people walking. These investments will create a better experience on public transit and enhance safety for hundreds of thousands of people every day.
Looking Toward the Future
All this increased investment is happening through Transportation 2030, a local investment program that’ll make it safer and easier to get around as the city grows. Last year’s measures were the beginning of a long-term plan to build the transportation system San Francisco needs and deserves. The first bond sale, to raise $67 million, is anticipated by summer 2015.
Last but not least, we want to say thank you to the voters of San Francisco for their strong support at the ballot last year. The bond passed with 72 percent of the vote, and the population-based measure achieved 61 percent approval.
We take the responsibility San Franciscans have entrusted us with very seriously and we encourage you to follow our progress as we improve transportation throughout the city.
Thanks to voter support, improvements like new transit-only lanes will move forward on critical Muni lines around the city, making the system more reliable.