SFMTA outlines "Biking and Rolling" North Star, community action plans and new delivery criteria

SFMTA on Feb. 11 presented the San Francisco Biking and Rolling Plan update to the Transportation Authority Board, describing a multi-year, community-driven blueprint to expand safe, all-ages-and-abilities (AAA) bikeway connections across the city.

The plan sets a "North Star" goal: an AAA safe and connected bikeway network within a quarter mile of every resident, paired with community action plans and a new decision-making framework that weighs safety, technical feasibility, resources and "community readiness."

Why it matters

SFMTA staff said the update is intended to be a long-range, equity-focused framework to guide projects, programs and partnerships for the next generation of bikeways. The plan emphasizes repairing past harms in neighborhoods affected by displacement and exclusion, partnering with five community-based organizations to craft local action plans, increasing protected infrastructure, connecting more K–12 schools to AAA facilities and building programmatic supports such as education, bike parking and bike-share affordability.

What staff told the board

- Outreach and draft findings: SFMTA staff said the process included more than 200 outreach events, over 1,000 survey responses, citywide open houses with more than 500 participants and roughly 950 written comments. Staff said quick-build protected bikeways historically increased ridership by about 27% when installed, and that only about 8% of the existing bike network currently meets AAA standards.

- Community action plans: SFMTA partnered with five community organizations to develop local community action plans in six equity‑priority neighborhoods (Fillmore/Western Addition, Tenderloin, SoMa, Mission/Excelsior, Bayview). Staff said the action plans are included in the plan document, and that many recommendations will require coordination with other city departments including Public Works and Planning.

- Decision framework and delivery: Staff described a framework that prioritizes projects for implementation based on safety need, technical feasibility (including physical constraints such as grade and driveways), available resources (funding and staff capacity) and community readiness. Staff said the plan will be a "living document" with check-ins every two years and that it will change SFMTA's accountability approach: rather than promising specific build dates, staff will be transparent about readiness and constraints.

Board discussion and public comment

Board members praised the outreach and emphasized school access, northeast/southwest connectivity, and the role of e-bikes in changing ridership patterns. Commissioners asked about metrics linked to the city's Climate Action goals and how school programs (Safe Routes to School) will connect to the North Star network. Staff said they will return with more implementation details and that an update to the Climate Action Plan will provide additional mode-share detail.

Public commenters included a speaker from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition who urged rapid implementation and district-level support, and callers who urged fiscal caution and questioned the plan's lack of timelines and budget commitments.

Next steps

SFMTA said it will seek plan adoption and return with further implementation steps, including how Safe Routes to School and community action plans will be resourced and phased. Staff flagged that many future projects will rely on grants and other external funding sources and that building a prioritized plan will position the city for future grant competitions.

Source: presentation and public comment recorded at the Feb. 11 San Francisco County Transportation Authority Board meeting.