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SFMTA lays out plan to shift San Francisco away from cars, seeks transit funding
Summary
SFMTA officials outlined a Sustainable Mobility Strategy that aims to cut car mode share by half and boost transit, walking and biking by 2030. The agency urged closer integration of land use, data, and funding to expand capacity for growth and launched a Transit Effectiveness Project to capture near-term service improvements.
Tim Papandreou, deputy director for planning and policy at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, told the Planning Commission that the agency’s Sustainable Mobility Strategy centers on cutting solo car trips and boosting transit, walking and bicycling as San Francisco grows. Papandreou said the city expects between 50,000 and 100,000 new residents in coming decades and “we just cannot accommodate 50,000 or 100,000 more people with cars.”
The strategy’s headline 2030 mode-share goals are to reduce car use toward 30 percent of trips, raise transit to 30 percent, and increase walking and bicycling together to about 40 percent. The presentation emphasized six program areas: managing travel demand, providing supporting infrastructure, integrating transportation with land-use planning, expanding data and information tools, improving transit reliability and peak capacity, and piloting shared services such as bike‑share and car‑sharing.
Papandreou highlighted projects the MTA and partners are pursuing, including the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) to reshape key routes, the Van Ness and Geary bus rapid transit projects, the Central Subway extension, Caltrain electrification, and a bike‑share pilot aimed at City Hall–Ferry Building–South-of-Market corridors. He told commissioners that data integration is vital: the agency wants to make real‑time network information and trip‑planning tools available so riders can compare and choose modes.
Commissioners asked about near‑term operational fixes for crowding, reliability in the Muni tunnels and whether the agency can deliver projects quickly. Papandreou said the TEP will seek short‑term changes to speed service while also identifying longer‑term capital needs. On the question of information and rider experience, Papandreou said MTA data-sharing and app partnerships can deliver low‑cost improvements now and invited commissioners to participate in continued outreach as planning advances.
The presentation prompted a lengthy discussion on equity and neighborhood impacts: commissioners and several public commenters urged attention to corridors such as Mission Street and the Southeast part of the city that have historically received less investment. Papandreou said the MTA is coordinating with the Planning Department, environmental agencies and regional partners to align land use and transportation decisions, and noted the importance of securing new funding sources to protect and expand core transit capacity.
Next steps include release of analysis under the TEP, a public outreach sequence, and a regional push to align sustainable‑community targets with capital planning to pursue funding for transit core capacity.
