Mayor Edwin M. Lee today issued the following statement on a potential Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) strike:

“I join Governor Brown in urging BART union and management leaders to return to the bargaining table and continue to negotiate in good faith to avoid a BART strike.

A strike by a transit agency that carries hundreds of thousands of people every day will not only cause disruptions to loyal BART riders who rely on the system to get to work, go to school and travel around our region, but a strike would negatively impact our entire regional economy.

In the unfortunate event of a BART strike, the City and County of San Francisco will minimize impacts to those affected by offering increased transportation options, including at our Airport, and increasing staff for traffic management. We have also planned ahead with our own City government staff to ensure vital public services are not interrupted.  We will continue to partner with regional transit agencies, local businesses and other key stakeholders to coordinate an effective contingency plan to keep our City and the entire Bay Area moving.”