Mayor Edwin M. Lee’s SF2030 Transportation Task Force today released a draft Report that calls for a $10.1 billion investment in transportation infrastructure over the next 15 years, with recommendations to generate $3 billion in new revenue for the long-underfunded system by 2030. Aging, outdated infrastructure and insufficient vehicles are a major cause of service delays and performance challenges for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).

“San Franciscans deserve a reliable, safe and affordable world-class transportation system for the 21st century, and for too long we have systematically underinvested in our rails, our roads and our public transit vehicles. The report from this Task Force provides a comprehensive, coordinated roadmap for the investments we must make to improve the system we have and build a transportation system to meet the growing needs of our City,” said Mayor Lee. “I thank Monique Zmuda and Gabe Metcalf for their leadership and all the members of the Task Force for their commitment and deliberative, transparent work over the last year. I also want to thank Board President Chiu and Supervisors Wiener and Avalos for their leadership and many years of work on critical transportation issues facing our City.”

“We know that to remain a world-class city we must invest in our transportation system,” said Board of Supervisors President David Chiu. “The funding outlined by the task force will significantly improve the everyday experiences of pedestrians, transit riders, bicyclists – and drivers – by making all of these ways of getting around safer and more reliable.”

“These recommendations meaningfully address Muni’s core problem: long-term under-investment in the system’s deteriorated infrastructure and state of good repair,” said Supervisor Scott Wiener, a Task Force member, County Transportation Authority (CTA) Vice Chair and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Commissioner. “Fixing Muni isn’t rocket science, but it does require something often in short supply when it comes to transit: the political will to invest in the system year in and year out and stay focused on the needs of the riding public. Muni doesn’t have enough capacity to meet the needs of our current population, let alone the 150,000 projected additional residents over coming decades. Now is the time to aggressively invest in Muni’s reliability and capacity, and these recommendations do just that.”

During his 2013 State of the City address, San Francisco Mayor Lee announced the creation of the SF2030 Transportation Task Force to develop actionable recommendations to ensure the City’s transportation system is reliable and prepared for future growth by investing in its infrastructure between now and the year 2030. Co-chaired by Deputy City Controller Monique Zmuda and San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) Executive Director Gabriel Metcalf with a diverse group of transportation experts, transit operators, labor and other key transportation stakeholders, the Task Force performed an extensive needs assessment of existing plans for the current and future state of the City’s transportation system, including transit, streets and right-of-way infrastructure.  

The Task Force concluded that there were two major findings:
•    The City’s infrastructure is inadequate to meet current demand, and decline in transportation services will become more severe without new investments as the City grows and demand for transportation increases.
•    Required improvements to the City’s transportation system infrastructure are estimated at $10.1 billion over the next 15 years. The City has identified $3.8 billion in funding, leaving a $6.3 billion funding gap over the next 15 years.

The Task Force recommends potential tools for new revenue to generate $3 billion by 2030, including a vehicle license fee increase of 1.35 percent, sales tax increase of 0.5 percent, and two General Obligation Bonds, each for $500 million, all subject to voter approval. The plan would increase local investment to transportation infrastructure by 79 percent, and put the City in a strong position to leverage additional State and Federal funding for the remaining $3.3 billion gap. The Task Force’s recommendations would make investments in maintaining the City’s existing transportation system (54 percent of funding), enhance the existing system (32 percent), and expand the system to meet growth (14 percent).

Overview of key components of the plan:
•    $2.7 billion (87 percent) will be invested in Citywide programs, resulting in significant improvements for all neighborhoods, commercial districts and modes of transportation.
•    The plan would enable SFMTA to replace its entire fleet within 15 years and provides funds to ensure they are properly maintained throughout their useful life. Vehicle breakdowns account for 2/3 of service delays. If this plan is implemented, Muni vehicle performance will be significantly improved, potentially reducing service delays by as much as 50 percent.
•    The plan also enables the City to reach and maintain a “good” condition of its streets, which cost-effectively ensures smoother, safer roads and crosswalks for bicyclists, transit riders, pedestrians and drivers. A well maintained street costs 70 percent less over its lifetime than one that is repaired after it fully deteriorates.
•    The plan includes $316 million for the Bike and Pedestrian Strategies, which plan for a reduction of 50 percent of fatalities and severe injuries for those who walk and supports increasing cycling trips to comprise 20 percent of all trips taken in San Francisco.
•    Every investment category of the plan will improve the accessibility of the City’s transportation system for all users.
•    The plan accommodates growth in the City with $421 million in projects that include an expanded bike network, streetscape improvement projects, and additional Muni vehicles so there is capacity for new riders.  

For more information on the SF2030 Transportation Task Force Report, go to: http://www.sf-planning.org/index.aspx?page=3427. To read the full SF2030 Transportation Task Force Report, go to: http://sfcontroller.org/sites/default/files/FileCenter/Documents/4912-Taskforce_AnnualReport2030V9_1113_3.pdf

The Report will now be formally transmitted to the Mayor, Board of Supervisors and SFMTA Board of the Directors for consideration and possible action by policymakers.