SaveMUNI
P.O. Box 330282 San Francisco CA 94133
March 1, 2025
Janet Tarlov, President and Members of the
SFMTA Board of Directors
Dear President Tarlov and Members of the Board,
In light of the financial crisis facing the SFMTA, SaveMUNI strongly opposes any further funding of the Bicycle and Rolling Plan, or of any project recommended under that plan. We urge the Board to reject its findings and start an investigation into whether the $ 1.72 million in funding was properly spent.
This project represents a clumsy attempt at social engineering. It certainly did not arise from any clamor from what they call Equity Priority Communities . In fact those five areas of the city depend on Muni for getting around and they desperately want better Muni service.
The Bicycling and Rolling Plan started with pre-conceived ideas and spent $ 1.72 million
to shove them down the throats of San Franciscans. Of that amount, $ 712 million came directly out of the SFMTA budget and another $ 250 million came from city sales tax funds.
This report should be embarrassing to its authors and shocking to anyone who takes the time to read it. Among its many flaws:
1) Numerous projects are recommended but there are no costs associated with any of the work.
2) Meetings were held in 10 Supervisoral districts. Each was stacked to reflect the concerns of an elite special interest group that was paid to organize outreach.
3) Statistics presented in the report are dubious at best. In the 445 page Appendix, those conducting surveys failed to reveal the questions that were asked or the method for selection of respondents, which are normally presented as part of a legitimate study.
4) Outreach avoided contact with established neighborhood groups. We saw the outrage from the Chinatown community when merchants found out about a proposed bike lane and demanded that the mayor intervene.
5) Never once was the number of bicyclists using a proposed project ever considered. Lines on a map seemed to be the only concern for the study authors.
6) Since the Bicycle and Rolling Plan had its conclusions made up in advance, the staff never asked relevant questions such as:
a) Would people favor bike lanes if they took away parking in their neighborhood ?
b) Would people favor bike lanes if they removed a lane of traffic from a street in their neighborhood ?
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c) Is all biking and rolling the same ? What are the implications of using heavier, faster electric vehicles ?
d) Shouldn’t bicycle and rolling infrastructure be subject to the same criteria as road or transit infrastructure ?
e) Their own statistics show that bicycle use for commuting is down. Is overall bicycle use down ? And, if not, are the needs of recreational bicycle users different than those of commuters ?
In view of the grave flaws in this report, the Board ought to reject its findings and initiate an investigation into whether the $ 1.72 million was properly spent. By doing so, the Board could show a break with past policies and help to revive public support for future funding requests that will come before the voters.
Sincerely,
Bob Feinbaum
President, SaveMUNI
