RM: Buy the Clean Diesel Buses

A Transit Riders’ Association for San Francisco

Box 190966, SF, CA 94119 • 415/273-1558 • www.rescuemuni.org

October 3, 2001

Steve Heminger, Director
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter
101 Eighth Street
Oakland, CA 94607

via fax: 510/464-7848

Dear Mr. Heminger:

We have reviewed the Draft Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) published by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and we have a few comments about the section pertaining to San Francisco.

The Steering Committee of Rescue Muni has urged the SFCTA and MTC in the past to include the following recommendations in San Francisco’s portion of MTC’s 25-year RTP:

S Funding to Maintain the Existing Muni Network
S New Priority Projects
1. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) City-Wide Network
2. Caltrain Downtown Extension
3. Geary Corridor Rapid Transit
S Priority for Cost-Effective Urban Transit

We are delighted that a Bus Rapid Transit program is included in the list of "Track 1" projects for San Francisco. However, we are very concerned that two critical projects for the next 25 years — Caltrain Downtown Extension to a Rebuilt Transbay Terminal and Geary Corridor bus or light rail rapid transit service — are in jeopardy of being excluded from Track 1. It is vitally important that these projects be given the priority that they deserve. Caltrain extension to the new Transbay Terminal has been a top priority for many years and is still not funded; proposed rail service along the Geary corridor was in the "4 Corridors" plan for rail expansion but has still not begun.

We strongly oppose any attempt to remove or cut back the Caltrain/Transbay project. Further, we believe that it is critical for the Regional Transportation Plan to include, at minimum, funding for a Geary Corridor study and EIR in Track 1; it is essential to begin the planning process now in order to make this vital project happen. Since the Caltrain/Transbay project is as much a regional project as it is a San Francisco one, we think that this increased focus on improving transit for the hundreds of thousands of daily Muni riders is appropriate.

In addition, we continue to recommend that SFCTA and MTC give a higher priority to urban transit more generally, and transit that serves large numbers of new riders at reasonable cost; proposed funding for wasteful highway projects like the Hayward Bypass could be used much more effectively on public transit improvements throughout the Bay Area.

We would be delighted to meet with you and the SFCTA director and staff at your convenience to discuss this in more detail. Please call me at 415/673-0626 if you would like to discuss our recommendations.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Andrew Sullivan
Chair, Steering Committee

cc:
Rescue Muni Steering Committee and Service Expansion Committee;
Michael Burns, GM, and Walt Streeter, Director of Planning, Municipal Railway;
Jose Luis Moscovich, Director, SF County Transportation Authority;
Board Members, SF County Transportation Authority and SF Municipal Transportation Agency

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