Support of San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority Commuter Shuttle Policy and Pilot Program

[San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Commuter Shuttle Policy and Pilot Program]

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF PROPOSED SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY (SFMTA) COMMUTER SHUTTLE POLICY AND PILOT PROGRAM.
WHEREAS, The City and County of San Francisco has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 and cars and trucks account for 40% of the City’s greenhouse gas emissions; and,
WHEREAS, The commuter shuttle sector in San Francisco has grown quickly over the past several years, providing transportation and environmental benefits by moving commuters out of cars and into a form of mass transit, such that private shuttles currently provide more than 35,000 individual person trips on an average weekday; and,
WHEREAS, This resulting decrease in private vehicle trips and car ownership rates has created an annual reduction of at least 45 million vehicle miles travelled and 11,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions; and,
WHEREAS, The increased use of commuter shuttles has also created unintended impacts on San Francisco’s own public transportation system by creating delays to Muni, localized traffic congestion, and diversion of bicyclists out of bike lanes; and,
WHEREAS, It is critical to reduce these unintended impacts in order to support the positive progress toward the City’s goal of having 50 percent of all trips made outside of personal vehicles by 2018,  including through the utilization of commuter shuttles; and,
WHEREAS, The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has proposed a new commuter shuttle policy and 18-month pilot program that will establish shuttle service permits at a limited network of shared Muni and permitted commuter shuttle stops and establish a use fee for program participants with penalties for non-compliance; and,
WHEREAS, Program participants will also be required to provide necessary data with respect to the operation of commuter shuttles, routes, and frequency of service that is necessary to determine the full impacts on Muni and traffic congestion; and,
WHEREAS, The pilot program will inform future and concurrent proposals intended to fully realize the environmental benefits associated with commuters using shuttles instead of cars; now, therefore be it,
RESOLVED, That the Policy Committee of the San Francisco Commission on the Environment believes that a commuter shuttle policy is critical to ensure that overall positive environmental and sustainable transportation benefits; and,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Committee supports the SFMTA’s proposed commuter shuttle policy and pilot program and urges the SFMTA to engage in a robust study of the program’s success in reducing the unintended impacts of commuter shuttles, including their impacts on all San Franciscans, while not precluding or setting precedent with respect to other prospective options to reduce these impacts; and,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Committee requests that SFMTA staff share data collected under the pilot program with Department of Environment staff so that additional recommendations and programs might be developed based on the success of the pilot program, both during and after implementation.
I hereby certify that this Resolution was adopted at the Policy Committee’s meeting on January 13, 2014.
_______________________________________
Monica Fish, Commission Secretary

VOTE:    Approved
AYES:    Commissioners Arce, Josefowitz and Wald
NOES:    None
ABSENT: Commissioner Gravanis