A walkable SF depends on transit: vote YES on Measures H & RTM
Safe streets and a walkable San Francisco aren’t possible without frequent, reliable public transportation.
But you’ve heard the headlines: Muni, BART, and other transit agencies around the Bay Area face a fiscal crisis unlike any we’ve seen. The dramatic drop in fare revenues caused by the pandemic changed everything, and the emergency funding that’s kept transit afloat will soon end.
Without additional funding, transit service as we know it will be decimated:
- SFMTA/Muni will have to cut up to 20 routes entirely; double wait times on remaining routes; only run nighttime Owl service starting at 9PM; eliminate the F-train and cable cars; and even cut essential street safety maintenance work.
- BART will have to end service at 9pm seven days a week (previously midnight); run only 3-line service (previously 5-line); and run trains only every 30 minutes (previously 10-20 minutes). BART has said they might have to end service entirely after 1-2 years without new funding.
- Caltrain will have to close more than one third of stations; eliminate weekend service (previously every 30 minutes); reduce frequencies to once per hour (previously every 30 minutes or less); end service at 9PM; and cut segments of service entirely. This is after just investing billions of dollars to transition Caltrain to electric trains.
Beyond the profound impacts to everyone who relies on transit plus our regional economy, reducing public transit at this scale would send our traffic safety crisis into overdrive. Our streets would be flooded with tens of thousands more vehicles every day.
Advocates worked incredibly hard to get two measures on the ballot this November 3 that would provide the funding needed to save transit:
- Stronger Muni for All (Measure H) is a measure to fund Muni operations for 15 years through a parcel tax.
- Connect Bay Area (Measure RTM) is a measure to fund transit agencies across five counties: San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. It’s a sales tax (1 cent in San Francisco) set to last fourteen years, and it would fund transit operations, rider-focused investments like free transfers, accessibility improvements, and transit priority infrastructure.
Measure H requires a majority vote in San Francisco to pass. Measure RTM requires a combined majority across all five counties. This means a strong showing of support in San Francisco could help if any other county has lower support. San Francisco needs to pass both measures to save Muni because the funds in the regional measure would only partially fill its budget gap.
We MUST pass Measures H and RTM – and need your help!
Mail-in ballots arrive in mailboxes in early October, which means there’s not much time to get the word out on Measures H and RTM.
Walk SF is doing everything we can to help and hope you’ll join us!
- Phone bank at Walk SF’s office in the Mission
- Thursday, September 10 from 5PM – 8PM (dinner provided)
- Monday, October 19 from 5PM – 8PM (dinner provided)
You can also volunteer directly with each campaign to knock doors, go to farmer’s markets, and more.
- To help Measure H, sign up on this page.
- To help Measure RTM, sign up here or check this page for upcoming events.
And of course, tell friends and neighbors about these measures. Personal conversations, emails, and texts are one of the best ways to help get Measures H and RTM over the finish line!
Image credit: Marta Lindsey
