Current System Challenges

Our transportation system is inefficient. It was designed for cars and trucks that are often only used a small percentage of the day. When they are used it’s often by just one person, yet these vehicles require lots of road space and parking. Cars often aren’t environmentally friendly, are expensive to operate and create traffic, particularly when someone is driving alone. Driving is also dangerous. Nationally, more than 32,000 people were killed on our roadways that year.

Our growing city also means more goods. Deliveries have grown dramatically in the city, yet the way things are delivered hasn’t changed, meaning more delays. Public transit is the backbone of the city, yet it is at capacity during peak periods and most of it is stuck in slow-moving traffic. Building out the bicycle and public transit priority lane networks to provide more reliable, safer, affordable and sustainable travel choices is proceeding, but it’s hard work. Sometimes there is friction. The one-or-the-other push-pull is no longer going to work in a city changing and growing. We need interconnected travel options – and more of them – to get around.


Private Car Ownership

The average car is 80 percent empty when driven and is parked 95 percent of the time. Ownership is expensive. Less than half of all trips are by driving, yet road space is almost entirely prioritized for cars. This represents an incredibly inefficient use of resources and makes it difficult for those who can’t afford or can't drive to access the city.


Traffic Burden

Driving is inherently dangerous. Thirty-one people were victims of traffic fatalities and dozens injured in San Francisco in 2015.The city was rated the third worst city for traffic in the U.S. Muni, the public transit system, is one of the slowest in the nation averaging 8.8 mph because buses often have to contend with car traffic.. Delivery vehicles are oversized for the small neighborhood needs and add to congestion in busy centers during peak periods. Drivers circling for parking and to load and unload create congestion and significantly increase our air and greenhouse gas pollution.


Walking and Bicycling

Walking and biking account for about a quarter of all trips in San Francisco, but people walking and biking getting struck by drivers make up more than half of all traffic fatalities. While bicycling is the most efficient and affordable way to get around the city, the city’s bicycle network is fragmented, and these gaps deter a broader range of people cycling for everyday use.


Public Transit

The transit system in the city is the greenest in the nation and almost a quarter of all trips in the city are by public transit. The system is overwhelmed in the peak hours of the morning and evening commute but has plenty of excess capacity in between. Infrequent late night services are impacting lower income service workers.

Sharing Culture

San Francisco has pioneered a culture of sharing. Think ride sharing, car sharing, bike sharing and public transit. Using policy to prioritize these options streamlines the transportation system by reducing parking needs and filling empty space in vehicles.


Shared Vehicles

With more people sharing rides of different types, there’s more choices for more people to get around. Car sharing, ridesharing and transit dramatically increase the number of people moved per vehicle, using the 80 percent of vehicle occupancy currently wasted in the majority of auto trips. Car sharing means more people can access the same car and less cars are needed. On average, one vehicle in a neighborhood means six to nine cars not needed now or in the future.


Traffic Relief

Using shared services, the number vehicles on the road declines, helping San Franciscans get where they are going easily while saving money and reducing emissions. Redesigning deliveries to have them shift from large trucks to smaller vans and cargo bike means people get access to their goods with less impact on traffic.


Better Streets

Bike sharing has grown in popularity because people like the ability to pick up and bike and drop it off without the hassles of parking or bringing the bike upstairs. As more people try bike share, they tend to use other forms of sustainable modes. No one has been fatally injured using bike share in the U.S.


Public Transit

Shared services can provide better first-last mile connections to and from public transit. That means more people can get from A to B by public transit.

Connected City

Embracing shared, electric, connected autonomous vehicles will transform our transportation system. Think beyond just cars. Vans, trucks, buses and anything that currently moves around the city can be equipped with this technology. By linking the benefits of shared vehicles to connected and autonomous technology we can move more people in the most efficient , affordable and safest way, dramatically transforming how we get around the city. The system will be phased in over time. As that happens, we will need less space to store parked vehicles, whether that’s parking lots and garages or spaces on the street. We can use space that once held empty cars to build small parks and affordable housing, improving our city for everyone.


Shared, Electric, Connected, Automated Vehicles

Autonomous technology will be used for a shared fleet instead of private ownership. By moving our modes of transportation to a shared model, transportation will belong to everyone and all San Franciscans, regardless of class or ability, will share in the benefits.


Smart Traffic Management

Connected vehicles will be able to sense each other and people walking and bicycling, eliminating collisions and traffic fatalities.


Integrated Streets

Shared connected vehicles will be able to provide more space on streets to active transportation, meaning we will complete the bicycle network and walking will be much safer throughout the city.


City for Everyone

There are 442,000 publicly available parking spaces in San Francisco right now. By freeing up space used for parking and transporting mostly empty vehicles, we can transition that space to parks, pedestrian amenities and affordable housing.