Walking and talking with District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill along Van Ness Avenue from the 38R bus stop to City Hall.
How do San Francisco’s elected officials get to work? We find out, at least when it comes to half a dozen city supervisors, in the new episode of our Taken with Transportation podcast.
In “The Road to City Hall,” we tag along with Supervisors Matt Dorsey, Myrna Melgar, Danny Sauter, Stephen Sherrill, Chyanne Chen and Bilal Mahmood as they head to the office. And we talk with them about transportation in San Francisco.
District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen grabs a seat on the 49 Van Ness-Mission as her morning commute begins.
The importance and value of Muni
We take Muni with four of the six supervisors in the episode.
Supervisor Sauter bikes to work sometimes, but he often catches the bus. “This next year is going to be critically important to make sure we have the funding to keep Muni going,” Sauter tells us while on the 45 Union-Stockton.
Supervisor Sherrill is a regular 38R Geary rider and uses that route to get to City Hall. “This bus is clean,” Sherrill says as we ride. “It’s safe. It’s nice … and I think active Muni riders today see that. But I think we need to do more to ensure that people not yet comfortable riding Muni do feel safe.”
We also join Supervisors Melgar and Chen on the bus, specifically the 49 Van Ness-Mission, as they each head to work.
Melgar calls Muni an equalizer. “It is a way for people to have access to jobs, to education, to opportunities,” she says.
Chen loves the diversity she sees while on transit. “If you’re riding on the 49, you get to see people who actually rely on the services,” she explains. “Also, you get to hear different languages on the bus.”
District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey and his dog Brando are all smiles after walking to City Hall.
When your commute is also a neighborhood stroll
Supervisors Dorsey and Mahmood both live so close to City Hall that they walk there.
“For me, walking to work is really an opportunity to start my day by doing my job and checking out street conditions,” Dorsey says. “And I feel like it’s connecting me to my district.”
Mahmood feels the same way. And he adds that walking lets him enjoy the neighborhood. “We have a really beautiful city with buildings with amazing architecture,” he says. “We’re walking through parks. And you see the diversity of the individuals.”
How to listen
You can find “The Road to City Hall” and all the Taken with Transportation episodes on our podcast webpage (SFMTA.com/Podcast), our YouTube channel, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.