How has public feedback shaped the Study’s recommendations?
Some key themes have emerged from the outreach we’ve done. It has directly shaped the Study’s technical approach and draft recommendations.
- Muni Metro’s continued success is imperative. There is broad agreement. It’s important that Muni Metro continues to serve San Francisco’s mobility needs.
- Plan for multiple future scenarios. This recognizes the uncertainty about ridership growth. We shifted from using one forecast to multiple forecasts. This better shows which strategies are likely needed. It also shows which are only needed if ridership grows the most.
- Focus on rider priorities. We framed Study recommendations in terms of how they will impact the Muni rider experience.
- Set up future corridor-based outreach for success. Some community members felt planning can seem like a competition between interests. Tradeoffs are inevitable. We agree future outreach should work to build consensus. It should reduce the impact of those tradeoffs.
- Removing a line from the subway should be left as a last resort. The Study does not recommend removing a line from the subway. Future exploration would only be considered if ridership increases significantly. It may also be considered if subway performance declines. Any work to consider removing a line from the subway in the future would include extensive community outreach.
How has the public been involved?
Community Working Group: Since late 2023 the Study team have met regularly with members of a Community Working Group. The Study team administered a public application process and selected members who best met a range of criteria.
This included members who:
- Are involved in their community and able to speak to broader community priorities
- Bring a civic-minded perspective to this long-range effort
- Were interested in engaging in dialogue with a diverse group of people with different perspectives
Working Group members represent multiple community perspectives including:
- Regular Muni Metro riders of each line
- Small business
- Seniors
- People with disabilities
- People who are transit-dependent
- People who also drive, walk and bike
Staff vetted ideas, strategies and Study methodology with this group. Group members provided questions, comments and suggestions that helped shape the Study’s approach and recommendations.
Community group meetings: Staff met regularly with groups who reached out to us, including SaveMuni, People of Parkside Sunset (POPS) and the Restore J the Working Group. You can email TellMuni@SFMTA.com to invite us to present to your group.
Muni Metro Rider Focus Groups: We held four focus groups in English, Chinese and Spanish in October 2024. These focus groups helped us understand Muni Metro rider reaction to the potential strategies under consideration.
Boards and Commissions: We are providing informational updates to the SFMTA Citizen’s Advisory Council, SFMTA Board, SFCTA Citizen’s Advisory Committee, and SFCTA Board of Commissioners at select milestones.
Project webpage: All meeting materials and meeting notes from Community Working Group meetings are publicly available on the Study web page. We also have posted Study recommendations here and invited feedback.
Draft recommendations outreach: We made our draft recommendations available for review and comment via an interactive website available in English, Chinese, Spanish, and Filipino. We also are presenting these recommendations to interested groups.