The Bay Area does not work without consistent, reliable, well-functioning public transit.

San Francisco’s tax base collapses without workers coming to its downtown offices. Basic geometry dictates that there simply are too many of us living in too narrow confines for everyone to drive — and park — there in private cars.

Two-thirds of all jobs in the Bay Area more broadly are anchored around transit; 27% of students in San Francisco take Muni to school each day.

Bay Area roads cannot handle a decentralized free-for-all. We already have the third-worst traffic in the nation. And studies have consistently shown that public transit alternatives like rideshare make traffic and pollution worse in crowded places like the Bay Area.

Article continues below this ad

Healthy public transportation systems are essential to supporting local businesses, reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality and ensuring everyone can get where they need to go affordably.

Those systems are now under threat on multiple fronts.

Federal funding for public transportation operations has all but evaporated under the Trump administration, and state support has become increasingly volatile. California spent $30.9 billion on transportation-related programs last year, but only a sixth of that went toward public transit, passenger rail and active transportation. 

This retrenchment comes at the worst possible time — as transit ridership is finally making significant gains in recovering from its COVID-era struggles. Bay Area transit systems were designed to get people to and from downtown offices.........

© San Francisco Chronicle