By Calvin Welch, Land Use Chair, HANC Board

There are big changes being proposed for MUNI. Two months ago, Mayor Lee appointed a working group to advise him on future funding mechanisms for MUNI. It is due to report back on September 23rd. Expect a major bond and a new “dedicated” source for MUNI funding, probably a new vehicle license fee for all autos registered to San Franciscans. There is also talk about a new MUNI fee being charged to new developments. Expect a major debate on Supervisor Scott Wiener’s proposal to apply that fee to affordable housing developments and health and human service non-profit facility developments, two activities which currently pay no such fee and generally serve folks who already are riding MUNI and thus not adding to it capacity problem.

But even more controversial is what MUNI plans to do with the new revenue. In large measure that is contained in MUNI’s Transit Effectiveness Program (TEP) which is a line by line set of proposals on making MUNI more “effective.” A Draft Environmental Impact Report has been prepared and can be downloaded from the Planning Department here.

 At its heart, the TEP basically increases “effectiveness” by cutting existing service to neighborhoods in order to speed “service” to downtown. What is being proposed for the 5, 21, and 71 lines is reducing stops along Haight, Hayes and McAllister Streets, thus speeding service to folks in the Sunset and Richmond to downtown and the mid-Market area. For the 6, the proposal is to reroute the line away from the hill portions of the upper Haight to Haight Street thus speeding service to downtown from the western neighborhoods.

There is a growing concern among neighborhood activist in Chinatown, the Tenderloin and Bayview that the TEP is about cutting service to already “transit dependent” neighborhoods (and the Haight-Ashbury should be added to that list) in favor of attracting new “transit choice” riders now driving cars and living in the western neighborhoods. It is a form of “transit gentrification”. When added to Supervisor Wieners desire to shift new transit fees from developers of commercial property ( including the “high tech” office sector) to developers of affordable housing and the providers of health and human services to low and fixed income San Franciscans the outline of such “transit gentrification” becomes more clear.

The Board of Supervisors will make the final decision on the TEP MUNI routes. Supervisor Breed has expressed concerns about the loss of service to the Western Addition and should hear from us as well in opposing the recommendations for the 6, 21 as 71 as well. She can be reached through email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call her office at 554-7630.