Transportation

Our goal: Give people better ways to get where they need to go.

SPUR’s transportation agenda:

• Make our streets safe and inviting for pedestrians.
• Complete our bicycle networks.
• Increase capacity and speed on key bus and light-rail lines.
• Increase rail service in the region’s urban core.
• Build out the state’s plan for high-speed rail.
• Integrate the region’s many transit operators to make a seamless experience for riders.
• Control transit costs.
• Use pricing to manage traffic congestion.

Read more from SPUR’s Agenda for Change

The Bay Area

  • SPUR Report

    Caltrain Corridor Vision Plan

    The Caltrain Corridor — the string of cities stretching between San Jose and San Francisco — is home to the world’s innovation economy. But its transportation system is falling short. How can we keep Silicon Valley moving?

    Read More

  • White Paper

    Designing a Second Transbay Rail Crossing

    Since the BART Transbay Tube opened in 1974, the Bay Area has grown from 4.3 million to 7.6 million people, yet we have added no new capacity for crossing the Bay. It's time to start planning a second transbay rail crossing.

    Read More

  • SPUR Report

    Seamless Transit

    Bay Area transit riders contend with more than two dozen different operators. By integrating our many transit services so they function more like one easy-to-use network, we can increase ridership and make better planning decisions.

    Read More

  • SPUR Report

    A Better Future for Bay Area Transit

    Capital and operating deficits are putting the viability of Bay Area transit at risk. MTC has launched the Transit Sustainability Project to identify policy solutions. SPUR recommends nine strategies to reach the project’s goals.

    Read More

  • SPUR Report

    Saving Caltrain for the Long Term

    Caltrain is one of the most important transit systems in the Bay Area, and yet recurring budget shortfalls and a complex three-county governing structure have made its future uncertain. SPUR looks at long-term solutions.

    Read More

San Francisco

  • SPUR Report

    Reversing Muni's Downward Spiral

    Muni faces an urgent financial crisis. SPUR proposes to boost revenues by increasing the speed of boarding, reducing waits at lights, improving transit stop spacing and favoring primary transit corridors.

    Read More

  • SPUR Report

    Taking Down a Freeway to Reconnect a Neighborhood

    Highway 280 and the Caltrain railyards create barriers between SoMa, Potrero Hill and Mission Bay. But San Francisco has the opportunity to advance bold new ideas that can enhance the transportation system and the public realm.

    Read More

  • White Paper

    Connecting San Francisco's Northeast Neighborhoods

    North Beach, Telegraph Hill, Russian Hill, Fisherman’s Wharf and northern Chinatown have high densities of residents, workers and tourists — yet no major plans to increase transit. How can transit better serve these neighborhoods?

    Read More

San Jose

  • SPUR Report

    Freedom to Move

    Santa Clara County grew up around the car. Now traffic is stalling economic growth, social equity and quality of life. How can we get the South Bay, its people and its economy moving in a more sustainable way?

    Read More

  • White Paper

    Improving Access for Santana Row and Valley Fair

    Two major San Jose destinations — Santana Row and Valley Fair — are both planning to expand. SPUR offers 20 ideas for improving access and circulation for this already-congested area.

    Read More

Oakland

  • SPUR Report

    A Downtown for Everyone

    Downtown Oakland, one of the most transit-accessible places in the Bay Area, is poised to take on a more important role in the region. But the future is not guaranteed. How can downtown grow while providing benefits to all?

    Read More

Advanced Search

  • Find more of SPUR's transportation research

    Read More

Updates and Events

How Can We Create the Best User Experience at Diridon Station?

News October 2, 2018
Creating a great user experience at the redeveloped Diridon Station will be critical to whether people embrace the station and use transit. If Diridon’s transit services are going to compete with the automobile — or the next big transportation technology — the partners developing the station will need to focus on the user as the primary driver in their planning efforts .

Why Bay Area Transit Fares Must Change Before the Upgrade to Clipper 2.0

News September 26, 2018
Clipper, the Bay Area’s transit fare payment system, is getting an upgrade and moving to a new technology platform, Clipper 2.0. If it happens before the big move, downsizing and streamlining fare policies between the region's 27 transit operators could save millions, make transit more affordable and increase ridership.

Tools for Minding, and Mending, Transportation Gaps

News August 29, 2018
Gaps in the Bay Area transportation system make it challenging for riders to use the many services available: gaps in service, gaps in information, gaps between how the transit network functions today and how it could be. This year SPUR’s Transit + Design Workshops focused on research and design tools to help fill in the gaps that detract from a great customer experience.

Why You Need to Vote No on the Gas Tax Repeal

News July 16, 2018
Last year's passage of state transportation funding bill SB1 represented a monumental win for California and the Bay Area. But this victory may have been short-lived: Proposition 6, a ballot measure to repeal SB1, will go to California voters in November. The proposed repeal is a vote against safe streets, roads and infrastructure in favor of greater subsidies for driving.

San Jose's First BART Station: More Than a Transit Project

News July 12, 2018
The opening of San Jose’s first BART station marks an important moment for the city. After decades of planning, San Jose will finally connect to the regional rail system. But the potential benefits extend far beyond the station. The city has a unique chance to create a dynamic urban village at Berryessa, its first station, and set a strong precedent for future station area development.

Follow Our Work

Get the latest updates on Transportation projects and events.

Sign up for our email newsletters