SPUR Transportation Policy Area Header

Transportation

We believe: Walking, biking, and taking transit should be the safest
and best ways to get around for people of all ages and abilities.

Our Goal


• Reduce emissions from transportation.

• Reduce driving.

• Build complete communities around transit.

• Make Bay Area transit work for the 21st century.

• Eliminate traffic deaths.

a bus traveling unimpeded in a transit-only lane

SPUR Report

Making Roads Work for Transit

Transit delays and unreliability can make riding the bus a nonstarter for those who have other ways to get around. Giving transit vehicles priority on Bay Area roads can deliver the speed and reliability improvements needed to get more people on buses and out of cars.
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cyclist riding on a road with separated bike lanes

Policy Brief

Accelerating Sustainable Transportation in California

To fight climate pollution, California will need to build out the infrastructure to make walking, biking and riding transit the default ways to get around. SPUR makes the case to extend state legislation that is making it faster to build commonsense sustainable transportation projects.
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A mostly empty parking lot viewed from above

SPUR Report

The Bay Area Parking Census

For decades, parking in the Bay Area has been both ubiquitous and uncounted. SPUR and the Mineta Transportation Institute have produced the San Francisco Bay Area Parking Census, the most detailed assessment of parking infrastructure ever produced for the region.
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Updates and Events

SPUR and the San Francisco business community urge Governor Newsom to restore and increase funding for public transit

Advocacy Letter
This letter supports the budget agreement between the California Assembly and Senate, which would provide a loan for Bay Area transit operators facing near-term operating shortfalls and restore other relief funding, amounting to $1.85 billion. It also urges the Governor to honor existing public transit funding commitments and to commit to supporting public transit service in the emerging Cap-and-Invest negotiations.

SPUR provides input on Cap and Trade reauthorization to expand transit funding

Advocacy Letter
The Legislature and Administration have signaled that they would like to reauthorize the Cap-and-Trade program in 2025, as the program expires in 2030 and to reduce volatility in auction proceeds. SPUR's believes that the reauthorization of the Cap and Trade is an opportunity for the state to provide more predictable funding for transit operations, which would in turn help the state meet its climate goals. This letter provides five ideas to restructure the public transit programs that are funded by Cap and Trade revenues through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

San Francisco Businesses Support State Relief Funding for Bay Area Transit

Advocacy Letter
The Bay Area's four largest transit operators --Muni, BART, Caltrain, and AC Transit--face severe and imminent fiscal cliffs that would trigger significant service cuts. This would undermine downtown San Francisco's fragile economic recovery, erode the Bay Area's economic competitiveness, and be detrimental to the region and state's economy and financial health. More than 50 of the city's businesses and large employers signed-on to a letter organized by SPUR, Bay Area Council, and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce to the Governor and Legislators requesting funding in this year's budget to ensure transit can continue playing a vital role in San Francisco and the region.
Sujata Srivastava

How SF’s New Mayor Should Spend His Next 100 Days: Q&A With Sujata Srivastava

News /
Part of SPUR’s role is to articulate clear principles and goals for urban policymaking. As San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration passes the 100-day mark, SPUR offers a decision-making framework to help the new mayor and his administration set priorities and maintain momentum in the face of complex and evolving challenges.

110 Organizations Call on the State to Fund Public Transit

Advocacy Letter
Public transit is essential for California to meet its climate goals, solve the housing shortage, make cities more affordable, and continue being an engine of economic prosperity, SPUR is leading a multi-sector coalition that is advocating for $2 billion in new, flexible funding for public transit over two years beginning in FY 25-26, championed by Senator Arreguìn and Assemblymember Gonzalez. Over 110 organizations across the state joined together to call on the Governor and legislators to provide emergency relief to public transit in this year's budget.
cover of brief with title in white text on red background

The Next 100 Days

Policy Brief
San Francisco’s new mayor has made significant strides in his first 100 days in office. To maintain the momentum for change, the Lurie administration will need to set priorities in a time of many competing needs. SPUR’s new brief offers a framework for developing policies to streamline government operations, revitalize downtown, create more housing, support transit, prepare for climate hazards and earthquakes, and reduce fossil fuel use.
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