SEC. 8A.115. TRANSIT-FIRST POLICY.
§ 8A.115
San Francisco's transit-first policy establishes that the city's transportation system must prioritize safe and efficient movement of people and goods, with public transit, walking, and bicycling as preferred alternatives to private automobiles. The policy directs all city departments to apply these principles in their operations, and restricts parking in new private structures to levels that existed on July 1, 2007 unless the Board of Supervisors approves additional spaces by a four-fifths vote.
San Francisco has adopted a transit-first approach to transportation. The city wants its transportation system to focus on moving people and goods safely and efficiently, and wants public transit, walking, and biking to be attractive alternatives to driving alone. City departments must follow this principle when they make decisions. The city will prioritize transit improvements like bus lanes, safer bike streets, and better pedestrian areas. For parking in new private buildings, the city generally cannot allow more parking spaces than were permitted on July 1, 2007, unless the Board of Supervisors votes to allow more spaces (and that vote needs four-fifths agreement).
- Complex:Section (a) contains ten numbered principles that are aspirational and somewhat overlapping in scope, making the core directive less sharply defined than a direct mandate.
- Controversial:Transit-first policies and parking restrictions are subjects of ongoing public debate in San Francisco regarding their effects on housing costs, traffic congestion, and business access.
AI-generated · claude-haiku-4-5 · informational only, not legal advice.
Official text
(a) The following principles shall constitute the City and County's transit-first policy and shall be incorporated into the General Plan of the City and County. All officers, boards, commissions, and departments shall implement these principles in conducting the City and County's affairs:
1. To ensure quality of life and economic health in San Francisco, the primary objective of the transportation system must be the safe and efficient movement of people and goods.
2. Public transit, including taxis and vanpools, is an economically and environmentally sound alternative to transportation by individual automobiles. Within San Francisco, travel by public transit, by bicycle and on foot must be an attractive alternative to travel by private automobile.
3. Decisions regarding the use of limited public street and sidewalk space shall encourage the use of public rights of way by pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transit, and shall strive to reduce traffic and improve public health and safety.
4. Transit priority improvements, such as designated transit lanes and streets and improved signalization, shall be made to expedite the movement of public transit vehicles (including taxis and vanpools) and to improve pedestrian safety.
5. Pedestrian areas shall be enhanced wherever possible to improve the safety and comfort of pedestrians and to encourage travel by foot.
6. Bicycling shall be promoted by encouraging safe streets for riding, convenient access to transit, bicycle lanes, and secure bicycle parking.
7. Parking policies for areas well served by public transit shall be designed to encourage travel by public transit and alternative transportation.
8. New transportation investment should be allocated to meet the demand for public transit generated by new public and private commercial and residential developments.
9. The ability of the City and County to reduce traffic congestion depends on the adequacy of regional public transportation. The City and County shall promote the use of regional mass transit and the continued development of an integrated, reliable, regional public transportation system.
10. The City and County shall encourage innovative solutions to meet public transportation needs wherever possible and where the provision of such service will not adversely affect the service provided by the Municipal Railway.
(b) The City may not require or permit off-street parking spaces for any privately-owned structure or use in excess of the number that City law would have allowed for the structure or use on July 1, 2007 unless the additional spaces are approved by a four-fifths vote of the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors may reduce the maximum parking required or permitted by this section.
(Amended by Proposition A, Approved 11/6/2007)
Editor's Note: Formerly Sec. 16.102.