Barbara Boxer -- of whom I am generally a fan -- sent out a mass email today, asking for input relating to CA transportation. Here's my reply. I'm sorry, but this isn't very funny or interesting, unless you're the kind of person who finds this sort of thing interesting, which you are not.
Dear Senator Boxer,
I'm writing in response to your email bulletin today, in which you requested public input relating to your work in the Senate's Committee on Environment and Public Works.
As a longtime resident of San Francisco and employee of a major Bay Area company, I'd like to request that you help us to invest more heavily in mass transit. One of the great benefits of San Francisco is its potential for swift transit -- it's one of the main reasons I live here -- but there is much room for improvement.
Specifically:
- We need more rapid transit options, such as Bus Rapid Transit. Currently, the SFPD will not enforce the city's transit-only lanes.
- We need better connections between agencies; the confusing MTA and broken Translink are failing to guide customers from one transit network to another.
- We need to expand and speed up the transit networks that extend outside of the city. It is currently very time-consuming take transit from one town to another.
- We need immediate investment in bicycle infrastructure, which is suffering under an injunction and painfully slow EIR.
San Francisco can't accommodate any more cars, but our mass transit options can be slow and unreliable. Transportation in San Francisco is going to get worse unless the city is able to make good on its commitment to be "transit first."
Thank you very much for your time,
Matt Baume
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