Policies & Programs - Transportation

Access & Mobility

• Engage vulnerable populations in a transit needs or accessibility assessment.
• Promote equitable commuting options for workers and improve multi-modal access to existing and planned low- and middle-wage job centers or corridors as well as job-training institutions.
• Support and expand educational resources and outreach about safe and active transportation that represent the preferred languages and cultures of residents.
• Create wayfinding and other signage comprehensible to an international population. Work with community organizations that serve non-English speaking communities to better understand how signage and outreach materials for all modes can be more useful.
• Enhance accessibility to major job centers, local services, and recreation for cyclists and pedestrians in underserved communities  
• Develop programs that aim to close gaps in bicycle access and repair by providing subsidized bike sharing programs and shuttles, and low-cost or free bicycle ownership.
• Seek to create viable, accessible and affordable transit for vulnerable populations, for example:
  • Implement projects that address transportation needs identified through County-wide Community Based Transportation Plans.
  • Provide more transit stops, bus shelters and frequent transit for low-income communities, and enhance the amenities and information at bus stops where transfers frequently occur.
  • Work with appropriate partners to subsidize monthly passes for low- income riders and increase accessibility to bus pass vendors.
• Work with local schools and employers to promote bicycle commuting, for example, assist in purchasing and siting long- and short-term bicycle parking.
• Explore a local shuttle service to complement a robust transit network   
• Maintain an advisory committee to evaluate planning and implementation of its jurisdiction’s bike and pedestrian goals and plans.
• Ensure accessibility for people of all ages and abilities on bikes, foot, and wheelchairs. For example, safer and more comfortable sidewalks, particularly for parents with children, people in wheelchairs or using other personal mobility devices, etc.

Land Use & Development

• Include community benefit frameworks based on community-identified priorities, such as bike and pedestrian improvements, shuttles and transit, quality jobs through first source hire, prevailing wages, schools, parks and open space in Downtown Plans, Specific Plans, Station Area Plans, up-zoning and other planning processes for accessible, transit-oriented locations.
• Emphasize importance of in-fill development near schools and call for zoning updates that support connectivity and good walking and bicycling infrastructure in these areas.
• Ensure transparent community engagement that is inclusive of priority or vulnerable populations for any new developments occurring within community. For example, by working with community partners to address barriers to participation (ex. To provide venues for input at convenient times and locations, hold forums in prevalent languages or with interpreters and provide childcare if needed).
• Provide technical support and training opportunities to underserved communities to enhance their capacity to participate in transportation planning processes. For example, the city may work with community partners and schools in neighborhoods impacted by high pedestrian and bicyclist collisions or organize walking and bicycling audits (where participants identify issues related to walking and biking, rank concerns and identify potential solutions).
• Ensure proportionate representation from high-poverty areas, communities of color, all age groups, and the disability community in advisory committees such as a Bicycle Advisory Committee or Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
• Adopt an “Equity in all policies” approach such as American Planning Association’s 2019 Planning for Equity Policy Guide.

Safety

• Improve transportation facilities and traffic controls to provide more safety for children, seniors, and people with disabilities.
• Secure bike parking at schools.
• Allocate resources toward projects and programs in low income communities with high pedestrian/bicycle collision rates, prioritizing near schools.  
• Ensure that the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) design standards are enforced.
• Promote events and activities to educate and reduce the danger of harm from walking, bicycling, and public transportation use in disadvantaged communities, for example, through school-based outreach, participating in existing community events, and organizing walk/bike tours.
• Offer free, secure bicycle parking and storage areas in areas with large populations of low-income families and minority-owned businesses.

Safe Routes to School

• Target Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programming in schools that serve underserved populations
• Apply for SRTS grant programs. Allocate funding for SRTS infrastructure improvements and educational programs.
• Work with school districts to integrate walking and bicycling safety education into class curriculum.
• Involve parents and community support in the SRTS process through comprehensive and culturally appropriate outreach.
• Identify a campus leader/organizer/champion for SRTS.
• Conduct activities that reinforce walking and bicycling, e.g. walking bus or bike trains.
• Ensure safety with crossing guard assistance during peak traffic hours.

Vision Zero

• Allocate funding for Vision Zero Action Plan.
• Form a permanent Vision Zero task force.
• Implement a range of public safety messaging campaign via social media and around the community, for example at high frequency transit stops and at sites of previous traffic-related fatalities.
• Provide bicycle safety education classes for youths and adults.
• Plan community events such as Bike to Work Day or Bikepool.
• Conduct collision analysis.
• Tap existing resources (e.g. Vision Zero Network).

Equitable Enforcement

• Promote equitable enforcement policies that do not overburden low-income families or communities of color with fees and fines (e.g. Focus on the 5 campaigns from SFMTA).
• Partner with local law enforcement to address traffic and crime concerns in the neighborhood, around schools, and along school routes, while ensuring that law enforcement does not over police students of color, low-income students, or their families.
• Avoid imposition of laws on bicycling that would be burdensome to low-income communities, such as laws that require city-issued licenses to bicyclists.
• Plan to work with law enforcement to develop an equitable enforcement approach for key traffic violations to reduce over-policing and overburdening communities of concern with fees/fines.
• Consider a traffic violation diversion program.

Project grading criteria and funding allocation

• Establish a Pedestrian and Bicycle Funding Priority Grading System to prioritize funding and budget allocations for existing and future bikeway and pedestrian facilities and infrastructure.
• Prioritize funding for capital projects that best meet established performance measures beyond Level of Service (LOS).
• Include health and equity grading criteria in Pedestrian and Bicycle Funding Priority Grading System.
• Include pedestrian and biking improvements projects and programs in the city’s Capital Improvement Program and/or sets aside a % minimum investment for active transportation. 
• Allocate funds for a public bike share program.
• Allocate funding to improve and maintain sidewalk or bike path conditions.
• Establish financial incentives or disincentives for employers, developers, or the city to promote active transportation, for example commute subsidies, transit passes, free or inexpensive bikes, etc.