Geary BRT Town Hall With Supervisor Eric Mar

From Supervisor Mar via Sunset Beacon:

New ideas and progress on Geary Bus Rapid Transit 
After years of discussion, the Geary Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project is making major progress.

Geary Boulevard needs revitalization. The Muni #38 Geary lines are the most heavily used buses west of the Mississippi River and improving the line’s speed and reliability is critical. Moreover, conflicts between cars, buses and pedestrians congest traffic and pose a daily safety hazard.

Geary BRT can fix many of these issues. That is why I am directing the Transportation Authority and the Municipal Transportation Agency to deliver the project by 2018.

The BRT isn’t just a nice bus line – it provides high-quality service comparable to rail lines, but at a fraction of the cost to taxpayers. I recently traveled to Mexico City to observe its BRT lines and was impressed by the reliability and capacity of the system there. More than ever, I believe that this is a path to dramatic improvements for everyone who moves along Geary.

The investment in transit also makes sense for Geary merchants. A recent survey of Geary Street patrons conducted by the Transportation Authority found that 78 percent of customers walk, use transit or bicycle to shop on Geary. Since these customers visit more often than those who drive, they spend as much money or even more than those driving.

With project designs that include signal upgrades and timing patterns that aid pedestrian crossings while smoothing east-west travel, we can improve traffic safety and reliability for pedestrians, buses and cars alike. In this way, improving all modes of transportation on Geary will help the entire commercial corridor stay vibrant.

Please come to our Town Hall Meeting, which will kick off outreach on the project. Residents can weigh in on which of the various alternatives the community likes best.