New Poll: S.F. Voters Want Better Transit, Safer Streets, and More Car-Free Spaces

A new poll from Grow SF indicates, once again, that car-free spaces, better transit, and safer streets remain politically popular in San Francisco. Grow SF writes that there’s “an overwhelming desire to drive less in favor of public transportation, walking, and biking. Respondents indicate they’d increase their Muni and BART usage if it was more convenient and frequent.” A breakdown of one of the questions from the “Q2 2024 Poll on Street Safety, Muni, and Transit” below:

San Francisco’s State Senator Scott Wiener, one of the few politicians who already gets this, chimed in about the poll on social media:

The results, of course, are consistent with the official “poll” taken two years ago: the citywide results on measures J and I, when voters supported keeping JFK in Golden Gate Park car free by over 60 percent. Not only did that seminal vote for car-free spaces win citywide, but it won in nearly every district.

So why is mayoral candidate Mark Farrell, for example, talking about allowing private cars on Market Street again? As advocate Luke Bornheimer suggests in his tweet below, all the candidates would be smart to pay heed to this poll:

More from Grow SF’s accompanying analysis of why San Francisco’s population responds the way it does to questions about street safety, funding for transit, etc.:

San Franciscans tell us that car injuries are not isolated freak incidents, and could easily happen to you. 4 out of 5 don’t feel ‘very safe’ while crossing the street, with no notable differences between people who own cars and don’t.

61% of current cyclists feel unsafe when biking in San Francisco, with almost all of them reporting unsafe cars and drivers are the reason. For those who want to bike more, the main thing stopping them are safety concerns.

Candidates and politicians would be smart to prioritize those concerns. Be sure to check out all the poll results on Grow SF’s website.