As thousands of new residents move into the Rincon Hill neighborhood of eastern SoMa, rather than expanding good public transit to the neighborhood, MUNI has cut back on existing service and apparently has no plans to restore those cuts or expand service to what the Planning Department has billed as a “transit-oriented development neighborhood.”
Jamie Whitaker, Rincon resident and proprietor of the rinconhillsf.org blog, has run the numbers and finds that his neighbors suffer from some of the worst air quality and congestion in the city while paying a disproportionate share of property taxes.
The city is in the midst of a reassessment of transit lines throughout the city. The Initial Study for the Transit Effectiveness Project cuts off east/west transit service from the rest of South of Market at 2nd Street, leaving a dead zone from 2nd to the Embarcadero. Transit planners know that if an area is underserved by good transit service, it attracts residents who are more inclined to drive. Rincon, of all neighborhoods, can ill afford any more auto-oriented residents.
The public comment period for the TEP ends at 5:00 pm on February 22nd. Comments should be addressed to Debra.Dwyer@sfgov.org. You may also request a copy of the Initial Study from Heidi Kline at (415) 575-9043 or send an email to Heidi.Kline@sfgov.org.
Read “City’s MUNI Bus Plans Discriminate Against and Harms Rincon Residents” at rinconhillsf.org.
soma leadership council 