Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) Environmental Review Process

The Planning Department is conducting environmental review of the TEP in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The environmental review process provides decision-makers and the general public with an objective analysis of the immediate and long-range specific and cumulative environmental impacts of a proposed project on its surrounding physical environment. In California, environmental review is two-fold in purpose: to disclose the impacts of a project and to ensure public participation. The San Francisco Planning Department serves as the Lead Agency and will prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) to evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP).

Initial Study

The Planning Department has determined that preparation of an Initial Study (IS) would be appropriate to focus the scope of the environmental impact report (EIR). The Initial Study is currently available for public review and available for download below. Click here to download Initial Study (IS).

The Planning Department is accepting written public comments on the environmental analysis in the IS for the TEP. The Initial Study public comment period is from Thursday, January 24, 2013 through 5:00pm on Friday, February 22, 2013.

A Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Public Scoping Meetings was issued on November 9, 2011, and two public scoping meetings were held on December 6 and 7, 2011. The Draft EIR is scheduled to be circulated for public comment in Summer 2013. The final EIR is anticipated in the Winter/Spring 2014.

About the TEP Program

In an effort to make Muni service more convenient, reliable and attractive to existing and potential customers, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and the San Francisco Office of the Controller have launched a detailed analysis of existing travel patterns and a comprehensive review of service options. The resultant Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) represents the first major evaluation of transit service provision in San Francisco since the late 1970s. Although the TEP is called the Transit Effectiveness Project, the TEP is a program within SFMTA that is comprised of individual projects or categories of projects proposed for the Muni System. The TEP proposals include a series of service improvements and concurrent necessary capital investments designed to improve safety and service reliability and reduce travel time. The TEP is comprised of four major categories: service policy framework, service improvements, service-related capital projects, and travel time reduction proposals.

The proposed Service Policy Framework is a policy document consisting of objectives and actions to enable the SFMTA to effectively allocate transit resources, efficiently deliver service, improve service reliability, reduce transit travel time, and improve customer service. The Service Policy Framework also organizes Muni services into four distinct service types: Rapid Network, Local Network, Community Connectors, and Specialized Services.

The proposed Service Improvements include: creating new routes, redesigning existing routes, or adding service to new streets; eliminating unproductive existing routes or route segments; changing vehicle type; changing frequency and span of service; changing the mix of local/limited/express service; and other changes, such as new express service stops, expansion of Limited-stop service to include Sundays, and the expansion of other service with the addition of days of operation.

The proposed service-related capital projects include three categories of projects proposed as infrastructure to support service improvements: overhead wire expansion, transfer and terminal point improvements, and systemwide capital infrastructure.

The proposed travel time reduction proposals (TTRP) would implement roadway and bus stop changes to reduce delays on the transit routes in the Rapid Network. Changes include adding transit bulbs/boarding islands; replacing stop signs with traffic signals or other measures; transit stop changes including moving stops, eliminating stops and adding new stops; traffic engineering changes such as adding turn lanes, turn restrictions and transit-only lanes; and pedestrian improvements such as curb extensions and other crosswalk treatments. Collectively, these tools are called the Transit Preferential Streets toolkit (TPS toolkit).

For Information on the TEP Program, please visit the SFMTA Web page for the TEP: www.sftep.com

Downloads

Contact

If you have general questions regarding the environmental review for this project, please contact Debra Dwyer at (415) 575-9031 or debra.dwyer@sfgov.org.