Skip to main content

How People Traveled Through San Francisco in 2021

How People Traveled Through San Francisco in 2021
By Maia Moran

Earth Day is April 22 and a great time to think about changes we can make in our own lives to support the health of our planet. When it comes to climate change, one of the most meaningful actions we can take is to drive less and get around more by biking, walking and taking forms of public transportation like Muni. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in San Francisco, with personal driving accounting for 72% of the sector’s emissions. By comparison, Muni accounts for about 1% of GHG emissions in and out of the city. 

But when it comes to driving less, the San Francisco Bay Area is going in the wrong direction. Public transit use fell by 11% between 2019 and 2021 and private automobile use increased by 13%, according to the results of the 2021 Travel Decision Survey. That’s why we’ve been working so hard to make transit, walking and biking more appealing and convenient with new transit lanes, better ventilation on Muni, protected bike lanes and more. 

Travel Decision Survey 

Once every two years, the SFMTA conducts a telephone survey of over 750 Bay Area residents to ask them questions about their daily travel patterns and how they get to destinations in and around San Francisco. Results from the 2021 Travel Decision Survey (TDS) indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has driven a shift away from our vision for a transit-first city. The survey allows us to understand whether people in San Francisco are traveling by “priority” modes (walking, biking and public transit). Priority modes are those encouraged by San Francisco’s long-standing transit-first policy, which seeks to improve the city’s economy, environment and quality of life. Trips by transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft, driving with others and driving alone are all categorized as “privately owned vehicle” modes and grouped into one category.  

2021 Mode Share pie chart with 7 categories, split into green and grey color shades representing the two mode-type groups. Green represents priority modes; priority mode share percentages are 24 percent walk, 11 percent transit, and 3 percent bicycle. Grey represents privately-owned vehicle modes; privately-owned vehicle mode share percentages are 36 percent drive alone, 25 percent drive with others, 2 percent Transportation Network Company, and 1 percent other.

Key Findings 

Using San Francisco County Transportation Agency data, the total number of anticipated daily trips decreased from 4.5 million in 2019 to 4.4 million in 2021, consistent with daily travel pattern shifts prompted by the pandemic such as more people working at home and fewer commuting to offices. Despite an agency goal of increasing travel by priority modes, the share for these trips fell from just under half (46%) in 2019 to just under two-fifths (38%) in 2021.  

Mode share over time bar chart grouped into priority modes and non-priority modes. Priority modes are green, non-priority modes are grey. Percent mode share in 2012 was 49 percent priority, 51 percent non-priority. Percent mode share in 2013 was 53 percent priority, 48 percent non-priority. Percent mode share in 2014 was 51 percent priority, 50 percent non-priority. Percent mode share in 2015 was 51 percent priority, 49 percent non-priority. Percent mode share in 2017 was 53 percent priority, 48 percent non-priority. Percent mode share in 2019 was 46 percent priority, 54 percent non-priority. Percent mode share in 2021 was 38 percent priority, 64 percent non-priority.

The most significant decrease in travel mode was by public transit, which fell 11% between 2019 and 2021. The most significant increase in travel mode was by private automobile use, including both driving with others (up 8%) and driving alone (up 5%). Walking and biking both had minor increases. 

Mode share change from 2019 to 2021 bar chart. Between 2019 and 2021 surveys, mode share change was 1 percent increase for bicycle, 2 percent increase for walk, 11 percent decrease for transit, 0 percent change for other, 5 percent increase for drive alone, 8 percent increase for drive with others, and 3 percent decrease for TNC.

San Francisco residents still used priority modes twice as often as non-residents for trips within San Francisco. Respondents with a household income of $75,000 or less had the highest transit ridership, while a majority of those with incomes over $75,000 chose non-priority modes. Individuals identifying as women or non-binary were more likely to travel by privately owned vehicles than those identifying as men. 

The Future of Travel 

Many of the travel pattern changes revealed by the survey were likely a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which many people limited their non-essential travel and worked from home instead of commuting to an office.  

Anticipated commute by mode, for pre- & mid- pandemic. Pre-pandemic, 45 percent of commuters drove alone; end of 2021, 53 percent of commuters anticipated driving alone. Pre-pandemic, 35 percent of commuters used public transit; end of 2021, 24 percent of commuters anticipated using public transit. Pre-pandemic, 9 percent of commuters drove with others; end of 2021, 11 percent of commuters anticipated driving with others. Pre-pandemic, 9 percent of commuters walked; end of 2021, 6 percent of commuters anticipated walking. Pre-pandemic,6 percent of commuters biked; end of 2021, 7 percent of commuters anticipated biking. Pre-pandemic, 3 percent of commuters used a TNC; end of 2021, 3 percent of commuters anticipated using a TNC. Pre-pandemic, 2 percent of commuters used a private shuttle; end of 2021, 2 percent of commuters anticipated using a private shuttle. Pre-pandemic, 0 percent of commuters used a scooter; end of 2021, 1 percent of commuters anticipated using a scooter.

But as the city recovers from the effects of the pandemic and travel begins to increase, we urgently need to educate Bay Area residents about how their travel decisions impact our environment. To meet San Francisco’s climate goals, including net zero emissions by the year 2040, it is critical that many of us shift from driving personal vehicles to taking public transit, walking, bicycling and using other “non-carbon” travel modes. 

To encourage that shift, the SFMTA has improved the speed and reliability of our most popular bus lines by creating an unprecedented number of transit lanes. We introduced changes to make Muni more equitable. We recently increased the staff presence on Muni vehicles to deter crime and increase safety. We also upgraded our transit fleet HVAC systems, which now turn the air over once every minute. Earlier this month, we launched the Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit Corridor, and later this year the Central Subway extension to Chinatown will be open to one and all.  

To complement transit use, we have created safe bicycling and walking routes throughout San Francisco. The city now boasts 42 miles of protected bike lanes and approximately 43 miles of Slow Streets where through traffic is limited. By lowering speed limits and completing Quick Build street improvements, we’ve made walking and bicycling safer and more comfortable.  

Now, we need to make sure people in the San Francisco Bay Area know about and take advantage of these improvements. 

The 2021 Travel Decision Survey report and results are available to download here.



Published April 19, 2022 at 08:02PM
https://ift.tt/v9gLHZ8
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jason Roy chooses one between Rohit Sharma, David Warner as his opening partner https://ift.tt/3fkBiWu

Rohit Sharma and David Warner are two of the most destructive openers in the limited-overs format. The duo had been reigning the opening spot for their respective sides for years. Both the players continue to be the mainstays for their countries in all the three formats of the game. from IndiaTV: Google News Feed https://ift.tt/2ZjgDNe
Post a Comment
Read more

New top story from Time: Watch TIME’s First-Ever ‘Uplifting AAPI Voices’ Summit Featuring Senator Mazie Hirono, Constance Wu, Prabal Gurung and More

https://ift.tt/3oYxakw In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, TIME hosted its first-ever Uplifting AAPI Voices Summit on May 27, 2021. The virtual event, hosted by journalist Lisa Ling, featured conversations with leaders, activists, and artists that highlighted perspectives on identity, creativity, equity, and impact. “ I know that our community has been beset by challenges this year, but I’m moved by how our community has come together in a way that I have never experienced before,” Ling said in her opening remarks. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] During the summit, actress and producer Constance Wu and author Jenny Han spoke with TIME senior editor Lucy Feldman about the power of storytelling and the importance of representation. Han noted that she hoped that going forward, there would be a wider of expanse of stories told and a “bigger palette” to draw from, with more films and books featuring South Asian ...
Post a Comment
Read more

New top story from Time: Jasper Johns: “Dying While on Assignment Doesn’t Seem Like a Bad Idea”

https://ift.tt/39PD2WS Jasper Johns, possibly America’s most famous living artist and still plying his trade at 91, launches two retrospectives on Sept. 29; one at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and the other at the Philadelphia Museum of Art . The exhibitions, known collectively as Mind/Mirror, illuminate the through lines of Johns’ large body of work: his fascination with such everyday symbols as numbers, targets, maps and flags; his sometime habit of limiting his color palette to red, blue, yellow and orange; and his exploration of such techniques as collage, hatching and scale. One section of the Whitney is dedicated to his variations on the motif of a Savarin coffee can crammed with brushes, which is widely believed to be the artist’s way of representing himself. Johns, who famously destroyed all his prior work before painting his first flag, lives in Connecticut and rarely gives interviews. He answered questions from TIME via email. [time-brightco...
Post a Comment
Read more

New top story from Time: ‘It’s a Catastrophe.’ Iranians Turn to Black Market for Vaccines as COVID-19 Deaths Hit New Highs

https://ift.tt/3AODY94 In January, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the sudden announcement that American and British-made COVID-19 vaccines would be “forbidden” as they were “completely untrustworthy.” Almost nine months later, Iran is facing its worst surge in the virus to date — a record number of deaths and infections per day with nearly 4.2 million COVID-19 patients across the country , and a healthcare system near collapse. “It’s a catastrophe; and there is nothing we can do,” said an anesthesiology resident in one of Tehran’s public hospitals who due to the current surge is tasked to oversee the ICU ward for COVID-19 patients. “We can’t treat them nor help them; so all I can ask people to do is to stay home and do whatever it takes to not get exposed.” The doctor requested anonymity in order to speak freely; others interviewed by TIME asked to be identified only by their first name. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The scale of the crisis is such ...
Post a Comment
Read more

FOX NEWS: 9-year-old kid finds $5k in cash while cleaning used car Sometimes, it literally pays to clean your car.

9-year-old kid finds $5k in cash while cleaning used car Sometimes, it literally pays to clean your car. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3fTmQpQ
Post a Comment
Read more

New top story from Time: Our Eyes on the Virus: Why We Still Need Widespread Rapid Testing Even With Vaccines

https://ift.tt/3i5MoTN The vaccines are here. Why do we still need testing? Testing is our eye on the virus. Without testing, we can’t see where it is or where it is going. As fall and winter set in, outbreaks will again occur, sparked by the unvaccinated. And most people become infectious before they know they are infected. Frequent and accessible rapid testing is a tool that if deployed last summer and fall would have saved 100,000 lives. The U.S. missed the opportunity to use frequent rapid testing to stop individuals from unintentionally spreading the lethal SARS-CoV-2 virus to our most vulnerable and avert the horrific winter surge. By rapid tests, I mean the tests that an individual can conduct without a laboratory (ideally in the privacy of their own home) with results given in real-time. There are two types: rapid antigen tests, which look for the virus’s proteins and detect infectious levels of virus. The other lets you know you’ve been infected: rapid molecular...
Post a Comment
Read more

FOX NEWS: Nathan's hot dog eating contest returns July Fourth — outdoors and with a crowd America’s most delicious wiener war returns to Coney Island on the Fourth of July – outdoors, under the sun and open to the public.

Nathan's hot dog eating contest returns July Fourth — outdoors and with a crowd America’s most delicious wiener war returns to Coney Island on the Fourth of July – outdoors, under the sun and open to the public. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3p35tr1
Post a Comment
Read more

FOX NEWS: Toddler admitted into American Mensa has an IQ of 146, makes history as youngest member A 2-year-old girl has just made history as the youngest member of American Mensa.

Toddler admitted into American Mensa has an IQ of 146, makes history as youngest member A 2-year-old girl has just made history as the youngest member of American Mensa. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3yHFGc7
Post a Comment
Read more

New top story from Time: Germany Has Officially Recognized Colonial-Era Atrocities in Namibia. But For Some, Reconciliation Is a Long Way Off

https://ift.tt/3fVRkaO The German government formally recognized colonial-era atrocities against the Herero and Nama people in modern-day Namibia for the first time, referring to the early 20th century massacres as “genocide” on Friday and pledging to pay a “ gesture to recognize the immense suffering inflicted.” “In light of the historical and moral responsibility of Germany, we will ask Namibia and the descendants of the victims for forgiveness,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in a statement , adding that the German government will fund projects related to “reconstruction and the development” of Namibia amounting to €1.1 billion ($1.3 billion). The sum will be paid out over 30 years and must primarily benefit the descendants of the Herero and Nama, Agence France-Presse reported . [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Although it’s a significant step for a once colonial power to agree such a deal with a former colony, there’s skepticism among some experts and ob...
Post a Comment
Read more

New top story from Time: The Most Powerful Court in the U.S. is About to Decide the Fate of the Most Vulnerable Children

https://ift.tt/34relNF When child custody cases come before family courts, judges endeavor to base their rulings on the best interests of the child. Overall, the court is less interested in which parent might have the most right to the children than in how best to help the children thrive. The Supreme Court might now be walking a very similar line. It is on the verge of deciding a landmark case that could have a profound impact on the more than 400,000 vulnerable children who find themselves in the U.S. foster care system. Its ruling could also have major implications for LGBTQ rights, religious liberty and nondiscrimination laws across America. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The case, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia , was sparked when the city said it would no longer contract with a faith-based agency, Catholic Social Services (CSS), to provide foster services after a 2018 Philadelphia Inquirer article revealed that it would not certify same-sex couples to be foster pare...
Post a Comment
Read more