SAN FRANCISCO—On Tuesday, June 30, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors approved a measure for temporary bus-and taxi-only lanes. A new transit-only lane has been installed on 4th Street.

In a news release, Amy Fowler, Public Information Officer for SFMTA, said, “One of the most effective tools we have to improve Muni travel time and reliability are transit lanes. Dedicated transit lanes allow buses to complete trips in less time and return into service more quickly, increasing vehicle frequency and moving more people with more space to physically distance. Emergency vehicles are also able to use the lanes to bypass traffic congestion.”

With these transit-only lanes, the duration for roundtrip is approximately 45 minutes with a total of eight buses per hour arriving every 7.5 minutes. Without transit-only lanes, the duration for roundtrip is approximately 60 minutes with a total of six buses per hour arriving every 10 minutes.

Five Muni routes including the 14 Mission, 14R Mission Rapid, 19 Polk, 43 Masonic, and 44 O’Shaughnessy are being considered for the installation of these transit-only lanes. If approved, the transit-only lanes will be installed in late summer.

“We need to ensure that transportation works for those who don’t have the privilege of working from home or using a private vehicle. Now more than ever, Muni is serving those riders who have no other options and are more likely to be people of color or from low-income households. In order to protect people who rely on transit from increased exposure to COVID-19 on slow or crowded buses, we need to act quickly to move more people with fewer resources,” added Fowler.