A response to Boxer’s SF Mass Transit email.
Today I received a letter from Senator Barbara Boxer regarding recent investments into San Francisco's mass transit system, and specifically calling out a project at the City College, which is great news. Perhaps the message was crafted just for me based on zip code, but I was left wondering, 'What about the rest of the Bay Area?' So I sent her an equally specific response via her website...
Senator Boxer-
Thank you so much for taking the time to contact me regarding mass transit and the many benefits it provides.
I would say mass transit in the San Francisco Bay Area is fairly decent, but there are so many poorly served areas beyond SF MUNI that really need to be brought up to par. An example that is close to my heart is Marin County, which is where I commute 4-5 days a week for work.
For reference, the 27 mile trip by car takes about 40 minutes, there is a one-way toll at the Golden Gate bridge for $5 with FasTrak, and the cost of gas, which in my case is about $6 (2 gallons at $3/gal). So total cost of the trip by car per day would be $11 and about 1 hour 20 minutes of my time.
Right now, the cheapest way for me to get to work in Novato (according to 511.org), from San Francisco, is an itinerary that includes a 28 minute walk (which sounds great actually) and three different buses. It would cost $7.85 one-way, and 2 hours and 20 minutes of my time (again, one way).
So the grand total, for me to get to and from work in Novato by public transportation, is $15.70 a day and 4 hours and 40 minutes of my time. This is absolutely absurd and is only a single example. I am sure there are many others out there who have to commute much farther at a much higher monetary and time cost.
I would like nothing more than to be able to work in the same city in which I live, but not all of us have that luxury. If you are really interested in mass transit, I urge you to focus on closing the gap with the costs of driving, for the whole Bay Area, not just San Francisco. Otherwise you'll have a system that no one can afford the time or the money to use.
Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Chris Rosa