San Francisco Transit-Only Lane Controversy Heating Up

Public opinion is split on the red transit-only lanes found around San Francisco. Next week, the public will get a chance to air their grievances, or defend their territory.

1 minute read

June 17, 2016, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Bus Lane

joingate / Shutterstock

Adam Binklow reports on the questions that will be addressed at a hearing in San Francisco next week: "Do you want red transit lanes on Mission Street? Or do you want the city to repaint the streets black as pitch and never look back?"

Binklow catches everyone up on the controversy surrounding the transit lanes. According to Binklow, "ever since SFMTA turned Muni bus lanes into giant vermilion stripes so glaring that they may be visible from space earlier this year, people have been kvetching."

The opponents include business owners and drivers. Transit advocates, however, support the lanes. The controversy has prompted an outreach reboot by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, exemplified by next week's hearing.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016 in Curbed SF

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive