Muni is proposing to permanently force us to transfer at Market St.
-
We have always had the option of transferring to the subway at Market St., for those who think it might speed up their trip and are willing to forgo direct access.
-
Decreased ridership due to working-at-home may make the issue of subway traffic moot.
-
Downgrading the J from a “main line” to a “community shuttle” makes the J more vulnerable to future cuts, and the J may have fewer riders without direct service to downtown.
A forced transfer disproportionately affects vulnerable community members - seniors, people with disabilities, and children.
-
To access the elevator (if it’s working) at the transfer point, riders would need to cross Market and Church Streets.
-
Seats reserved for seniors/disabled are usually already occupied on trains coming from the Sunset, meaning seniors/disabled transferring from the J would need to stand.
-
Everyone, including the able-bodied, would be forced to stand outside while waiting for an outbound J streetcar. This is especially onerous after dark or in inclement weather.
MTA has not conducted good-faith, transparent community outreach on the service cut.
-
Direct access to downtown via the J Church has attracted people to our neighborhoods since 1917. A permanent cut to a 100-year-old service would require extensive community input.
-
MTA conducted inadequate outreach to community members affected by the service cuts. Instead they had private discussions with several businesses near the Church/Market transfer point.
-
M Ocean View communities successfully returned the M to the subway, with the support of their Supervisor.
More information
-
The change is based on pre-pandemic system-wide train frequency, which SFMTA says overwhelmed the tunnel’s capacity.
-
The tunnel capacity problem post-COVID has already been eased by fewer people commuting during rush hour due to significant increases in working at home.
-
SFMTA needs to quantify these changes and present its findings to the community.
-
We all want transport to be fast and efficient, but most delays on Muni are caused by system-wide problems not unique to the J.
-
The Board of Supervisors passed a non-binding resolution to restore all Muni services, but this alone will not restore the J. The vote was 9-2.
-
Our District 8 Supervisor, Rafael Mandelman was 1 of 2 supervisors who voted against restoring Muni services.
-
While ridership system-wide has shifted post-pandemic, community involvement in the decision-making process is central to equitable, inclusive outcomes.
-
SFMTA reached out to merchants at the transfer point to gain their support, but did not reach out to residents or merchants in the neighborhoods served by the J--especially those riders who would be most impacted by these cuts.
-
Social distancing (a layer of protection during a pandemic) is compromised at transfer points, and becomes nearly impossible for J riders transferring onto already crowded trains.