For years, Lyft and Uber are trying their best to reduce the road traffic. According to the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, both transportations contribute to 15 percent of SF vehicle traffic. There are so many other vehicles like fuel-efficient taxis and public transportation taking rides away from eco-friendly choices.
The study report of the city also represents that although the greenhouse gas emission declined, but emission from on-road shuttles increased from 2014-15. When these two reports combined together they form a critical situation.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy said in his moon shot speech “we possess all the resources and talents necessary” to execute space travel. In SF, there is enough resource to change the complete transfer sector. Making the transportation 100% renewable by 2030 is a great decision to re-figure the entire transportation system.
And car-free road would be the first step of SF leaders towards this. The rule passed by the city in February is about offering the transportation choice which doesn't include cars. But in the last week, city-sanctioned extra parking for “One Oak” as developer reported that less parking area can make the project inconvenient or impractical.
If leaders continuously create rules for zero-parking lots, it may lead to another problem as an owner of luxury towers may not prefer to travel in a bus. But, if public transit was as convenient and favorable as driving, it would be more appreciated. Sam Tepperman-Gelfant, an attorney focused on housing and transportation issues, told, “We need to take the stigma away from local public transportation and get it working well.”
If the public transit changes as per the desires of Bay Area residents, it will become more preferable. Development of residents near transit area in 2008 was only to decrease the car use but it didn’t work under Senate Bill 375.
But as per the latest report of SF, it has become clear that actions must be taken to change the climate. It is not all about regulating Uber and Lyft but a serious moon shot (decrease in car emission rate) is required. Tepperman-Gelfant said, “Without the moon shot, we’re going to strangle our region. We’ll hurt low-income families who are bearing the brunt and the environment.”