Bay Area public transit advocates, in the role of pallbearers, carried four fake coffins with cardboard depictions of trains and buses at a mock funeral for the Bay Area public transit system. BART, Muni, Caltrain and Alameda County Transit were the agencies mourned at a pro-transit rally at the San Francisco Civic Center on Saturday afternoon.
“My dears, we gather here today to say goodbye: Today we prepare to bring our beloved public transport system to rest as we know it,” cried one protester against a backdrop of cheers and a funeral march by the marching band.
Activists mourning the impending death of public transit in the Bay Area act as pallbearers, carrying models of a Caltrain car and a Muni bus in coffins during a mock funeral procession to a rally at the San Francisco Civic Center on Saturday. | Liz Lindqwister/The Standard
Walking from the United Nations Plaza to the Civic Center Plaza across from San Francisco City Hall, the protesters didn’t chant, but if anyone saw a Muni bus go by, they shouted, “Bus!” Bus! Bus!”
More than 100 protesters took part in the mock funeral procession, which mourned the impending loss of public transit services – and its potential impact on the local economy – which began around 11 a.m. in downtown Oakland. A brief memorial service was held in front of the Elihu M. Harris State Building with AC Transit Directors Jean Walsh and Jovanka Beckles and BART Director Lateefah Simon.
After the procession moved to San Francisco and ended at another memorial at Civic Center Plaza, city officials — including Mayor London Breed, State Senator Scott Wiener and Superintendents Dean Preston and Rafael Mandelman — spoke at the rally.
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, SFMTA Director Jeffrey Tumlin and Mayor London Breed address the crowd at a “funeral” and public transport rally outside City Hall on Saturday. | Liz Lindqwister/The Standard
“It’s more important that we are loud and that our voices are heard, from San Francisco to Sacramento,” said Mayor London Breed. “It’s not just affecting us here, it will also impact our ability to recover as we get through this challenging time that has been very devastating as a result of the pandemic.”
Breed also applauded San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency director Jeffrey Tumlin, praising his organization’s investment in green trains and its flexibility during the pandemic.
CONTINUE READING: BART service in San Francisco was delayed Saturday due to a system-wide power issue
“There are so many different pieces to the puzzle,” Breed said. “At the national level, with all the goals they’re talking about around a clean, green environment, transportation is what we need to focus on the most to ensure we achieve a greenhouse gas-free state by 2045. We cannot get there without these goals.” Investments.”
The protesters are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature to expand funding for regional transit in the fiscal year 2024 budget. In January, the governor proposed a budget removing nearly $6 billion from capital programs, including transit infrastructure.
State Senator Scott Wiener spoke about his 26-year experience using public transit in the Bay Area at a pro-public transit demonstration in front of San Francisco City Hall on Saturday. | Liz Lindqwister/The Standard
“It’s hard to imagine San Francisco without good public transportation,” said State Senator Scott Wiener. “We all criticize and slam Muni – I’m guilty – but to be clear, we have world class transportation here in San Francisco and we should never take that for granted.”
State Assembly Budget Chairman Phil Ting, who represents the west side of San Francisco, has been under pressure lately to increase transit funding in the state budget. Currently, BART has budgeted its federal pandemic assistance funding to extend through 2025. Thereafter, a deficit of hundreds of millions per year threatens.
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“We actually run the risk of seeing public transit in the Bay Area crater,” said Wiener, a longtime advocate for public transit in the Bay Area.
Activists mourn the impending death of public transit in the Bay Area and place flowers on a coffin containing a model BART car at the San Francisco Civic Center on Saturday. | Liz Lindqwister/The Standard
The SFMTA, which operates trains and buses on the Muni subway, expects a budget gap of US$76 million by 2025. SFMTA director Jeffrey Tumlin said that without adequate government funding, the Muni bus system may have to eliminate 20 lines as early as this summer.
