Candidate Facts

Name: London Breed    Campaign Website:www.londonforsupervisor.com

Candidate Questionnaire

All official candidates were contacted and given the opportunity to answer our Candidate Questionnaire. Any candidate responses edited for length and clarity have been marked as such.

1. Do you ride a bicycle in the city?

Yes

If “Yes,” how often do you ride and for what purpose(s)?

I enjoy riding my bicycle around the City for leisure and I am especially fond of taking it through the Wiggle, which goes through my neighborhood. I’m also proud to have supported the SF Bicycle Coalition and all cyclists in the City by participating in Bike to Work each year.

2. The City has established a goal to at least double the number of bike trips in the next 3 years. Do you support this goal?

Yes

If yes, what would you do as Supervisor to help the city realize it?

I’m proud to say that my district is already well on its way towards meeting that goal, as District 5 boasts a rate of 7% of our population for bicycle ridership. As Supervisor, I’ve supported funding transportation improvements that specifically address bicycle safety and improvements. With your help, I got the Oak and Fell bike lanes completed well ahead of schedule (Streetsblog called me a “bicycling champion”). Right now we are heading into construction for the Masonic Plan, which I led the effort to fund in 2014, and will shorten street crossings, improve visibility, and provide a separated bike lane.

3. Our City has embraced and adopted Vision Zero, the goal to eliminate all fatalities and serious injuries on our streets by 2024. Do you support Vision Zero?

Yes

If “Yes,” the city has yet to make significant progress since the introduction of Vision Zero in 2014. In fact, fatalities are on the rise. What would you do as Supervisor to help the city achieve Vision Zero?

I was one of the first elected officials to embrace Vision Zero and have consistently pushed for the implementation of street safety projects. Last week I helped place a half-cent sales tax on the November ballot providing $100M per year in transportation improvements, including street safety. In 2014 I was the deciding vote to put Prop B on the ballot, which tied SFMTA funding to increases in population. I was a strong supporter of the $500M transportation bond and as a member of the Transportation Authority I have consistently fought for federal and regional funding for street safety improvement projects.

4. Research and data has shown that building high-quality protected bike infrastructure is the most effective way to increase the number of people who bike. Despite this, there remain very few streets and corridors in San Francisco with protected bike lanes. Do you support the significant expansion of protected bike infrastructure, recognizing that this is often achieved by reallocating space on our streets that may decrease on-street car parking or vehicle travel lanes?

Yes 

If “Yes,” what is at least one street or corridor in your District that you think would most benefit from a protected bike facility and why?

Masonic, and I helped make it happen. It’s one of the most dangerous corridors in the City. We’re also looking at ideas for making Turk and Golden Gate safer.

5. The SF Bicycle Coalition participated in the Mayor’s Transportation 2030 Task Force, which identified significant funding gaps for a safe, reliable transportation system. To continue building out the bike network, the original need until 2030 was $360 million, which has now increased to $660 million, by City estimates. Do you support increased allocation and funding for bike projects to at least match the percentage of San Franciscans who bike?

Yes [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

6. The Department of Public Health has used data to develop the “high-injury network” to show the 12% of city streets where over 70% of the collisions occur. This map has also shown that low-income communities are disproportionately affected by traffic collisions. If Supervisor, what would you do to prevent collisions in your District at these known locations?

It’s absolutely true and something we experience in the Western Addition where I grew up. That’s why I’m looking at ways to make Turk and Golden Gate safer, why I helped fund the ongoing Western Addition Community Based Transportation Plan (including Turk and Golden Gate), why I just successfully pushed for safer crossings near Kimbell Park, why I’ve fought so hard for the safety improvements along Geary coming with BRT, and why I successfully fought for safer conditions along Fulton and McAllister, especially near Buchanan Mall and the African American Art + Cultural Complex.

7. Market Street is San Francisco’s most-biked street, with nearly 7,000 trips by bike counted here every day. The City is working on the Better Market Street project, which calls for limiting private automobiles, creating a continuous, protected bike lane for the full length of the project from the Embarcadero to Octavia Boulevard and significantly advancing transit and pedestrian-friendly street design. Do you support this plan?

Yes [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

8. Data has shown that the five most dangerous behaviors are all driver-related offenses: speeding, failure to yield to pedestrians, improper right-hand turns, running red lights and failure to stop at stop signs. The San Francisco Police Department has committed to maintaining 50% of their traffic citations to “Focus on the Five,” a goal they have yet to meet citywide. Do you support Focus on the Five and smart, data-driven enforcement?

Yes [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

9. As Supervisor, what will you do to ensure SFPD focuses enforcement on Focus on the Five or other known issues that make our streets unwelcome to bike on, such as double-parking in bike lanes, rather than ad hoc, complaint-driven enforcement?

I actually think your organization and my office have demonstrated a successful example making of this happen. You and I worked with SFPD, and specifically Captain Sanford at Park Station, to address our concerns about enforcement against cyclists on the Wiggle. I am in almost-daily communication with the Captains in my district, have excellent relationships with them, and look forward to continue working with you and them on putting safety first.

10. Bay Area Bike Share is in the middle of a game-changing, tenfold expansion of its system to become one of the densest bike share networks in the United States. Do you support the expansion and placement of bike share stations in your District, even if this may mean repurposing of on-street vehicle parking?

Yes

District-Specific Questions

1. Last year, District 5 was home to a bike crackdown along the Wiggle, a popular bike route through the Lower Haight. This targeting of people biking was antithetical to SFPD’s commitment to smart, data-driven enforcement through Focus on the Five. As Supervisor, what would you do to ensure SFPD uses their limited resources wisely to enforce the known, dangerous behaviors on streets in your District?

As mentioned earlier, I was proud to be the first elected official in the City to support the Idaho stop law, and to partner with you and Supervisor Avalos on trying to make it happen. We must prioritize limited enforcement resources on the things that will actually improve safety. We’ve worked with SFPD to address our concerns about enforcement against cyclists on the Wiggle. I am in constant communication with the Captains in my district, have excellent relationships with them, and look forward to continue working with you and them on putting safety first.

2. In the last few years, there has been a significant desire from the community and our SF Bicycle Coalition members to see protected bike lanes continue on Fell and Oak Street to connect alongside the Panhandle all the way to Golden Gate Park. This would create a comfortable and welcoming bike route in the area while relieving the Panhandle path of the large volumes of people biking. Do you support the advancement of this proposal?

Yes [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

3. The Masonic Streetscape Project was approved in 2012 but is only just now beginning construction, over a year from its original start date. What would you do as Supervisor to ensure the timely delivery of critical projects such as this?

We need local pressure on the implementing departments and legislative/structural improvements. I’m working on both. If not for the effort I led to secure funding for Masonic, I worry it could have been even more delayed. We had a similar situation with Oak and Fell, which I pushed to get completed ahead of schedule. The City and state’s move from LoS to VMT environmental analysis cannot be overstated. It’s a monumental improvement for delivering street safety projects, and something I pushed for on the City’s State Legislative Committee, where I sit as Board President.

4. In the coming year, the City will be launching a bike project for Page Street to prioritize biking along this popular route that connects Golden Gate Park all the way to Market Street. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will be making recommendations based on member input, which may include traffic circles, traffic diversion for drivers and reallocation of space to provide a high-quality and welcoming bike experience here. As Supervisor, would you support these recommendations?

I have to see specific plans before committing to anything but those are things I have consistently supported before, e.g. traffic circles on McAllister, protected bike lanes on Masonic, etc. With the Wiggle route, in many ways the backbone of our City’s bike routes, such improvements are particularly worthy of support.