In 1999, San Francisco voters approved Proposition E, which enabled the consolidation of the bus/light rail agency that we all call Muni with the Department of Parking and Traffic. This created the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, with a charge for city to implement policies to put "Transit First."
Since then, transportation policy has been set by the agency's governing board, whose members are appointed by the mayor. By law, a majority must be regular riders of Muni.
The loudest voices? The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and those who envision a "car-free" city, despite the fact that 79 percent of households have a motor vehicle and nearly half of those commuting to work do so by car.
The failed effort to dissuade people from using cars falls into two categories: