San Francisco Bay Area’s clean transit score
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
The San Francisco Bay Area is among the top metro areas limiting transportation's impact on greenhouse gas emissions, according to a recent report.
Why it matters: Transportation is the biggest driver of greenhouse gas emissions nationwide and accounts for 44% of greenhouse gas emissions in San Francisco.
State of play: The San Francisco metropolitan area, which includes San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, came in third overall in a new index that ranked cities on a variety of transportation-related emissions factors.
- The Transportation Climate Impact Index, created by transportation intelligence firm StreetLight Data, included several factors, including overall vehicle miles traveled, vehicle fuel efficiency, transit ridership, and electric vehicle adoption in the region.
By the numbers: The San Francisco metro area ranked high in multiple categories, coming in second in vehicle fuel economy, transit ridership and EV adoption, but ranked 20th for vehicle miles traveled, which is the top contributor to an area's emissions.
- Meanwhile, the San Jose area ranked highest in several categories, including vehicle miles traveled, fuel economy and EV adoption.
What they're saying: The ranking "underscores our region's comprehensive strategy to slash emissions," Tyrone Jue, director of San Francisco's environment department, told Axios via email.
- Investments in public transit, charging stations and cycling infrastructure "are vital for meeting our climate objectives," he said.
What to watch: San Francisco is working toward becoming a net-zero-emissions city by 2040 and has set an interim goal for 25% of all registered vehicles to be electric by 2030.
- Last month, District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman unveiled a plan to implement an EV charging pilot in San Francisco to support EV adoption and get closer to meeting those goals.