Advocates React to Jeff Tumlin’s Resignation from SFMTA

Consultant, urbanist, self-proclaimed transit nerd—when Jeffrey Tumlin started at SFMTA in December of 2019, he couldn’t have imagined what he was stepping into. Nobody could. There was some weird disease sprouting up in Wuhan and Milan that soon spread everywhere and pretty much stopped everyone in their tracks.

Transit ridership cratered throughout North America, along with revenues. Routes were cut. Tumlin had to make tough decisions, such as closing down rail lines and cutting Muni back to “core routes” favored by “essential workers.”

And now, with the end of his contract and a new mayoral administration coming to San Francisco City Hall, news broke this week that Tumlin is stepping down. For now, in addition to all there is to read in the Chronicle, The Standard, KQED, and the Bay Area Reporter, here are a few initial thoughts from advocates, listed in the order they arrived in the Streetsblog mailbox.

Adina Levin, Seamless Bay Area and Green Caltrain:

Tumlin’s leadership can be seen on the streets with faster, more reliable buses increasing ridership thanks to a rapid buildout of bus lanes, and behind the scenes pulling together transit agencies to work on coordinating the system for riders and working together on funding.  

Robin Pam, KidSafeSF:

Jeff Tumlin has been a visionary leader during a difficult time. From JFK Promenade and the Great Highway to Slow Streets and the broad expansion of protected bike lanes, he has led a generational transformation of San Francisco’s streets, and reshaped the way we use our streets as public spaces. While some see Tumlin’s tenure as “controversial,” these changes are broadly popular, judging by polling and election results. Tumlin—and Mayor Breed—deserve credit for the enduring legacy they have created for San Francisco.

Luke Bornheimer, Streets Forward:

Jeff led SFMTA through a tumultuous time and helped the Agency improve and recover, especially with Muni. I’m grateful for Jeff’s remarkable leadership and service during his tenure and I wish Jeff only the best.

Christopher White, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition:

We know that Director Tumlin cares deeply about making the city’s transportation systems work better for everyone. From the beginning, he took bold steps to move forward the city’s many existing policies aimed at promoting sustainable transportation, starting with closing Market Street to cars. 

Tumlin’s tenure also had unique challenges through COVID, and he displayed leadership by being willing to be flexible and experimental with programs like Slow Streets and the JFK Promenade, and forward-looking in his commitment to making them permanent. We thank him for his service, and for the progress he made to make SF a better, safer place to bike for everyday transportation.

Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie said often during his campaign that he supports a safe, interconnected bike network. As he chooses his Chief of Infrastructure, Climate, and Mobility in his restructured office, and works with the SFMTA Board to select Tumlin’s successor, we trust he will show his commitment to this vision and to sustainable transportation in all forms that is safe, accessible and convenient. That’s the only way to reach the city’s goals of reducing traffic and meeting climate targets, while also revitalizing the city’s economy. 

We stand ready to support that vision, and we look forward to to collaborating with a new administration and a new SFMTA director  to make it a reality.

Obviously, Streetsblog has covered Tumlin’s tenure since day one and will have more to say in the coming weeks. For now, be sure to post below about your thoughts on his time leading SFMTA.

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