The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) in San Diego is at a crossroads. Facing financial constraints, the agency is looking to the public for guidance on how to allocate potential new funding, expected to come from a 2028 ballot measure. Through an interactive poll on its website, MTS is asking residents to help prioritize projects that could enhance the city’s transit network.

The poll presents a series of projects priced in relative dollars out of an imaginary $100 total budget. Here’s a guide to help you make informed decisions when participating in the poll.

Prioritizing Operational Improvements

For many MTS passengers, frequency is the most critical factor. More frequent service not only reduces travel times but also enhances safety. With two-thirds of trolley-related crimes occurring at stations, minimizing wait times is crucial. Increasing trolley frequencies to every 5 minutes on the Blue Line and every 10 minutes on other lines is a top priority, costing $22 in the poll’s relative dollars.

Similarly, increasing bus frequencies to 10 minutes or better on busy routes, particularly in Uptown and Mid-City, is another key operational improvement, priced at $25. Extending these frequencies to weekends and late nights would cost an additional $2. Remaining operational funds should be allocated to security enhancements ($3) and continuing the Youth Opportunity Pass ($4), which provides free fares for youth aged 18 and under.

Capital Projects with High Impact

The Green Line to I-15 connection stands out as the lowest-cost, highest-impact capital project at $2. This connection would allow I-15 corridor bus passengers to transfer to the trolley at Snapdragon Stadium, benefiting commuters from Escondido to City Heights. Passengers on the Rapid 235 bus would save significant time, with trips to SDSU Mission Valley reduced by 25 minutes and trips to SDSU by 15 minutes.

Expanding bus-only lanes ($6) would help buses avoid congestion on busy streets, increasing their speed and punctuality. Rebuilding the San Ysidro transit center ($4) would straighten and elevate trolley tracks, enhancing reliability and speed at San Diego’s second-busiest transit stop. Raising or lowering trolley tracks at 10 crossing locations ($22) would eliminate car delays and minimize collisions with pedestrians and cyclists, further enhancing safety and reliability.

Projects Worth Considering with Caveats

A trolley to the airport ($14) could significantly boost ridership, given the airport’s proximity to downtown. However, this project could introduce capacity, frequency, and reliability bottlenecks on the existing Blue and Green lines. An alternative solution could be an automated people mover, which would avoid these bottlenecks and offer trips between the airport and downtown every two minutes, compared to every 7.5-10 minutes if the airport trolley were built.

On-demand microtransit ($3), defined as ‘community-based services in lower density neighborhoods using smaller vehicles,’ is another project worth considering. However, its low capacities and low densities lead to inefficiency, with North County Transit District’s microtransit costing $66.34 per passenger.

Projects to Approach with Caution

I-5 transit ($8), which would provide express bus lanes between South Bay and downtown San Diego, is a project to approach with caution. Such an express bus would likely have longer trip times and lower frequencies than the existing Blue Line Trolley. Instead, MTS should consider increasing Blue Line frequencies to 5 minutes and implementing downtown transit signal priority.

The San Diego Association of Governments should focus on improving existing routes before building new transit lines. The proposed Purple Line subway, for instance, would require at least 15-20 years of planning and construction and cost $20 billion, excluding operating expenses. For more immediate ridership gains, MTS should double peak frequencies from 15 minutes to 7.5 minutes between downtown and University City, a change that would cost only $3.7 million in annual operating expenses.

San Diego must prioritize maximizing frequencies on the Green and Orange lines and on busy bus routes. By doing so, the city can avoid resembling Denver, whose low-frequency rail network generates less than one-third the ridership of Calgary’s high-frequency light rail system.

Alex Wong, a data researcher with RideSD, emphasizes the importance of these improvements. ‘By focusing on frequency and reliability, we can make significant strides in enhancing the