The City’s neighborhoods in the Southeast areas are heavily burdened by air pollution-not only from major industrial facilities, but also from the thousands of automobiles and heavy-duty diesel trucks that travel daily on nearby freeways and City streets.
San Francisco is working hard to reduce and prevent air pollution created by traffic. The City adopted a “transit first” policy that emphasizes the importance of using bicycles and public transportation over the use of private automobiles, and provides commuter benefits to workers and employers to encourage the use of mass transit.
San Francisco also promotes the use of alternative-fuel vehicles and has one of the largest clean-fuel vehicle fleets in the nation. We promote the use of biodiesel fuel to reduce toxic air emissions from the City’s diesel-fueled vehicles. The Mayor’s office issued an order directing the City’s diesel vehicles to use a less polluting biodiesel fuel blend (B20) and the City established a Biodiesel Access Task Force to improve the availability of biodiesel fuels locally.