(a) The San Francisco Board of Supervisors finds that:
(1) San Francisco is experiencing unprecedented population growth, with 200,000 more people having moved here since 1980 and another 150,000 residents projected to be added by 2040.
(2) There is a limited amount of surface space on San Francisco's streets that is already shared by surface rail, buses, taxis, private automobiles and other vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians.
(3) San Francisco's streets are overburdened with high levels of traffic and gridlock that will only increase as the City's population grows.
(4) San Francisco's Transit First Policy calls for a safe and efficient transportation system to ensure quality of life and the economic health of San Francisco, and requires that travel by public transit, bicycle, and on foot must be an attractive alternative to travel by private automobile.
(5) An extensive subway network is a critical component to the long-term viability of San Francisco's transit system and to fulfilling San Francisco's Transit First Policy. Absent development of an extensive subway network, traffic congestion will inevitably increase in the City, with adverse effects on residents and workers: commute times within the City for all modes of transportation will increase, there will be a greater toll on the environment, and it is likely that public safety will be compromised.
(6) The Central Subway, which will run north-south across the Market Street Subway when completed in 2017, will be the first subway constructed in San Francisco since the Market Street Subway was opened in 1980, a period of almost 40 years.
(7) To have a viable transportation system, San Francisco cannot wait decades between the completion of subway routes.
(8) Subway construction is a complex process requiring long-term planning that takes into account the present and future needs of the City and its transportation system.
(b) In furtherance of the need for new subway construction in San Francisco, it shall be the official policy of the City that:
(1) A Subway Master Plan shall be developed that will provide an outline for developing a subway network in the City and County of San Francisco;
(2) The Subway Master Plan shall be completed and presented to the Board of Supervisors within twelve months of the enactment of this Section 9.1; and
(3) Thereafter, the City shall update the Subway Master Plan every four years.