TransForm: A Tenacious Advocate for Sustainable Transportation and Smart Land Use
TransForm has won literally billions of dollars and groundbreaking policies in support of public transportation, smart growth, affordable housing, and bicycle/pedestrian safety.
Advocacy is a core part of our history and our ongoing work to create great, walkable communities and world-class public transportation for all.
The Bay Area deserves a world class transportation system with fast, frequent, reliable and affordable transit and safe walking and biking access to give all residents quality transportation choices. Achieving a robut transportation network will ensure access to those who need it most, help keep the Bay Area affordable for working families, give everyone more time by reducing congestion, and it will move the region forward in achieving healthier air and a protected climate.
To achieve world-class transportation in the Bay Area, TransForm is working in these priority areas:
For the past 50 years, poorly planned growth has led to an almost complete reliance on cars and the loss of some of the region’s best farmland and most beautiful landscapes. The long distances between housing, services, and workplaces have left many people living in areas with grinding commutes, polluted air, and untenable transportation costs. Walkable communities near transit, with a mix of housing for all income levels, shops, offices, community facilities, and parks can make a world of difference for our health, quality of life, and environment.
TransForm’s land use advocacy focuses on two key strategies for achieving walkable neighborhoods around transit:
California has adopted ground-breaking laws that call for reducing global warming pollution through changing our approach to land use, housing, and transportation. But, entrenched interests and long-held policies threaten to undermine these tremendous opportunities. TransForm is working with partners at the state-level and across the country to ensure that California and the Bay Area have the tools we need to meet our climate change goals and create world class transportation and walkable communities.
Since TransForm’s founding in 1997, we’ve made incredible strides in winning billions of dollars and groundbreaking policies that together have moved the region forward.
The Bay Area deserves a world class transportation system with fast, frequent, reliable and affordable transit and safe routes for walking and biking. Achieving a robust network of choices will ensure that the nearly two million residents who don’t drive can meet their daily needs. A cost-effective and reliable transportation system will help to keep the Bay Area affordable for working families as they’re able to put more money in the bank, not the gas tank. Quality travel options will give everyone, including people in cars, more time by reducing congestion. And, a world-class transit system will help us all breathe cleaner air and will push back on a changing climate.
To achieve world-class transportation in the Bay Area, TransForm is pursuing these priorities:
Bay Area’s Sustainable Communities Strategy/Regional Transportation Plan—SB 375: TransForm is working with a coalition of partners to ensure that MTC’s next Regional Transportation Plan is a model of transparency, performance, equity, and that it achieves regional goals that will make the Bay Area a better place to live now and for the next 25 years.
Securing New Funds for Public Transit:TransForm is working on increasing the share of existing funds that go to transit, and to raise new funds at the local and regional level.
High Occupancy/Toll Lanes: TransForm is working to ensure that a regional High-Occupancy/Toll (HOT) lane network will expand transportation access for low-income individuals, provide greater transportation choices for all travelers, and help carpools and buses avoid congestion.
Bus Rapid Transit: TransForm is working to engage local communities in shaping Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes in the East Bay and South Bay to create model cost-effective, world-class transit options that may be replicated throughout the region and beyond.
You can make TransForm an even stronger advocate by donating now.
Sustainable Communities Strategy - Bay Area
What's at stake:
The newly-released Plan Bay Area is our region’s first-ever plan for how to cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing driving, and could have an incredible impact on the future of our region. If done well, Plan Bay Area could bring more affordable, walkable communities to the Bay Area while reducing greenhouse gas pollution and meeting other equity, health, and safety targets.
What you can do:
Learn more. Read our blog post: Putting together the Plan Bay Area puzzle, to find out what's good and what should be improved about the plan, and what some of our friends are saying too.
Send in written comments by Thursday, May 16.Email MTC now via our online action page, submit comments online here, or mail a letter to MTC, Plan Bay Area Public Comment, 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, CA 94607.
Latest updates:
April 2013:TransForm's first analysis of the draft plan shows that while the draft Plan Bay Area is headed in the right direction, there are still several critical aspects of the plan that the agencies should improve to truly meet the future needs of our region.
February 2013: OBAG success! When some counties proposed One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) criteria that failed to include affordable housing and other key criteria, TransForm and our partners around the Bay joined together to change that. Working with Greenbelt Alliance, Urban Habitat, and other allies, our successes include getting Santa Clara County to triple the importance of a city’s record in creating jobs and homes near transit – including affordable homes, and getting Alameda County to more heavily weight the benefits of affordable homes when making grant decisions.
September 2012: County congestion management agencies (CMAs) began developing their criteria for distributing One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) programfunds, meant to support focused growth in areas well-served by public transportation. TransForm and nearly twenty other groups sent a letterto every county agency to start a dialogue about how to make sure the county's implementation of the OBAG program follows the intent of the program.
June 2012: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) begin work on a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Plan Bay Area. TransForm submits scoping recomendations.
May 2012: Bay Area agencies approve preferred land use scenario and Transportation Investment Strategy.Major Milestone in the Bay Area’s Sustainable Community Strategy as well as a victory forClimate Innovative Grants.
April 2012: TransForm submits letter to MTC Planning committee with our Transportation Investment Strategy recomendations.
December 2011: When agencies analyze five different transportation-land use scenarios, NONE of them meet the greenhouse gas targets! See the agencies' analysis.
November 2011: MTC releases a first draft of the groundbreaking Project Performance Assessment of 80 of the largest projects being considered for inclusion in the 2013 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). (see February 2012 notes for further action!)
July 2011: Agencies release first draft of a One Bay Area Grant program, to use transportation funds to reward cities that do the most to plan and deliver sustainable and equitable development near transit. A program like this was one of the recommendations of TransForm's Strategic Investments for a Better Bay Area platform. See our comments on the draft program.
April 2011: MTC adopts "committed projects" policy that will reconsider many projects that would have previously been included without any further review. The final decision on this "committed projects policy" was much better than in previous years, even though it was not as good as we had hoped (see our blog posts for some history)
March 2011: Agencies release "Initial Vision Scenario" as starting point for conversations with local governments and Bay Area residents about about where new development should occur and how new long-term transportation investments can serve this new growth.
As the process moves forward, the most important step is for the agencies to hear from you! The Bay Area, more than any other region, has the potential to develop a Sustainable Communities Strategy that sets a model for other regions, and eventually other states, to emulate.
Background:
The passage of SB 375 in 2008 created an unprecedented opportunity to fundamentally change the paradigm of growth away from sprawl and towards walkable communities. The law’s centerpiece is the development of a “Sustainable Communities Strategy” (SCS), a regional blueprint for transportation, housing and land use that is focused on reducing driving and associated greenhouse gas emissions. This “SCS” will incorporate the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) that TransForm has influenced many times in the past. In our region, this will be called "Plan Bay Area."
TransForm is working with a host of partners to make sure the region achieves at least a 15% reduction in per-capita CO2 emissions. When combined with cleaner fuels and vehicles, this would help California meet AB 32 climate targets.
The SCS is also a chance, if done right, to meet other key regional goals: providing housing for people of all incomes, improving health through more physical activity, reducing the cost of transportation, and preserving open space.
While the opportunity is tremendous, there are also daunting challenges such as:
a $25-plus billion shortfall just to operate and maintain our existing transit system;
local governments that need funds to protect open space and focus growth around our existing infrastructure; and
transportation models that are not sensitive to many critical strategies, like making walking or cycling safer.
On March 22, MTC released the draft of Plan Bay Area, our region’s first-ever plan for how to cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing driving.Plan Bay Area is supposed to provide a playbook for accommodating needed housing growth within our nine counties while reducing greenhouse gas pollution and meeting other equity, health, and safety targets.
Today’s release starts the clock for public comments, which will be accepted until May 16. So now it’s our turn to make a play and let MTC know what we want for the region’s future. Can you attend the public meeting in your county? For more information read our blog post.
See below for a list of all the meeting dates and locations.
Plan Bay Area Public Meetings By County
Note: For all dates, the open houses, where you can submit written comments, run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The public hearings run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
San Francisco County: Thursday, April 11
Whitcomb Hotel, 1231 Market St., San Francisco
San Mateo County: Monday, April 29
Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1221 Chess Drive, Foster City
Santa Clara County: Wednesday, May 1
Hilton Hotel, 300 Almaden Blvd., San Jose
Solano County: Monday, April 22
County Fairgrounds, McCormack Hall, 900 Fairgrounds Dr., Vallejo
Sonoma County: Monday, April 8
Friedman Center, 4676 Mayette Ave., Santa Rosa
Click here to RSVP to your local Plan Bay Area public meeting. We’ll send you a link to our analysis when it’s published and a reminder about your meeting a few days in advance.
If done well, Plan Bay Area could help tame the madness of traffic congestion, housing needs, and climate change – and it will definitely shape the future of our communities for decades to come. So please, mark your calendar for a public meeting this spring and help us make this the year we all win.
OneBayArea Grants (OBAG)
A New Funding Approach: The OneBayArea Grant Program (OBAG)
The four-year, $320 million OneBayArea Grant (OBAG) Program is a new funding approach that better integrates the region’s federal transportation program with California’s climate law (Senate Bill 375, Steinberg, 2008) and the Sustainable Communities Strategy. Funding is targeted toward achieving local land-use and housing policies by:
Rewarding jurisdictions that accept housing allocations through the Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) process.
Supporting the Sustainable Communities Strategy for the Bay Area by promoting transportation investments in Priority Development Areas (PDAs)
Initiating a pilot program that will support open space preservation in Priority Conservation Areas (PCA).
The OBAG program allows flexibility to invest in transportation categories such as Transportation for Livable Communities, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, local streets and roads preservation, and planning activities, while also providing specific funding opportunities for Safe Routes to School (SR2S) and Priority Conservation Areas.
Victory: Incorporating affordable housing into OneBayArea Grants, February 2013
Last fall, county congestion management agencies (CMAs) began developing their criteria for distributing the OneBayArea Grants, meant to support focused growth in areas well-served by public transportation. But the counties of Santa Clara and Alameda proposed criteria that failed to include affordable housing and other key criteria, so TransForm and our partners around the Bay joined together to change that.
Working with Greenbelt Alliance, Urban Habitat, and other allies, our successes include:
Santa Clara County tripled the importance of a city’s record in creating jobs and homes near transit, including affordable homes. Thanks to our efforts, the county added four new criteria categories: Jobs Density, Housing Density, Affordable Housing and/or Senior/Disabled-Serving Facilities, and Proximity to Transit Station. You can read the full final criteria in this document, on page 187, and compare to the original criteria on page 6 of this document.
Alameda County more heavily weighted the benefits of affordable homes when making grant decisions. The top two comments that county officials reported back before finalizing the criteria were "Support transportation investment in low income areas without displacing affordable housing" and "Increase the weighting given to the 'Affordable Housing Creation and Preservation' criteria." You can read the full final criteria in this slideshow, beginning on page 31.
The Santa Clara VTA also incorporated an unusual and welcome degree of public outreach into its grantmaking with a brochure explaining the grantsand inviting residents to suggest transportation improvements in their communities.
The next step for these two counties is project selection in the spring of 2013, and TransForm will continue to meet with CMAs to keep land use issues front and center during the process. For information on our efforts and how you can help,contact Chris Lepein the South Bay or Joel Ramos in the East Bay.
RTP/SCS Platform: Strategic Investments for a Better Bay Area
The product of conversations among dozens of nonprofit advocacy groups, this “Strategic Investments for a Better Bay Area” platform is a set of policy recommendations to influence the transportation investments in “Plan Bay Area.” That's the name of the Bay Area's Regional Transportation Plan this time around, and it will be part of our region’s first Sustainable Communities Strategy. This “SCS” will be a comprehensive transportation and land use strategy to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from cars, pickups, and SUVs. This plan is happening because of California’s ground-breaking climate change legislation, SB 375.
For more information on what’s at stake, progress to date, and how to get involved in shaping Plan Bay Area, see our main page about the effort.
We are seeking organizational endorsements of this platform, to build on the work by dozens of organizations during the past several months.
Speak up at BART’s budget hearingsto say you want BART to focus on keeping BART fast, reliable, and affordable. Ask the Directors not to make false promises for more extensions we can’t afford. Key budget hearing is May 23, 6pm, with final approval expected at June 13, 6pm meeting.
Latest Updates
April 25, 2013: BART staff presents latest update on their “Future BART”, or "BART Metro" study process. BART Metro is a concept of making the system more flexible, with more frequent service in the core areas, and it requires a strong focus on maintaining the existing system. For more information, see the Future BART page and Future BART FAQs on BART's website.
April 11, 2013: BART releases preliminary budget, showing focus on passenger service needs: new rail cars, cleaner stations, and investments in an updated train control system that can allow trains to run more frequently.
March 7, 2012: A BART produced video (right) highlights the system's aging fleet and states: "BART needs State and Federal support to keep one of the nations most important public transportation systems in a state of good repair." The video makes clear the tough financial facts presented to the BART Board by their staff (see reports below) on November 11, 2011.
March 7, 2012: TransForm releases analysis of Alameda County's proposed increase and extension of the Measure B transportation sales tax. The analysis lays out problems with the Livermore project in detail and what BART and MTC need to do to take a rational approach to keep BART fast, reliable, and affordable while also planning better service for Livermore.
February 9, 2012: BART Board takes several steps to protect the overall system while going forward with an alternatives analysis for a Livermore project. The Board directs staff to ensure the Livermore analysis considers a wide range of alternatives. Now BART needs to make sure it is the lead agency for the environmental review! See our blog post for details, including two letters from TransForm to the BART Board.
January 26, 2012: Alameda County Transportation Commission adopts a final spending plan for the proposed increase and extension of the Measure B transportation sales tax. The plan includes some funding for BART's core system and $400 million towards BART to Livermore, with language specifying that the project needs to be the most effective and efficient technology. See our Measure B page for background.
November 4, 2011: BART Board hears presentations by BART staff on the State of Good Repair:
BART has huge unfunded shortfalls to maintain the existing system. Built in the 60s and 70s, it is getting old and needs major upgrades. BART cars are already packed at rush hour. The recent forward progress on the car replacement program is important. But it is only part of the story -- BART must follow up with progress on other fronts. More and more people want to ride, but BART can't handle the increase without major investment to fix it first. Without those investments, trains would move much slower and could carry as few as half as many riders at commute hours. BART needs major investments in its "State of Good Repair" (SGR).
BART already has 3 unfinished extensions on the books -- to San Jose, Oakland Airport, and Eastern Contra Costa County. BART's needs will get bigger when additional riders from new extensions get on board, . BART needs to focus on saving the existing BART system, not promising more extensions.
Livermore needs real transit solutions now, not false promises
There has been increasing pressure for BART to promise another extension to Livermore. Residents of Livermore understandably want better rapid transit connections to the BART system and key job centers, and to make connections to key destinations such as Livermore Labs, Las Positas College, and downtown Livermore. Extending BART to downtown Livermore, or the I-580 exit close to downtown, would cost over $3 billion, an amount everyone recognizes is unrealistic.
Recently, project proponents have been talking about a one-station extension, taking BART just five miles down the road to Isabel Avenue for $1.2 billion. But promising to extend BART's traditional technology to Livermore is a recipe for another decade of disappointment for Livermore, forcing the county to scramble to find money that isn't there for an overly expensive project. Further, the city wants stations in the freeway median, while BART policy describes freeway median stations as 'low quality' as they do not support transit-oriented development and degrade the riders' experience (see BART System Expansion Policy, page 19 for description of Station Context) . BART, Livermore, and Alameda County need to focus on figuring out the most cost-effective and realistic way to connect Livermore to the BART system and job centers – in a few years instead of a few decades – taking advantage of HOV lanes recently built or coming in the next 3 years.
January 21, 2012: New York Times, "Deep Conflict Looms Over Billion-Dollar BART Extension to Livermore"
Express/HOT Lanes
Express lanes, or High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes, are carpool lanes that allows non-carpool vehicles to pay to use them when there is excess capacity. TransForm is leading an effort with environmental and social justice partners to ensure that HOT lanes create more transportation choices and support access for low-income residents.
The Bay Area could have a regional roadway network with transit and high-occupancy vehicle lanes seamlessly connecting the region’s jobs centers, providing convenient and swift transit connections through the Bay Area. Planned as a transit system, one that sells excess system capacity to non-carpool vehicles, we could meet our region’s goals, the SCS targets, while providing new transportation choices. In fact, even Los Angeles is already planning such a network.
Express Lanes, particularly if done through the conversion of existing HOV and all-purpose highway lanes, may be a good step towards equitable road pricing. However there is a lot of devil in the details. We will need to be satisfied on a range of equity, transportation and transportation funding issues before we could support a final project.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is currently seeking authorization for express lanes for 270 lane-miles of regional highways as part of a larger express lane network. This will be a key input into the 2013 Sustainable Communities Strategy and Regional Transportation Plan.
Campaign Updates
September 28, 2011: MTC moves forward with CTC application for Bay Area Express Lane network. TransForm releases independent analysis critiquing the plan's climate impact and lack of equity analysis. For details read our blog post here: MTC Express Lanes: Flawed Plan, Needs Public Planning
Resources
The Bay Area’s very first express lane, on I-680 South, opened on September 20, 2010. Additional express lanes are scheduled to open in 2011 on I-580 and Rte 287 , and in the following years on US101 and Rte 85.
TransForm's report, World-Class Transportation for the Bay Area, outlined TransForm’s support for well-designed express lanes that invest funds generated by the lanes to expand transportation access for low-income individuals, provide greater transportation choices for all travelers in the corridor, and maintain the ability of carpools and buses to avoid congestion.
Express lanes (High Occupancy Toll lanes) allow solo drivers into carpool lanes when there is space, but for a fee. TransForm is working to ensure that express lanes create more transportation choices and support access for low-income residents.
Securing New Funds
The Bay Area must raise at least $18 billion over the next 25 years just to operate and maintain our existing public transit system. Even more funding is needed for key improvements and expansions to make transit work better and serve for more people. TransForm is working with diverse sets of partners on increasing the share of existing funds that go to transit, and to raise new funds at the local and regional level.
TransForm is working to identify and pass new funding sources that would:
Create a significant amount of funding
Provide a stable and secure source of revenue
Be eligible for use for transit operations
Minimize any disproportionate financial or other impacts on vulnerable populations
Be winnable in the next several years
We're looking at a variety of opportunities to create new revenue for transit, including:
Several options surfacing to save Caltrain, which is facing massive cuts despite growing ridership. While Caltrain, county agencies, and MTC are scrambling to craft a short-term fix, long-term cuts are looming. TransForm is collaborating with Friends of Caltrain, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group's Save Caltrain effort, and others. To learn more, contact Chris Lepe.
A new regional funding measure to support transit, affordable housing, and open space in order to implement the Bay Area's Sustainable Communities Strategy.
State policy reforms to increase state-level investments in transit and provide communities and regions with more tools for establishing additional local and regional funding sources.
The passage of Proposition 26 in 2010 makes it tremendously difficult to create new streams of funding for transportation through impact and pollution mitigation fees. TransForm’s Sacramento team is working with diverse stakeholders to figure out just what this means for future Bay Area efforts to generate new funding.
Resources
MTC’s 2009 Annual Report provides details about the dismal state of transportation funding in the Bay Area.
Read about the critical connection between transit funding and the potential for transit oriented development in TransForm's article for the Federal Reserve Bank.
TransForm has been successful in shaping and passing literally billions in new transportation funding in the Bay Area. Learn about some of our past successful funding campaigns.
The Bay Area’s transit operators, transportation funding and policy agencies, and stakeholders like TransForm are coming together to address the dire reality facing public transit—there’s not enough funding to sustain the system that exists, not to mention expand service to meet growing demands or support regional goals of providing more choices for more people.
The MTC-led Transit Sustainability Study is possibly the best opportunity to move forward on making the existing system work better and identifying ways to stabilize costs and service. TransForm is one of six public interest organizations that MTC invited to sit on their Transit Sustainability Steering Committee.
TransForm is working with partners from the social justice, business, and labor community to shape the Transit Sustainability Study so that it provides a useful, implementable plan that will significantly improve Bay Area transit service, making it more reliable, cost-effective, and will stabilize costs and service.
You can make TransForm an even stronger advocate in 2011 by donating now.
Bus Rapid Transit
An Affordable Way to Make Buses Faster and More Reliable
TransForm is shaping model Bus Rapid Transit lines in the Bay Area--we want to achieve local demonstrations of world-class public transportation that's cost-effective, reliable, and convenient.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is revolutionizing public transportation service around the world by emulating the best features of rail through its use of dedicated bus lanes, traffic signal priority, state-of-the-art buses, and proof-of-payment systems. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is essentially light rail without the tracks - and at a fraction of the cost.
And, because BRT can serve more people in less time, it also reduces operating costs for transit agencies, allowing them to put savings into preserving affordable service.
Several Bus Rapid Transit routes are now in the works in the Bay Area, and TransForm is working to engage local communities including chambers of commerce, neighborhood associations, students, and others in shaping these routes in the East Bay and South Bay.
Read on to learn more about Bus Rapid Transit, or learn about and get involved TransForm's specific BRT work in the East Bay and South Bay.
Watch these video clips of successful BRT projects in cities across the globe, plus examples of cities that are planning for BRT to become and integral part of their vision for a more sustainable future.
For more information you can review our summary slides below or contact Chris Lepe (for South Bay efforts) or Joel Ramos (for East Bay and San Francisco efforts).
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a revolutionary new approach to public transit that delivers reliable, comfortable and affordable service for a fraction of the cost of other transit strategies. BRT lines are now being planned for San Francisco, the East Bay, and the South Bay.
East Bay Bus Rapid Transit
Next Steps
After collecting community input and working more closely with City staff of Oakland and San Leandro, AC Transit will be conducting preleminary engineering and design over the next year, and will begin construction in 2014. The system should be fully operational by April of 2016.
TransForm will continue to work with the community in facilitating input on final BRT station and vehicle design, parking mitigations, business support strategies during and after construction, and service planning.
BRT UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTED AT OAKLAND AND SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCILS!
At nearly 11PM on Tuesday night, July 17th, the Oakland City Council joined the City Council of San Leandro in unanimous support of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) with dedicated lanes. The route will improve reliability and frequency, and will reduce overall transit time for most of the 1/1R routes by an estimated 30%. BRT will also reduce operations costs, resulting in more service for less funding. The Oakland City Council motion to adopt was made by Councilmember Pat Kernighan and seconded by Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente.
With over 30 organizations in support of the project (see a list below), and dozens of residents showing up to speak, some of the last minute concerns were ensuring that businesses along the corridor would recieve appropriate support during construction and mitigations for loss of parking in certain spots along the corridor, and that the estimated 300 construction jobs would go to as many Oakland residents as possible, given limitations to the application of Oakland's Local Hire policy on Federally funded projects. Some minor ammendments were made by the City Council to the staff recommendation that emphasized AC Transit addressing these issues as the project moves forward.
Some of the most vocal supporters of BRT at the council meeting were the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, Oakland Community Organizations, Walk Oakand Bike Oakland, Causa Justa Just Cause, Youth Uprising, the Sierra Club, the Alameda County Building and Construction Trades Council, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 192, ACCE / Riders for Transit Justice, The First UU Church of Oakland's Earth Justice Associates, the National Association of Minority Contractors, Urban Habitat, and the League of Women Voters. Supporters outnumbered opponents by more than 3 to 1. The project would not have passed without the residents and organizations that showed up or spoke out in support last night, and the ongoing, demonstrated support of the additional groups listed below.
Reasons for supporting BRT included sorely needed improvements to the frequency and reliability of the transit service along International Blvd. (routes 1 and 1R), the jobs that the construction of BRT would create, bringing over $150M of investment in public infrastructure, and helping to attract TOD to the corridor. Another popular reason for support was because of the increased lighting and security features that will help reduce crime along the corridor, as well as the improved pedestrian and bicycling facilities that will come with BRT, including improved cross-walks, bike lanes and bike parking. A small business owner and leader, Aristeo Zambrano of Bay City Alternators also came out in support and in representation of small businesses in the Elmhurst neighborhood district, emphasizing that the corridor is in sore need of investment.
Human Impact Partners did a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of the proposed BRT project, and reported that the project would result in an improvement to public health along the corridor for a number of reasons, including improved access, more safety from crime and traffic. The report can be seen on their website.
Oakland's vote came on the heels of the San Leandro City Council adopting the BRT project running in center lanes for buses only along a small portion of the route and "curbside BRT" for a majority of the route along E.14th St. (from the Oakland border) to the San Leandro BART station.
The project is unique in the Bay Area as being the first BRT system to be implemented in a dense, relatively narrow corridor. It will be a game-changer for International Blvd., and will serve as a model to the counry on how to "do more with less".
East Bay BRT is officially / formally supported by over 30 community groups and organizations:
Alameda County Building and Construction Trades Council
Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Riders for Transit Justice
Amalgamated Transit Workers Union Local 192
Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)
AYPAL
Bay Localize
Causa Justa / Just Cause
Communities for a Better Environment
East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy
East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation
East Bay Bicycle Coalition
East Bay Housing Organizations
East Bay Young Democrats
Ella Baker Center
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Oakland's Earth Justice Associates
Genesis (a Gamaliel affiliate)
Greenbelt Alliance
HOPE Collaborative
The League of Women Voters
Movement Generation
National Association of Minority Contractors
Oakland Rising
Oakland Community Organizations
RAMP (Regional Asthma Management and Prevention)
Sierra Club (Northern Alameda County Chapter)
Street Level Health Project
The Rose Foundation / New Voices Are Rising
TransForm
Urban Habitat
Walk Oakland / Bike Oakland (WOBO)
Youth Uprising
Since the release of the DEIR and even in the last few weeks, the project has changed in the following ways, including THE ADDITION OF TWO NEW STATIONS and the shifting of three proposed station locations to better meet the needs of transit riders and stakeholders along the route:
1. Reduced scope of the project to stop at 20th St. @ Broadway (parallel bus service can continue to connect North Oakland with 14th St. and maybe even Jack London Square)
2. Reduced parking impacts with dual-side boarding buses allowing for combined inbound / outbound BRT Stations
3. Maintaining on-board fare payment for those who have safety concerns over handling money at ticket machines while waiting on platforms
4. Improving traffic routing on International Blvd. from Fruitvale Ave. with new and improved traffic signals on Fruitvale Ave. and E. 10th St. and at Derby St. nd E. 12th Sts., which will reduce the amount of traffic on International Blvd. through the Fruitvale District
5. Adding a BRAND NEW station in the vicinity of 63rd Ave. to reduce distance in station spacing
6. Shifting the proposed BRT station from 65th Ave. to be directly in front of Lockwood-Havenscourt Campus at 67th Ave., improving access and safety with a new pedestrian / traffic signal for students of those schools, and removing the dedicated lane from right there in front of the school to minimize traffic
7. Shifting the proposed BRT station even closer to Allen Temple Arms (at 82nd Avd.) from where the inbound 1/1R station is located now
8. Creating a new parking lot at 85th Ave. to reduce impacts to parking at Allen Temple Baptist Church on Sundays during church services
9. Adding a BRAND NEW station at 90th Ave. to reduce distance in station spacing.
10. Shifting the proposed BRT station from 104th Ave. to 103rd Ave. to be closer to Allen Temple Gardens (btwn 101st and 102nd)
11. A commitment to maintain and integrate the existing landscaped median
12. A commitment to repave the entire street, curb to curb
East Bay BRT Passes Through Oakland Public Works Committee!
With 21 ferverent supporters, 4 opponents and one neutral speaker, BRT has just passed through the Oakland Public Works Committee with Councilmembers Nadel, Schaaf and Kaplan in support. Councilmember Larry Reid abstained from the vote.
Most of the speakers were transit riders who reflected on how sorely needed and long over-due this project is. Two opponents expressed concerns about the impacts of construction on small businesses, and two other opponents (who were also transit riders) were just not confident in the proposed improvements.
AC Transit Board of Directors Certify East Bay BRT FEIR, Moving the Downtown Oakland to San Leandro (DSOL) Option Forward Toward City Council Approvals!
Transit in Oakland and San Leandro took a huge step towards a much better future on April 25th, thanks to the efforts of its visionary leadership on the AC Transit Board of Directors. With 6 of the 7 Directors present, they unanimously certified the FEIR and adopted the Downtown Oakland to San Leandro alternative for BRT!
Over three dozen speakers came out in support of the plan, and emboldened the AC Transit Board of Directors to vote the way they did. They were also able to see a video advocating for BRT proudly produced by Youth Uprising (which can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKUHj9hapaU
This would not have happened without the broad support from youth, labor, environmental, social justice, and environmental justice groups as well as "just regular residents" who were represented by 45 supporters at the AC Transit Board of Directors meeting on April 25th, 2012..
Many thanks to the 22 groups that have signed on to the coalition letter (see below) and all the support that has been demonstrated leading up to this point. Their engagement has been paramount to moving such a progressive project forward.
The East Bay BRT project has the HIGHEST rating for a transit project in the nation, according to the FTA. It promises to deliver the most efficiency for the least amount of money spent on transit improvements. Once implemented, Oakland and San Leandro will truly have a world-class transit system. Despite the affordability, it will create over 300 local construction jobs, improve air quality, allow for the purchase of better designed, cleaner vehicles, make streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, while at the same time creating a truly reliable transit system that people can truly depend on to come frequently and reliably.
Bringing Bus Rapid Transit to Life
For the past six years, TransForm has worked in Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro to build community awareness of AC Transit's proposed East Bay Bus Rapid Transit project with the goal of supporting the cities and AC Transit in ensuring that the East Bay gets a model BRT system that delivers world-class transit service and meets the community's needs.
Traveling along Telegraph Avenue, International Boulevard, and East 14th Street, BRT is proposed to reduce current trip times along this corridor by 30%, and will attract over 9,000 new daily passengers. AC Transit's BRT service will also reduce operating costs while increasing ridership, enabling the transit agency to better support the rest of the system.
Some of the reasons why residents who we have spoken to support BRT are as follows:
Transit Improvements:
Level boarding eliminates need for lifts or ramps for wheelchairs and or for people with disabilities or traveling with strollers or carts. Boarding will be exactly like boarding BART. This makes boarding for people in wheelchairs much faster and safer.
Dedicated lanes keep buses out of traffic, running on time, and prevents bus bunching, which helps to reduce operations cost, allowing for more service and less cuts
BRT buses will come every 5 minutes all day long (not just during peak hours!)
Traffic Signal Priority systems will hold green lights longer for approaching BRT vehicles, minimizing the amount of time that BRT stops for anything other than passengers
All-Door Boarding will legally allow passengers to board through any door tagging their Clipper Cards to scanners located at each door. This eliminates crowding at the front of the vehicle, and speeds up boarding.
BRT Stations will all have seating, lighting, shelter, state-of-the art Information systems, and public art. BRT stations will be placed no more than 1/3 of a mile apart, at key destinations and where transfers happen along the route.
Center boarding stations allow passengers to wait together (safety in numbers) regardless of the direction they are heading. Center-running, platform stations also make it easier for passengers to navigate, and change direction if needed.
Safety from Crime:
Increased lighting at stations makes waiting for transit much safer;
Emergency phones at stations provide direct links to police or sheriff;
Cameras at stations will act as crime deterrents;
Fare inspection officers also increase presence of authority, and can act as "eyes and ears" of police or sheriff;
Higher concentrations of passengers at stations (rather than scattered along at stops) increase overall "eyes on the street" and decrease isolation of potential victims waiting for a bus alone on the side of the road, in the dark;
Higher frequency of bus arrival times (every 5 minutes during the day -all day-), and improved reliability significantly decrease time spent waiting for the bus, and exposing one's self as a potential target for crime.
Safety from Traffic:
Dedicated lanes calm car traffic to safer speeds
Bike lanes calm car traffic to safer speeds, and get bikes off of sidewalks;
New traffic signals make it safer to cross the street;
Improved crosswalks and bulb-outs increase visibility of pedestrians;
Increased street lighting increases visibility of pedestrians;
BRT Stations also act as pedestrian refuges, even for those who simply wan to cross the street.
Health Benefits:
Improved ambulance and fire response times by giving emergency vehicles access to a traffic-free dedicated bus lane while maintaining access to senior facilities from the street;
Creates bike lanes, which encourage biking which has been proven to improve health;
By offering greener choices for transportation, BRT reduces asthma and other respiratory problems by reducing air pollution;
Reduces obesity and health problems by creating safe, accessible and walkable communities. BRT would create pleasant transit stops and safer streets and sidewalks;
Provides more frequent, reliable transit to health and medical centers along the corridor.
Economic Benefits:
Turns a 45 minute bus ride into a 30 minute bus ride, saving time and money for riders;
By offering people a competitive, reliable alternative to a private vehicle, household transportation costs can be reduced, thereby freeing up more resources for other necessities such as housing and healthcare;
BRT creates hundreds of local jobs (over 300 construction jobs, and hundreds more support jobs);
Invests $180M into Oakland and San Leandro from Regional, State and Federal sources;
In compliance with CEQA guidelines, AC Transit has worked with community stakeholders to address comments made to them about the East Bay BRT project as defined in the DRAFT Environmental Impact Report, released around this time last year.
The Final Environmental Impact Report (or FEIR) includes a project that runs from Oakland to San Leandro BART, bringing bike lanes, new stations with lower impacts to parking, more landscaped median and other changes that we feel are for the better for local stakeholders, and which reduces the total cost of the project to reflect the funding that is currently available.
AC Transit recently held seven community meetings along the route and will now take the project to the AC Transit Board of Directors and the City Councils of Oakland and San Leandro over the next several weeks, seeking their approval to continue on with the final engineering of the project.
Response to Frequently Asked Questions (BRT FAQ's)
Distance between stops: BRT stations combine local service and Rapid service, and will be spaced 1/3rd of a mile apart, on average;
BRT Stations will be closer together than "1R" stops but spaced further apart than then "1" stops today. The BRT stations will be located where transfers to other lines happen, and where 90% of current passengers take transit from now. However, about 10% of passengers may need to walk to a different place where a new BRT station will be located nearby. On average BRT stations will be less than 1/3 of a mile apart. If right between two BRT stations, one may need to walk about 1/6th of a mile, equivalant to 880 feet, which is the distance one must walk now to get to City Hall from the currently existing 1/1R bus stop on Broadway between 13th and 14th Streets (see the Google map here: http://g.co/maps/kj4ur)
Curbside BRT: Some people are calling for "Curbside BRT", which would have BRT lanes running down the side of the street, with BRT stopping at "bulbout stations". This idea was not supported by AC Transit because it has several fatal flaws;
1. Curbside BRT still gets stuck behind double parked-cars, cars making right-hand turns or parallel parking, as the Silver line does in Boston and as BRT gets stuck behind traffic in Santiago Chile, losing much of the time-saving benefits gained by level, all-door boarding. The SFMTA recently decided against this model of BRT on Van Ness for this very reason.
2. Curbside BRT is less safe for passengers and pedestrians. whereas one would be required to cross the full width (at least two lanes of mixed flow traffic) of the street twice to get to any destination and back. Center running BRT, with platforms in the middle of the street require passengers to cross only one lane of mixed flow traffic at a time (at signalized crosswalks, of course) to get to the platforms or pedestrian refuges. It also becomes safter to change direction mid-route, eliminating the need to cross any streets if simply going the other direction (if one misses their stop or decides to reverse direction).
3. Curbside BRT removes the potential for platforms to serve as pedestrian refuges, as tney would in Center-Running BRT, where pedestrians, particularily people who need more time to cross the street, can pause at the BRT platform in the middle of the street and safely wait for the next signal phase before they cross the rest of the street (see graphic attached below)
4. Curbside BRT stations are proposed by some to be 1/2 mile apart (w/ less local service between stations), and would require higher operating costs along the corridor to provide service.
5. Curbside BRT stations would be more narrow in width, making it more difficult for wheelchairs to pass each other on the platforms. Even though the stations would be built parallel to the sidewalk, to be level with the floor of the buses, they would need to be elevated from the sidewalk itself or at a sloped angle that may be difficult to negotiate for people with limited mobility.
Why not use BRT Funding for improvements throughout the system instead?
The funding that has been earmarked for BRT is available for captial projects only. By law, it cannot be used for operations. The funding that was possibly availble for operations (CMAQ funds) has already been shifted away from the project to reduce service cuts two years ago. If AC Transit does not use this money for BRT, it will lose the great majority of it. Some of it (previous Regional Measure 2 funds) would still be available for operations and maintenance of Rapid Bus lines (like the 1R and the 72R).
Funding Sources
Regional Measure 2 (RM-2) – $43.4 million for Construction. RM-2 includes $3 million annually to operate the system.
Alameda County Measure B, – $5.5 million for construction.
Federal Small Starts – $75 Million (Anticipated).
State Transportation Improvement Program – $40.0 Million
Federal Section 5309 Bus - $3.1 million for construction
AC Transit bus procurement program funds - $4.9 million for vehicles
East Bay BRT Status: City by City
In May 2010, San Leandro and Oakland supported the study of creating dedicated BRT lanes. This gave the green light for AC Transit to move forward in looking at the impacts and benefits of a full BRT system with dedicated lanes, stations, proof-of-payment system, and other amenities that will greatly improve service along the heavily used 1/1R line.
TransForm applauds Oakland and San Leandro's City Councils for their efforts to help find a way to improve the comfort, safety, frequency, reliability, and affordability of bus service.
Check out the details on the 2010 decisions made in each city:
TransForm is currently reaching out to community groups, residents, businesses and other stakeholders in an effort to ensure that their concerns about BRT are being addressed by AC Transit by time the final proposal. So far, our efforts have resulted in better parking mitigations, station location, and pedestrian infrastructure improvements.
Despite endorsements from the Sierra Club, TransForm, the Building Trades Council, UNITE-HERE Local 2850, Livable Berkeley, and others to study a Full-Build BRT alternative, Councilmembers Jesse Arreguin, Gordon Wozniak, Susan Wengraff, and Kris Worthington would only vote to study an alternative that had not yet been considered.
The alternative that was approved would be like existing 1R service service, but with bulb-outs, proof-of-payment systems, and traffic signal priority but no dedicated lanes as the build alternative.
A genuine interest on the part of Mayor Tom Bates and Councilmembers Linda Maio, Laurie Capitelli and Daryl Moore to study dedicated lanes as part of a "Full-Build" alternative could not win a fifth vote.
Councilmember Max Anderson was absent.
The East Bay BRT project is now no longer being planed to serve Berkeley, and will instead terminate at 20th St. in downtown Oakland.
You can make TransForm an even stronger advocate in 2011 by donating now.
Oakland Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
July 10th, 2012: East Bay BRT Passes Through Oakland Public Works Committee, On to Full City Council Tuesday, July 17th @ 5PM!
With 21 ferverent supporters, 4 opponents and one neutral speaker, BRT has just passed through the Oakland Public Works Committee with Councilmembers Nadel, Schaaf and Kaplan in support. Councilmember Larry Reid abstained from the vote.
Most of the speakers were transit riders who reflected on how sorely needed and long over-due this project is. Two opponents expressed concerns about the impacts of construction on small businesses, and two other opponents (who were also transit riders) were just not confident in the proposed improvements.
Please plan on joining us in getting BRT over the final and most important hurdles, at the City Council hearings listed above. WE NEED YOUR VOICE TO HELP FIGHT FOR BETTER TRANSIT. As one speaker said at the Public Works Committee Hearing, "We deserve better."
For a handy sheet of talking points for next Tuesday's meeting, please see the attachment below near the bottom of this webpage.
Oakland takes a step closer towards World-Class Transit Service!
In April 2010, Oakland's City Council voted unanimously in support of BRT. The next step is moving forward with a Final Environmental Impact Statement. Over a dozen Oakland residents spoke in favor of the project. Most of the councilmembers on the committee voiced their enthusiasm for the project to be studied with dedicated lanes and stations.
TransForm would like to thank the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Urban Habitat, The Sierra Club (Northern Alameda County Chapter), UNITE-HERE Local 2850, The Alameda County Building Trades Council, the East Bay Asian Youth Center, The East Bay Bicycle Coalition, Walk-Oakland / Bike Oakland (WOBO), Oakland Community Organizations (OCO), and the Oakland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee for joining us in supporting BRT and helping to win this important victory!
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) could dramatically improve bus service for the 20,000 current daily riders on AC Transit’s 1/1R routes, giving better access to 1/3 of all the housing and 1/2 of all the jobs in Oakland. BRT (with dedicated lanes, state-of-the-art buses, and other key features) is an affordable way to make bus service much faster and more reliable.
This May, we will need your support when the Oakland City Council votes one last time to adopt the final project as proposed by AC Transit. Until then, TransForm will continue to do outreach to the community, helping AC Transit and the City of Oakland to identify solutions to the impacts anticipated on parking, traffic, and bus stop consolidation. We're confident we will find a way to make transit faster, more reliable, and more frequent, while helping the communities along the corridor to become safer for bicyclsts, pedestrians, transit riders, and car drivers alike.
Resources
To see a short, 3 minute video-simulation of how this would look in Oakland, go to our BRT page.
SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCIL VOTES 6-1 IN FAVOR OF STUDYING BRT WITH DEDICATEDLANES
Thanks to public input on the draft environmental document and comments made during recent community meetings, the City of San Leandro has refined AC Transit's BRT plan to run BRT to San Leandro BART, create new traffic signals, and to even implement "queue jump lanes" that would reduce the delays to BRT caused by traffic at intersections.
Speakers were about evenly divided at the last City Council meeting were BRT was discussed, which resulted in the council voting in favor of the newly revised proposal. While Councilmember Bill Stephens was the only one to conclude that he was not "for" dedicated lanes (with or without a study), most of the councilmembers all agreed that it would be a better idea to at least study them first, before making a decision in the Fall. Councilmember Jim Prola stated that he had recieved dozens of letters about the project, and even read one from a San Leandro resident that had previously oppossed the project, but was now in favor.
For questions about BRT in the East Bay, contact TransForm staff Joel Ramos.
You can make TransForm an even stronger advocate in 2011 by donating now.
Santa Clara County Bus Rapid Transit
A reliable, comfortable, and convenient transportation option is coming to Santa Clara County
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is revolutionizing bus service around the world with its dedicated transit lanes, state-of-the-art buses, and rail-like stations. Now, Bus Rapid Transit is coming to Santa Clara County, with over 30 miles of BRT projects planned along the Valley's most heavily utilized transit corridors.
TransForm is engaging community leaders and other stakeholders to ensure that BRT in the Valley provides a high quality transportation option while meeting community needs and improving safety for all users, including bicyclists and pedestrians.
For more information and to get involved, contact Chris Lepe.
Benefits Bus Rapid Transit can bring to Santa Clara County
Fast and frequent transit service: Each BRT line will operate at a minimum of ten minute frequencies and run at least 30% faster service than local buses. BRT vehicles will have traffic signal priority and dedicated bus lanes in some areas.
Fewer cars on the road and a lower carbon footprint: Local bus service running along the planned Alum Rock, El Camino, and Stevens Creek BRT corridors already serves one out of every five VTA bus riders, and BRT is expected to result in 40% more transit use along these routes. 4,555 metric tons of greenhouse gases will be removed annually just along the El Camino corridor due to a reduction in over 5,000 vehicles miles traveled per year.
Safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists: In areas where bus-only lanes are adopted, VTA can include pedestrian improvements such as bulb-outs (sidewalk extensions), additional signalized intersections, and bicycle safety improvements such as painted bike lanes.
Job creation and access: BRT has been shown to spur economic development and job growth, and VTA estimates that the El Camino Rapid could generate 4,780 jobs if exclusive bus lanes are pursued. Furthermore, BRT will speed up the commute for VTA’s existing transit riders, resulting in greater access to economic opportunity for all, including low-income families and students.
Modern and innovative transit facilities: BRT will include more functional transit stations with real-time bus arrival information and ticket vending machines. New low-floor vehicles with diesel-electric hybrid technology will feature wireless internet access and comfortable seating configurations.
What we're doing to shape Bus Rapid Transit in Santa Clara County
TransForm is engaging businesses, neighborhood groups, and other stakeholders so that VTA's Bus Rapid Transit plans are truly rapid and integrate community preferences and priorities.
We are also partnering with pedestrian and bicycle advocates to ensure that BRT plans integrate best practices in bicycle and pedestrian safety and that safe routes to the future BRT stations are planned for and financed.
Learn more and get engaged
Learn more about proposed transportation and land use planning efforts underway in Santa Clara County and how you can get involved, including the Alum Rock, El Camino Real, and Stevens Creek Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors.
Contact TransForm's Silicon Valley Community Planner to join other Santa Clara County residents in advocating for rapid transit service that creates vibrant complete-streets for all.
Make sure your input is included in the VTA's Valley Transportation Plan 2040
The Valley Transportation Plan 2040 (VTP) is VTA's long-range transportation plan that provides planning policy and sets the framework and priorities for developing as well as delivering transportation projects in the future. The VTP is updated about every four years.
Community involvement: There will be opportunities for public involvement in 2013, including four public meetings in March. Visit the VTA's website or contact VTA at (408) 321-7575 for more information.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013; 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Monday, March 11, 2013 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (Presentation begins at 5:15 p.m.)
Los Gatos Adult Recreation Center
208 East Main Street, Los Gatos, CA
This location is served by VTA Bus Lines 48, 49
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Presentation begins at 5:45 p.m.)
Mountain View Public Library
585 Franklin Street, Mountain View, CA 94041
This location is served by VTA bus lines: 22, 35, or 522.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Presentation begins at 5:45 p.m.)
City of Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center
17000 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
This location is served by VTA bus line 68.
Monday, March 25, 2013
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Presentation begins at 5:45 p.m.)
Mayfair Community Center
2039 Kammerer Ave. San Jose, CA 95116
This location is served by VTA Bus Lines 22, 23, 70, 77, 522
Voice your opinion about Caltrain’s modernization and electrification by March 18th.
Caltrain will take written and in-person comments on the topics that should be covered in the Environmental Impact Report for Caltrain electrification until 5 pm on March 18, 2013.
The long-awaited Caltrain modernization project is expected to dramatically reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions because electric trains are more efficient and pollute less than diesel and because ridership is expected to increase.
The EIR is will be an opportunity to see and comment on the benefits, including an extra train per hour at peak and potentially more frequent service at nonbullet stations. When the draft EIR is out later in 2013, Caltrain plans to review and get public feedback on schedule options.
Under the California Environmental Quality Act, projects need to study and disclose impacts on traffic, access, air quality, greenhouse gases, noise, trees, esthetics, and several other categories, and develop plans to reduce negative impacts where feasible. At the start of the environmental study, the public gets to comment on what should be studied.
What you can do:
Attend one of the following meetings and comment in person or in writing. Caltrain will hold two public scoping meetings this week.
Tuesday, Mar. 5, 2013, 6pm-8pm
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Headquarters, Auditorium,
3331 N. First St.,
San Jose
Thursday, Mar. 7, 2013, 6pm-8pm
San Francisco City Hall, Board of Supervisors Chambers,
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.,
San Francisco
You can send written comments by email to electrification@caltrain.com, with “Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project” in the subject heading. Or send paper mail to:
Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain)
Attn: Stacy Cocke, Senior Planner
1250 San Carlos Ave.
P.O. Box 3006
San Carlos, CA
If you do submit a comment, please start your comment with a general statement of support for the electrification project.
The Alum Rock corridor Bus Rapid Transit project (VTA line 522) will bring improved transit service to the most heavily utilized transit corridor in Santa Clara County and connect important destinations such as the Mexican Heritage Plaza, Five Wounds Church, Roosevelt Park and Community Center, San Jose State University, San Jose City Hall, and the Diridon Caltrain Station.
TransForm is working with community leaders to ensure the Alum Rock BRT project reflects neighborhood preferences and to advocate for a design that meets the needs of all users, including bicyclists and pedestrians. For example:
In 2005, TransForm conducted a Safe Routes to Transit Study in the Mayfair Community, located along the Alum Rock corridor.The survey found that the vast majority of residents want rapid transit service and would like slower auto traffic speeds, and more crosswalks, lighting, and bike paths.
In 2010, TransForm conducted a survey of merchants along the corridor and found that most merchants support the BRT project with certain assumptions and want a safer and more comfortable street for pedestrians. There are also some concerns about streetscape changes that may affect how merchants do business.
In 2011, TransForm conducted an Alum Rock Corridor BRT pedestrian and bicycle injury analysis and found that more than 3,000 bicycle and pedestrian injuries took place in the City of San Jose over a five year period. A disproportionate amount of those injuries were located on the seven-mile Alum Rock corridor, and youth and Latinos were much more likely to be injured on foot and on bike compared to other groups.
With service expected to begin by early 2014, the Alum Rock Corridor BRT project will be the first BRT line in the San Francisco Bay Area. Funding for the project will come from Santa Clara County’s Measure A sales tax and Prop 1B state funds.
Email your elected officials if you live in Santa Clara County and let them know that you support a transit, bicyclist, and pedestrian-first approach to Bus Rapid Transit.
Contact TransForm's Silicon Valley Community Planner to join other Santa Clara County residents in advocating for rapid transit service that creates vibrant complete-streets for all.
Alum Rock BRT - Current News and Actions
Tell VTA you support their proposal for better transit on bus line 22 from East San Jose to Downtown San Jose on March 6th and 7th!
The Santa Clara/Alum Rock Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project will provide limited-stop rapid transit service for 7.2 miles, from the Eastridge Transit Center to the Arena Station in downtown San Jose using Capitol Expressway, Alum Rock Avenue, and Santa Clara Street. BRT service is expected to start next year with rail-like stations including real-time bus arrival information, dedicated bus lanes on Alum Rock Ave, and WiFi on board new modern hybrid vehicles with internal and external bicycle storage.
The key issue at the two meetings below will be whether to prioritize transit operations at the future downtown station on Santa Clara St between 1st and 2nd Street by providing bus transition zones for transit vehicles to pull in and out of the station without getting bogged down in traffic. For information on the trade-offs between better transit service, parking and loading zone removal, and right turn restrictions, see agenda item 9 in the staff report or contact TransForm’s Silicon Valley Community Planner. If you cannot attend the meetings below but want to share your perspective, send an email or call San Jose Council Member Sam Liccardo.
Community meeting: The purpose of this meeting is to update the community on the status of the Alum Rock BRT project and discuss upcoming construction planned to begin this spring. VTA staff will be available to provide specific information and respond to community questions.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013; 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library,
150 E. San Fernando Street,
San Jose, CA
Downtown East Valley Policy Advisory Board meeting: The Board will decide on whether to move forward with the next phase of project planning for the Alum Rock BRT project based on recent VTA analyses and the public meeting on March 6th.
Thursday, March 7, 2013, 4:30 PM,
East Wing, Lower Level Conference Room, County Government Center,
70 West Hedding Street,
San Jose, CA
El Camino Corridor Bus Rapid Transit
The El Camino corridor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project will introduce rapid transit service between HP Pavilion in Downtown San Jose to the Palo Alto Intermodal Center along The Alameda and El Camino Real. The corridor is currently served by bus lines 22 and 522 which together carry one fifth of the bus riders in Santa Clara County. The El Camino corridor BRT project will serve important destinations such as Santa Clara and Stanford Universities, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale’s government offices, downtown Mountain View and Palo Alto, and Stanford Shopping Center.
The extent to which BRT is effective, to a large degree rests on how much of the project has its own exclusive lanes so that buses can bypass traffic. Exclusive bus lanes will become even more critical in the future as our population is expected to grow considerably over the coming decades. Cities along the corridor will have an opportunity to decide whether to incorporate exclusive bus lanes, bike lanes, and pedestrian improvements within their boundaries in 2012. A more complete-street will help pave the way for the vision of The Grand Boulevard Initiative, help reduce traffic, decrease our dependence on foreign oil, help curb climate change, and reduce household transportation costs.
TransForm has formed the El Camino For All Coalition with South Bay organizations, community groups, and community leaders to ensure that the proposed El Camino BRT project meets local community needs while improving conditions for all roadway users.
BRT service along the corridor is planned to start in 2016, and funding is expected to come from a combination of Santa Clara County’s Measure A sales tax, federal funds, and a portion of funds designated for the Palo Alto Intermodal Center.
Contact TransForm's Silicon Valley Community Planner to join other Santa Clara County residents in advocating for rapid transit service that creates vibrant complete-streets for all.
El Camino BRT - Current News and Actions
Take action by this Friday, March 8th to support efficient, reliable, and convenient public transportation along El Camino Real!
The El Camino Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project has entered the scoping period of the environmental review process. The scoping period is an important part of the project development process because all comments made by the public are retained as part of the public record and because the responsible agency (VTA) must respond to any comments or questions raised during the process. We need to show that there is a constituency that supports world-class public transportation along El Camino Real, in particular the study of option 5 - dedicated lanes from Santa Clara to Mountain View.TransForm supports Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along El Camino Real because it will:
Submit a letter or email to VTA highlighting your perspective and what you would like to see studied in the Environmental Impact Report by Friday, March 8th:
Mailing address:
VTA Environmental Programs and Resources Management,
Attn: Christina Jaworski
3331 N. First Street, Building B-2
San Jose, CA 95134
Attend Upcoming Public Meetings on Bringing Bus Rapid Transit & Bike/Ped Improvements to El Camino Real
Support High-Quality Rapid Transit on El Camino Real and the Alameda
The El Camino Real Rapid Transit Project spans from Palo Alto to San Jose along VTA’s most popular bus route. The project will dramatically improve bus service through the conversion of general-use lanes to bus-only lanes and street improvements for better bicycle and pedestrian access and safety. Come to one of the following public meetings to provide your input on this important project:
Thursday, February 21, 2013 at Santa Clara City Council Chambers at 1500 Warburton Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95050 from 8:30 am – 10:30 am (Presentation begins at 8:45am) and from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm (Presentation begins at 5:45 pm).
Thursday, February 28, 2013 at Mountain View City Council Chambers 500 Castro Street, Second Floor Mountain View, CA 94041 from 8:30 am – 10:30 am (Presentation begins at 8:45am) and from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm (Presentation begins at 5:45 pm)
Please contact Chris Lepe, TransForm's Community Planner in Silicon Valley, to find out about upcoming Bus Rapid Transit meetings and other opportunities to get involved.
Stevens Creek Corridor
The Stevens Creek corridor Bus Rapid Transit project (523) will travel between east San Jose and downtown San Jose to De Anza College in Cupertino along San Carlos Street and Stevens Creek Boulevard. The 523 will bring rapid transit service to an area that is only served by local bus service but carries one out of every ten bus riders in Santa Clara County.
The Stevens Creek Rapid will serve important destinations such as Valley Fair and Cupertino Square malls, Santana Row, and the City of Cupertino’s government offices.
Rapid Transit service on Stevens Creek Blvd and San Carlos St will occur in three phases. VTA plans to introduce the 323 limited stop bus in October 2012, followed by the first phase of BRT in 2014 which will likely contain a combination of limited stop service, headway based schedules, and signal priority. The final phase of the BRT project will include transit stations with ample shelter and seating, real time bus arrival information, level-boarding platforms, ticket vending machines, and other amenities, plus bus only lanes and pedestrian improvements.
Construction of the Stevens Creek Rapid is expected to be completed in 2017. The majority of the funding for the project is expected to come from Santa Clara County’s Measure A sales tax and Prop 1B state funds.
Email your elected officials if you live in Santa Clara County and let them know that you support a transit, bicyclist, and pedestrian-first approach to Bus Rapid Transit.
Contact TransForm's Silicon Valley Community Planner to join other Santa Clara County residents in advocating for rapid transit service that creates vibrant complete-streets for all.
In the spring of 2010, TransForm surveyed 217 merchants along the Alum Rock corridor about the proposed BRT service. This report summarizes our findings.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a set of improvements that allow buses to achieve the speed, reliability, and convenience of rail but at a much lower cost. One of the first BRT projects in the Bay Area is being planned along the Alum Rock corridor in San Jose.
In the spring of 2010, TransForm surveyed 217 merchants along the corridor about the proposed BRT service. TransForm strongly believes that merchants are critical stakeholders to involve in the planning of BRT because they have a deep understanding of the communities in which they do business, and the way that the project is designed will directly impact their businesses. TransForm’s survey examined perceived parking availability, desired corridor improvements, perspectives regarding bicycle and pedestrian safety and the proposed BRT project, preferences related to BRT station design, and other topics. The following are the key survey findings and TransForm’s recommendations to the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the City of San Jose.
Bay Area Health in Transportation Collaborative (BAHT)
Powerful New Collaboration Kicks Off in the Bay Area
TransForm and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership kicked off a powerful new collaboration of advocates, community members, health professionals, and planning experts from across the Bay Area.
to participate in our next meeting on May 15, 2013 at 10a.m. and to stay in the loop on this work.
Our next call will be May 15 at 10am.
Please help us get the word out about the BAHT Collaborative.
We look forward to having you involved in the next meeting, May 15 at 10am. If you have questions or concerns please contact:
For the past 50 years, poorly planned growth has led to an almost complete reliance on cars and the loss of some of the region’s best farmland and most beautiful landscapes. The long distances between housing, services, and workplaces have left many people living in areas with grinding commutes, polluted air, and untenable transportation costs.
Walkable communities near transit, with a mix of housing for all income levels, shops, offices, community facilities, and parks can make a world of difference for our health, quality of life, and environment.
To achieve great walkable neighborhoods around transit TransForm's land use advocacy focuses on two key strategies:
Through the Great Communities Collaborative, TransForm is engaging people in planning for and creating great communities near transit throughout the region.
Our cutting-edge Green TRIP certification program works with developers and cities to support residential in-fill development projects that integrate comprehensive strategies to reduce traffic and greenhouse gas emissions.
To create world class transportation and walkable communities in the Bay Area and beyond, we need state and federal policies to support these goals. To unlock some of the barriers to success facing California, TransForm:
Helps to lead ClimatePlan, a partnership of California's leading non-profit organizations that we co-founded that is advancing policies and programs to address the relationship between land use policy and climate change at the state level.
California has long been known as the car capital, for good reason. We drive enough that transportation is now nearly 20% of family expenses and is the largest contributor of dangerous air pollution and climate change.
But California is also a place where we value choices, health, and prosperity. And that is why Californians are embracing choices in how they get around -- demanding fast, affordable transit, safe walking and bicycling, shuttles and vanpools, and more.
Join with thousands of Californians to demand real transportation choices
Email your legislators to support a budget that fights climate change through transportation choices.
Endorse our cap-and-trade platform and sign up your organization as a coalition member. To learn more, contact State Policy Director Josh Stark or Cap-and-Trade Campaign Manager Ryan Wiggins.
Join leading community organizations and advocates in Sacramento and help ensure state policies and investments promote effective public transit, great walking and bicycling, and affordable homes. Together we will learn about the hottest issues from leaders like the Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing Brian Kelly and Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols as well as leading advocates like James Corless of Transportation for America.
We will hone our skills and messages in breakout sessions, and there is time for networking with advocates from your area, and from across the state.
Held in the beautiful Library Galleria in downtown Sacramento, the event will be followed by a reception. Legislative and agency leaders will be invited to network in a casual setting with summit attendees.
Join us before or after the Summit
Monday, April 22 – Mobile Tours and Networking
You’ll have a choice of journeys that explore old and new parts of Sacramento. See how the city is transforming its streets, providing new housing options and tackling tough issues from parking to regional transit. This is a great opportunity to get to know your colleagues from around the state. After a break we’ll meet at 7 p.m. for a networking reception.
Wednesday, April 24 – Transportation Choices Advocacy Day
Join over 100 community and organizational representatives as we join together for a morning training then head to the State Capitol for Transportation Choices Advocacy Day. We’ll let them know how urgent it is to include funding for transportation choices and affordable homes in the state’s cap-and-trade program and more. With diverse voices we can ensure they prioritize a transportation system that provides access for all, protects our environment and is the cornerstone for sustainable, equitable communities.
The summit will help prepare you for the advocacy day, but it is also possible to just attend this April 24 event.
Sponsorships
Lodging and travel scholarships for community advocates are made possible by the generosity of our sponsors. Please consider sponsoring the event today.
Cost The Summit is $100, but early bird sign-ups can take advantage of open sliding scale rates from $40-100. The registration fee covers both the Summit itself and the April 22 Mobile Tours and Networking Day. The April 24 Advocacy Day is available to all and is free to participants.
After years of transportation funding cuts, the Great Recession, and state budget crises, we are building momentum in the state capitol to restore transportation funding and focus our resources on transportation projects and programs that will serve all Californians. This spring, leaders in Sacramento are considering bills that would invest in world-class public transportation, safer places to walk and bike, and affordable, accessible housing.
But for these bills to pass - and for California to begin reinventing our transportation system for the benefit of all communities - we need to make our voices heard.
That’s why we’re focusing on the following critical bills at our Transportation Choices Summit on April 23 and Advocacy Day on April 24. We need you to join us and urge our decisionmakers to take decisive action to fight climate change and invest in the health of our communities and our economy.
If you can't make it to Sacramento on April 24, you can still take action online or by phone to let your legislators know that you support real transportation choices and healthy, affordable communities.
These are the key bills and issues we’ll be focusing on:
Cap-and-Trade Funding
By June 15th, California will decide how to invest funds from the state’s greenhouse gas cap-and-trade auction revenues. With nearly 40 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from transportation – the largest of any sector – we must invest in real transportation choices that help our regions achieve our SB 375 goals in order to meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets under AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act.
With the dissolution of Redevelopment Agencies, California cities and communities lost $1 billion in revenue annually for redeveloping downtowns and building affordable homes. SB 1 would allow for the creation of Sustainable Communities Investment Authorities that could raise revenue to invest in transit-oriented development. This focused investment would promote better access to public transportation for more people and increased transit ridership to achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets.
SB 391 (Senator DeSaulnier): California Homes and Jobs Act of 2013
The California Homes and Jobs Act would generate an estimated $500 million per year – and leverage an additional $2.78 billion in federal, local, and private investment – to invest in affordable apartments and single-family homes. This funding would create thousands of jobs and be a vital source of revenue to invest in affordable housing near transit so all Californians can have access to clean, efficient, and affordable transportation choices.
SCA 4, SCA 8, SCA 11: Empowering democracy by lowering the voter threshold
Our current system for approving local tax measures effectively gives each “no” vote the same power as two “yes” votes by requiring a two-thirds threshold (66.67%) for approval. Last November in Los Angeles, over 1.9 million voters said yes to more transportation choices but lost to the 970,000 that said no. In Alameda County the margin was even closer – over 66.5% said yes – but the local measure still lost. A strong majority of Californians in our regions are saying yes to ballot measures that would invest in public transportation and now it’s time that their voices count.
Three bills, SCA 4 (Liu), SCA 8 (Corbett), and SCA 11 (Hancock), would accomplish this for transportation.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Legislation and Proposals
Bicycle and pedestrian programs and infrastructure have been massively underfunded for decades. Only about one percent of all transportation funding goes to invest in safe streets for biking and walking despite the fact that 40 percent of all trips in California are two miles or less. We will need to invest tens of billions of dollars in safe streets over the coming decades to meet our climate change goals, provide safe access to transit, reduce injuries and fatalities, and increase physical activity.
Multiple bills and proposals are on the table this year that could provide the funding and policies we need to move forward including the proposed Active Transportation Program and AB 1194 (Ammiano).
Transportation Choices Summit – Social Media
Help increase the impact of the Summit by sharing your experiences here with your networks on social media. Here are a few tips to help you get the word out.
Check In On Facebook: Check in at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria - “At the Transportation ChoicesSummit!” Make sure to tag TransForm and any other organization you’re with.
Tweet From The Summit: When tweeting from the summit, use the hashtag #TransFormSummit2013. Be part of the conversation by following @TransForm_Alert, and enter your handle here so we can follow you, too! We can create a bigger buzz by replying to and re-tweeting one another throughout
Here are some potential ideas for tweets:
Tell people where you are: Just arrived for [session] at the Transportation Choices Summit. @transform_alert #TransFormSummit2013
Tweet (or paraphrase) quotes from sessions: “All Californians should have access to public transportation and affordable housing.” – Stuart Cohen @transform_alert #TransFormSummit2013
Use the hashtag to engage in conversations with other attendees about what’s going on at the Summit
If you take any pictures that you want to tweet, make sure to tag @transform_alert and #TransFormSummit2013
Write A Blog Post About Your Experience At The Summit: We’d love to hear about your experience.
If you’re interested in guest blogging for TransForm about why you attended, what you learned, and what you’re taking away moving forward, please contact Ben Swift at bswift@TransFormCA.org.
If you plan to write about the Summit on your own blog, let us know – we may be interested in cross-posting with you.
Post The Summit Badge To Your Facebook Page, Blog Or Website: You can download the badge here, a larger version here, or use this code to embed it:
Take Pictures:
We’ll be doing our best to capture this event on film – but we’d love your help!
Share photos on Flickr and tag them #TransFormSummit2013
Tweet your photos to @transform_alert with the tag #TransFormSummit2013
Send your photos to bswift@TransFormCA.org
Please take a moment to spread the word about the Transportation Choices Summit 2013 and help us take Sacramento by storm!
Cap-and-Trade Funding
Cap-and-Trade: Time to curb emissions and invest in real transportation choices
This June, California can take an extraordinary step to expand funding for real transportation choices. State leaders will decide how to allocate billions of dollars from the state’s new greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program – funding that could truly transform transportation in California. Click here to take action now.
California needs to invest in more public transportation, biking and walking facilities, and affordable housing near transit to reduce greenhouse gases and spur California’s economy forward. But instead, federal and state transportation funding have remained stagnant and even declined while congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and household transportation costs are on the rise.
All that could change this spring thanks to the state’s ambitious climate change policy. Revenues from the state’s new landmark cap-and-trade auction are projected to reach $1-4 billion annually by 2015, representing a new and significant source of funding. In June, the California legislature will adopt a budget that includes the first set of investments from the cap-and-trade auction program.
TransForm, Housing California and our allies are working with agencies, the Legislature, and the Governor’s office to shape an investment plan that expands transportation and housing choices and supports disadvantaged communities (click here to download our proposal). Investing in real transportation choices in our communities will reduce greenhouse gases and save Californians billions of dollars every year.
Now is the time to demonstrate the benefits of transportation and housing choices for all Californians! Join the movement to transform transportation:
Endorse our cap-and-trade platform and sign up your organization as a coalition member. To learn more, contact State Policy Director Josh Stark or Cap-and-Trade Campaign Manager Ryan Wiggins.
Sign our petition calling for real transportation choices that we will present to the Governor in May.
Add projects in your communities that need funding to our Cap-and-Transit Map and show our leaders that there is a real demand for cap-and-trade auction revenues for public transit, biking and walking, and affordable, accessible housing.
Cap-and-Transit Map
Communities throughout California are clamoring for real transportation choices to revive the economy, improve public health, and protect the environment. Our interactive map of innovative "cap-and transit" opportunities will show the statewide demand for resources to address California's transportation crisis - a demand that can be met through smart allocation of cap-and-trade auction revenues.
This month, the California Air Resources Board is holding cap-and-trade workshops around the state to hear from the public where to invest revenues from the state’s landmark greenhouse gas cap-and-trade auction. This new funding source offers an incredible opportunity to expand funding for transportation choices for California communities. We need your help to show our leaders where communities are planning innovative transportation projects and programs to expand transit ridership, increase biking and walking, and ensuring affordable, accessible housing.
Anyone can add projects and programs to the map with just a few clicks. Can you help us by adding a project to the map now? Click here to get started.
Click on the markers to view the projects. Click on the project titles for more information.
Javascript is required to view this map.
Here’s how to add your own project:
Click on on of the links below to add a transit project, bike project or pedestrian project
Even as he acknowledged that we are nearing a climate tipping point and that it will take two more years to recover the jobs lost during the Great Recession, Governor Brown yesterday released a budget that punts fighting climate change and tackling a still-sluggish economy to an undisclosed date in the future.
The revised budget includes a proposal to loan $500 million indefinitely from California’s landmark cap-and-trade auction to the General Fund. This is funding we should invest this year to reduce climate pollution, grow our economy, and provide Californians with real transportation choices. Now it is up to the legislature to reject this proposal as they consider the State's overall budget. TransForm and a host of allies are working to focus this funding on its intended use: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support disadvantaged communities and improve public health and the economy.
Governor Brown yesterday released a budget that punts fighting climate change and tackling a still-sluggish economy to an undisclosed date in the future.
The revised budget includes a proposal to loan $500 million indefinitely from California’s landmark cap-and-trade auction to the General Fund. This is funding we should invest this year to reduce climate pollution, grow our economy, and provide Californians with real transportation choices.
Just hours after Governor Brown proposed the $500 million loan, the California Air Resources Board released its final three-year investment plan for cap-and-trade. The plan is extremely strong, and includes a list of existing and proposed programs that mirrored our Sustainable Communities for All platform. Many of these programs, like State Transit Assistance or the Transit-Oriented Development program would greatly benefit from cap-and-trade investments this year.
Last week we received the sobering news that atmospheric carbon concentrations have hit 400 ppm, a threshold widely recognized as putting us dangerously close to irreversible and drastic climate impacts. This news should be a call to action. It’s time to put that $500 million to work.
The Transportation Choices Campaign was launched in 2012 to ensure all Californians gain this access and independence through better walking, biking, public transportation, and affordable housing. Expanding transportation choices for Californians will allow us to save billions of dollars per year on transportation, invest in local jobs instead of foreign oil, and breathe healthier air and get more physically active -- all while providing access to jobs, housing and education for people of every age and income.
2013 promises tremendous opportunities, but these will only be realized if we come together: as individuals, as organizations, as communities, as California.
We will also be working to make it easier for local governments to raise desperately needed funds by allowing voters to support more transportation choices with a 55% supermajority, instead of the current 66.67%.
This year, California has many new opportunities to dramatically improve - even re-imagine - our state’s transportation focus in ways that offer real choices to all residents.
With leadership from the Governor and legislative leaders, as well as the largest Freshman class of legislators since 1966 giving Democrats a two-thirds majority in both houses, this next session may be pivotal. In his "State of the State" address, the Governor emphasized the need for our transportation agencies to prioritize our needs in light of climate change and air quality.
Key transportation and land use bills to follow in 2013
AB 1051 (Assemblymember Bocanegra) : Directing cap-and-trade funds to transportation choices and affordable homes
Last year’s first greenhouse gas auction netted the state significant revenues for fighting climate change in a new and innovative way: putting a price on greenhouse gas pollution. Companies paid the state for allowances to emit these gasses, and even the small number of allowances auctioned resulted in over $285 million in revenues.
Auction revenues must be used for projects and programs that reduce greenhouse gasses and help mitigate the impacts of climate change. With nearly 40% of our state's greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, investments in transportation choices offers an opportunity to significantly reduce emissions while also improving health, equity, the economy and the environment.
Assemblymember Bocanegra’s AB 1051 recognizes that bicycle and pedestrian facilities, affordable homes near transit, transit capital operations that prioritize equity and greenhouse gas emission reductions, and energy efficiency upgrades for low-income Californians are important priorities. TransForm fully supports AB 1051 (for bill text, click here).
For more ways you can help, (including talking to State leaders in-person), check out our Transportation Choices Campaign site, and sign our petition to tell the Governor just how these revenues can truly improve our lives.
AB 431 (Assemblymember Mullin): Funding Sustainable Communities
Local governments are currently struggling to fund the implementation of SB 375, California’s landmark law which integrates land-use and transportation planning in ways that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This bill, which TransForm is co-sponsoring with our allies the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California and Greenbelt Alliance, would authorize Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to put before voters funding measures that implement their Sustainable Communities Strategies. As shown in our Windfall for All materials, transportation choices can save residents billions per year, and this bill empowers our local government representatives (who sit on the MPO boards) and voters by letting them decide to fund their region’s work to improve their infrastructure in effective and equitable ways (click here for bill language).
SB 391 (Desaulnier): the California Homes and Jobs Act
Our allies at Housing California are sponsoring Senator DeSaulnier’s bill, which would create thousands of jobs building affordable housing. The bill would add a $75 recording fee to non-residential real estate transactions, raising $500 million annually for state investment in affordable home production and leveraging an additional $2.78 billion in federal, local, and bank investment in homes and jobs for Californians. Check out their informative website here. TransForm supports this great bill (click here for bill language).
Based in large part on last year’s SB 1156, this bill is Senator Steinberg’s proposal to remake some of the powers of Redevelopment Agencies, but to streamline the process, foster cooperation between cities and counties, protect school funding, support affordable homes and refocus investment in transit-oriented areas. (Click here for bill language and information).
SCA 4, SCA 8, SCA 11: Empowering democracy by lowering the voter threshold
Our current system for approving local tax measures effectively gives each “no” vote the same power as two “yes” votes by requiring a two-thirds threshold (66.67%) for approval. Last November in Los Angeles, over 1.9 million voters said yes to more transportation choices but lost to the 970,000 that said no. In Alameda County the margin was even closer – over 66.5% said yes – but the measure still lost.
Many legislators recognize that, though a new, local tax measure should be popular, today’s draconian requirement simply runs counter to our democratic form of government. No fewer than seven bills currently propose lowering the voter threshold for local projects - and three of them, SCA 4(Liu), SCA 8(Corbett), and SCA 11(Hancock), would do so for transportation.
TransForm supports these efforts to empower the overwhelming majority of Californians through the democratic process.
AB 1194 (Ammiano, Pérez, Alejo, Levine, Pan): Safe Routes to Schools
This bill would ensure the continuation of the Safe Routes to Schools program by dedicating a minimum of $46 million. TransForm supports this effort to maintain this effective and important program (click here for bill text).
AB 1193 (Ting): Bike design flexibility
Current law requires local governments to adhere to the Highway Design Manual for bicycle design on roads. This bill would allow local governments to use bicycle designs that meet specified safety standards through means beyond those specified by the Highway Design Manual (click here for bill text).
AB 229 (Speaker Pérez): Funding local infrastructure
This bill authorizes “Infrastructure and revitalization finance districts” for purposes of raising funds for public infrastructure such as transportation, sewage, watersheds, libraries, child care facilities, parks, and others.
AB 1290 (Speaker Pérez): California Transportation Commission
This bill makes a host of changes to better align the California Transportation Commission’s structure and direction to support more integrated land use and transportation efforts, such as SB 375 implementation.
AB 1002 (Assemblymember Bloom): Funding Sustainable Communities
This bill adds $6 to vehicle registration to fund programs and projects consistent with Sustainable Communities strategies.
For more information or to get active please make sure you sign up on e-mail, twitter or facebook, and contact Josh Stark for more information.
2012 in Review
State Legislation: 2012 in Review
California’s legislature runs in two-year cycles. The final two months of this cycle – the end of legislative session in August then waiting for the Governor’s decision on several bills in September – made for an exciting and, at times, nail-biting 60 days.
Here is a run-down of the bills that TransForm and so many of our allies worked hard all of 2012 to pass.
These represent the nine bills TransForm dedicated the most time to, including bringing over 100 advocates for a full day of lobbying on these bills in Sacramento – reaching every office in the capitol.
The final score? 5 signed by the Governor, 2 vetoed, and 2 failed to pass the Legislature.
Signed by the Governor
AB 441 (Monning) – Including health and equity in regional transportation planning (a TransForm co-sponsored bill)
On September 19, Governor Brown signed AB 441 into law. This law requires the California Transportation Commission -- in their next update of the Regional Transportation Plan guidelines -- to include a summary of projects, policies and programs that successfully promote better health and health equity.
TransForm is proud to have co-sponsored this bill with CPEHN, the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, and to have worked with the bill’s author, Assemblyman Bill Monning. Together we showed how so many of the strategies outlined in our recent report Creating Healthy Regional Transportation Plans, can provide great access for people of every age, income race and ability while making the transportation system even more efficient. From Safe Routes to Schools to providing vanpools for migrant workers we can promote safety, reduce congestion and air pollution, and save families money.
But AB 441 is just the first step. TransForm and many of our allies are dedicated to making healthy, safe, and efficient transportation a top priority at the local, regional and state levels. A victory like this is important in providing real information to planners and agencies, as well as advancing our efforts to build coalitions advocating for future improvements. This is one more step in guaranteeing "Health in All Policies".
SB 1339 (Yee) – Expanding commuter benefits programs across the Bay Area
Governor Brown signed SB 1339 on September 30th, authorizing a pilot program through 2016 in the San Francisco Bay Area that allows the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) to jointly adopt an ordinance requiring employers with 50 or more full-time employees to offer certain employees commute benefits. In return, these businesses receive reductions in their payroll taxes.
It is estimated that SB 1339 will save commuters up to 40% on commuting costs and save employers about 9% on payroll taxes as employers can deduct the costs of the program from their payroll tax burden.
Governor Brown signed AB 1446 into law on September 30th, authorizing the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency (LA Metro) to place on an LA County ballot the permanent extension of an existing county-wide ½ cent sales and use tax, which currently sunsets in 30 years. Revenue from the existing ½ cent tax, known as “Measure R,” is dedicated to construction and operation of rail, highway and bus projects in Metro’s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), as well as local initiatives such as street and signal improvements, bicycle and pedestrian projects, and more.
Assembly Bill 1446 will give LA County voters the opportunity to extend the duration of this important local source of funding for an ambitious program of transportation infrastructure projects that will transform the Los Angeles region. The anticipated new revenue can be bonded against to build project sooner.
“I am thrilled that with Governor Brown’s signature on AB 1446, Measure J can go before LA County voters in November,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “If we pass Measure J, we can…..complete light rail and subway projects in one decade instead of three.”
For more information please see: http://www.metro.net/projects/measurej/
On September 30th, Governor Brown signed AB 1532 and SB 535 into law. These two bills set up a process and guidelines for allocating revenues collected by the state from its cap & trade carbon auction. AB 1532 develops the process, with illustrative (but not exhaustive) language around the possible uses for this revenue – specifically mentioning public transportation and housing, among others.
SB 535 clearly states that at least 25% of cap and trade auction revenues must be spent on projects and programs that positively impact disadvantaged communities, and at least 10% of all revenues must be spent within disadvantaged communities. Both bills help to offset the impacts of climate change and other pollutants on all Californians.
TransForm applauds the leadership of Governor Brown, Speaker Pérez, and Senator deLeon in maintaining momentum and providing clear direction for California’s future through these two laws. TransForm will continue to build support for significant funding for public transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and affordable homes near transit. Read TransForm's and allies' proposal for cap and trade auction revenue.
Vetoed by the Governor
SB 1156 (Steinberg) – Establishing a Sustainable Communities Investment Authority
This bill was intended to authorize cities and counties to form Community Development and Housing Joint Powers Authorities (JPAs) for the purpose of administering ongoing economic development and affordable housing programs while reducing vehicle miles traveled. The Governor vetoed the bill, expressing hope that he and stakeholders would work closely in the future on new proposals, “… once the winding down of redevelopment is complete and General Fund savings are achieved.”
TransForm commends the work of Senator Steinberg and looks forward to working with our allies who helped lead on this bill such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, to support redevelopment that meets Californians’ needs and provides real transportation choices.
SB 1464 (Lowenthal) – Creating a 3-foot safety zone to protect bicyclists from motor vehicles
This was a priority bill for TransForm, and sadly vetoed by the Governor. In his veto message, the Governor claims that the bill does not adequately protect the State from lawsuits brought by drivers who felt they must cross a double yellow line and became involved in head-on collisions or other accidents as a result.
This concern was not brought up during the legislative session by any other interested party, including the Attorney General’s office, nor the CHP. TransForm is greatly disappointed that bicyclists must continue to use unsafe roadways due to the Governor’s concern over lawsuits (California’s bicycle and pedestrian roadway fatalities are roughly twice the national average).
Did Not Pass the Legislature
AB 485 (Ma) – TIF for TOD
Assemblywoman Ma authored language intending to ease the use of tax increment financing (TIF) to fund transit-oriented development (TOD). The bill would have made it easier for local governments to raise funds for TOD’s as long as they met certain requirements – such as dedicating 20% of revenues to affordable homes. The bill met stiff resistance from the Governor’s office, and was pulled from consideration by the author. TransForm looks forward to working with the assemblymember and the bill’s sponsor, BART, to further the important goals of this bill.
SB 1572 (Pavley) – Cap and trade auction revenue allocation for 2013
This bill would have allocated revenues from California’s first cap and trade carbon auction – scheduled for November of 2012 – to specific projects and programs. TransForm and Housing California worked closely with senate staff and met with Senator Pavley to show the benefits of a proposal that included transit and affordable homes.
Some of TransForm’s ideas for ensuring affordable homes near transit actually pushed the envelope on being low-traffic and thus would be able to stand up to a legal next test, were put in as part of her bill (e.g., prioritizing projects that offer free transit passes and carsharing).
The bill, which received stiff resistance, was pulled from consideration by the author.
In all, TransForm had a good year in the legislature. The passage of AB 441, AB 1532 and SB 535, in particular, set a course for California’s transportation and urban planning and development that give us reason to be optimistic about our future.
SB 375's Potential for Reforming Transportation and Land Use
For the past 50 years, poorly planned growth has led to an almost complete reliance on cars and transportation is now the largest and fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in California.
California's groundbreaking 2008 law, SB 375, has created an incredible window of opportunity to reduce emissions, clean our air, reduce traffic and save families money.
In September 2010, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets from transportation for each of the state's 18 major regions. These targets are emissions reductions per capita.
TARGETS
Region
2020
2035
SCAG (Southern CA)
8%
13% (or more)
MTC (Bay Area)
7%
15%
SANDAG (San Diego)
7%
13%
SACOG (Sacramento)
7%
16%
San Joaquin Valley
5%
10% (to be revisited in 2012)
Now, each region is working on their strategy to implement meet these targets through Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS's). Under SB 375, a region should achieve an SCS by aligning long-term land use blueprints, regional plans for housing all residents of all incomes, and transportation investment plans.
TransForm is also helping lead efforts to make the Bay Area's SCS a model for sustainability and equity.
Learn more about SB 375 and how regions throughout the state are implementing it by visiting ClimatePlan, a collaboration of environmental, social equity, health and other organizations. TransForm co-founded, fiscally sponsors and provides programmatic support for ClimatePlan.
Read TransForm's Windfall for Allreport that outlines how the policies that SB 375 calls for can dramatically reduce households' costs and reduce expenses for strapped local governments at the same time as they promote healthier neighborhoods and protect our climate.
SB 375 provides an historic opportunity to create sustainable communities that reduce the amount we have to drive, clean our air and reduce costs to families.
Past Campaigns
Since TransForm’s founding in 1997, we’ve made incredible strides in winning billions of dollars and groundbreaking policies that together have moved the region forward.
Learn more about our past campaigns:
Alameda County's Measure B (2012): TransForm worked to support Measure B, which would have raised nearly $8 billion by doubling the transportation sales tax and extending it in perpetuity.
Transit Sustainability Study (2012): TransForm worked to shape MTC’s Transit Sustainability Study so that it provides a useful, implementable plan that will significantly improve Bay Area transit service, making it more reliable, cost-effective, and will stabilize costs and service.
SMART Train (2012): Hundreds of people celebrated the groundbreaking of the Sonoma-Marin train and accompanying bike/ped pathway (SMART) on February 24, 2012.
County Vehicle Registration Fees (2010): TransForm helped shape and win new funding in counties across the region that will support a range of transportation needs.
Oakland Airport Connector (2009-2010): TransForm’s epic battle against the bloated $500 million airport connector highlighted significant issues with how regional planning is done and kicked off a call for fundamental change in how we plan transportation.
Regional Climate Initiative (2007-2010): TransForm’s regional coalition conceived of and won the creation of and funding for a host of innovative programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. This program is now funding a host of innovations such as Safe Routes to Schools, bike sharing, employer-based transportation incentives, and more.
Past Regional Transportation Plans (1998, 2001, 2005. 2009): After decades of tenacious advocacy by TransForm’s regional coalition, the Bay Area’s Regional Transportation Plan now supports many projects and programs that will make the region a better place for us all to live.
Measure VV: AC Transit Parcel Tax (2008): page coming soon: TransForm, along with environmental and social justice partners, crafted and helped to pass a parcel tax to help protect senior and youth fares in the AC Transit District.
Regional Measure 2 Bridge Toll Increase (2004) page coming soon: TransForm's regional coalition played a leading role in developing and helping pass Regional Measure 2, the one-dollar bridge toll increase to fund public transit.
Contra Costa Measure J Transportation Sales Tax (2002-2004) page coming soon: TransForm brought together 39 groups around the passage of Contra Costa County's transportation sales tax proposal, winning significant funds for a smart growth and affordable housing incentive program (the first of its kind!), plus a Safe Transportation for Children program.
Alameda County Measure B Transportation Sales Tax (1998-2000) page coming soon: TransForm brought together partners in Alameda County and won a transportation sales tax that dedicates 80% of funds to public transit, paratransit, and bicycle/pedestrian safety, and we helped pass the sales tax with an 81% vote of approval.
In November 2010, voters in five Bay Area counties - Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara County approved a $10 vehicle registration fee to help pay for a range of transportation purposes. TransForm supported all of these measures, which will support a range of purposes from transit to repaving.
Alameda County Measure F: Yes, passed with 62% of the vote
Marin Measure B:Yes, passed with 62%
Santa Clara Measure B: Yes, passed with 52%
San Mateo County Measure M: Yes, passed with 54%
San Francisco Measure AA: Yes, passed with 59%
Similar measures failed in Sonoma and Contra Costa counties. Sonoma County Measure W only received 42% of the vote and Measure O in Contra Costa received only 46% of the vote.
TransForm Strongly Supports User Fees Like Vehicle Registration Fees
TransForm endorsed each of these measures and supported the passage of SB 83 in 2009, which gave counties across the state the ability to levy a $10 vehicle registration fee (VRF) to fund transportation with voter approval. TransForm has long supported user fees, such as VRFs, as ways to pay for transportation. In this case, vehicle owners are being asked to pay for use of and impacts on the transportation system (as compared with other mechanisms such as sales taxes).
Fees Are Likely to Withstand Legal Challenges from Proposition 26
Bay Area Vehicle Registration Fee Measures aim to create new transportation funding despite Prop 26
With regard to the Vehicle Registration Fee (VRF) initiatives supported by TransForm and passed by voters in five Bay Area counties on November 2 to fund a range of local transportation needs, it appears likely that at least some of these measures will survive potential challenges based on Prop 26.
There is no language in Prop 26 specifically regarding local fee increases enacted the same day as Prop 26. As the courts tend to narrowly construe initiatives, it seems unlikely that a judge would read into the initiative language that voids local measures enacted on the same day. Further, the retroactivity language in Prop 26 only appears in the section dealing with state-level fees. Again, a court would probably be unlikely to construe the retroactivity provision as also having effect in the section of the initiative where it does not appear that deals with requirements for enacting local fees.
At least one and possibly several of the counties that ran VRF add-on initiatives included language intended to give their measure effect immediately upon the certification of the vote on November 2, whereas the default is that initiatives passed by voters are not certified and thus do not become operative until several days after the vote has been certified. Whether this creative language inserted into one or more of the local initiatives will ultimately protect them from challenges based on Prop 26 is not certain but it at least appears to be the case that the local measures would have a decent chance of surviving potential challenges.
More Resources
Click here for a matrix that outlines how the revenues from these funds will be used in each county, and how much revenue is anticipated to be raised.
Alameda County's elected officials have been working to put a measure on the November 2012 ballot to ask voters to double the existing transportation sales tax, extend it forever, and approve a $7.7 Billion plan for the next 30 years of transportation spending. The stakes have never been higher for transportation in Alameda County!
Latest Updates:
The official campaign is now called Alameda County Measure B1 and the website is available at http://yesonb1.com/.
Join the numerous groups and individuals who have endorsed Measure B1, see all of them here.
May 23 2012: Transform offers its support of the proposed reauthorization, increase, and extension of Alameda County’s transportation sales tax, often known as “Measure B”. See letter of support submitted to ACTC Board. For more details please read our blog about our announcement.
February 9, 2012: The BART Board passes a Motion by President McPartland to advance the proposed BART to Livermore Project to the next level of project development, including environmental review. To read the entire motion please go to the BART board meeting minutes.
January 26, 2012: The Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) adopted a final expenditure plan. The final plan is an improvement from where the Commission started, but it also lacks some taxpayer safeguards that TransForm and others recommended. As the plan moves forward to approvals at individual cities, TransForm will weigh the pros and cons of the full package, look for opportunities to secure the necessary safeguards in other forums, and seek input from our constituents before taking a formal position.
We want to take a moment to thank the hundreds of people who emailed ACTC, numerous public interest groups who worked for months to improve the plan, and the elected officials who engaged in the tough work of trying to craft a solution. Working together in the coalition behind the “Community Vision Platform” is what created the pressure to make the real improvements in the plan. Thank you!
What’s next?
During February-May, ACTC will proceed to each city, the county Board of Supervisors, BART, and AC Transit to present the plan and seek the cities’ approval to place the measure on the ballot. In June or July, ACTC will ask the Board of Supervisors to officially place the measure on the ballot.
Share TransForm's comprehensive analysis of the Measure B package by pointing people to our blog post.
To share your comments, suggestions, and corrections about all the facts and opinions presented in our analysis, or to tell us what you think about the final spending plan and whether you plan to support Measure B in November, contact Manolo González-Estay.
See here for a calendar of dates and times when ACTC will present to City Councils.
Past Meeting & Event Summaries
Thursday, January 26 ACTC Steering Committee Meeting and ACTC Board Meeting
ACTC held two meetings. First the Steering Committee took extensive public comment and discussed the TEP. Several Commissioners echoed the concerns of TransForm and others with the coalition, and Chair Mark Green accepted some small changes. The Steering Committee voted to forward the plan to the full Board, with three abstentions (Kaplan, Atkin, Harper).
Then the full ACTC Board again took extensive public comment. Several more Commissioners echoed coalition concerns. The Chair formalized two changes to the plan’s language, and the full Board voted to send the plan to the cities, with 22 votes in favor and 2 against (from Supervisor Carson who is counted for two votes).
For the final version of the ACTC Transportation Expenditure Plan click here.
Tuesday, January 24 Community Vision Platform Press Conference
Several public interest groups stood together to express concerns about the expenditure plan, including speakers from the League of Women Voters, ATU Locals 192 and 1555, Urban Habitat, TransForm, Genesis, East Bay Bicycle Coalition, and Greenbelt Alliance.
Listen to what our coalition allies said: click here for a video.
Friday, December 16th ACTC’s Annual Board Retreat
No vote was taken to adopt any draft, but staff were given input from Alameda Commissioners to have something ready to vote on for their January 26th meeting. Over a dozen people from our coalition showed up and spoke out in support of our Community Vision Platform, yet a majority of Board members agreed that the staff draft was getting very close to what they wanted to see in the final expenditure plan. Many speakers also showed up in support of BART to Livermore.
Much hope is being pinned on a negotiation meeting to be held with members of our coalition by an ad hoc committee of the TEP Steering committee (including Chair Mayor Green, Supervisor Haggerty, Councilmember Kaplan, Councilmember Henson, Supervisor Miley, and Councilmember Worthington). The hope is that a compromise can be reached over the things we are asking for (flexible language for Livermore to BART, a youth bus-pass program, programmatic funding for TOD, local streets and roads, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and increased funding for transit operations that will not just MAINTAIN existing service, but will RESTORE a bit of what has been lost).
The Board will meet again to vote on a plan on January 26th.
Thursday, December 15thBART Board of Directors Meeting: 7 of 17 of the speakers (more than 1/3!) spoke out against supporting the existing draft of the TEP. No action was taken, but consensus was reached regarding the need for any language about BART to LIvermore on the 2012 ballot conveying that it is just a portion of the funding needed. BART Directors and staff also acknowledged that they do not know where the rest of the funding would come from. TransForm staff distributed suggested alternative language for a rapid transit connection for Livermore residents to the Dublin-Pleasanton BART station.
Background
In 2000, Alameda County voters approved the second "Measure B", reauthorizing the county's ½¢ transportation sales tax through 2022 and approving a $1.4 billion spending plan. TransForm played a key role in shaping and helping to pass that measure, which received over 81% of the vote. That came after a 1998 measure failed to gain consensus support and failed at the ballot box.
Recent polls found that there is strong community support to focus spending on: saving BART from its pending fiscal crisis; expanding transit service after years of cuts; fixing local streets; keeping transit affordable, especially for youth; and fully funding the Countywide Bicycle Plan.
In early November 2011, the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) released a "Preliminary Draft Expenditure Plan" less than 48 hours before asking their Community Advisory Working Group to comment on the plan, and without a clear explanation of the basis for the specific elements in the plan. Community response was largely negative.
Key Issues
Save BART! BART has huge unfunded shortfalls to maintain its existing system. Built in the 60s and 70s, it is getting old and needs major upgrades. BART cars are already packed at rush hour. More and more people want to ride, but BART can't handle the increase without major investment to fix it first. Without those investments, trains would move much slower and could carry as few as half as many riders at commute hours. The situation will get worse if additional riders from new extensions get on board, and there are already 3 unfinished extensions on the books. Alameda County needs to invest in saving the existing BART system, not promising more extensions. See two presentations to the BART Board; one with details of the looming problem and another report about what could happen if the problems aren't solved.
Livermore needs real transit solutions now, not false promises. Extending BART to downtown Livermore, or the I-580 exit close to downtown, would cost over $3 billion. Recently, project proponents have been talking about a one-station extension, taking BART just five miles down the road to Isabel Avenue for $1.2 billion. But promising "BART to Livermore" is a recipe for another decade of disappointment for Livermore residents, forcing the county to scramble to find money that isn't there for an overly expensive project. ACTC, BART, and Livermore need to focus on figuring out the most cost-effective and realistic way to connect Livermore to the BART system and job centers – in a few years instead of a few decades – taking advantage of HOV lanes recently built or coming in the next 3 years. See a related article in the New York Times.
Respond to the "Measure B Community Vision Platform". TransForm signed on to a 4-page platform of recommendations (see attachment below), with details on specific funding recommendations. The platform asked the county to create a Measure B that would:
Fix it First
Help meet state and regional climate change targets
Improve mobility and health for all communities
Achieve geographic equity
Uphold high standards for planning
Protect the county from skyrocketing project costs
Boondoggle moves forward, regional planning changing for the better
Imagine a world, where convenient, sustainable transportation was the norm, instead of the exception. If the Bay Area is going to simultaneously combat global-warming, create an equitable transportation system, and provide more convenient, easier to use transit, something has to change. And the Oakland Airport Connector (OAC) is a shining example of the problems our region faces.
The OAC is a $500 million dollar people mover that will average 23mph between the Oakland Coliseum BART and the Oakland Airport. It will require luggage toting passengers to navigate more escalators and walk further than the current AirBART shuttle. All while paying a likely $6 fee, on top of the regular BART fare, for the privilege. The system will require BART to take on more than $110 million in new debt, a serious risk to the core-system financial stability at BART.
While the OAC boondoggle is moving forward at a cost of over half-a-billion dollars, and growing, transit advocates changed the conversation about how planning in our region takes place. The OAC may very well stand as a monument to the balkanized transportation planning of the past. As TransForm's pivotal report shows, airport travelers and East Oakland residents would all benefit from a cheaper, quicker alternative that frees up money for other priority regional projects.
“We’re going to have to understand the greenhouse gas, the land use, the social equity and the transportation efficiency aspects of our investments. …(the OAC) was backward technology, not forward technology, was the loss of an economic development opportunity to a lifeline community because the stops were eliminated, and had high operating subsidies and high cost fares. All in all, over time, this is going to be a continuing challenge for BART….. we (at MTC) are going to have a harder time making decisions going forward. We aren’t going to be able to just say it’s too big, it’s been in the pipeline so long. We’re going to have to really evaluate those things.... we cannot afford to be cost-inefficient as we go forward.”
BART and MTC are pushing forward with the Oakland Airport Connector, a project that could end up causing fare increases and/or service cuts for the rest of BART riders due to its exorbitant cost and reliance on BART accruing $150 million in new debt.
This report provides an updated and expanded analysis of options for the Oakland Airport Connector. The intent of this report is to inform current discussions on the Oakland Airport Connector through a valid comparison of the four key modal options.
This report providers an updated and expanded analysis of options for the Oakland Airport Connector. The options studied consist of No Action (retain existing AirBART service), Rapid Bus, Full Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and Automated Guideway Transit (AGT). The Rapid Bus and Full BRT configurations analyzed in this report have not been studied previously and incorporate information about BRT service that was not available at the time the Final Environmental Impact Report/Final Environment Impact Statement (FEIR/FEIS) for the Oakland Airport Connector was completed in 2002. In addition, the report updates information for the No Action and AGT options based on the most up-to-date data available.
The intent of this report is to inform current discussions on the Oakland Airport Connector through a valid comparison of the four key modal options. Subsequent to the certification of the FEIR/FEIS, there has been a considerable drop in airline passenger volumes at Oakland International Airport, the shift of some flights to San Francisco International Airport, a significant reduction in projections of future airline passenger volumes at the airport, and other factors. This report uses BART's most recent passenger volume forecasts for 2013 (assumed year of project opening) and 2030, and also looks at ridership under conditions when the airport has reached the maximum number of annual passengers it can serve (approximately 30 million annual passengers). The report also uses the most up-to-date information on road conditions and analysis using BART's selected AGT option. Compared to the AGT option in the 2002 FEIR/FEIS, the AGT Project selected by BART has a top speed of 31 MPH instead of 45 MPH, has longer walk distances, and does not include the two intermediate stops.
MEDIA: Image Library
Click on any image to download print-ready art. Credit: Kittelson & Associates, Inc./TransForm
Regional Climate Initiative
First-in-the-Nation Regional Grants Program Will Fight Climate Change by Funding Innovative Strategies to Reduce Driving
After more than two years of advocacy by TransForm and our coalition partners, the Bay Area's 2009 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) included a number of our top recommendations, including: the creation of a regional program to fund innovative ways to reduce emissions from transportation.
In December 2009, MTC allocated $80 million to this program for the next three years. A portion of these funds will support Safe Routes to Schools programs in all nine counties, SFgo transit priority pilot project, education and outreach, and evalution of all programs. Also included in MTC's Transportation Climate Action Campaign is an innovative grant program.
MTC awarded initial funds for the Innovative Climate Grants program in October 2010. Grants will support:
New Safe Routes to Schools innovations including mobile bike repair in Alameda County, route mapping in Solano County, social marketing for the program in Marin County, and new curriculum and incentives across multiple counties.
A bike-sharing pilot project between San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties.
A shore power initiative to reduce emissions from boats serving the Port of Oakland.
Parking management in Berkeley commercial districts that combines pricing, GreenTRIP certification, enforcement and incentives.
Transportation demand management programs including dynamic ridesharing in Marin, Sonoma, and Contra Costa counties, an employer group to manage parking cash-out and Muni shuttles in San Francisco, and TDM strategies along Grand Boulevard and in Santa Rosa.
Clean electric vehicles for car-sharing and taxis and infrastructure to support electric vehicles.
Hundreds of people celebrated the groundbreaking of the Sonoma-Marin train and accompanying bike/ped pathway (SMART) on February 24, 2012 as reported on in the Press Democrat.
One of TransForm's Board members, Rick Theis, was at the celebration and took these photos:
SMART General Manager Farhad Mansourian spoke to an estimated crowd of 400 in Petaluma, CA.
The crowd stretches out along the Petaluma Station.
Former Sonoma County Supervisor and long-time rail advocate Bill Kortum, former Congressman Doug Bosco, Climate Protection Campaign Executive Director Ann Hancock
Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma. "We simply can't meet our transportation needs by building roads. It's not cost-effective. It is not smart."
Steve Heminger , Executive Director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC).
Last minute instructions on shoveling dirt from SMART General Manager Farhad Mansourian to State Senator Noreen Evans D-Santa Rosa, Congressman Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, SMART Chair Sonoma Supervisor Valerie Brown.
Left to right: State Senator Noreen Evans D-Santa Rosa, Congressman Mike Thompson D-St. Helena, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey D-Petaluma, SMART Chair Sonoma Count Supervisor Valerie Brown, State Senator Mark Leno D-San Francisco/Marin, Assembly Member Mike Allen D-Santa Rosa.
"Wow. We did it!" said Tanya Narath, center right, Executive Director of the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy and past chair of Friends of SMART, next to SMART General Manager Farhad Mansourian, right."
Our History in Shaping Regional Transportation Plans
Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Shifted Towards World-Class Public Transportation and Walkable Communities
Since TransForm's founding, we have worked tenaciously with our regional coalition to shape the Bay Area's Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which is updated about every four years. Because the RTP is a $200+ billion, 25-year transportation plan it is a huge opportunity to shape the future of the nine-country region and our quality of life.
TransForm has had a dramatic impact on the Regional Transportation Plan since our founding (RTP's are updated every three to fouryears). We have shifted hundreds of millions of dollars towards transit services that connect low-income communities with jobs and healthcare, programs and projects that make it safer to walk and bike, and assistance to cities that focus new housing near transit.
The chart below illustrates key wins over the past five RTPs.
It All Began in 1998, When TransForm Brought Together an Unstoppable Coalition
In 1998, soon after TransForm's founding, the Bay Area's new transportation plan was proposing $10 billion in funding for highways, leaving four public transportation agencies deep in the red.
TransForm brought together diverse groups to identify solutions that would yield social, environmental, and economic benefits. Packed public hearings for the plan had testimonies from moms on welfare, long-time Sierra Club leaders, and labor union representatives all united in asking for full funding for public transportation. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission rejected their staff's proposed plan and, for the first time ever, voted unanimously for the alternative TransForm had brought together.
You can make TransForm an even stronger advocate in 2011 by donating now.
The 2009 Regional Transportation Plan
Results of the 2009 Regional Transportation Plan Campaign
After more than two years of advocacy by TransForm and the work of a wide range of organizations and activists, MTC took a number of important steps towards creating a region of walkable communities and world-class public transportation when they adopted the 2009 RTP. Yet, in many ways, it also came up short.
On the bright side, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission adopted specific goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing transportation affordability, and improving public health.
The 2009 RTP also included unprecedented levels of funding from uncommitted sources for: maintaining public transit; creating better transit connections between low-income communities and key destinations; walking and bicycling safety and infrastructure; promoting smart growth; and fighting climate change.
TransForm's coalition successfully won the following exciting investments:
Doubling funding for MTC's smart growth program: the Transportation for Livable Communities program will grow from $27 million/year to $60 million/year.
Doubling funding for Lifeline, MTC's program that provides improved transit for low-income communities from $300 million to $700 million.
Dramatically more funding for the Safe Routes to Transit program, which funds projects improving the safety and convenience of walking and bicycling to transit. MTC committed an additional $10 million/year (over and above the current $2 million/year).
$10 million/year for a new Safe Routes to Schools grant program. See TransForm's Bringing Safe Routes to Scale report, which was key in building support for these funds.
A new climate protection grant program, which includes funding for transit efficiency and public education.
Full funding - $1 billion - to complete the Regional Bicycle Network (with the exception of the bridges)!
But the RTP is still not what it needs to be: an outcomes-based plan. TransForm continues to watchdog MTC's allocation process to ensure that funding actually flows to the RTP's priorities. And, looking forward, even MTC recognizes that these investments, once you consider the long list of "committed" projects, are not enough to meet their adopted goals.
We deeply thank our activists and regional coalition member organizations, especially Greenbelt Alliance, the Sierra Club, Urban Habitat and the Bay Area Bicycle Coalition for their efforts. More than 100 activists and organizations helped develop the RTP platform, Fighting Climate Change and Winning a Better Bay Area, that guided our campaign.
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