The Opportunity to Achieve Our Dream Has Arrived

2011 is the year our dream of turning the tide on sprawl and redefining transportation in terms of sustainability and access for all could become a reality!

That’s because new day dawned in September when after months of tough advocacy and with huge opposition from the highway lobby, California adopted ambitious transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions targets for regions across the state as part of the recent passage of SB 375.

This means the same state where the car culture was born in the 1950’s could usher in an era in which world-class transportation and walkable communities become the norm – not the exception. That’s because if regions actually do everything possible to meet emissions targets, they will have to make huge changes in how transportation funds are spent and where development happens.

Bad highway expansions that have been on the books for years could finally be stopped in favor of investing in public transportation. Plans for developing open space and farmland could be questioned in favor of directing growth towards existing developed areas. Streets could be reimagined for everyone, not just cars.

Our dream for smart growth and transportation choices could get a shot in the arm unlike any we ever imagined!

We’ll Achieve Our Dream By Working at Every Level of Government

Of course, the highway lobby and other special interests will continue to try to stop us. But our dream is truly within reach. And here’s how we’ll work on every level of government to achieve our dream:

• Build a powerful, unstoppable movement to ensure SB 375 yields major transportation and land use changes. Together at both the county and regional levels we will push the Bay Area to shift policies and funding dramatically towards both better public transportation and the smarter planning we need to create walkable, bikeable communities with a more affordable mix of homes. We’ll also help other regions do the same!
• Work to restore and permanently protect state public transportation funding. Since 2000, billions of dollars in state public transportation funding have been raided for the state's General Fund. But now we have a state policy director based in Sacramento who is meeting with legislators and building a network of allies to find new ways to raise funds for public transportation, walking, and biking. We’ll soon hire an organizer, too.
• Advocate for a bold new federal transportation bill. TransForm is coordinating the Transportation For America campaign in California so the upcoming federal transportation bill breaks with the past and puts a huge share of funds into public transportation, smart growth, and repairing our aging roads and bridges rather than building more highways.
• Push for innovative solutions in the Bay Area and beyond. TransForm has led the Bay Area to achieve many “first-in-the-nation’s” that are now being replicated elsewhere, such as a groundbreaking regional grant program that spurs the creation of affordable housing near public transportation through incentives for local governments. We continue to push for more innovative solutions, such as our cutting-edge GreenTRIP program, which certifies residential and mixed-use developments that keep the number of new parking spaces as low as possible and offer incentives for new tenants to drive less and own fewer vehicles.  We're also working in 70 public schools to get tens of thousands of kids walking and biking to school - plus winning infrastructure  improvements to make this a lot safer - as part of our urban-focused Safe Routes to Schools program.