Stuart Cohen, Transportation and Land Use Coalition, (510) 740-3150
Mike Daley, Sierra Club, (510) 848-2026 x.304
Tom Radulovich, BART Board of Directors, (415) 282-4930
Chris Daly, San Francisco Board of Supervisors,
(415) 554-7970
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NEW COALITION OF TRANSIT, LABOR, ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSUMER RIGHTS GROUPS OFFER BART
SOLUTION TO CURRENT BUDGET CRISIS
Coalition to BART: Parking fees the answer, not fare hikes, layoffs, and service cuts West Oakland, CA – A coalition of transit, labor, environmental, and consumer rights groups joined
with local political leaders outside the West Oakland BART station today to offer a solution to BART’s current budget crisis.
Coalition members like the Sierra Club, the Bay Area Transportation and Land Use Coalition (Coalition), and San Francisco
Supervisor Chris Daly are advocating an alternative solution to raising fares, cutting jobs, or reducing the quality of BART
service: Adopt parking charges for riders who park at BART during commute hours.
Decreased ridership and a slowed economy has left BART facing a $28 million budget
shortfall, the largest in its history. The transit agency is now faced with the
daunting task of balancing its budget by the end of its fiscal year on June 30th.
The simplest, fairest and most economical solution to BART’s current revenue
shortfall is the institution of parking fees during commute hours. For years BART has
foregone an estimated $10 to $25 million a year in additional revenue by providing free parking on a first-come first-serve basis.
Done correctly, the charges could increase ridership, as many people now choose not to take BART since lots often fill up by
7:30 a.m.on weekdays. A modest fee for parking would raise the money needed to balance the budget without decreasing ridership,
while avoiding layoffs and reduced quality of service.
In addition to the adoption of parking fees, Coalition members proposed the immediate
initiation of a comprehensive study to determine how to fairly and justly implement these parking charges, so that they could be
implemented by January 1, 2003, without reducing ridership.
The Coalition is also calling for BART to more effectively coordinate with other
transit agencies so that riders will have convenient and cheap alternatives to driving their cars to BART - most notably via feeder
bus services from neighborhoods to BART stations.
“This is a budget crisis that can be solved without raising fares, cutting jobs, or
reducing the quality of service,” said Stuart Cohen, Coalition Director. "A tremendous number of people no longer take BART
because they can’t get to the stations by 7:30, when many lots fill up. A fair and modest parking fee would avoid fare increases
while encouraging those who live closer to the stations to use alternatives, allowing those who really must drive to get a spot.
[This will] raise millions [of dollars] while protecting the pocketbooks of the vast majority of BART riders".
At the gathering, San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly introduced a Resolution to the
San Francisco Board Supervisors urging BART to adopt parking charges rather than to increase fares or cut back services.
Coalition members cite the 'resolution' as a model they’d like to see other cities follow, most notably Oakland.
Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, represented at the conference, will pursue a similar resolution for Alameda.
For more information, contact:
Stuart Cohen, Transportation and Land
Use Coalition.
Last updated: 5/21/02
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