New Page 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 27, 2002

BART CAN SOLVE BUDGET CRISIS WITHOUT RAISING FARES

Coalition of transit, labor, and environmental groups say: "Smart Parking Plan" the answer, not management's inadequate plan, fare hikes, layoffs, or service cuts

Oakland - A coalition of transit, labor, and environmental groups joined with local political leaders to offer an alternative to BART management's proposal which would dramatically increase fares and institute a reserved parking plan that raises little revenue and could decrease ridership. Coalition members, including the Sierra Club, Bay Area Transportation and Land Use Coalition, and Environmental Defense, advocated for an alternative "Smart Parking Plan", as part of a budget fix that would avoid fare hikes and service cuts.

Faced with a $28 million budget shortfall - caused by decreased ridership and a slowed economy - the BART Board of Directors must approve a budget today, their last meeting before the July 1st deadline.

Coalition members offered BART Directors an alternative approach to solving the budget crisis without fare hikes or service cuts. Their Smart Parking Plan entails a five-step approach: $1 per spot at lots that don't fill and $2 in lots that do. Fees would be lowered if parking lots regularly do not reach capacity. Reserved spots at a small percentage of parking spaces, priced at a higher rate, would provide a valuable service for those who cannot arrive before the lots fill up. Excess spaces would be made available to long-term and airport parkers once the BART-SFO extension opens. And finally, parking after 10:00 a.m. and on weekends would remain free. Although start-up costs would cause the Smart Parking proposal to generate a smaller amount of money in its first year (about $5 million), the difference could be made up with one-time measures, such as lease/lease back programs or real estate sales. After the first year, the Smart Parking Plan would generate as much as $15 to $20 million annually - five times the amount that BART management's proposal would raise.

Coalition members asserted that the Smart Parking Proposal is the most equitable and efficient solution to BART's budget crisis. "This is a budget crisis that can be solved without fare hikes, job layoffs, or dirty or shorter trains," said Stuart Cohen, of the Bay Area Transportation and Land Use Coalition. "A tremendous number of people no longer take BART because they can't get to the stations by 7:30 a.m. when many lots fill. Our plan could actually increase ridership because a modest daily parking fee would encourage those who live closer to the stations to use alternatives, allowing those who really must drive to get a spot."

In contrast, BART management's proposal would dramatically increase fares, costing many riders an additional $1.20 per day. This proposal - which also dedicates up to 40 percent of parking spaces to those who can afford to purchase reserved monthly passes - would only raise $3.4 million a year, leaving BART with a $5.9 million budget deficit. The BART management proposal would also mean that competition for the remaining free parking spots would be even fiercer than it is now, and lots would fill to capacity even earlier. This would make it harder on families and people with fixed 9 to 5 work hours because they simply wouldn't be able to get to the stations before the lots fill up.

Charging parking fees at BART stations has been endorsed by Senators Don Perata (D-Oakland), Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), Liz Figueroa (D-Fremont), Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo), and Byron Sher (D-San Jose), and resolutions of support have been passed by the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley.