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 After
18 months of research and analysis, TALC has released
Revolutionizing Bay Area
Transit . . . on
a Budget. The 115-page
report puts forth a compelling vision for a state-of-the-art,
clean-fuel, regional Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network as an
alternative to costly highway widenings and new rail extensions.
BRT is driven by new technologies and innovative new practices that
allow "rubber-tire" transit to very closely emulate what we love
about rail – but at a much lower cost and with significantly
greater flexibility. With BRT, passengers are whisked to their
destinations through the use of dedicated lanes and "smart" traffic
lights. New transit stations, boarding platforms, and electronic
ticketing make boarding quick and easy. And
satellite-tracking-systems allow transit agencies to efficiently
deploy vehicles and provide real-time schedule information to
passengers.
With the release of the report at a press conference and rally on
the steps of San Francisco City Hall, TALC has begun to sway not
only the minds of planners but also the hearts of citizens and
elected officials. The event featured several prominent speakers,
including San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano, José Luis Moscovich
of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, and
representatives from Muni and AC Transit. About 50 of TALC’s
members and supporters attended, and the event generated positive
newspaper and radio coverage.
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For TALC, the event marks a new milestone in our efforts to secure funding for BRT projects in the Bay Area; and several potential BRT funding sources are likely in the next two years. These include transportation sales tax initiatives, expected in at least five Bay Area counties, including San Francisco, in 2003 and a bridge toll increase, anticipated in 2004. In total, these sources would pump over $12 billion into Bay Area transportation
projects.
For the Bay Area, TALC has proposed 12 full-blown BRT corridors that would include dedicated lanes and high-tech, low- and zero-emission vehicles. Many of these corridors could soon be a reality, if TALC member groups successfully influence the unprecedented number of transportation measures proposed over the next two years.
The report can be downloaded for free at www.transcoalition.org or can be ordered by calling (510) 740-3150.
 Images:
Bus (above)- This high-tech bus features low floors and
computer-aided steering.
Press conf./rally (left) - Supervisor Tom Ammiano addresses
a press conference and rally at SF City Hall for the release of
TALC's Bus Rapid Transit report.
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TALC
Launches Equity-and-Health Project
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Poor Access = Poor Health
Most Bay Area residents take it for granted that they can get to a health clinic, hospital, or grocery store that sells fresh fruit and vegetables. But in many low-income communities where residents depend on public transit, getting access to health care and healthy food can be a frustrating, time-consuming experience. And, too often, speeding traffic and inadequate facilities deter people from using the healthiest modes of transportation – walking and bicycling.
Roadblocks to Health, a recent report by TALC and two community groups, systematically documents these transportation barriers to healthy activities and presents policy and investment solutions for overcoming them. The report relies on two years of GIS mapping, surveys, and analysis to demonstrate the disconnect between health clinics, hospitals, nutritious food, and parks for 15 poor and people-of-color communities in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara counties.
Extensive media coverage heralded the release of the report, which was co-written with the Center for Third World Organizing
(CTWO) and PUEBLO – and supported by major funding from The California Endowment.
“We keep hearing that transportation is the problem when people can’t make it to appointments or don’t schedule follow-up visits,” said Lorena Martinez-Ochoa of the Health Access Coalition. “But until now, we haven’t had a way to get changes in the transportation system.”
Roadblocks to Health points to specific initiatives that could overcome these barriers to health, such as the upcoming debates over county sales taxes. In Contra Costa County, which the report found has the worst access among the areas studied, elected officials expect
ask to voters to reauthorize their transportation measure on the 2004 ballot.
“You’ve given us more ammunition and more tools to help us in advocating for this funding,” County Supervisor John Gioia told a crowd of more than 50 residents, elected officials, and health and transit leaders who gathered to call for funding to address the problem.
The release of Roadblocks to Health marks the kickoff of a new multi-year effort by TALC to get access for those most in need – the 2.3 million Bay Area residents who do not own or drive cars. The goal of this Transportation Equity and Community Health (TEACH) program will be to increase community participation in transportation decisions and to ensure that transportation investments promote equity and better health for low-income communities. Under the TEACH umbrella, TALC expects to incorporate projects addressing air quality, transportation for youth, and health access.
New Outreach Coordinator
TALC recently hired a new Outreach Coordinator for the TEACH project, Sita
Chokkalingam. Sita has a background in public health, with experience at both a grassroots and a policy level. At the San Mateo County Department of Public Health and Planned Parenthood, she worked with underserved communities conducting infant and mother wellness assessments, family planning education and pregnancy counseling. She also researched health conditions through patient and physician interviews and writing quality of life assessments for use in large-scale studies.
Sita received her Bachelor’s degree in economics from U.C. Berkeley.
For more information, or to get involved in the project, contact Sita at (510) 740-3150 or
sita@transcoalition.org.
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Stop Bus
Cuts … Rescue VTA! |
The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has just announced widespread bus and light rail cuts! 65 out of 72 lines will be negatively impacted. These are on top of cuts last year, but they may be just the beginning!
VTA also announced they need an additional $140+ million per year to operate their system. How is this possible? Wasn’t the Measure A sales tax, passed by voters in 2000, supposed to increase bus service by 25%? In part it is due to the sour economy, but in part VTA is prioritizing expensive expansions over maintaining bus service. It also doesn’t help that the cost of building and operating BART to San Jose is already $1.7 billion more than VTA had budgeted during Measure A.
To help save bus service both this year and into the future, TALC called an emergency meeting attended by many of our South Bay member groups, and together we have formed the Rescue VTA Coalition.
Rescue VTA and TALC are calling for:
No Bus Cuts
Over 66% of VTA’s bus riders surveyed said they had no other way to make the trip. Cuts during a bad economy will hurt those most in need and further hurt the region’s economy. Just as VTA is expecting to use bond financing for capital projects, they can do one or two years of stopgap bond financing to avoid bus cuts.
Produce a Balanced Budget
It is outrageous that VTA has only presented spending plans that rely on highly speculative sources of revenue to close the gap and generate $6 billion in deficits. On November 8 a majority of the VTA board voiced a desire to see a plan that outlines which services could be sustained with current sources of revenue.
We agree with this sensible suggestion and demand that VTA staff develop balanced-budget scenarios that assist board members in finding ways to minimize risks of cutting bus service.
Identify New Operating Funds
The VTA Board should prioritize a diversified set of revenue sources that are not regressive and not as volatile as sales taxes.
What you can do:
• Write a letter to the VTA Board
• Get your organization to sign the Rescue VTA Coalition platform
• Attend the Rescue VTA rally on Thursday, January 9, 2003 at 6 p.m. (preceding the VTA board meeting).
See www.transcoalition.org for details. |
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Bridge
Tolls to Fund World Class Transit? |
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Senator Don Perata has set up a Toll Bridge Advisory Committee to “develop a consensus on an expenditure plan for the proposed $1 toll increase on the (seven) state-owned bridges in the Bay Area.” Over the past 4 months the Committee has put together a list of projects and programs to forward to the state legislature. All in all, the current proposals do more than any plan to date in advancing TALC’s vision as outlined in World Class Transit for the Bay Area.
The committee, which includes TALC representing Social Equity interests, and its consultant Ezra Rapport, have done an outstanding job in focusing the potential funding on perennially underfunded transit operating costs and in considering cost-effective projects, such as:
• Upgrading existing rail lines, like Caltrain and Capitol Corridor, and rebuilding the Dumbarton Rail Bridge;
• Improvements to BART’s existing system, such as increasing capacity through the tube and seismic safety;
• Strategic increase in ferry service to a few cities that have poor transit options;
• A Safe Routes to Transit program that was compiled by the East Bay Bicycle Coalition and TALC; and
• Express and rapid buses.
The next step is for the Committee to refine the list and forward it to the legislature, where a host of changes are possible and where specific dollar amounts will be allocated for each project. TALC will work to ensure that the project list continues to focus on cost-effective, sustainable transportation. If the bill is as strong as the current plan, TALC will help lead the effort to build legislative support for the toll increase.
A list of “tier one” projects and other info is available at www.mtc.ca.gov/publications/travel_patterns/tbtpa.htm or by contacting Stuart Cohen at (510) 740-3150 or stuart@transcoalition.org. |
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Transportation
for a Livable Region Making Great Strides |
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Have you ever been frustrated by a problem in your community but were unsure of what you could do to solve it? Ever wondered how other communities dealt with a similar issue—but you never knew where to look for answers? Are you ready to become an Instant Advocate?
As part of the Transportation for a Livable Region (TLR) initiative, an “Instant Advocate” toolkit will provide an interactive menu of solutions to the problems that challenge the livability of our region, empowering the average citizen to take the initiative to combat their transportation and land use issues. Once this toolkit is complete, access to a wealth of well organized information (including case studies, press releases, model ordinances, cost and impact estimates, implementation techniques, contact information, etc.) will be as easy as popping a CD-ROM into your computer or logging onto the Transportation for a Livable Region website.
Transportation for a Livable Region is TALC’s update to World Class Transit, with a comprehensive and evolving vision of how to work together toward a sustainable, livable Bay Area. In addition to the “Instant Advocate,” we are developing a colorful, approachable publication which will present an overall regional vision and a platform of project and program recommendations.
We are looking for people to help review this platform over the winter. If you are interested, please contact our TLR Coordinator, Amber Crabbe, at amber@transcoalition.org or (510) 740-3105, to get involved! |
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Volunteers
Save TALC $18,000 in Website Development Costs! |
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TALC has upgraded its website and made many improvements: The site has been reorganized and you should find it easier to navigate. It now appeals to a wider audience and not just to those already familiar with our work. Because the new site is more usable, it should promote membership in TALC and participation in TALC campaigns.
View it at www.transcoalition.org.
TALC Communications Director Robert Ping supervised the site design and managed the project with assistance from several people: Spencer Spinnel did the original page-design template. Matt Frattaroli and Ben Peters consulted on the initial site strategy, planning and mapping. Coleman Mathew provided site programming and production. Martin Ilian provided in-house assistance. |
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TALC is Now
Independent |
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In true coalition spirit, previous grants to TALC had been fiscally sponsored by a few of our member groups, including Urban Ecology, Surface Transportation Policy Project, and Greenbelt Alliance. Having recognized that this method was not sustainable for the long-term, TALC secured 501c3 status, and began operating as an independent non-profit on September 1. With 501c3 status, TALC now has more control over its finances.
We owe tremendous gratitude to our founding organizations and are particularly indebted to our primary fiscal sponsor for the past five years, Greenbelt Alliance. A more supportive or better organized fiscal sponsor would not have been possible to find.
TALC has also converted its Steering Committee to a Board of Directors and added four seats, for a total of twelve. New members include:
John Dalrymple
Contra Costa Central Labor Council
Debbie Hubsmith
Regional Bicycle Advisory Committee
Reverend Andre Shumake
Richmond Improvement Association
Dave Snyder
Transportation for a Livable City (S.F.) |
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