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TALC releases new 2005-2008 Strategic Plan
TALC’s 2005-2008 Strategic Plan was developed with our coalition partners
over the course of a year. It identifies new opportunities and proposes specific
goals and objectives on two of our long-standing initiatives: Transportation
Equity and Community Health (TEACH) and World Class Transportation.
This plan also launches the new Great Communities Initiative, an
unprecedented partnership of leading regional nonprofits. This initiative seeks
to capitalize on the window of opportunity that will open as the region begins
planning for over 100 new transit stations. The long-term goal of this
initiative is to ensure that half of all new homes developed over the next 25
years are located in walkable communities near high-quality transit.
We know this is an extraordinary goal that cannot be achieved quickly or by
working alone. That is why TALC is partnering with three leading regional
nonprofits that work on planning and development: Greenbelt Alliance, Urban
Habitat, and the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California.
To hear more about the plan, ask questions, or see how you can get involved,
come to the brown bag lunch at SPUR on Wednesday, July 13 from 12:30-1:30 PM.
SPUR is at 312 Sutter St. (at Grant), Fifth Floor, near Powell BART. Feel free
to bring a lunch. SPUR Forums are open to the public, free for members and $5
for non-members.
View the plan at:
www.transcoalition.org/about/about_stratplan.html
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Next TALC regional meeting -- July 20
TALC's next regional meeting will feature a lively presentation by Doug
Kolozsvari on the “High
Cost of Free Parking," along with a discussion on potential action steps. We
will also discuss parts of TALC's newly released strategic plan and how you can
get involved. Wednesday, July 20, 5:30-7:30 pm. (Orientation for new attendees
from 5:00-5:30.) Sierra Club, 85 2nd Street, San Francisco.
View our calendar of events at:
www.transcoalition.org/calendar.html
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La guía ¡Acceso Ahora! ya está disponible en español
Now in Spanish: Access Now! guide – see last paragraph for
English
¡La guía de TALC, llamado !Acceso Ahora!, ya esta disponible – si
desea una copia de la guía, lo puede pedir hoy gratis! TALC también
ofrece entrenamientos y asistencia técnica gratis a grupos comunitarios en las
comunidades de bajos ingresos y comunidades minoritarias en el Área de la Bahía.
Los entrenamientos dan un repaso de quienes son los que toman las decisiones
relacionadas con el transporte y también ayuda a los líderes y voluntarios
comunitarios a identificar las mejores oportunidades para lograr cambios al
transporte que su comunidad necesita y desea. Los entrenamientos típicamente
duran dos horas, son organizados específicamente para la situación y los asuntos
y temas que les interesa a su grupo, y pueden ser conducidos para audiencias
bilingües o hispanohablantes. TALC también puede dar una breve presentación como
parte de una junta regular de su organización.
Para pedir una copia del guía gratis o para asistencia en español, por favor
comuníquese con Sandra Padilla al 510-740-3104 o
sandra@transcoalition.org. La
guía también es disponible como un archivo (1.6 MB PDF) en la dirección:
www.transcoalition.org/access/AccesoAhora.pdf. Para asistencia en inglés, por
favor comuníquese con Jeff Hobson al 510-740-3102 o jeff@transcoalition.org.
Para más información (en inglés) acerca de la guía y los servicios de ¡Acceso
Ahora!, vaya a
www.transcoalition.org/access.
The Spanish-language version of TALC’s Access Now! guide is now
available – request your free copy today! For more
information (in English) about the Access Now! guide and services, see
www.transcoalition.org/access
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Advocates help rescue Transbay Terminal project…again
The Transbay Terminal project will replace the current seismically-unsafe bus
terminal with a new bus and rail depot that will tie nine transportation
systems, including California high speed rail, into a central hub with
sufficient capacity for transbay buses. In late May, a San Francisco judge ruled
that the Transbay Terminal EIR was incomplete and ordered all work halted on the
project. In response to the May ruling, TALC joined with numerous other
environmental and transportation groups in filing a “friend of the court” brief
asking the Court of Appeal to halt the lower court order. On June 16, the court
stayed the lower court’s order, allowing pre-construction work to continue, and
agreed to expedite the appeal. This is not the first time that transit and
environmental advocates have fought to support the terminal project. TALC, in
partnership with its member groups, will keep an eye on the project to ensure
that it continues to move ahead.
To learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/press/05_amicus_brief.html
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Progress in the South Bay
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What are the prospects for regional rail in the South Bay?
On May 12, TALC, working with two organizations at San Jose State
University – Transportation Solutions and the Urban Planning Coalition,
hosted a forum called On Track: the Present and Future of Regional Rail
in the South Bay. Speakers and panelists included MTC Commissioner John
McLemore and planning staff from Caltrain, Capitol Corridor, Dumbarton
Rail, and the Valley Transportation Authority. A summary of the forum is
posted at:
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_vta/vta.html
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East San Jose residents rank transportation improvements
Following up on the release of the Safe Routes for the Mayfair
Community report, TALC and the Comité Cesar Chávez/SIREN organized a
forum on May 25 at the Cesar Chavez Elementary School that was attended by
nearly 60 people – mostly residents of the Mayfair community. Attendees
ranked the report’s recommendations that are most important to them.
Participants wanted many different bicycle and pedestrian improvements, but
gave the highest priority to traffic calming and better lighting. For the
design of new transit service and stations, while many improvements were
desired the highest priority was given to community participation in the
design of the stations and lighting and video surveillance at the stations.
A more in-depth summary of the results is posted at:
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_vta/vta.html#mayfair
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VTA to hold off on fare hikes and will try to stop ridership losses
After five years of fare hikes and service cuts, VTA has decided not to
raise the adult day pass to $6 next year, as previously expected, although
the agency has warned that additional fare hikes and service cuts of 20% and
above are looming in the future. Monthly passes will remain the most
expensive in the region, but VTA is taking some steps to stop decreases in
ridership, which has plummeted by 33% since 2001. VTA will offer a pass
which will reduce the price for youth riders by half during the summer
months. VTA is also considering offering seniors free rides during off-peak
hours and weekends. More info about the youth passes is at:
www.vta.org/news/promotions/blast_pass/blast_pass_promo.html.
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Service improvements
VTA will be offering faster service on its most heavily-used corridor as
of July 5th. The new service, the Rapid 522, will cut travel times along the
El Camino Real corridor, which goes from East San Jose to Palo Alto. It
accomplish this by offering signal priority and queue jump lanes west of
downtown San Jose, and headway-based schedules and fewer stops along the
entire 26-mile corridor. For more about the Rapid 522, go to
www.vta.org/projects/line22brt.html.
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Safe Routes to Transit application Q & A session--July 14, 1:30-3:30 PM
The application deadline of July 29, 2005 for the first funding cycle of Safe
Routes to Transit is fast approaching. SR2T staff and the advisory committee
want the process and application to be as clear as possible. This will be an
informal question and answer session to ensure complete and successful
applications of great bike and pedestrian projects that improve safety and
accessibility to regional transit stations. Representatives from the three
program sponsors will be available: the Transportation and Land Use Coalition,
East Bay Bicycle Coalition, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The
session will take place at MTC's offices, 101 8th Street, Oakland (Lake Merritt BART
Station); room 171 on the ground floor.
To learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/c/bikeped/bikeped_saferoutes.html
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Transportation
and health officials meet
Lack of transit access to healthcare in Contra Costa County is hurting
low-income families. For the past two years, TALC has been working with
residents and community organizations in Concord's Monument Corridor and Bay
Point/Pittsburg to improve transportation access as part of our Transportation
Equity and Community Health (TEACH) Initiative. Progress has been made on some
of the top community priorities including new bus shelters, new shuttle routes
that emphasize access to health, and ongoing dialogue that has been initiated
between healthcare providers and transit officials.
For more information:
www.transcoalition.org/c/teach/teach_ccc.htm
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Bay Area environmental health collaborative
TALC is participating in a new, joint effort to increase local residents’
health by improving the region’s air quality. TALC, as a member coalition, will
be contributing research and technical assistance on transportation policies and
mobile sources of air pollution, as well as providing recommendations to address
the cumulative impact of air toxics on human health and the environment. The
effort – the Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative – is a partnership
between the Center for Justice, Tolerance and Community; Communities for a
Better Environment; and The San Francisco Foundation.
TALC's initial research is being conducted by Johnnie Kim, a Masters Degree
candidate in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of
California, Berkeley. He is receiving funding through the Community Development
Work Study Fellowship administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
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Register for California walk/bike conference
The second biennial Walk/Bike California Conference will be held from
September 14-16, 2005 in Ventura at the Seaside Park Fairgrounds. Whether your
interest is engineering, planning, public health, universal access, livable
communities, safety, transportation reform or marketing, the conference is an
opportunity to share your work, network with colleagues, and meet those who are
funding and creating an exciting movement that is changing the way Californians
live.
To learn more:
www.walkbikecalifornia.org
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