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Help save public
transit funding
The Governor has proposed to grab $4.1 billion of public transit dollars
over the next ten years to pay off bond debt. Join TALC's effort to save $669
million of transit funding this year and to pass a bill that will stop future
raids by contacting your legislator today! Visit the web address below to take
action or contact Amber Crabbe at
amber@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3105.
Take action:
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_spill/index.html
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Reclaiming Public
Spaces for Livable Cities - June 19
This visit by distinguished former Mayor of Bogotá, Columbia, Enrique
Peñalosa, will offer an opportunity to hear from and ask questions of a leader
who has earned an international reputation for transforming previously blighted
places in his city into livable, vibrant public spaces. As Mayor of Bogotá,
Peñalosa built the world’s premiere Bus Rapid Transit system and hundreds of
kilometers of sidewalks, bicycle paths, pedestrian streets, greenways, and
parks. He is a highly engaging speaker with an incredible story to tell. TALC is
cosponsoring this evening with SPUR, The Institute for Transportation and
Development Policy, and Environmental Defense. Monday, June 19, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
at The Commonwealth Club at 595 Market Street in San Francisco. The event
includes a reception with wine and hors d'oeuvres. Tickets are $15-50 (sliding
scale).
Learn more and register:
www.itdp.org/events.html
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You’re invited to TALC’s
regional meeting - July 19
You’re invited to attend TALC’s regional meeting on Wednesday, July 19,
5:30-7:30 pm, with an optional orientation from 5:00-5:30, at the Sierra Club’s
San Francisco offices at 85 2nd Street (between Market and Mission). The July
meeting agenda is still being finalized, but mark your calendar now.
View our calendar of events:
www.transcoalition.org/calendar.html
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What have we learned
from Fruitvale Transit Village?
Fruitvale Transit Village, in Oakland, is one of the best known efforts at
transit-oriented development in the Bay Area, and its successes and mistakes
provide important lessons for future developments. Over 75 people came to the
transit village on May 17 for a special TALC regional meeting and tour. Jeff
Pace, who manages the transit village for the Unity Council, gave a candid
insider's assessment of the successes, challenges, and plans to secure its
future vitality. Notes from Jeff's presentation are available at the web address
below.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/cal/minutes_archive.html
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AB 2444 passes the
Assembly -- next stop: the Senate
AB 2444 -- the bill that tackles the pollution and congestion caused by Bay Area
vehicles -- successfully passed the Assembly in a nail-biter vote on May 31. AB
2444 would enable a $10 vehicle registration fee to be placed on Bay Area
vehicles, raising much-needed funds for bicycle and pedestrian safety measures,
public transit operations, accident management, roadway improvements (no
widening), and air and water quality protection throughout the
region. A huge thank you to the many TALC Member Groups that informed their
members about the bill, signed on in support, and lobbied Bay Area legislators.
As the bill moves to the Senate we need your help to keep the momentum going.
Please ask your state Senator to support the bill or send a letter to your local
newspaper on the need for AB 2444.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/legislation.html#ab2444
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Keep high-speed rail planning
alive
High-speed rail may represent a major solution to California's future
transportation needs by substituting for a tremendous amount of highway and
airport expansion and focusing growth and economic revitalization in our
existing downtowns. In the Bay Area, high-speed rail is an integral component of
a comprehensive regional rail study, set for completion next year.
Unfortunately, the Legislature and the Governor left planning for high-speed
rail out of the bond, as well as the current proposed budget. We need all
individuals and organizations to contact the Legislature, especially Senator
Perata, immediately to ensure the Authority gets the $13 million it needs to
continue the planning.
Take action:
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_hsr/
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TravelChoice
launches next outreach phase
TravelChoice -- an innovative new program to reduce auto trips that is
coordinated by TALC -- recently completed its outreach in the city of Alameda's
East End. The program will now begin its second phase, bilingual outreach in
Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, on June 5th. TravelChoice provides households
with personalized transportation information with the goal of reducing solo
driving trips by 9%, and increasing transit usage, biking, and walking. In
Alameda, a small army of TravelChoice workers contacted 4,500 households by
phone and in person, distributing 1,200 packages with personalized information
and incentives. Anecdotal evidence already shows that many of the targeted
Alameda households made first-time transit trips; detailed results and analysis
will be compiled by September. Funding for TravelChoice is provided by the
Alameda County Congestion Management Agency, The Transportation Fund for Clean
Air, AC Transit, BART, Alameda County's Public Health Department, and the cities
of Alameda and Oakland. For more information, contact John Knox White or
Jonathan Geeter at 510-740-3150 or
john@transcoalition.org.
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Promote
great communities in Contra Costa - June 8
In May, over 40 people attended a TALC-sponsored event in Pittsburg on the
importance of planning for vibrant, walkable communities near transit, with
nationally-known speaker Shelly Poticha and local advocates. Now, two weeks
later, community members have an important first opportunity to give input as
part of a new community planning process by the City of Pittsburg for the
neighborhood around the proposed eBART station at Railroad Avenue. (The new "eBART"
line will extend the BART system to eastern Contra Costa County starting in
2010.) This is a great opportunity for Pittsburg to design a neighborhood where
people can walk to the store, services, or the park; with jobs for local
residents; and homes at a range of prices that all Pittsburg residents can
afford. Speak out at the first opportunity for community input, Thursday, June
8, 7:00-9:00 p.m., at the Pittsburg Senior Center, 300 Presidio Lane in
Pittsburg. Attend the meeting, contact Jeff Hobson at
pittsburg@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3102 to get involved, or
forward this announcement to your Contra Costa friends and colleagues.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/c/gci/pittsburg.html
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Goodbye to Amber Crabbe --
and TALC is hiring
We’re sad to say goodbye to Amber Crabbe, who has led so many of TALC’s
campaigns and projects over the past four years. But we wish her well in her new
role as a Senior Transportation Planner for the San Francisco County
Transportation Authority, working on many of the same projects she worked on at
TALC!
Amber’s departure means that TALC has an exciting
opening for a Transportation Program Director. If you, or someone you know, has
a strong background in transportation and desire to help create a more
sustainable and socially just Bay Area, please view the job description online.
Applications should be submitted as soon as possible, as interviews will likely
be held the week of June 19.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/about/about_jobs.html#job
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NEWS FROM TALC MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS
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New coalition supports
San Francisco Bus Rapid Transit
A coalition of transit riders, neighborhood residents, and public interest
groups including TALC has launched a new website dedicated to supporting Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco. The coalition supports faster, safer, and
better transit along the Geary Corridor, which carries over 50,000 riders daily.
The Go Geary coalition will be advocating in support of BRT and improved transit
at public meetings and events for the next several months.
Learn more:
www.gogeary.com
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OTHER EVENTS
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Art exhibit about the bus -
opens June 16
Get on the Bus is a gallery exhibition presented by CITY|SPACE. The
exhibition will consider the nation’s transit mode of last resort -- which
nonetheless moves millions of people every day. On the cutting edge in some
cities, marginalized in others, the bus evokes a surprising range of emotions
for people, planners, cities, and artists. A series of panel discussions will be
held in conjunction with the exhibition at 2255 3rd Street in San Francisco's
Dogpatch district.
Learn more:
www.city-space.org
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