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NEWS FROM TALC
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Plug in early to the Regional
Transportation Plan
The Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is the Metropolitan Transportation
Commission’s 25-year, $100+ billion blueprint for how transportation funding
will be spent in the Bay Area. It’s a huge opportunity to shape how the region
grows. As a coalition of organizations and activists, TALC has had a huge impact
on previous RTPs...and we can do so again! But we need your help.
Four working groups will be shaping the
coalition’s RTP advocacy Platform, focusing on bike/ped issues, transportation
equity, land use and climate change, and projects and performance measures.
Contact Marta Lindsey, TALC’s RTP Coordinator, if you’re interested in any of
the following: 1) participating in a Working Group, 2) being a county leader and
watchdogging your Congestion Management Agency, 3) building allies in your
community on the RTP, 4) staying up-to-date on the latest RTP developments.
Marta can be reached at
marta@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x321.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_rtp/rtp_home.html
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Protect public
transit funding
In late March, 35 coalition members came together in Sacramento and met with
over 30 legislators’ offices, asking them to protect funding for public transit.
Most legislators agree that the Governor’s budget won’t go forward, but most are
skeptical that all of the $1.1 billion he has proposed to grab from transit can
be protected. We’re asking everyone to call their state senators to ask them to:
protect all $1.1 billion of funding for the Public Transportation Account,
protect the State Spillover for transit, and use Proposition 1B funds to expand
transit. To get talking points, find your representative, and learn more about
the Governor’s proposed cuts and the Save Public Transit campaign visit the
webpage below or contact Carli Paine at
carli@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x315.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_spill/index.html
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Ensuring equitable access
with CBTPs
Community Based Transportation Plans (CBTPs) are an important tool for
low-income communities to identify transportation barriers and viable solutions.
As part of its Lifeline Transportation Program, MTC has been conducting CBTPs in
25 Bay Area communities. (For a list of all the communities with CBTPs visit
www.mtc.ca.gov/planning/cbtp/CBTP_Guidelines.pdf.)
TALC and Urban Habitat, as part of the Transportation Justice Working Group, are
seeking advocates to campaign for more Lifeline funding in MTC’s 2009 Regional
Transportation Plan.
In Alameda County, TALC has been contracted to
conduct the community outreach portion of the CBTP for East Oakland. This work
builds on the community outreach that TALC has already conducted for the planned
East Bay Bus Rapid Transit line, Over the next few months, TALC and Urban
Habitat will conduct outreach to dozens of community groups throughout East
Oakland, and will survey residents and workers in English, Spanish, Chinese, and
Vietnamese.
For more information contact TALC’s Joel Ramos at
joel@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x318 or Urban Habitat’s
Lindsay Imai at
lindsay@urbanhabitat.org or 510-844-1191.
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TravelChoice announces results
for its Alameda pilot program
Last year, TALC launched a one-on-one marketing program in the city of
Alameda to give incentives and personalized information to residents to get them
to try transportation alternatives. Independent surveys of this TravelChoice
pilot program in Alameda show that the program surpassed its initial goals in
reducing auto trips and increasing transit ridership. Drive-alone trips were
reduced by an impressive 14%! This reduction was primarily due to an increase in
transit usage, biking, and carpooling. A full report about the project is available
on TALC’s website. TravelChoice has been chosen as the Transportation Project of
the Year from the Bay Area chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers
and will be given the award at TALC’s Regional Meeting on May 23.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/travelchoice
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Safe Routes to Schools
spreading throughout Alameda County
If you live in Alameda County, Safe Routes may soon be coming to a school
near you! The Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Partnership, an effort
spearheaded by TALC, has received the full amount requested from ACTIA's Measure
B grant program, if matched by a Caltrans grant. This funding will help make it
possible for the Partnership to bring a top-notch, comprehensive Safe Routes to
Schools program to much of the county, starting in the 2007-2008 school year.
The Partnership includes the Alameda County Public Health Department, Cycles of
Change, the Office of Supervisor Nate Miley, the City of Berkeley Unified School
District, the City of Oakland's Health and Human Services, and many others.
TALC will offer a workshop for parents and
guardians about how to bicycle safely with youth on Saturday, May 5, from 10:00
a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Peralta Elementary in Oakland. To RSVP or for more information contact
Melanie Grubman at
melanie@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150
x332. Hurry, space is limited!
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TALC’s 10th Summit a big
success -- now online!
With 300 attendees, inspiring plenary speakers, and 18 breakout sessions,
TALC’s Summit was an informative and energizing event. Participants strategized
about ways to address global warming through walkable communities connected by
world class transit. Video footage of all of the plenary speakers (Assemblywoman
Loni Hancock, Michel Gelobter of Redefining Progress, David Burch of the Air
District, and Stuart Cohen of TALC) is now available online, along with photos
of the event. Next year’s Summit will be in late March or early April. Don’t
miss it!
View videos and images:
www.transcoalition.org/multimedia.html#summit07
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Enter TALC’s photo contest!
TALC’s Picturing the Future of the Bay Area photo contest is now
underway. We are looking for images that capture our vision of a Bay Area with
fast, reliable transit connecting communities that are great places to walk,
bike, live, work, and play. We are also looking for images that illustrate
threats to this vision. The grand prize is a lifetime free SmugMug Pro account
(a professional-quality, online photo storage and sharing service worth $150 per
year) and $250 cash. Six other winners will win prizes from SmugMug, Patagonia,
Photoworks, A1 Photo & Video Labs, and others. Entries will be on display at our
ten-year anniversary event on October 18, 2007 at the Oakland Museum of
California.
Learn more:
www.talcphotocontest.smugmug.com
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Is your organization a TALC
Member or Affiliate group?
If not, join the over 100 great organizations from throughout the Bay Area
who recognize the need to work together to address the region’s transportation,
affordable housing, social justice, community health, and environmental
challenges.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/m/members_options_.html
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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You’re invited to TALC’s
regional meeting -- Wed, May 23
Get involved in the movement for a better Bay Area as we craft a coalition
platform for the Regional Transportation Plan campaign and follow up on other
issues from the Summit. The meeting is from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Sierra
Club’s third-floor conference room in downtown San Francisco, 85 Second Street,
near the Montgomery BART/Muni station. (Please note the change of date, which
was formerly May 16.) The meeting is free and open to the public. Burritos and
beverages will be served. New to TALC? Come at 5:00 p.m. for an optional
orientation about TALC and regional issues. RSVPs are appreciated so that we can
provide enough seating and food. To RSVP, or if you have questions, contact
Marta Lindsey at
marta@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x321.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/calendar.html#regional
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Great Communities in
Pittsburg -- April 12 & 23
As a part of the Great Communities Collaborative, TALC is working to ensure
that half of all new homes built by 2030 are in affordable, walkable communities
near transit. The latest frontier in this effort is happening in Pittsburg this
April, with two key meetings on April 12th and April 23rd that will determine
how Pittsburg will grow around the proposed eBART station. Please go to the link
below to find out more about these meetings and how you can be involved in
promoting equitable and sustainable development in Pittsburg.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/c/gci/pittsburg.html
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Great Communities:
easy, greener living in Santa Rosa -- Wed, April 25
The Accountable Development Coalition is hosting an evening forum in Santa
Rosa exploring the ways in which urban planning, green building, affordable
housing, and access to transit play crucial roles in achieving healthy,
transit-oriented communities. Speakers include Laura Hall of Fisher and Hall
Urban Design, Bruce Hammond of the U.S. Green Building Council, Mary Murtagh of
EAH Housing, and Ann Cheng of TALC. The event is free and open to the public. It
will be held at the Sonoma County Library at 211 East Street in Santa Rosa from
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25.
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TALC celebrates Earth
Day in Oakland and Berkeley -- April 18 and 21
Volunteer with TALC, or just visit our table, at two Earth Day events. We'll
highlight the role that world class transit and transit-oriented development can
play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fostering sustainable communities.
Oakland’s EarthExpo: The Sustainable Urban Environment is on Wednesday,
April 18, 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. in front of Oakland City Hall. Berkeley Earth
Day is on Saturday, April 21, 12:00 - 5:00 p.m. at Civic Center Park in
downtown Berkeley. To volunteer with TALC at either event contact Ariana Milman
at
ariana@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x306.
Oakland event:
www.oaklandpw.com/Page727.aspx
Berkeley event:
www.hesternet.net/event.htm
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Bike-to-Work/School Day --
Thursday, May 17
Thursday, May 17 marks the Bay Area’s 13th annual Bike-to-Work Day,
Bike-to-School Day. The day promotes bicycling as a healthy and fun form of
transportation. Learn more about the day’s events, how to win prizes, the Team
Bike Challenge, and the Bike Commuter of the Year Award at the website below.
Shift gears! Hop on your bike and go!
Learn more:
511.org
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NEWS FROM TALC MEMBER GROUPS
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TALC’s newest member: Housing Leadership Council of San
Mateo County
TALC welcomes our newest member group, the Housing Leadership Council of San
Mateo County. The Council works to preserve and expand the range and supply of
adequate, accessible, and affordable housing for the residents and workforce of
San Mateo County.
Learn more:
www.hlcsmc.org
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