Alameda On Board: Berkeley is Final City to Vote May 29 for Fall Transportation Sales Tax Measure

Submitted by Dave Campbell on May 16, 2012 - 1:28pm

November 2012 election requires 2/3rds support for final approval

May 16, 2012 Update:
On May 15, the city of Alameda became the thirteenth city to approve support for a reathorization of the Alameda County Transportation Sales Tax, joining the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, and the AC Transit and BART Boards. In addition, the entire East Bay Congressional Delegation is on-board in support. We won over 11% of this measure for bike/ped projects, up from 5% currently so the East Bay Bicycle Coalition will be launching a major Fall campaign to win the needed ⅔’s voter support for this measure to pass

Berkeley is the remaining City to vote and they do that on May 29. We need your help to persuade the Berkeley City Council to support the reauthorization. Many Councilmembers are supportive, but some are waiting to decide and they need to hear from you that you want to see bike/ped funding increase over 4-fold in Alameda County.

What you can do:

We are delighted to report that on January 26 the Alameda CTC Board approved a total of $883 million for bike/ped projects in an Expenditure Plan for the Measure B transportation sales reauthorization. That's 11.34% of all funds in the $7.8 billion Plan and in today's dollars amounts to approximately $22 million/year for bikes and pedestrians, more than four times what the current Measure B allocates. Our coalition of community advocates also won a student bus pass program and a full alternatives analysis for the Livermore connection to BART.

Measure B will allocate more money for bike/ped projects than highway projects - a first!....Art Dao, Executive Director, Alameda CTC

Art Dao, the Executive Director of the Alameda CTC, emphasized to the Board that Measure B's 11.34% for bike/ped projects is the highest percentage of any transportation sales tax in the region. Mr. Dao also provided a unique perspective on funding priorities: Measure B will allocate more money for bike/ped projects than highway projects - a first! Of course, all this good news requires 2/3rd voter approval come November 2012. You will be hearing a lot more this year about EBBC's "Yes on Measure B" campaign and how you can help make Alameda County one hecka bike-friendly town.

EBBC cannot thank enough all of the efforts made by our members, supporters and coalition partners to get involved in this hugely important transportation plan and keep the pressure on elected officials to make sure they know their commitments to bike/ped funding has strong community support. Hundreds of EBBC members sent emails and attended Steering Committee meetings, with many speaking so strongly for increased bike/ped funding. Thanks to our collective participation in this process, elected officials agreed in the end that more money to fund bike/ped projects is good for our County and will help build strong voter support for passage of Measure B at the November 2012 ballot.

Measure B Expenditure Plan 2012: Funding Summary

ABC 7 News Coverage of Jan 26 Alameda CTC Board Mtg

Video of the Alameda CTC Board approving Measure B Plan: January 26

Video from the Jan 24 Press Event in Downtown Oakland
Urban Habitat, Transform, Genesis, Greenbelt Alliance, BOSS, ATU and BART's Union, Senior Advocates for HOPE and Justice, St. Mary's Center and others hosted a major press event around Measure B on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 12:30pm in front of the offices of the Alameda County Transportation Commission, 1333 Broadway, at 14th Street. Thanks for joining us and making a strong push for a better, strong Measure B, just two days before the ACTC Board vote.

Here are the specific dollar amounts for bike/ped projects in Measure B

  • $651 million for dedicated bike/ped project funding
  • 15% of Local Streets & Roads funds directed at bikeways and per projects-approximately $232.02 million
  • that all Measure B monies will conform to the Complete Streets Policy Requirements of Alameda County, which requires each City in Alameda County to have a Complete Streets policy that includes Elements of an Ideal Complete Streets Policy
  • $22 million for a bike/ped bridge over I-80 in Emeryville; $5 million bike/ped under crossing as part of the Gilman interchange in Berkeley; safety improvement on Marin Avenue in Albany; a new Fruitvale Bridge with bike lanes; bike lanes on Lewelling Blvd in San Lorenzo; redesigned Whipple Road/I-880 interchange with bike lanes; Dublin Blvd widening with bike lanes; upgraded State Route 84 with bike lanes in Fremont; and more

In addition, $300 million is allocated to Transit-Oriented Development projects around BART stations, and this program will help construct many Safe Routes to Transit projects for cyclists and pedestrians. Thank you for your support through this process and please join EBBC at the January 26 Alameda CTC Board Mtg. See you there!

Great map of the bike/ped projects Measure B has funded to date

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December 16 Update:
Thanks to a strong showing by our Coalition of Advocates, we succeeded at Friday's (December 16) full Board Retreat on Measure B, to gain Board support for dedicating 15-20% of the Local Streets & Roads monies for bike/ped projects, bringing dedicated bike/ped funding in Measure B to 11.35-12.35%, or $884-$961 million over 30 years for bike/ped improvements in Alameda County. We also succeeded in securing across the board support for a Countywide Complete Streets Program that ensures that all transportation projects include bike/ped improvements.

Here is the Complete Streets Policy language your Bicycle Coalition is proposing to guide the programming of all Measure B monies:

All transportation improvements in Measure B are opportunities to improve safety, access, and mobility for all travelers in Alameda County and Measure B recognizes bicycle, pedestrian, and transit modes as integral elements of the transportation system. Measure B projects and programs shall provide for the needs of all users of our transportation system by addressing the needs of all users of the transportation system and incorporating improvements for, or minimizing impacts on, all modes of travel. At the same time, Measure B projects and programs will be sensitive to the local context and recognize that the needs vary in urban, suburban, and rural settings.

What do you think of this language? Strong enough? Ideas to make it stronger?

Furthermore, the draft Measure B language includes 7% for Transit-Oriented Development, which will fund many new bike/ped projects around BART Stations in Alameda County.

live streaming from the Alameda CTC Board Retreat

The rapidly growing coalition of community-based organizations will continue to work overtime to deliver a much improved Measure B Reauthorization to the voters of Alameda County for the November 2012 ballot. To date, we have also succeeded to get an additional 2% added to AC Transit funding, a $15 million pilot program for a student bus pass, additional millions for local streets and roads, and to have the final plan approval moved back to January 26, 2012, giving more time to develop support for a better plan.

Read our Bike/Ped Fact Sheet for the Measure B Reauthorization.

Read our Community Vision Platform and learn more about our Coalition Partners at Transform's Measure B website.

Visit Transform's Measure B Action Page for additional ways you can help us secure more funding for transit, student bus passes, local streets and roads, and better transit expansion policies.


Currently, the draft Measure B plan includes 8.35% for bike/ped projects and there is support from several local elected officials to dedicate 20% of the Local Streets & Roads money toward repaving bikeways and repairing sidewalks. Overall, we are specifically pushing to have the dedicated bike/ped funding increased to 11.35%, providing an additional $233 million over the next 30 years for bike/ped projects. We are also working with staff at the Alameda CTC to strengthen the guidelines in Measure B requiring all Local Streets and Roads monies to comply with Complete Streets requirements.

And tell your elected official to support the Community Vision Platform:

Nov 17 Steering Committee a big hit
Cyclists turned out in force Nov 17 and made a strong statement at the Alameda County Transportation Commission for completing the Countywide Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan by providing more funding for the projects that will make bicycling safer and more accessible throughout the County. Our members spoke so well in sharing their stories about the need for better bikeways in their neighborhoods. Many who didn’t get a chance to speak were heard by waving bold bike signs and cheering our team on. In addition, our Coalition partners joined in supporting the Community Vision Platform of the new Measure B that we have have jointly crafted to increase funding for AC Transit buses, provide a student bus pass, significantly up the funding for bike/ped projects, and add more money to fix the potholes in the streets on which you ride. This wonderful energy of over 50 speakers is reminiscent of the original Measure B back in 2000, when so many came together to create a better plan for Alameda.

First, thanks to all of our members who took several hours out of their afternoons to attend the Steering Committee meeting today and speak in support of hundreds of millions of dollars for more bike/ped projects. Thanks to Bonnie, Ashley, Kashif, Karen, Sandra, Ryan, Glenda, Tom, Wynn, Paul, Robert and many more who attended and spoke and waved signs in support of making Alameda County a much better place to bike and walk and use transit. We also thank Tommy and Carolyn of Cycles of Change, Shannon from Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, Colin from Bay Localize, Lindsay of Urban Habitat, Michelle from Genesis, Joel and Manolo from Transform, John from Alameda Transit Advocates, Claire from the Grey Panthers, Warren representing disability advocates, Matt from Greenbelt Alliance, Rebecca from the Hope Collaborative, Pat from the Sierra Club, and many more who filled the conference room to capacity.

Your Bicycle Coalition is continuing to meet with elected officials to gain their support for our Community Vision Platform of Measure B and more money for bikeways. Next up is the Dec 1 (12 noon) meeting of the Steering Committee, when they will make their final recommendation for a draft Measure B, and then the Dec 16 meeting of the full ACTC Board, where the new Measure B will finally be adopted for placing on the November 2012 ballot. If you can attend either the Dec 1 Steering Committee Mtg or the Dec 16 full Board Meeting, we still need your help to make Measure B a success.

Renee Rivera
Executive Director

Dave Campbell
Program Director

Now is our opportunity to fully fund the Countywide Bicycle Plan and the Countywide Pedestrian Plan. The East Bay Bicycle Coalition is asking for up to 20% of Measure B funds to be committed to bike/ped projects as part of the Measure B Reauthorization. Your help in coming weeks is needed to get us there. Can you join help us?

Recent public polling supports bike/ped projects, and many of the elected Steering Committee members do as well, including Kris Worthington of Berkeley, Ruth Atkins of Emeryville, Keith Carson (County Supervisor), Nate Miley (County Supervisor), Rebecca Kaplan of Oakland and Mark Green of Union City as well are supportive of funding bike/ped projects, such as the East Bay Greenway. However, there are many competing demands, including freeways and BART extensions that could eat up most of the money. Your voice can make a huge difference.
Email your Steering Committee representative and tell them you want to fully fund the Countywide Bicycle & Pedestrian Plans in Measure B.

In our Summer newsletter, we asked you to ‘imagine bicycling from Fremont to Oakland on a continuous, separated bike path known as the East Bay Greenway, or imagine a Bike Station at every BART Station with secure bike parking for hundreds of bikes, or imagine bicycling to work from Oakland to San Francisco across the Bay Bridge Pathway.’ We need you to attend an upcoming public workshop and ask the county complete the Countywide Bicycle Plan. There is $7.7 billion available over the next 30 years to fund a range of transportation projects in the County, and the Bicycle Coalition is asked that the Countywide Bicycle Plan be fully funded and completed. You can help.

Background
Alameda County is developing a new transportation sales tax measure to augment and extend Measure B, our existing 20-year transportation sales tax. Back in 2000, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition succeeded in securing 5% of Measure B for bike/ped projects. This money has funded bike lanes in Oakland on Market St, 40th St, and Lakeshore Ave, the Iron Horse Trail in Pleasanton, San Leandro Slough Bay Trail bridge, the Alamo Canal Trail under crossing of I-580 in Dublin, new electronic lockers at BART, pedestrian improvements in the Irvington District of Fremont, and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s own bicycle safety education program. In addition, Measure B has funded nine bicycle and pedestrian plans, which all have identified numerous local bike/ped projects ready for funding by the new Measure B.

With potentially $7.7 billion in additional transportation funding, the new Measure B has the potential to fund hundreds of miles of bikeways in the Countywide Bicycle Plan, and thereby complete an extensive countywide network of safe and inviting bikeways for you to use everyday.

In September, a draft plan will be released for public input, and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition is working with decision-makers now to maximize funding for bike/ped projects in this draft plan. There is strong support for increasing funding for bikeways in the plan, but we want to see the plan complete our countywide bikeway network. With strong support, there could potentially be $4.6-$5.8 billion for walking, bicycling transit and local streets, which can go a long way toward building out a robust bikeway network in Alameda County and make your bike commute safe and enjoyable.

We need all of our members supporting our call to fully fund the Countywide Bicycle & Pedestrian Plans with a fair share for bikes. Can you volunteer to help us secure hundreds of millions for new bike/ped projects?

File attachment: 
application/pdf iconBike Ped Fact Sheet for Measure B
application/pdf iconMeasure B Expenditure Plan 2012
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