Forward-looking Transportation Measure In San Mateo County CA

Article Source: Montzerrat Garcia-Bedolla, YLI Program Manager

Dear Robert,

I saw your article in June about transportation and housing, and thought you might be interested in this story about the forward-looking transportation measure that was just unanimously approved by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. The measure is headed for the November ballot, and follows on the heels of a intense community advocacy efforts to ensure the plan takes San Mateo's vulnerable residents into consideration.

Here it is:

For Immediate Release

July 24, 2018

Contact: Montzerrat Garcia-Bedolla, YLI Program Manager

Email: mbedolla@yli.org

A Forward-Looking Transportation Plan is Headed for the November Ballot

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA - This morning, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to place a balanced, solutions-oriented transportation funding measure on the November 2018 ballot. If the measure is passed, it will generate $80 million per year in sales tax revenue to improve public transit, create safer bike and pedestrian routes, reduce traffic, repair roads, and address other urgent community needs.

The plan will shape transportation -- and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who rely on it -- for years to come.

Drawing heavily on community input, the investment plan for the measure ensures that a full 50% of the funds will go to improve bus, paratransit, and other mobility services to better serve low-income communities and communities of color, youth, seniors, people with disabilities, and transit-dependent populations throughout the County. This includes:

• Increased frequencies on the SamTrans' core routes and expanded hours of service during mornings, evenings and weekends
• Improved first- and last-mile connections between job centers and transit hubs
• Technology-based solutions that improve efficiency, convenience, access to information, and overall rider experience (like WiFi!)

“This plan balances San Mateo County’s many transportation needs, with an overdue focus on transit-dependent and underserved communities who have been left out or overlooked in the past,” said Chris Lepe, Senior Community Planner at TransForm.

Today’s decision follows months of community outreach and engagement about transportation priorities from constituencies throughout the county. SamTrans weighed input from residents and diverse advocacy groups, including the Transportation Equity Allied Movement Coalition (TEAMC), a coalition of 28 organizations working to amplify the voices of San Mateo’s most vulnerable residents.

“This investment plan is the result of a process everyone in San Mateo County can be proud of,” said Montzerrat Garcia Bedolla, Program Manager at Youth Leadership Institute, a member of TEAMC. “Our communities raised their voices to share their needs and concerns, and the measure reflects that input. This is a huge step forward for transportation in San Mateo County, and the process can serve as a model for other jurisdictions.”

Also in the plan are Caltrain upgrades and improvements to better connect the County to the rest of the region, including Dumbarton Corridor improvements and express bus service on Highway 101. And, for people who bike and walk, funding will be allocated to fill in the gaps and update facilities for bicycle and pedestrian pathways. Together, sustainable transportation improvements represent over two thirds of the funding in the measure.

Perhaps just as important as the projects the measure will fund, is the inclusion of strong core principles and a strategic planning process that includes community input to help ensure that the measure continues to maximize community benefits into the future and improve our environment.

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For additional information please contact Eduardo Gonzalez at egonzalez@yli.org or 760-578-4842. To learn more about YLI, visit www.yli.org.

Youth Leadership Institute builds communities where young people and their adult allies come together to create positive social change.

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Robert Riechel

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Photo Credit: San Bruno CA Patch Archives

Source Credit: Youth Leadership Institute

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