EDITOR: How is your commute? The traffic may be moving better
now than it was two years ago but as the economy picks up and
growth pains return we all know traffic will worsen throughout the
Bay Area.
EDITOR:
How is your commute? The traffic may be moving better now than it was two years ago but as the economy picks up and growth pains return we all know traffic will worsen throughout the Bay Area. What can we do now to ensure financial stability and accountability in our regional transportation plan?
As more people move to the Bay Area, if nothing’s done to fix the problem, traffic will only get worse. Studies show Bay Area traffic congestion will increase by 250 percent over the next 20 years, threatening our quality of life, our economy and our environment.
It is time for a regional transportation plan built on financial stability and accountability. On March 2 we can vote to support Regional Measure 2. Regional Measure 2 is a traffic congestion relief plan that will create seamless and convenient connections among Bay Area transit providers. Projects in the plan were selected on cost-effectiveness and sustainability, not polls and politics.
Regional Measure 2 dedicates sufficient funding to operate all of the services it initiates, in perpetuity. Best of all, the 36 projects in the plan directly benefit those who are paying for it from a one dollar increase on the Bay Area’s seven state-owned bridges. Revenues from bridge tolls are the most stable source of transportation funds.
Funds from Regional Measure 2 may only be spent on the projects specifically detailed in your voter handbook. They cannot be raided to backfill local or state deficits or increase bureaucracy.
In Santa Clara County, Regional Measure 2 will make the following improvements:
• Expand CalTrain service between San Jose and San Francisco, and extend new service to the East Bay across a renovated Dumbarton rail bridge, connecting to BART and commuter rail at Union City, Fremont and Newark
• Provide the final piece of funding to extend BART to Warm Springs, a necessary step in bringing BART to Santa Clara County
• Improve connections between BART, buses, and rail, and help create a new TransLink universal monthly ticket to access all major transit systems
• Expand CalTrain to a new Transbay Terminal in San Francisco connecting BART, Muni, express buses and future high-speed rail
• Make carpool lane and freeway ramp improvements for express buses and expand park and ride lots to reduce commuter traffic on the Bay Bridge, San Mateo and Dumbarton Bridges
It’s true that most voters don’t regularly cross one of these bridges; in fact, only 9 percent of Bay Area voters actually use a bridge daily. But we all share ownership of these bridges and our whole transportation infrastructure; therefore we all deserve a voice on the policy and funding decisions that affect these essential landmarks.
Ultimately, Regional Measure 2 will benefit 100 percent of Bay Area residents, providing easier commutes, expanded transit, and less pollution. Finally, voters have a chance to approve a transportation plan that will deliver what it promises.
Regional Measure 2 has more than 300 endorsements among business leaders, labor groups, environmental organizations, elected officials and everyday commuters. State Senator Byron Sher, San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, the League of Women Voters, the Greenbelt Alliance, South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, Committee for Green Foothills, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition and the Sierra Club all support Regional Measure 2.
Please read the plan in your voter handbook and join us on March 2 in voting Yes on Regional Measure 2.
Stuart Cohen, executive director of the Transportation and Land Use Coalition, San Jose
Jim Beall, District Four Santa Clara County Supervisors
