CalTrans held two workshops this week to solicit feedback on the guidelines for two new programs, Transportation Planning grants and Climate Change Adaptation Planning grants, which were created by Senate Bill 1.  At Monday’smeeting in Los Angeles, Caltrans officials met with advocates (including the Safe Routes Partnership) and representatives from local jurisdictions, transit authorities and metropolitan planning organizations to discuss the guidelines and desired goals of the program.

Despite the eagerness of CalTrans officials to receive stakeholder input into the drafting of these guidelines, it should be noted that very little information about the program was made available to participants prior to the workshops, which made providing substantive feedback much harder. Going forward, the Safe Routes Partnership and our allies will advocate for guidelines and a selection process that:

• Are transparent and invite competition and bold proposals.
• Prioritize benefits to disadvantaged communities, with ideally 50% of funds going to plans that focus on advancing social equity and creating benefits for disadvantaged communities.
• Encourage or require the integration of land use and transportation planning, for example by extending eligibility to land use plans, general plans, regional greenprints, and planning to support anti-displacement efforts or affordable housing policies.
• Promote integrated strategies that aim to achieve multi-benefits to communities (e.g. urban heat mitigation, improved stormwater management through forward-looking transportation infrastructure provision).
• Maximize benefits and minimize harm to underserved communities, including improving resilience to climate change.
• Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled.