In California’s Central Valley region, the Safe Routes Partnership is working in the counties of San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Fresno. Housing and transportation costs in Central Valley often exceed 70 percent of income for moderate income households. The lack of affordable transportation options puts stress on families. In addition, the region struggles with poor air quality.
We co-sponsored SB 760 under author Senator Wiener, which would have required the State Highway Operations and Protection Program (SHOPP) implement Complete Streets near critical locations. As we reported in January, it was scaled back due to concerns over the effort to repeal last year’s increase in the Gas Tax. While we plan to reintroduce a bill with similar objectives next session, Sen.
Last week, California voters supported equitable transportation, open space and climate spending by large margins at the ballot box.
If your community is planning to apply for Cycle 4 of the Active Transportation Program, you have until July 31 to do so. Information and resources for applicants are available on the CalTrans website and at the Active Transportation Resource Center.
Stanislaus County has released its draft Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS). The 2018 RTP/SCS is the long-term coordinated transportation/land use strategy and provides a framework for transportation investment out to the year 2042. Public workshops are being held throughout May, and public comments are accepted until July 5.
Please join us at the May 30 Walking & Biking Summit in Fresno to build your capacity to organize resident-led walking and biking groups and to use these groups to inform traffic safety improvements in your neighborhood. There will also be a workshop about how Safe Routes to School can make walking and biking to and from school safer, convenient, and fun.
In early May, California Senior Policy Manager Jonathan Matz joined our partners in the Sustainable Communities for All coalition (SC4A) in Sacramento to lobby state lawmakers for an equitable portfolio of investments from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). Among the programs SC4A would like to see funded from the GGRF this year are Urban Forestry and Urban Greening; the Low Income Home Weatherization Program; and transit passes for K-14 students in public education institutions.
Proponents of an effort to repeal SB 1 (last year’s increase in the State Gas Tax) submitted nearly 1 million signatures to place a proposition on the statewide ballot this November, widely exceeding the minimum number to qualify (584,000).
The Call for Projects for Cycle 4 of the Active Transportation Program (ATP) is set for May 16, with applications due by July 31. Until they are released, the latest draft applications and guidelines are available at http://catc.ca.gov/programs/atp/. New this year are separate applications for different project types and more detailed questions concerning local health disparities.
On April 5, the Fresno Council of Governments released a draft of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) 2018 – 2042 for a 55-day review and public comment period. The plan addresses greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other air emissions related to transportation, with the goal of preparing for future growth in a sustainable manner. Public hearings will be held on April 26, and May 15.
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