Now through April is our time to ask for big-ticket bike projects in the upcoming Regional Transportation Plan “Call for Projects.” Take a look at the list of bikeway projects below and make a call to your local planner/city staff and ask that your bikeway be included in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Update. We are looking for “big ticket” projects of at least $1 million here. The Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is a long-range policy document that guides transportation funding decisions for the nine county Bay Area transportation system over a 25-year horizon. This includes bike projects for both Contra Costa and Alameda Countywide Transportation Plans–and guides what gets built. For example, all projects requesting state or federal funding must be consistent with this Plan. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) will issue an open “Call for Projects” for the RTP on March 1, 2011, with project submittals due April 29, 2011. City staff in your city will be submitting projects and the Bicycle Coalition is going to ask that bike projects be included. We have leverage, because “performance reviews” will be done for each project, assessing how well they reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled on our roadways. Now is the time to contact our local city planners and ask for bike projects in the Plan. We have many bikeway projects in the East Bay that have gone through the planning phase and are ready (or close to ready) for funding. The money is coming, we need to ask for it! Here is a list of projects that would complete many crucial bikeways:
- Richmond: Richmond-Ohlone Greenway Connection $1,560,000 and Richmond Greenway Overcrossing of BART tracks at 23rd St (cost t.b.d.) Joel Camacho 510.620.5482 joel_camacho@ci.richmond.ca.us
- Walnut Creek/Concord: Pleasant Hill BART Short Cut Path, Steven Goetz, Contra Costa County (925) 335-1240, sgoet@cd.cccounty.us
- Albany: Gilman St to Buchanan $1.5 million, Aleida -Andrino-Chavez, 510.528.5759 achavez@albanyca.org
- Brentwood/Antioch: SR 4 Bypass Gap on the Mokelumne Trail, Dale Dennis dodennis@dataclonemail.com
- Union City: Dumbarton Bridge Link $1 million, Joan Malloy, 510.675.5327 jmalloy@unioncity.org
- Oakland: LAMMPS Project $15,000,000, Iris Starr 510.238.6229 istarr@oaklandnet.com
- Berkeley: Ninth St Bicycle Boulevard Connection, Matt Nichols, 510.981.7068 mnichols@ci.berkeley.ca.us
- San Leandro: Greenway continuation $35,000,000, Reh-Lin Chen 510.577.3438 rchen@ci.san-leandro.ca.us
- Fremont: Fremont Blvd to Dixon Landing (highest priority project in their bike plan) $535,700, Rene Dalton 510.494.4535 rdalton@ci.fremont.ca.us
- San Ramon: Iron Horse Trail overcrossing, Darlene Amaral 925.973.2655 damaral@sanramon.ca.gov
Your voice now could get us a brand new bike bridge in the near future. Please contact the listed planner and ask that these projects “be included in the countywide transportation plan Call for Projects.” More information: Alameda County website: Alameda Countywide Transportation Plan Contra Costa County website: Contra Costa Countywide Transportation Plan