From the Livermore Independent…
Livermore residents and their supporters made their case to include $400 million for a BART extension and an Isabel Avenue station on the list of projects to be funded in Measure B3. However, they met opposition from backers of other transportation projects in north and central county at a meeting Nov. 17 in Oakland.
A coalition of groups (including the East Bay Bicycle Coalition) based mainly in Oakland signed a letter by Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, who represents Berkeley and parts of Oakland, supporting a four-page “Community Vision Platform.”
The Platform calls for money for AC Transit service restoration, repairs on the BART tunnel, bicycle/pedestrian project and program funding, money for local roads, and an eco-pass. The transit pass would be free to all middle school and high school students in the county.The Platform wants money for its projects, and specifically asks ACTC to keep the Livermore BART extension and the Highway 84 widening out of the planned projects on the ballot. The coalition’s document calls the extension a “low benefit/high costs massive transit project.
The transportation projects would be funded through Measure B3, a countywide sales tax measure. Currently, hearings are being held to determine which projects would be on the list to receive money. The Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) is faced with whittling down $30 billion worth of proposed projects to $7.7 billion. The election would be held in November 2012.
Several speakers from the East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC) emphasized a need for education concerning bicycling safety. With enough money, EBBC could hire 30 full-time instructors to visit schools throughout the county, said one speaker.