Yes On B1: A Great Transportation Plan for Bikes

We can do it, with your help. It’s all hands on deck to convince voters in November to support a $7.8 billion plan called Measure B1, a transportation expenditure plan for critical improvements in Alameda County for the next 30 years. With Federal funding for bikes being drastically cut, a successful Measure B1 is more important than ever to provide the funding we need to complete the bicycle network in your city, provide secure bike parking everywhere, and make the promotion of bicycling and walking mainstream. We not only have the opportunity to double, or even triple, the number of people bicycling in Alameda County, we have a unique opportunity to leave for the next generation a transportation system better than the one we inherited.

What You Can Do:

• Get your lawn signs

  We need your help to get the word out. Lawn signs, posters, literature and other materials are now available for pickup at a location near you.

  Can’t make it to a pick-up location? Email advocacy@ebbc.org with your name and address and we will deliver a sign to you!

• Start talking B1 and Bikes at an outreach event.We have many outreach events coming up, with more being scheduled everyday. With your help, we can build 500 hundreds of miles of new bikeways and create an integrated bike & transit system the envy of California.
• Sign up as a volunteer and take a B1 training to help with voter outreach, postering, flyering, phone banking and much more.
• Tell the Story of Your Bikeway

  If you regularly ride on the San Leandro Slough Bridge that connects the Bay Trail to Oakland, the Market Street bike lanes in North Oakland, the Iron Horse Trail in Pleasanton, or any of the bikeways listed here on our Current Measure B Funded Project List, tell us your story. What do you like about the project? How often do you use it? Where are you riding from and to where when you use the bikeway? Are you making commute trips? recreation trips? errands? shopping? Let us know.

  

• Find your polling place to Vote Yes on B1 this Fall
• Spread the word!

  Get the rundown on events, local news, and Measure B1 updates through Facebook or Twitter:

  Like the East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s Facebook page

  Follow the East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s Twitter account @EBBC. And here are some additional tips on how you can help our Yes On B1 Campaign.

See the full list at the Support Alameda Transportation website

November 1, 2012

Roadshow: Alameda County transportation tax would affect commuters throughout Bay Area: Contra Costa Times coverage

October 24, 2012

On the Ballot: A Key to Alameda County’s Sustainable Transportation Future: Streetsblog SF coverage

It’s sometimes incredible to believe that Alameda County is taking a national leadership role, but they are,” said Dave Campbell, program director for the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. “And we’re proud of them, and working closely with them to get this passed on November 6.

October 19, 2012

If approved, Measure B1 could raise billions for transportation: Oakland North coverage

Jonathan Bair, President of the Board of Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, says that if Measure B passes “we’ll see safer and better maintained streets, more bike lanes and more sidewalk repair, more repair of our unique urban pathways and stairways, and we’ll see much improved transit service.” Bair says he’s encouraged by a doubling of funding for bicycle and pedestrian programs, which he says would assist Oakland in implementing its Bicycle Master Plan.

October 10, 2012

East Bay Endorsements 2012: San Francisco Bay Guardian coverage

The Guardian staff give their resounding support for Measure B1, stating:

Quite possibly the most important thing on the East Bay ballot, Measure B1 creates the funding for a long-term transportation plan. Almost half of the money goes for public transit and only 30 percent goes for streets and road. There’s more bicycle money than in any previous transportation plan. Every city in Alameda County supports it. Vote yes.

October 5, 2012

Yes on B1 for Transit: San Francisco Chronicle coverage

October 4, 2012

Alameda County to vote on sales tax hike to fund transit projects: Oakland Tribune coverage

County leaders and several business, labor and environmental groups”, Dennis Cuff writes, “say the measure is essential to provide local help for a transportation system beleaguered by dwindling and unreliable state and federal aid.”

Cuff balances the arguments of elected officials, backed by a long list of supporters including every city council, chambers of commerce, and numerous community groups and organizations with three Alameda County residents who are members of an ultra conservative fringe group who hate public transportation, infill housing, gays, you name it.

October 3, 2012

Funding the Future: East Bay Express coverage

The East Bay Express’ article in support of Measure B1 is spot on, and Funding the Future is exactly what B1 can and will do. The article quotes Manolo Gonzalez-Estay, of TransForm, on the tax aspect of the bill:

If the money was to pay for more cars and highways, then we wouldn’t be supportive of this measure, but when you look at what the dollars will go to, it goes to AC Transit, bikes, pedestrian projects, paratransit for seniors and persons with disabilities, and addressing climate change — all good things that will help working communities.

September 28, 2012

Six Dublin Candidates Vie for 2 Council Seats: The Independent coverage

The six candidates for two Dublin City Council seats give their stance on Measure B1. All but one support it.

September 26, 2012

District 2 Supervisor Candidates Share Thoughts on County’s Budget, Top Issues: Union City Patch coverage

Alameda County Bike/Ped Plans Take Local Approach but Short on Targets:Streetsblog SF coverage

September 21, 2012

Measure B1 – Yes: Independent News coverage

Editorial Out of Touch with Transit Reality: Oakland Tribune, Letter to the Editor

Tina Spencer, Director of Services at AC Transit, reacts to the Oakland Tribune’s editorial. Measure B1, she writes, “is a necessary fee that we all must pay to ensure that our transit, streets, sidewalks and highways serve the transportation needs of all, regardless of how you travel.” She responds to the regressive nature of Measure B1 as a sales tax by stating that if it does not pass, lower income communities will be hit the hardest when AC Transit faces $10 million in service cuts.

By providing operation and maintenance funding to transit agencies, Measure B1 will restore AC Transit service to the pre-budget cut level we had in 2007.

September 20, 2012

BART: Livermore extension could hinge on county sales tax: Mercury News coverage

September 17, 2012

Scott Haggerty, Nate Miley and Mark Green: Alameda County needs to approve transportation tax funding: Oakland Tribune, Editorial

In response to the Oakland Tribune’s editorial, officials Haggerty, Miley and Green underlined the importance of passing Measure B1 this November.

“The decreasing amount of state transportation funding coming to our county has been unreliable and insufficient to pay for basic maintenance and infrastructure needs. (…) The county’s transportation sales tax is a reliable and effective way to maintain and improve our transportation system and has been supported by every city in the county, the Board of Supervisors, environmental, business, labor, faith-based and social justice organizations. (…) We cannot lose sight of the critical importance of continuing to improve, maintain, and support our vital transportation networks. People’s jobs — and our county’s economic vitality and strength — depend on it.”

September 14, 2012

Measure B1 Offers Permanent Funding Source for Transportation: The Independent coverage

September 10, 2012

We recommend that voters reject transportation tax: Oakland Tribune, Editorial

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June 2, 2012

Alameda County Leaders Expected to Ask Voters for Tax Hike: Oakland Tribune coverage (no longer available online)

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May 30, 2012 Update:

“Actually, this is a good plan,” stated Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, as he prepared his city council to vote in support of Measure B1, the reauthorization of Alameda County’s Transportation Sales Tax. Your support made a huge difference as the once reluctant Mayor and one or more councilmembers were swayed by our push to get Berkeley on board with the reauthorization. Emails of support from our members, as well as support from labor organizations and other community groups at City Hall, convinced all nine Berkeley city councilmembers to vote Yes in support of Measure B1. Thank you everyone for helping our campaign to increase bike/ped funding 4-fold in Alameda County.

News Coverage of May 29 Berkeley City Council

Council Backs Roadwork Ballot Measure: Berkeley Patch coverage

Council Hears Alameda County Transportation Expenditure Plan: Berkeleyside coverage

May 23, 2012 Update:

After months of being very involved in shaping the spending plan and publishing an extensive analysis of the proposed measure, TransForm officially announced its support and endorsement of the final product, Measure B1.

Transform officially endorses sales tax reauthorization Measure B1, cites “unprecedented funding for bike/ped projects.”

January 26, 2012 Update:

We are delighted to report that on January 26 the Alameda CTC Board approved a total of $883 million for bike/ped projects in an Expenditure Plan for the Measure B transportation sales reauthorization. That’s 11.34% of all funds in the $7.8 billion Plan and in today’s dollars amounts to approximately $22 million/year for bikes and pedestrians, more than four times what the current Measure B allocates. Our coalition of community advocates also won a student bus pass program and a full alternatives analysis for the Livermore connection to BART.

Measure B will allocate more money for bike/ped projects than highway projects – a first!….Art Dao, Executive Director, Alameda CTC

Art Dao, the Executive Director of the Alameda CTC, emphasized to the Board that Measure B’s 11.34% for bike/ped projects is the highest percentage of any transportation sales tax in the region. Mr. Dao also provided a unique perspective on funding priorities: Measure B will allocate more money for bike/ped projects than highway projects – a first! Of course, all this good news requires 2/3rd voter approval come November 2012. You will be hearing a lot more this year about EBBC’s “Yes on Measure B” campaign and how you can help make Alameda County one hecka bike-friendly town.

EBBC cannot thank enough all of the efforts made by our members, supporters and coalition partners to get involved in this hugely important transportation plan and keep the pressure on elected officials to make sure they know their commitments to bike/ped funding has strong community support. Hundreds of EBBC members sent emails and attended Steering Committee meetings, with many speaking so strongly for increased bike/ped funding. Thanks to our collective participation in this process, elected officials agreed in the end that more money to fund bike/ped projects is good for our County and will help build strong voter support for passage of Measure B at the November 2012 ballot.

Measure B Expenditure Plan 2012: Funding Summary

ABC 7 News Coverage of Jan 26 Alameda CTC Board Mtg

Video of the Alameda CTC Board approving Measure B Plan: January 26

Video from the Jan 24 Press Event in Downtown Oakland

Urban Habitat, Transform, Genesis, Greenbelt Alliance, BOSS, ATU and BART’s Union, Senior Advocates for HOPE and Justice, St. Mary’s Center and others hosted a major press event around Measure B on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 12:30pm in front of the offices of the Alameda County Transportation Commission, 1333 Broadway, at 14th Street. Thanks for joining us and making a strong push for a better, strong Measure B, just two days before the ACTC Board vote.

Here are the specific dollar amounts for bike/ped projects in Measure B

• $651 million for dedicated bike/ped project funding
• 15% of Local Streets & Roads funds directed at bikeways and per projects-approximately $232.02 million
• That all Measure B monies will conform to the Complete Streets Policy Requirements of Alameda County, which requires each City in Alameda County to have a Complete Streets policy that includes Elements of an Ideal Complete Streets Policy
• $22 million for a bike/ped bridge over I-80 in Emeryville; $5 million bike/ped under crossing as part of the Gilman interchange in Berkeley; safety improvement on Marin Avenue in Albany; a new Fruitvale Bridge with bike lanes; bike lanes on Lewelling Blvd in San Lorenzo; redesigned Whipple Road/I-880 interchange with bike lanes; Dublin Blvd widening with bike lanes; upgraded State Route 84 with bike lanes in Fremont; and more

In addition, $300 million is allocated to Transit-Oriented Development projects around BART stations, and this program will help construct many Safe Routes to Transit projects for cyclists and pedestrians. Thank you for your support through this process and please join EBBC at the January 26 Alameda CTC Board Mtg. See you there!

Great map of the bike/ped projects Measure B has funded to date

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December 16 Update:

Thanks to a strong showing by our Coalition of Advocates, we succeeded at Friday’s (December 16) full Board Retreat on Measure B, to gain Board support for dedicating 15-20% of the Local Streets & Roads monies for bike/ped projects, bringing dedicated bike/ped funding in Measure B to 11.35-12.35%, or $884-$961 million over 30 years for bike/ped improvements in Alameda County. We also succeeded in securing across the board support for a Countywide Complete Streets Program that ensures that all transportation projects include bike/ped improvements.

Here is the Complete Streets Policy language your Bicycle Coalition is proposing to guide the programming of all Measure B monies:

All transportation improvements in Measure B are opportunities to improve safety, access, and mobility for all travelers in Alameda County and Measure B recognizes bicycle, pedestrian, and transit modes as integral elements of the transportation system. Measure B projects and programs shall provide for the needs of all users of our transportation system by addressing the needs of all users of the transportation system and incorporating improvements for, or minimizing impacts on, all modes of travel. At the same time, Measure B projects and programs will be sensitive to the local context and recognize that the needs vary in urban, suburban, and rural settings.

What do you think of this language? Strong enough? Ideas to make it stronger?

Furthermore, the draft Measure B language includes 7% for Transit-Oriented Development, which will fund many new bike/ped projects around BART Stations in Alameda County.

live streaming from the Alameda CTC Board Retreat

The rapidly growing coalition of community-based organizations will continue to work overtime to deliver a much improved Measure B Reauthorization to the voters of Alameda County for the November 2012 ballot. To date, we have also succeeded to get an additional 2% added to AC Transit funding, a $15 million pilot program for a student bus pass, additional millions for local streets and roads, and to have the final plan approval moved back to January 26, 2012, giving more time to develop support for a better plan.

Read our Bike/Ped Fact Sheet for the Measure B Reauthorization.

Read our Community Vision Platform and learn more about our Coalition Partners at Transform’s Measure B website.

Visit Transform’s Measure B Action Page for additional ways you can help us secure more funding for transit, student bus passes, local streets and roads, and better transit expansion policies.

Currently, the draft Measure B plan includes 8.35% for bike/ped projects and there is support from several local elected officials to dedicate 20% of the Local Streets & Roads money toward repaving bikeways and repairing sidewalks. Overall, we are specifically pushing to have the dedicated bike/ped funding increased to 11.35%, providing an additional $233 million over the next 30 years for bike/ped projects. We are also working with staff at the Alameda CTC to strengthen the guidelines in Measure B requiring all Local Streets and Roads monies to comply with Complete Streets requirements.

And tell your elected official to support the Community Vision Platform:

• Contact the elected representative on the Board of the Alameda County Transportation Commission from your City and let them know you want a ‘fair share for bikes.’
  Albany residents click here

  Oakland residents click here

  Alameda residents click here

  Berkeley residents click here

  San Leandro residents click here

  Volunteer with the East Bay Bicycle Coalition and our on-the-streets team this Fall gathering support for the countywide bike network and a “fair share” for bikes.

Nov 17 Steering Committee a big hit

Cyclists turned out in force Nov 17 and made a strong statement at the Alameda County Transportation Commission for completing the Countywide Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan by providing more funding for the projects that will make bicycling safer and more accessible throughout the County. Our members spoke so well in sharing their stories about the need for better bikeways in their neighborhoods. Many who didn’t get a chance to speak were heard by waving bold bike signs and cheering our team on. In addition, our Coalition partners joined in supporting the Community Vision Platform of the new Measure B that we have have jointly crafted to increase funding for AC Transit buses, provide a student bus pass, significantly up the funding for bike/ped projects, and add more money to fix the potholes in the streets on which you ride. This wonderful energy of over 50 speakers is reminiscent of the original Measure B back in 2000, when so many came together to create a better plan for Alameda.

First, thanks to all of our members who took several hours out of their afternoons to attend the Steering Committee meeting today and speak in support of hundreds of millions of dollars for more bike/ped projects. Thanks to Bonnie, Ashley, Kashif, Karen, Sandra, Ryan, Glenda, Tom, Wynn, Paul, Robert and many more who attended and spoke and waved signs in support of making Alameda County a much better place to bike and walk and use transit. We also thank Tommy and Carolyn of Cycles of Change, Shannon from Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, Colin from Bay Localize, Lindsay of Urban Habitat, Michelle from Genesis, Joel and Manolo from Transform, John from Alameda Transit Advocates, Claire from the Grey Panthers, Warren representing disability advocates, Matt from Greenbelt Alliance, Rebecca from the Hope Collaborative, Pat from the Sierra Club, and many more who filled the conference room to capacity.

Your Bicycle Coalition is continuing to meet with elected officials to gain their support for our Community Vision Platform of Measure B and more money for bikeways. Next up is the Dec 1 (12 noon) meeting of the Steering Committee, when they will make their final recommendation for a draft Measure B, and then the Dec 16 meeting of the full ACTC Board, where the new Measure B will finally be adopted for placing on the November 2012 ballot. If you can attend either the Dec 1 Steering Committee Mtg or the Dec 16 full Board Meeting, we still need your help to make Measure B a success.

Now is our opportunity to fully fund the Countywide Bicycle Plan and the Countywide Pedestrian Plan. The East Bay Bicycle Coalition is asking for up to 20% of Measure B funds to be committed to bike/ped projects as part of the Measure B Reauthorization. Your help in coming weeks is needed to get us there. Can you join help us?

Recent public polling supports bike/ped projects, and many of the elected Steering Committee members do as well, including Kris Worthington of Berkeley, Ruth Atkins of Emeryville, Keith Carson (County Supervisor), Nate Miley (County Supervisor), Rebecca Kaplan of Oakland and Mark Green of Union City as well are supportive of funding bike/ped projects, such as the East Bay Greenway. However, there are many competing demands, including freeways and BART extensions that could eat up most of the money. Your voice can make a huge difference.

Email your Steering Committee representative and tell them you want to fully fund the Countywide Bicycle & Pedestrian Plans in Measure B.

In our Summer newsletter, we asked you to ‘imagine bicycling from Fremont to Oakland on a continuous, separated bike path known as the East Bay Greenway, or imagine a Bike Station at every BART Station with secure bike parking for hundreds of bikes, or imagine bicycling to work from Oakland to San Francisco across the Bay Bridge Pathway.’ We need you to attend an upcoming public workshop and ask the county complete the Countywide Bicycle Plan. There is $7.7 billion available over the next 30 years to fund a range of transportation projects in the County, and the Bicycle Coalition is asked that the Countywide Bicycle Plan be fully funded and completed. You can help.

Background

Alameda County is developing a new transportation sales tax measure to augment and extend Measure B, our existing 20-year transportation sales tax. Back in 2000, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition succeeded in securing 5% of Measure B for bike/ped projects. This money has funded bike lanes in Oakland on Market St, 40th St, and Lakeshore Ave, the Iron Horse Trail in Pleasanton, San Leandro Slough Bay Trail bridge, the Alamo Canal Trail under crossing of I-580 in Dublin, new electronic lockers at BART, pedestrian improvements in the Irvington District of Fremont, and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s own bicycle safety education program. In addition, Measure B has funded nine bicycle and pedestrian plans, which all have identified numerous local bike/ped projects ready for funding by the new Measure B.

With potentially $7.7 billion in additional transportation funding, the new Measure B has the potential to fund hundreds of miles of bikeways in the Countywide Bicycle Plan, and thereby complete an extensive countywide network of safe and inviting bikeways for you to use everyday.

In September, a draft plan will be released for public input, and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition is working with decision-makers now to maximize funding for bike/ped projects in this draft plan. There is strong support for increasing funding for bikeways in the plan, but we want to see the plan complete our countywide bikeway network. With strong support, there could potentially be $4.6-$5.8 billion for walking, bicycling transit and local streets, which can go a long way toward building out a robust bikeway network in Alameda County and make your bike commute safe and enjoyable.

We need all of our members supporting our call to fully fund the Countywide Bicycle & Pedestrian Plans with a fair share for bikes. Can you volunteer to help us secure hundreds of millions for new bike/ped projects?

Renee Rivera

Executive Director

Dave Campbell

Program Director