Executive Director's Report

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEVE HEMINGER’S REPORT TO THE
COMMISSION MEETING OF JUNE 27, 2007

SUMMARY OF EVENTS:

Visit of Indian Development Minister
Oakland, May 24

Together with our partners at BART and AC Transit, we hosted a visit from Mr. S. Jaipal Reddy, Honorable Minister for Urban Development, Government of India.

BRT Forum
Oakland, May 30

I made brief remarks at a forum on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) sponsored by AC Transit at Oakland City Hall. Commissioner Bates also was in attendance.

Tribal Governments Summit
Santa Rosa, June 5

Commissioners Blanchard and Sartipi, ABAG Executive Director Henry Gardner, and I attended a summit meeting with Bay Area Native American tribes to discuss MTC’s forthcoming Transportation 2035 planning process and ABAG’s Focus program.

Alix Bockelman Named “Woman of the Year”
San Francisco, June 12

Commissioners Dodd, Rubin and Spering joined several MTC staff in feting Alix Bockelman at a dinner where she was honored as the “Woman of the Year” for the Bay Area Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar. As you all are well aware, the honor was richly deserved.

• Press Release: Transportation Group Names MTC's Bockelman Woman of the Year

Urban Partnership Finalists Announced
Washington DC, June 14

MTC’s application on behalf of the San Francisco Bay Area was selected as one of nine finalists by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for funding in the newly created Urban Partnership Program (UPP). The program was established by Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters to encourage the implementation of congestion pricing and other innovative approaches to tackling traffic congestion in the nation’s urban areas.

On June 22nd, Lisa Klein and I joined our partners from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and VTA in interviews with Secretary Peters and her senior staff. U.S. DOT expects to announce up to five UPP winners in early August.

Smart Parking Seminar
Oakland, June 14

Commissioners Bates and Spering joined over 125 participants including local elected officials, real estate developers, and community advocates at an MTC-sponsored forum on parking policies that promote more compact growth patterns for the Bay Area. Many thanks to MTC planner Valerie Knepper for her help in organizing this event.

Muni Funding Panel

San Francisco, June 14

I attended the first meeting of an advisory panel formed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to address the financial condition of the San Francisco Municipal Railway. The group is expected to meet twice a month and issue its report by December 2007.

CMA Directors Meeting
Oakland, June 15

I met with the nine directors of the region’s congestion management agencies (CMAs) to discuss four topics: the Proposition 1B Regional Transit Funding proposal, initial steps in developing the Transportation 2035 long-range plan, a phasing plan for the region’s State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) priorities, and state legislation on greenhouse gas reductions.

Top Ten List Released
Oakland, June 18

Commissioners Haggerty and Sartipi released the annual list of the region’s ten most congested freeway locations at a press event jointly sponsored by MTC and Caltrans. The two big stories were that (1) daily vehicle hours of delay on the Bay Area’s freeways grew in 2006 for the third straight year as the region continues its economic expansion; and (2) the “top ten” list was largely unchanged from last year, with the I-80 approach to the Bay Bridge claiming its perennial place atop the list.

• Press Release: Bay Area Freeway Congestion Up for Third Straight Year in 2006

SAFETEA Commission Meeting
Washington DC, June 20-21

I attended the regular monthly meeting of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, where we discussed issues related to energy policy, public private partnerships, and various financial scenarios for improving performance on the nation’s transportation networks. The meeting included an information-sharing session with representatives from organizations affiliated with state and local governments, such as the National Governor’s Association, National League of Cities, and National Association of Counties.

Tom Margro Retirement Dinner
San Francisco, June 22

Commissioners Spering and Worth, former MTC executive director Larry Dahms, and several senior MTC staff attended the “retirement” dinner for departing BART general manager Tom Margro. The quotation marks in the last sentence refer to the fact that Tom already has accepted a position to head the Transportation Corridor Agencies that operate toll roads in Orange County. We wish him well in his new position, where he will continue to interact with MTC in our role as the Bay Area Toll Authority.

World Conference on Transportation Research
UC Berkeley, June 24-28

Commissioner Bates and I spoke at the opening session of this international gathering of transportation researchers, which is being held in the United States for the first time. Several other MTC staff are presenters or panelists at the event, including Randy Rentschler and Melanie Crotty.

Map of the Month

This month’s map isn’t a map, but a cover shot from the June issue of Popular Mechanics featuring the self-anchored suspension element of the new east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The cover story focuses on mega-projects that involve “building the world’s tallest, deepest, biggest, toughest projects.” Don’t we know it!

• Popular Mechanics June 2007 cover (PDF)

MTC Operational Statistics (PDF)

Upcoming Events

June 29 — Bay Area Partnership, Oakland

July 15-21 — Rockefeller Foundation Urban Summit, Bellagio, Italy

July 24-25 — Federal Certification Review, Oakland

July 25-26 — SAFETEA Commission, Washington DC