Executive Director's Report

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEVE HEMINGER’S REPORT TO THE
COMMISSION MEETING OF JUNE 23, 2010

SUMMARY OF EVENTS:

Biggest Bike to Work Day Yet
May 13

Bay Area streets and trails were filled with bikes on May 13 for Bike to Work Day. Participation across the region was up by as much as 10 percent compared to last year, according to our Bike to Work Day consultant Andrew Casteel, who is also the executive director of the Bay Area Bicycle Coalition. Commissioner Ken Yeager once again was an enthusiastic participant, bicycling not only to his office, but then another 12 miles to a local event that he was appearing at. We chronicled his day in a YouTube-style video.

Governor Names New Caltrans Director
Sacramento, May 27

Governor Schwarzenegger named Cindy McKim as his third director of the California Department of Transportation. Cindy has previously served as chief deputy and CFO for Caltrans, and we join her many friends in the state’s transportation community in congratulating her on this appointment. In a related development, Cindy has named Malcolm Dougherty as her chief deputy. Malcolm was previously Director of Caltrans District 6. Press release

Gateway Park Workshop
Oakland, June 2

We co-hosted another workshop on the proposed park at the foot of the new Bay Bridge east span with our partners at Caltrans, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and the East Bay Regional Parks District. We are certainly gratified by the high level of public interest in the project, but also somewhat daunted by the scale (and potential expense) of some of the planning concepts being discussed. We expect to make a presentation to the BATA Oversight Committee in the near future to solicit the views of commissioners in this ongoing public dialogue. More info

Strategic Facility Planning Committee
San Francisco, June 2

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Board of Directors has created a Strategic Facilities Planning Committee to be composed of the chair, vice chair, and executive director of the Air District, MTC, and ABAG that will oversee exploration of the potential for a new joint headquarters for the three regional agencies. After a competitive selection process including consultation with MTC and ABAG staff, the Air District has awarded a contract to CB Richard Ellis to provide advisory services in the effort. We hope to complete this exploratory phase of the work by the end of the calendar year.

Clipper Launch Event
San Francisco, June 16

Chair Haggerty and Vice Chair Tissier were featured speakers at a press event in front of the Balclutha sailing ship at the Hyde Street Pier to officially launch the Clipper smart card for public transit. The former TransLink program has a new name, new color, and new momentum as the current 60,000 daily transactions are expected to grow to several times that volume by the end of 2011 due to implementation of the fare transition plans that the region’s major transit operators will carry out in the coming months. In a bittersweet note, it was announced later in the day that the emcee for our event – Golden Gate Transit General Manager Celia Kupersmith – will soon be leaving the Bay Area to take up an executive position with Sound Transit in Seattle. We wish Celia all the best in her new role and new city.

First Tower Sections Set Sail, Shanghai, June 18

The four massive sections of the tower base for the self-anchored suspension (SAS) element of the new Bay Bridge have left China and are scheduled to arrive in San Francisco Bay by mid-July. Photos

Factoid of the Month

I occasionally provide the commission with a data point or trend line that emerges from our research work here at MTC. This month’s factoid is really startling. During the region’s long economic expansion following World War II (1950-1990), the Bay Area added jobs at an average rate of nearly 4% per year. In the two decades since that time (1990-2010) during which the region has weathered three major recessions, our average annual job growth rate has slowed to a meager 0.4%. One of the major questions looming before us as we prepare to commence our work on the Transportation 2040 Plan is: how many jobs will we be adding in the next 30 years?

Map of the Month

The map of the month shows a transportation availability index which is comprised of measures of auto availability in 2000, transit service frequency in 2009, and walkability in 2006. Standard scores were developed for each measure by census block. The standard score is expressed as the number of standard deviations away from the mean or average. A standard score value greater than 0 is above the regional average and indicates greater access to a combination of automobiles, transit and walking as viable transportation options.

• Transportation Availability Index (PDF)

MTC Operational Statistics

The monthly report on the performance of MTC’s operating programs:

• MTC Operational Statistics (PDF)

Upcoming Events

June 24 — CARB Hearing on SB 375, Sacramento
June 30 — Francis Chin Retirement Party, Oakland
July 1 — Toll Hike Takes Effect on State-owned Bridges