Press Releases

For Immediate Release

MTC, Local Residents Develop 11-Point Plan to Improve Mobility for Richmond, San Pablo Area Residents

Pilot Project to Develop Plans for Four More Areas

Contact:

Therese Knudsen
510.817.5767

John Goodwin
510.817.5862

OAKLAND, Calif., April 5, 2004...A trailblazing collaboration between the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), local residents, community-based organizations, BART, AC Transit and the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee (WCCTAC) today announced the completion of a comprehensive plan to expand transportation options for predominantly lower-income residents of Richmond, San Pablo and the unincorporated North Richmond area of Contra Costa County.

The Richmond Area Community-Based Transportation Plan recommends 11 specific steps to address needs such as late-night, early-morning and weekend transportation services; improved bus shelters and benches; and enhanced access to key destinations such as healthcare facilities, grocery stores, schools, daycare centers, and parks and recreation areas. These steps include increasing the number of bus stops and benches, subsidizing taxi or flex-route bus services to provide additional late-night service options, establishing a daytime neighborhood shuttle service for specified trips, providing reduced-fare bus passes or dedicated shuttle services to help meet children’s transportation needs, and creating a community transportation information center.

The next steps will be to prioritize and seek funding for these projects. To that end, a transportation action committee comprised of public agency staff members, Neighborhood House of North Richmond and other community representatives has been established to begin implementing the plan.

To help with this effort, the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee at its January meeting granted $14,250 to Neighborhood House of North Richmond to pursue funding for steps outlined in the plan.

Financed through a $50,000 grant of State Transit Assistance funds from MTC, the Richmond Area plan is the first of five community-based transportation plans being developed through an MTC pilot program to identify and promote innovative and effective solutions to transportation problems in lower-income communities throughout the Bay Area. In the months ahead, MTC will be working with local partners to finalize community-based transportation plans now under development for the city of Napa, East Palo Alto, Dixon, and the South Hayward and Ashland/Cherryland areas of Alameda County.

Working under contract to MTC, San Francisco-based Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates teamed with Neighborhood House of North Richmond to develop the Richmond Area Community-Based Transportation Plan, which focuses on North Richmond, Old Town San Pablo and the Coronado, Santa Fe, Parchester Village and Iron Triangle neighborhoods in Richmond. Neighborhood House led the plan’s community outreach effort.

MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

 

 

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