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TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE


September 2001
Regional Transportation Plan

Where Do We Want to Be in 2025?

Draft 2001 Regional Transportation Plan for the Bay Area Available Now
You don't have to be a policy wonk to get into the Draft 2001 Regional Transportation Plan, released by MTC in early August. Featuring an attractive green cover, striking full-page photos and color-coded tabs, the report is designed to be inviting and user friendly. It's also chock full of information about Bay Area travel and growth trends (see story), and provides a comprehensive listing of how MTC and partner agencies propose to spend the $82 billion in local, regional, state and federal transportation money expected to flow to the nine-county region over the next 25 years.

The draft plan directly responds to many of the concerns raised during an extensive public outreach campaign that included 29 workshops, a number of them targeted at low-income communities. Many participants said they would ride public transit more often if some of the obstacles were removed and if buses, trains and ferries ran more frequently. Accordingly, the plan devotes a full 80 percent of available funding to the Bay Area's public transit network.

Many members of the public also called for squeezing more efficiency out of our existing transportation network. They'll be happy to know that system operation and management is a common thread that runs through the draft. For instance, the plan generously funds the congestion-busting Freeway Service Patrol free tow-truck service as well as a technical assistance program that helps cities and counties synchronize and modernize traffic signals.

Again and again, MTC heard that policymakers need to connect land use with transportation investments. In response, the draft triples funding for the Transportation for Livable Communities Program and the newly established Housing Incentive Program, two interrelated grant programs designed to create walkable, transit-oriented communities while fostering higher-density housing near bus and rail hubs.

These are just some highlights of the Draft 2001 Regional Transportation Plan. For more details, see the separately published overview, or the full report. And let us know what you think. (To comment, attend one of the scheduled public hearings. To order the overview or the full document, contact the MTC/ABAG library at 510.817.5836 library@mtc.ca.gov.)

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