Transportation 2035

Transportation 2035 Plan:
Change In Motion

Starting in 2007, MTC is undertaking a major update to its regional transportation plan, known as Transportation 2035. Unlike recent plans, which focused first on budgets, this effort will define a vision for what the region’s transportation network should encompass by the year 2035.

Today, the Bay Area possesses a robust, multi-modal transportation system that includes local streets and roads; freeways and expressways; bus, paratransit, ferry and rail services; and bicycle and pedestrian paths. These assets are the dividend paid by billions of dollars of investment over the past several decades; money used for the continuing maintenance, operation and strategic expansion of the regional transportation network. Each of these assets is precious.

Now we must choose how our region grows and how our transportation network supports this growth. Our fundamental challenges will in many ways continue to center around how to keep our roads and transit systems in good repair, how to squeeze more efficiency out of our system, and how to build the most cost-effective new infrastructure where needed. But on the horizon are new challenges to meet and new questions that must be answered:

• How should we direct scarce resources to provide the infrastructure to support communities primed for higher housing growth?
• How should we reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation sources and respond to the effects of global warming already underway?
• How should we harness the power of the marketplace and cutting-edge technology to deal with congestion?
• How do we make policy and investment choices that yield equitable benefits to all residents?
  

The Bay Area transportation network is a fortune inherited from previous generations. Now we stand at the proverbial fork in the road. We can continue to live off of our inheritance or establish a new legacy for generations yet to come. We can inspire, innovate and implement an integrated, efficient regional transportation system that is safe, reliable and secure; supports both economic development and focused land use patterns, and makes wise use of our limited resources. A shared vision of the region’s future ought to center not just on what’s past and present but what’s possible, too.

Which Future?

MTC, partner agencies and stakeholders are working together to define the various elements of the vision for the Transportation 2035 Plan. To help inform policy and investment strategies for the vision, MTC staff proposes to assess three different investment options in terms of their ability to support the region’s future growth.

• June 2007 Planning Committee memoranda

 

For more information on the Transportation 2035 Plan, contact Ashley Nguyen at anguyen@mtc.ca.gov