VTA Workshop Looks at Transportation Sales Tax Measure

 https://youtu.be/zWo4bDsJGow?t=1h11m23sThe Envision Silicon Valley process is moving along and, gauging from the feedback at a recent VTA Board of Directors workshop, a ballot-ready transportation sales tax measure is shaping up. On Friday, April 22, the Board gathered to hear presentations from VTA staff and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, as well as take comment from the public on the proposed measure.The meeting began with a rundown of recent polling results (from the fifth such survey) by Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Things are looking good for the measure, which needs a two-thirds vote to pass, but the measure is not a shoe-in quite yet. Overall, 65% of respondents answered favorably to a proposal that reads:To relieve traffic, repair potholes; shall VTA enact a 30-year half-cent sales tax to:

• Repair streets, fix potholes in all 15 cities;
• Finish the BART extension to downtown San Jose, Santa Clara;
• Improve bicycle/pedestrian safety, especially near schools;
• Increase Caltrain capacity to ease traffic on Highways 85, 101, 280;
• Relieve traffic on all 9 expressways and key highway interchanges;
• Enhance transit for seniors, students, low-income, disabled.

Mandating annual audits by an independent citizens’ watchdog committee to ensure accountability.John Ristow, VTA’s Director of Planning and Program Development, and Scott Haywood, the agency’s Policy and Community Relations Manager updated the board on the two-year process that has transpired in preparation for this measure. Then, they went through the document that everyone has been waiting for – the staff recommended allocations! Really - this is the kind of thing advocates like me get excited about.The VTA staff recommendations were developed over the last couple of years through a process that included discussions with the official stakeholder group (of which SVBC is a member), feedback from the various advisory committees (including the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, on which SVBC serves as an ex-officio member), direct input from members of the community, the Envision Silicon Valley Transportation Challenge (http://www.envisionsv.org/challenge), and close conversations with the business, labor, and advocacy communities. The recommended allocations are as follows:

• $1.5 billion for BART Phase II (continuing Silicon Valley BART through downtown San Jose and into Santa Clara)
• $250 million for bicycle and pedestrian projects. These funds would be distributed through a competitive grant program. VTA staff is recommending a 20% match be required from other sources.
• $300 million for Caltrain capacity improvements.
• $700 million for Caltrain grade separations.
• $750 million for County expressways. This would fund the tier I projects from the County’s Expressway Plan. Staff is recommending this funding include a Complete Streets requirement.
• $750 million for highway interchanges. Staff is recommending this funding include a Complete Streets requirement.
• $1.2 billion for local streets and roads. This allocation category includes the popular-with-voters “pothole repair.” Staff is recommending this funding include a Complete Streets requirement.
• $350 million to relieve traffic congestion along the SR 85 corridor. A policy advisory board is currently identifying project details.
• $450 million for transit operations. This category primarily addresses bus operations in the county, but could potentially also be used to address first and last mile connectivity challenges and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) efforts. Several members of the Board expressed an interest in seeing this category increased to $500 million.

During public comment, I spoke to the importance of the Complete Streets requirements included in the Local Roads, Expressways, and Highway Interchanges categories. The Policy Advisory Committee of VTA had previously voted against including such requirements. But we know that including quality bike and pedestrian infrastructure throughout our roadway network is necessary if we want to see people walking and biking in significant numbers.State, regional, and local goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, getting people out of their cars, and increasing healthy forms of transportation are hollow if we don’t tie funding to policies that make achieving those goals possible. The $250 million currently recommended for bike and pedestrian projects may result in several nice trails, or bridges, or other dedicated facilities. But even the nicest trail must connect to a quality on-road bike network if we are to create a culture where biking for transportation is viewed as a reasonable option. The same goes for pedestrian facilities – too many miles of roadway in this county were paved without a second thought for people walking. We need to make sure that future roadway projects don’t make the same mistake.The Board did not vote at this meeting. Staff will incorporate the Board’s recommendations and further flesh out details in preparation for a vote later this year. If approved, the measure will go on the November ballot. At SVBC, we look forward to supporting a well-rounded measure that can help fund a transportation system that serves all users in an efficient and sustainable way.