Shaping Implementation of San Mateo County's Measure W Transportation Dollars

In 2018, SVBC helped to pass Measure W, a half-cent sales tax for transportation in San Mateo County. The San Mateo County Transportation Authority (TA) will manage fifty percent of the measure (SamTrans will receive the other 50% for transit projects). Currently, the TA is determining how to best evaluate projects via the Strategic Plan process for 2020-2024. The Strategic Plan will impact how Measure W and Measure A (the previous transportation ballot measure in SMC) will be spent.Measure A has granted $2 million every two years for bike and pedestrian projects in San Mateo County. We are excited that now that amount will increase to $14.6 million every two years for the bike/ped category, with additional projects being funded as part of larger roadway projects in other categories.Priorities for the Strategic PlanSVBC was involved in the development of Measure W on the Stakeholder Advisory Group last year and is now serving on the Stakeholder Group for the Strategic Plan. There were eleven core principles included in the ballot measure to guide funding, which SVBC and TEAMC (our collaboration of non-profit partners working on the measure) worked hard to develop. Here is what we are working on for the implementation of Measure W:

• Ensure that all funding categories comply with the best Complete Streets standards so that highway interchanges, grade separations, and local roads include high quality biking and walking facilities
• Offer Complete Streets training for city and county staff
• Repaving: recommend that cities review all paving projects for opportunities for biking and walking improvements, particularly in alignment with an adopted Bike/Ped or other Transportation Plan
• Include scoring to prioritize projects in disadvantaged communities (see more about our interest in this with Santa Clara County’s Measure B)
• Prioritize safety by focusing on projects that are in areas with higher collision rates

Opportunities to have a say in how these funds are spentThere’s a short survey open through July 15 that asks which principles you think should weigh more strongly in each funding category. SVBC and TEAMC think that all of the principles that were a part of the ballot measure should apply to all funding categories. The survey exercise asks you to select six principles for each funding category. Here are the ones that SVBC is most interested in promoting:

1. Incorporate the inclusion and implementation of complete street policies and other strategies that encourage safe accommodation of all people using the roads, regardless of mode of travel
2. Enhance safety & public health
3. Incentivize Transit, Bicycle, Pedestrian, Carpooling and Shared Ride Options over Driving Alone
4. Facilitate the Reduction of Vehicle Miles Travelled, Travel Times and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
5. Maximize Traffic Reduction Potential Associated with the Creation of New Housing Opportunities in High-Quality Transit Corridors
6. Implement environmentally-friendly transportation solutions and projects that incorporate green stormwater infrastructure and plan for climate change

Public Meetings to provide input:

• Saturday, June 15, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Half Moon Bay Coastside Farmers’ Market, Shoreline Station, Half Moon Bay
• Sunday, June 16, 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Burlingame Farmers’ Market, Park and Burlingame Avenues, Burlingame
• Thursday, June 20, 6:00 p.m., Pacifica Community Center Auditorium, 540 Crespi Drive, Pacifica
• Tuesday, June 25, 6:00 p.m., Menlo Park Senior Center Ballroom, 110 Terminal Avenue, Menlo Park
• Thursday, June 27, 6:30 p.m., Municipal Building Social Hall, 33 Arroyo Drive, South San Francisco

Let’s make the implementation of this measure the best it can be!