Our campaign to get the best deal for bicycling in the voter-approved Santa Clara County Measure B sales tax had another win last week. In a unanimous vote, the Board of Directors approved San José Mayor Sam Liccardo’s motion to require an assessment of the education and encouragement sub-program of the bicycle and pedestrian category.

A recent VTA Board of Directors decision to delay approving the Measure B program guidelines means that the money from the measure will likely take a couple of extra months to start flowing. But it also gives advocates like SVBC and our members another chance to push for some tweaks to the guidelines. In particular, we want to make sure that the money earmarked for education and encouragement programs (anything from Safe Routes to School bike rodeos to open streets events like Viva CalleSJ) is spent wisely. And that means monitoring those programs to see what works and what doesn’t.

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is moving closer to finalizing the guidelines for each of the nine Measure B program categories, including the Bicycle and Pedestrian category, which is projected to distribute $250 million for active transportation planning, education, encouragement, and capital projects over the next 30 years. On Friday, April 21, the VTA Board of Directors will hold a workshop to get an update on the program and provide staff with feedback.

Next Wednesday, February 8, 2017, VTA’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee will discuss draft guidelines for the 2016 Measure B Bicycle and Pedestrian Program. You're encouraged to attend the meeting or submit your comments and questions to VTA ahead of time.

The campaign for Measure B - the Santa Clara County transportation sales tax that we've been working on and writing about for the past couple of years - is in full swing. As the public outreach process begins, SVBC is working double-duty, helping to promote the measure while also working with Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) to craft Complete Streets policies that will ensure the money significantly benefits people who walk, ride bikes, and take transit.