Ferryriders
Rejoice!
SB 916 Enacted: March 2004 Primary Ballot to
Give Voters
Chance to Expand Commute Options
Bay
Area voters will get a chance to take regional mobility issues into
their own hands now that outgoing Governor Gray Davis has signed
Senate Bill 916 into law. The bill, authored by East Bay Senator Don
Perata, places a regional traffic relief plan on the March 2, 2004
ballot in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo,
Santa Clara, and Solano counties. The plan would be funded through a
$1 toll increase on the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges,
and is expected to raise approximately $125 million annually to
address congestion relief and enhance the convenience and
reliability of the region’s public transit system in the vicinity
of bridge corridors.
"At a time when
infrastructure dollars are so scarce, this bill will help to
jumpstart major projects that have been a long time coming. Senator
Perata should be commended for bringing together so many different
groups and working so many different transportation solutions into
the mix," said MTC Chair Steve Kinsey.
Transit projects in the plan
include seismic retrofit of the Transbay BART tube, the Transbay
Terminal Project in San Francisco, and BART capacity improvements in
Contra Costa County and Alameda counties. Other rail improvements
include expansion of Caltrain service along the Peninsula and the
introduction of service over a rehabilitated Dumbarton rail bridge
that would connect BART, Caltrain, Capitol Corridor, and ACE. The
plan also would contribute funds to improvements to several freeway
bottlenecks, including the Interstate 80/Interstate 680 interchange
in Solano County, a fourth bore for the Caldecott Tunnel, and the
completion of funding for the new span of the Benicia Bridge. The
plan would fund express bus infrastructure, and bus feeder service
to the regional transit network as well.
In addition to capital
investments, the plan provides an infusion of operating funds for
commuter rail, express and enhanced bus, and ferry service,
recognizing that operating funds for regional transit are a critical
element in improving service. The plan dedicates to transit
operations up to 38 percent of total annual revenues. This funding
would total $1.63 billion over the first 35 years. Funds would be
designated to specific transit agencies to operate transbay routes
including service over six Bay Area toll bridges. The transit
services receiving operating funds include:
() Dumbarton Rail: $5.5 million
annually
() Ferry Service: $15.3 million
annually
() Express Bus (North, Central and
South Bay): $12.3 million annually
() AC Transit: $3 million annually
() San Francisco Muni: $2.5
million annually
() Night Owl Bus Service: $1.8
million annually
According to MTC Manager for
Legislation and Public Affairs, Randy Rentschler, "Bay Area
residents understand that investment in transportation
infrastructure is necessary for us to maintain our unique quality of
life. In 1988, 70 percent of voters supported Regional Measure 1 to
bring all tolls up to $1 to fund various bridge and transit
improvements. We’re hopeful that we’ll see a repeat of that
support next March."
For details on the specific
projects included in SB 916, go to MTC’s web site at http://www.mtc.ca.gov/whats_happening/legislative_update/SB_916.htm.
MTC is the regional transportation
planning, financing, and coordinating agency for the nine-county San
Francisco Bay Area.