On January 26th, the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) approved the Transportation Expenditure Plan to be included in the November ballot measure that would extend the existing half-cent sales tax and augment it with an additional half-cent sales tax in perpetuity. Close to 40 members of the public spoke during the hearing, including many Livermore residents wishing to keep the “BART to Livermore” project intact in the Plan. Opponents of the Plan wanted the language to be less prescriptive to insure that less-costly alternatives to rail, such as rapid bus service, would be considered in the planning process. . Ultimately, the Plan was approved 24-2, with the only vote against the Plan being cast by Supervisor Keith Carson, who holds two votes due to the size of the region that he represents. The Plan has been revised somewhat from the draft that was presented at the December 6th City Council meeting, as a result of direction provided by the Commission at the December Board Retreat as well as by an ad-hoc committee that was formed to meet with several advocacy groups throughout January. The $7.7 billion Plan approved yesterday includes the following investments:
• Public Transit – 48% ($3.7 billion)
• Local Streets & Roads – 30% ($2.3 billion)
• Highway Efficiencies & Freight – 8.7% ($677 million)
• Bicycle and Pedestrian – 8.4% ($651 million)
• Sustainability, Land Use & Technology – 4% ($300 million)
Some key changes since the draft include:
• 15% of Local Streets & Roads investments to support bicycle and pedestrian elements of
projects
• Increase in the AC Transit investment for operations from 15% in the first draft to 18.8%
• 0.5% for BART maintenance
• Stronger commitment to Student Transit Bus Pass Program
• Revisions to the BART to Livermore language to require alternatives analysis
The next step will be to gain approval from at least 50% of the cities representing 50% of the population, as well as the Board of Supervisors, after which time the sales tax measure can be added to the November 2012 ballot. A 2/3 majority will be required for the Plan to pass.
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