Transportation Report for 12 March 2007 meeting

1) Action Item: Safe Routes to School support letter needed!
I would like to ask the Santa Barbara Group to approve sending a letter based on the
request from Deb Hubsmith tagged on below

2) The Community Environmental Council (CEC) held a meeting on February 26 seeking input
on the Transportation chapter of their Fossil Free by 2033 publication.

Several people raised the exact concerns that I raised at our ExecComm meeting last month:
That the CEC's vision of transportation is extremely limited and ignores the enormous
potential of non-automobile solutions.

Tam Hunt took careful notes and issued a report summarizing our comments.

Another meeting is planned for an unspecified date soon.

3) The current Hope Dance Magazine has a far more visionary presentation in their
current issue. It is devoted entirely to the issue of transportation, particularly
relating transportation to climate change and energy issues.

They give great emphasis to non-automotive solutions.

4) More Measure D discussion at SBCAG and in the media.
SBCAG defeated the option of a fuel tax recommended by Supervisor Brooks Firestone.
Firestone was not present at the meeting.

The next meeting of SBCAG will be in Santa Maria on March 15. They will discuss a
new Measure D for the 2008 ballot.

The March 8 Montecito Journal had a detailed analysis of Measure D options.
They conclude:
"But indications so far show Measure D has an uphill travel on the road of approval. Early SBCAG predictions report that the measure needs more than 75% approval from the South Coast and more than 50% from North County, taking into account that about 20% of the electorate will vote against any tax measure."

5) MTD began a new schedule on March 5. Most notable was an increase in frequency
on the #6/#11 line that provides local service between Goleta and downtown Santa Barbara.
During the morning and afternoon commute hours, frequency is now 20 minutes for each,
meaning that on the route from Old Town Goleta to downtown Santa Barbara, frequency
is now 10 minutes!

A similar change was made for the Eastside/Westside routes within Santa Barbara.

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From: Deb Hubsmith [mailto:saferoutes@bikesbelong.org] 
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2007 4:53 PM
To: saferoutes@bikesbelong.org
Subject: Support needed for AB 57: Safe Routes to School California program


Dear Friend,

 The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is writing to ask for your help.  We need your assistance to pass AB 57 (Soto), California’s Safe Routes to School bill.  AB 57 will be heard on March 26 in the Assembly Transportation Committee, and letters of support are needed right now.  

 
Please take the time to:

Send a letter of support from your organization 
Encourage your local city, County, CMA and/or MPO to support AB 57 
 
All of the information you need (including a fact sheet, sample letter of support, and a link to the recent Caltrans report) are included on the Safe Routes to School National Partnership’s website:  http://bikesbelong.org/page.cfm?PageID=391  Please send a letter from your organization ASAP —this should only take 10 minutes if you use our sample letter.

Landmark legislation authored by Assembly member Nell Soto in 1999 made California the first state to establish a Safe Routes to School funding program.  This propelled national awareness about the program and sparked the campaign to get Safe Routes to School included in the federal transportation bill SAFETEA-LU.  Assembly member Soto authored subsequent legislation for Safe Routes in 2002 and 2004, and she is leading the charge again this year to permanently remove the sunset date for the program.

If AB 57 does not pass, then California’s state funding for Safe Routes to School will end.  In fact, if AB 57 doesn’t pass, after 2007, there is no other dedicated funding on the horizon for Safe Routes to School in California (as our state will have programmed all of the new federal funds by then).

It is critically important for the future of Safe Routes to School in California AND for the whole nation, that we pass AB 57.  A recent report produced by Caltrans shows that the program is very popular, and is getting more kids walking and bicycling, while injuries and fatalities are declining.  We must continue Safe Routes to School in California for the health and safety of our children.

By sending your letter of support, and encouraging other organizations as well as government agencies to send support letters, you will be doing a tremendous amount to help protect and expand Safe Routes to School.

Thank you in advance, and please let me know if you have any questions.  The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is the official sponsor for this bill. 

Sincerely,

Deb Hubsmith, Coordinator
Safe Routes to School National Partnership
P.O. Box 663
Fairfax, CA 94978
(415) 454-7430
saferoutes@bikesbelong.org
http://bikesbelong.org/