Bicycles Get Their Own Regional Plan

Faced with increasing traffic congestion in the Bay Area, one option is to bicycleand this is just what more and more people in the region have been doing. Bicycles have moved beyond recreational use, and now are regularly used for traveling to work, shopping and social events. However, until recently all the planning for bicycles was done locally or by individual transit districts. This has changed with the completion of the Regional Bicycle Plan as part of the Regional Transportation Plan adopted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC).

The goal of the plan is to ensure that bicycling is a convenient, safe and practical means of transportation throughout the Bay Area for all the region's residents. It was designed with the assistance of an oversight committee drawn from staff members of congestion management agencies, cities, transit agencies, Caltrans, the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and representatives of local bicycle advocacy groups.

Through workshops and contacts with county bicycle advisory committees, several issues were identified for regional attention.

• Continuous connections are needed between parts of the region in the form of bicycle lanes, bus bridges or other accommodations.
• Links with transit still need improvement, including on-board accommodations, access to transit and parking at transit stations.
• Information about existing facilities, such as maps and signage, is often inadequate for riders, especially those from other parts of the region.
• Both drivers and bicyclists need better education on sharing the road.

A recent directive from Caltrans states that bicyclists must be considered in all Caltrans planning and project development activities. One objective of the Regional Bicycle Plan is to provide MTC endorsement of that policy throughout the regional transportation system, and to involve other jurisdictions, transit agencies and the public in implementing it as well.

The plan designates a Regional Bicycle Network (RBN), drawing on routes identified in the countywide bicycle plans within the region. It is defined by transportation corridor, rather than by specific alignment. The recommended bikeways were selected based on five criteria:

• Connections to every incorporated city and town, to unincorporated areas of over 5000 people, and between the Bay Area and other regions.
• Connections to the regional transit system, including multi-modal terminals, ferry terminals, BART and other commuter rail stations, and Amtrak.
• Connections to major activity centers, such as universities, hospitals, parks, sports facilities, and shopping malls.
• Access to, around and through the major central business districts of the region.
• Overlap with the Bay Trail system (existing, planned or proposed).

Currently, the total cost to complete the corridor projects contained in the plan is estimated at $675 million, excluding the cost of the bikeway on the new east span of the Bay Bridge. Over the next 25 years, MTC estimates that $577 million will be available for bicycle projects in the Bay Area, with cities and counties receiving $463 million of those funds. The remaining $114 million is discretionary funding identified in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) for bicycle projects which support the RBN. Projects would be selected locally, but regional discretionary funds, from the federal Surface Transportation Program/Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (STP/CMAQ), will go to fund RBN projects and programs.

Many bicycle advocates feel the best way to make progress would be through a regional discretionary set-aside for the Regional Bicycle Network, by taking a portion of the STP/CMAQ funds for RBN projects before other allocations are made. However, this would impact other projects on the RTP's Track 1 list. MTC plans to reconsider the set-aside option when the RTP is revised in 2004.

Meanwhile, the passage of Proposition 42 on the March ballot will result in additional funding for transportation, some of which may be used by local jurisdictions to support the RBN. In addition, by working to incorporate bicycle facilities into ongoing road improvement projects, MTC can continue to increase the bicycle projects being built.

A Regional Bicycle Working Group is also being formed by MTC to oversee activities recommended in the plan to support bicycling safety and ongoing planning efforts. These include data gathering, analysis and reporting on users and accidents; working with transit operators on access, parking, and on-board issues; and increasing the information available through maps, trip-planning, agency training sessions, and Bike-to-Work activities.

Bicycles are a low-cost, energy-efficient, non-polluting and healthy way to travel. Over the past decade bicycle advocates have worked to increase awareness of the potential for bicycling as transportation both within their own ranks and with local and regional officials. Their efforts have resulted in bicycle racks on buses throughout the region (see September/October 1999 issue), increased bicycle accommodations on BART, miles of bicycle lanes and the inclusion of a bicycle lane in the plans for the new Bay Bridge east span. The Regional Bicycle Plan is another step, placing bicycles firmly in the picture as part of the regional transportation network.

For more information: Trent Lethco, MTC, 510-464-7737, tlethco@mtc.ca.us

May is Clean Air Month. It's time to participate in California Bike Commute Week (formerly Bike to Work Week) May 13-17, particularly Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 16. Bicyclists can register to participate (and enter a drawing for prizes) online at http://www.btwd.org or by calling 800-755-7665.