2016 Measure B Funding moving forward with equity

Thanks to our recent campaign, Santa Clara County’s 2016 Measure B scoring criterion will include points for projects that benefit disadvantaged communities. SVBC worked hard to get $250 million dedicated to Bicycle and Pedestrian projects as part of the 2016 MEASURE B bond. It passed, but the funds were held up due to legal challenges. These were settled late in 2018. Now the program is moving forward. VTA, working with all the cities in the county, has been defining the criterion which VTA will use to decide which projects will be eligible for Measure B funding.When the first draft of the criterion came out in February 2019, SVBC was glad to see that a specific criterion called ‘Target Communities with Specific Needs’ worth up to 5 points out of maximum of 115 points was included as a bonus criterion. This criterion would boost projects in disadvantaged communities. SVBC thinks that disadvantaged communities, identified as ‘Communities of Concern’ according to MTC rules, deserve this extra help. These areas traditionally have received less investment and therefore have a higher need. In addition, there are often more people who are dependent on walking and bicycling to get around in these communities.Over the last few months, this specific criterion came under fire. Some of the representatives from some of the wealthier cities did not support a criterion that would lead to more projects being approved in other poorer cities. SVBC got to work advocating to keep the ‘Target Communities with Specific Needs’ criterion by meeting with city and VTA staff, VTA board members, and anyone else who we thought could influence the decision.The latest draft of the ‘2016 Measure B Bicycle/Pedestrian Capital Projects Competitive Grant Program‘ criterion came out at the beginning of July and we are pleased to report that it still includes ‘Target Communities with Specific Needs’, worth up to 5 points out of a maximum of 120 points. That version was approved by the VTA TAC (city staff representatives) on July 9th and VTA BPAC (city BPAC representatives) on July 10th. Even better, the VTA BPAC recommended the VTA Board increase ‘Target Communities with Specific Needs’ Criteria score up to a maximum of 10 points out of 125 points.  We succeeded in keeping the ‘Target Communities with Specific Needs’ in the plan and we have residents asking the VTA board to give it even more value.  It is a wonderful to have people supporting the implementation of a system that should increase bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure equity over time.The recommendations from the VTA TAC and VTA BPAC will be going to VTA Board for a final decision in August 2019. After the VTA Board decision on the final criterion for the 2016 Measure B Bicycle/Pedestrian Capital Projects Competitive Grant Program, cities will be able to submit projects for funding this fall. Hopefully funds will reach some projects before the end of the year.It has been a long campaign. SVBC started advocating for Measure B long before the vote in November 2016. It will be great to have more funding for more bicycle and pedestrian projects start to flow to our cities. We know that the funding will help increase equity across Santa Clara County because of our efforts.