The ABCs of MTC
Your Guide to
the Bay Area’s
Transportation
Planning,
Financing and
Coordinating Agency
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
COMMISSIONERS
Bill Dodd, Chair
Napa County and Cities
Scott Haggerty, Vice Chair
Alameda County
Tom Ammiano
City and County of San Francisco
Tom Azumbrado
U. S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development
Tom Bates
Cities of Alameda County
Bob Blanchard
Sonoma County and Cities
Dean J. Chu
Cities of Santa Clara County
Dave Cortese
Association of Bay Area Governments
Dorene M. Giacopini
U. S. Department of Transportation
Federal D. Glover
Contra Costa County
Anne W. Halsted
San Francisco Bay Conservation
and Development Commission
Steve Kinsey
Marin County and Cities
Sue Lempert
Cities of San Mateo County
Jon Rubin
San Francisco Mayor’s Appointee
Bijan Sartipi
State Business, Transportation
and Housing Agency
James P. Spering
Solano County and Cities
Adrienne J. Tissier
San Mateo County
Amy Worth
Cities of Contra Costa County
Ken Yeager
Santa Clara County
The ABCs of MTC
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
October 2007
Your Guide to
the Bay Area’s
Transportation
Planning,
Financing and
Coordinating Agency
Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter
101 Eighth Street
Oakland, California 94607
510.817.5700 PHONE
510.817.5769 TDD/ TTY
510.817.5848 FAX
info@ mtc. ca. gov E- MAIL
www. mtc. ca. gov WEB
Altamont
Commuter
Express
Caltrain
Amtrak
Capitol
Corridor
Caltrain
Amtrak
Capitol
Corridor
San
Mateo
Marin
Sonoma
Napa
Solano
Contra
Costa
Alameda
Santa Clara
380
980
580
238
101
101
101
101
101
505
80
780
580
580
680
280
280
580
680
880
80
80
29
29
29
121
121
37
24
37
12
12
12
12
113
116
13
4
9 85
35
130
87
237
82
1
152
152
17
35
92
238
92
84
84
84
4
4
1
116
128
128
128
116
San
Rafael
Novato Rio
Vista
Livermore
Brentwood
Antioch
Walnut
Creek
Concord
Morgan Hill
San Jose
Half
Moon
Bay
San Francisco
San
Mateo
Hayward
Berkeley
Palo
Alto
Los
Gatos
Pleasanton
Fremont
Gilroy
Oakland
Richmond
Vallejo
Fairfield
Vacaville
Napa
St. Helena
Healdsburg
Petaluma
Santa
Rosa
Highway
VTA Light Rail
Ferry Route
SF Muni Light Rail
Ferry Terminal
Seaport
Airport
Commuter Rail ( Altamont
Commuter Express, Amtrak
Capitol Corridor, Caltrain)
Bus Route
BART
Major Features of
the Bay Area
Transportation System
101
280
92
Street base map © Thomas Bros. Maps. All rights reserved.
N
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 Welcome to MTC
4 You Already Know MTC
6 Bay Area Transportation Basics
8 Who We Are
9 What Does MTC Do?
11 What Does BATA Do?
12 How Does MTC Work?
16 Planning for the Future
16 Regional Transportation Plan
16 Regional Transit Expansion Program
( Resolution 3434)
19 Fast Facts
20 The Funding Pipeline
20 Ongoing Operations and Maintenance
21 System Efficiency
21 Strategic Expansion and Capital Investments
22 Where Does the Funding Come From?
24 Major Transportation Funding Sources
26 How Do Transportation Projects Get Funded?
28 Evolution of a Project
30 Getting Involved With MTC
33 Making the Local Connection
34 Bay Area “ Transportationese”
Have You Heard of Us?
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission ( MTC)
may not be as well known to you as your local transit
agency, but what we do touches your life each time you
leave home to travel around the nine- county San Francisco
Bay Area. Our job is to make sure the regional transporta-tion
network functions smoothly and efficiently, and to
plan responsibly to meet the future mobility needs of our
growing population.
The purpose of this book is to introduce our agency to you,
and to provide you with an inside look at how transportation
polices take shape and regional decisions are made. Even more
important, we show how you can take part in this process.
2 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Welcome to MTC
Have We Heard From You?
As a public agency that helps to fund transportation projects
in the region, MTC invites and encourages public participation.
We want to know what you think. We want you to share with
us your ideas for improving Bay Area transportation, and
we want to know what steps
you think we should take to
make this happen.
With many needs and limited funding, transportation pro-grams
and projects rely on public input and the support that
comes through an open, inclusive process. We urge you to
become part of that process and to make your views known.
This guide can’t tell you all that MTC does, but it opens the
door and invites you to become better acquainted with
our projects and programs. Please join us as we strive to
accomplish our mission: to keep the Bay Area moving.
The ABCs of MTC 3
Help us keep the
Bay Area moving.
You Already Know MTC
4 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
hether or not you associate them with us, you’re probably familiar with some
of the services MTC offers to the Bay Area traveling public. Here are a few
of the higher- profile initiatives we have undertaken to improve operations and
enhance the efficiency of our regional transportation network.
Launched by MTC in 2002, 51 1 is a 24- hour, toll- free phone
and Web service ( 51 1. org) that consolidates Bay Area trans-portation
information into a one- stop resource. 51 1 provides
up- to- the- minute information on traffic conditions, incidents
and driving times; schedule, route and fare information for
dozens of public transportation services; instant carpool and
vanpool referrals; bicycle routes and more.
511 Traveler Information
FasTrak ® is the electronic toll collection system used on the
Bay Area’s seven state- owned toll bridges and the Golden
Gate Bridge. The Bay Area Toll Authority ( BATA), an arm of
MTC, manages marketing and customer service operations
for FasTrak ® — which by eliminating the need for commuters
to stop and pay tolls helps to improve traffic flow and reduce
congestion- related pollution at bridge toll plazas.
FasTrak ®
MTC is leading the effort to have one “ universal” ticket —
called TransLink ® — to pay fares on all Bay Area public transit
systems. TransLink ® went into service in the fall of 2006 on
AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit buses and ferries. Over
the next four years, this “ smart” fare card will be accepted
on Muni, BART, Caltrain, SamTrans, VTA and all other transit
systems in the region.
TransLink ® Smart Card
W
The ABCs of MTC 5
Sponsored by the MTC Service Authority for Freeways and
Expressways ( SAFE) in partnership with Caltrans and the
California Highway Patrol ( CHP), the Bay Area’s Freeway
Service Patrol ( FSP) is a fleet of roving tow trucks that are on
the lookout for stalls and accidents during peak commute
hours. Today, 83 trucks patrol some 500 miles of the region’s
most congested freeways. On average, FSP drivers stop more
than 10,000 times a month to rescue stranded motorists, clear
dangerous road debris, tag abandoned vehicles and otherwise
help make the Bay Area’s freeways safer and less congested.
Freeway Service Patrol
The bright yellow, solar- powered call boxes you see along
Bay Area highways are there courtesy of MTC SAFE,
Caltrans and the CHP. Some 2,100 roadside call boxes are in
operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The call boxes
provide motorists with a direct line to dispatchers, allowing
them to report a road hazard, a flat tire or a mechanical
breakdown. Some 30,000 calls for help are made annually
from the roadside boxes.
Call Boxes
Published by MTC, this free, pocket- sized guide includes
directions to 250 popular destinations in the nine- county
region that are easily reached by bus, ferry or rail. Getting
There on Transit features 15 full- color regional and local maps
( including close- ups of downtowns) showing routes offered by
37 bus, rail and ferry operators; a directory of special taxi and
van services for elderly and disabled riders; and connections
to the Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose airports.
Getting There on Transit
f there is one characteristic that
defines Bay Area residents, it’s
our desire to go places. Whether
it’s around the block or around the Bay —
walking, bicycling, driving or riding public
transit — we are footloose folks, on the
move 24/ 7. To reach our destinations,
from one end of this nine- county region
to the other, we make use of a complex
network of sidewalks, streets, roads, bike
trails, freeways, bridges, buses, ferries
and rail systems that link together above
and below ground, under and across
the Bay, and across town, city and county
boundaries. Dozens of agencies and
organizations work cooperatively to
operate and maintain this network, from
state agencies such as Caltrans and the
California Highway Patrol, to local govern-ments
and transit agencies.
These key facts and figures sketch the
rough dimensions of the Bay Area
transportation network and help bring
it into focus.
THE BAY AREA
9 Counties that touch
San Francisco Bay:
Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin,
Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo,
Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma
101 Municipalities
7,179 Square miles of land
THE PEOPLE
In 2006
7.1 Million population
3.6 Million jobs
By 2030
8.7 Million population
5.1 Million jobs
THE TRANSPORTATION
NETWORK
1,420 Miles of freeways and
state highways
340 Miles of carpool lanes
19,400 Miles of local streets and roads
9,000 Miles of bus routes
470 Miles of rail transit
5 Commuter ferry lines
8 Toll bridges
5 Public ports
3 Major commercial airports
750 Miles of bikeways in the regional
bicycle system, including the
nine- county Bay Trail ( and an
additional 1,300 miles of new
bikeways are proposed).
6 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
BayArea Transportation Basics
I
THE BUDGET
$ 4.7 Billion ( on average) in public
funds will be spent every year
on Bay Area transportation
over the next 25 years.
84% Share of spending devoted to
maintaining and operating the
region’s existing road, highway
and transit network.
16% Share of spending directed to
new projects or system
expansion.
63% Share of funding that will go to
support public transit — for
operations, rehabilitation and
expansion.
THE AUTOMOBILE
4.6 Million cars owned regionwide
in 2006
1.8 Cars per household
2.0 Most cars per household
( average): Santa Clara County
1.1 Fewest cars per household
( average): San Francisco County
THE COMMUTE
In 2005, Bay Area workers commuted by:
69% Driving alone
11% Carpooling
10% Public transportation
10% Working at home, walking,
bicycling or other means
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
475+ Million trips a year are logged
by Bay Area transit riders,
on routes offered by some two
dozen public transit agencies.
Rail Operators
Altamont Commuter Express
BART
Caltrain
Capitol Corridor
Largest Bus Transit Operators
( and areas served)
AC Transit
( Western Alameda & Contra Costa
counties, San Francisco)
County Connection
( Contra Costa County)
Golden Gate Transit
( Marin & Sonoma counties, San Francisco)
Muni
( San Francisco)
SamTrans
( San Mateo County, San Francisco)
Valley Transportation Authority
( Santa Clara County)
Major Ferry Systems
Golden Gate Ferry
( Marin County, San Francisco)
Alameda/ Oakland Ferry
( Alameda County, San Francisco)
Vallejo Baylink Ferry
( Solano County, San Francisco)
The ABCs of MTC 7
he Metropolitan Transportation
Commission ( MTC) was created
by the California Legislature in
1970 to plan the transportation network
for the nine Bay Area counties.
As the Bay Area grew, MTC’s responsibili-ties
increased, until today MTC is three
agencies in one with a wide range of
duties and a shared mission: to keep the
Bay Area moving. In addition to its origi-nal
charge to plan, finance and coordinate
Bay Area transportation, MTC, as the
Bay Area Toll Authority ( BATA), is direct-ing
an $ 1 1 billion program to improve the
region’s bridges and protect them against
earthquakes. And, as the Service Authority
for Freeways and Expressways ( SAFE),
MTC oversees a regionwide network of
freeway call boxes and roving tow trucks.
The three agencies are directed by MTC’s
19- member policy board. To help achieve
its mission, MTC is aided by several
citizen advisory committees and by a
coalition of federal, state, regional and
local agencies that are responsible for
transportation and environmental quality
in the Bay Area.
MTC has a staff of some 160 and an
annual operating budget ( including con-sultant
contracts) of about $ 88 million,
which is funded from local, regional, state
and federal transportation funds.
In recent years, MTC and BATA have been
involved in everything from selecting the
design for the new, seismically safe east-ern
span of the San Francisco- Oakland
Bay Bridge to developing the Bay Area’s
511 traveler information system, a free
service available 24/ 7 on the phone at
511 and on the Web at 511. org.
8 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
T
Who We Are
MTC is three agencies
in one with a shared
mission: to keep
the Bay Area moving.
WHAT DOES MTC DO?
MTC Plans — Any new transportation
project in the region must be included in
MTC’s long- range Regional Transportation
Plan to qualify for state or federal funds.
With extensive input from the public and
its transportation partners, MTC updates
this 25- year plan every four years to
guide regional transportation invest-ments.
Factors considered include
available funding, as well as land- use,
environmental and community goals.
In addition to long- range planning, the
Commission studies or participates in
studies of various travel corridors or
modes. For example, the Commission
recently teamed with BART, Caltrain and
the California High- Speed Rail Authority
on a long- term plan for expanding and
improving rail service — for passengers
and freight — throughout the Bay Area
and into the Central Valley. MTC planners
also track data collected annually from
the U. S. Census to study the comings and
goings of Bay Area commuters. This infor-mation,
along with other travel surveys
from a variety of sources, is used to fore-cast
travel demand, plan transit routes,
and prepare local general plans. ( See also
“ Planning for the Future,” pages 16- 19.)
MTC Funds — The Commission votes to
allocate and keeps accurate accounting of
more than $ 1 billion a year. The funds are
allocated to Bay Area public transit, local
streets and roads, highways, freight facili-ties,
and bicycle and pedestrian routes.
To support its allocation decisions, MTC
annually scrutinizes transit operators’
budgets and evaluates their service and
overall performance. As the Bay Area Toll
Authority, MTC is responsible for admin-istering
all revenues from the Bay Area’s
seven state- owned toll bridges.
The ABCs of MTC 9
MTC allocates more
than $ 1 billion a year
for Bay Area
transportation projects.
Through its Housing Incentive Program
( HIP), and Transportation for Livable
Communities ( TLC) initiatives, MTC pro-vides
direct grants to municipalities and
public/ private partnerships that plan
transit- oriented housing developments
and community- oriented transportation
projects. ( See also, “ The Funding Pipeline,”
pages 20- 29.)
MTC Coordinates — MTC devotes con-siderable
energy to keeping the region’s
transportation network functioning and
to ensuring that the network delivers
benefits to every Bay Area community.
Working with the region’s transit opera-tors,
MTC has spearheaded the TransLink ®
project to enable transit riders to use
a single ticket to ride on all Bay Area
transit systems.
MTC Operates — In recent years, MTC has
assumed a more active role in managing
the Bay Area’s extensive transportation
network by launching several “ hands on”
projects to promote efficient operation
and monitoring of the system. ( See “ You
Already Know MTC,” on pages 4- 5.) With
MTC’s assistance, many partner agencies
are using technology to help coordinate
traffic signal timing across city or other
jurisdictional boundaries, to speed emer-gency
vehicles’ access to fires and traffic
accidents, or to increase traffic flows into
and out of major events.
StreetSaver ™ , a pioneering, computer-based
pavement management system
developed by MTC staff, is helping Bay
Area cities and counties to better main-tain
their local streets and roads.
MTC Advocates — As the transportation
agency with responsibility for nine Bay
Area counties, MTC is able to broker
agreements in the regional interest
among numerous local agencies. And,
whether testifying in Washington or
Sacramento to garner additional funds
for transportation or making a case for
a policy change to cut red tape, MTC
promotes Bay Area priorities to the state
and federal governments. By presenting
a united regional front, MTC helps the
Bay Area to put its best foot forward in
the often intense competition for state
and federal funding programs.
10 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
MTC promotes Bay Area
priorities to the state
and federal governments.
The ABCs of MTC 11
WHAT DOES BATA DO?
The Bay Area Toll Authority ( BATA) is
the newest and highest- profile offshoot
of MTC. BATA began operations on
January 1, 1998, under the auspices of
MTC. It was created by the California
Legislature to administer the base
$ 1 auto toll on the San Francisco Bay
Area’s seven state- owned toll bridges
( the Antioch, Benicia- Martinez, Carquinez,
Dumbarton, Richmond- San Rafael, San
Francisco- Oakland Bay and San Mateo-
Hayward bridges). In 2005, the Legis-lature
expanded BATA’s responsibilities
to include administration of all toll
revenue on these bridges, as well as
management of the program to seismi-cally
retrofit the bridges, in conjunction
with Caltrans and the California Trans-portation
Commission.
As part of its activities, BATA funds the
day- to- day operations, facilities mainte-nance
and management of the seven
state- owned toll bridges. BATA also funds
the long- term capital improvement and
rehabilitation
of the bridges,
including the proj-ects
mandated by Regional Measure 1
( RM 1) and the Toll Bridge Seismic Retrofit
Program. BATA has authority to set
bridge tolls to ensure sufficient funds will
be available to complete the seismic
retrofit program.
In 2004, BATA also assumed responsibil-ity
for managing FasTrak ® — the electronic
toll collection system used on all Bay
Area bridges ( including the Golden Gate
Bridge, which is owned and operated by
an independent authority). Eliminating
the need for commuters to stop and
pay tolls helps to improve traffic flow
at bridge toll plazas. BATA- sponsored
marketing incentives and BATA- financed
improvements to bridge toll plazas —
including more FasTrak ® - only lanes — are
helping to dramatically expand FasTrak ®
enrollment regionwide.
HOW DOES MTC WORK?
The Commission
MTC’s 19- member panel is made up of
16 voting members and three nonvoting
members.
Voting Members
Of the 16 voting members, 14 are appointed
directly by local elected officials.
• In each of the more populous counties
— Alameda, Contra Costa, San Fran-cisco,
San Mateo and Santa Clara —
two commissioners are appointed,
one by the county’s council of mayors
and councilmembers ( in San Francisco,
by the mayor) and one by the county
board of supervisors.
• In each of the less populous counties —
Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma —
the county’s council of mayors and
councilmembers nominates up to three
candidates to the board of supervisors,
which selects one commissioner.
The other two voting members represent
regional agencies:
• the Association of Bay Area
Governments ( ABAG)
• the San Francisco Bay Conservation
and Development Commission ( BCDC)
Nonvoting Members
The three nonvoting members represent:
• the state’s Business, Transportation
and Housing Agency
• the federal Department of Housing
and Urban Development
• the U. S. Department of Transportation
Because of this system, most commis-sioners
are local elected officials. All
commissioners serve four- year terms
and may be reappointed. The chair and
vice chair, elected by voting members
of MTC, serve two- year terms. The full
Commission meets once a month, usually
on the fourth Wednesday. It meets as the
Bay Area Toll Authority on the same day.
The Commission Works
Through Standing Committees
Matters on the Commission agenda
usually come in the form of recommen-dations
from MTC standing committees.
As much of the nitty- gritty work of MTC
is done at the committee level, the public
is encouraged to participate at this stage.
MTC meetings are open to the public; to
confirm dates, times and locations, call
510.817.5757. Commission meetings and
standing committee meetings are carried
live on the Web at www. mtc. ca. gov/
meetings/ schedule/.
12 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
MTC’s offices are located in the Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter, adjacent to the Lake Merritt BART station in Oakland.
13
MTC Standing Committees
That Meet the Second Wednesday
Of the Month:
BATA Oversight
Oversees the work of the Bay Area Toll
Authority ( BATA), which serves as fiscal
watchdog for the revenue generated by
the region’s seven state- owned bridges
as well as the multibillion dollar program
to update and expand the bridges.
Meets at 9: 30 a. m.
Administration
Oversees operation and management of
MTC staff, approves consultant contracts
and sets agency financial policies.
Meets at 9: 45 a. m.*
Programming and Allocations
Develops regional policies for and rec-ommends
programming of federal and
state funds for inclusion in the region’s
Transportation Improvement Program.
Also, allocates local and state funds,
including bridge toll funds, primarily for
transit capital and operating projects.
Reviews projects for consistency with
regional priorities and air quality laws.
Meets at 10 a. m.*
MTC Standing Committees
That Meet the Second Friday
Of the Month:
Planning
Recommends revisions to the Regional
Transportation Plan — MTC’s evolving
long- range blueprint for Bay Area trans-portation
— and oversees other planning
studies and programs.
Meets at 9: 30 a. m.
Operations
Oversees MTC’s transportation manage-ment
and operational activities, including
511 and TransLink ® , highway and arterial
operations programs, and the call box and
Freeway Service Patrol programs admin-istered
by the MTC Service Authority for
Freeways and Expressways ( SAFE).
Meets at 10 a. m.*
Legislation
Recommends MTC legislative policy, rep-resents
the Commission in the legislative
process, and oversees the Commission’s
public information and participation
programs.
Meets at 10: 30 a. m.*
The ABCs of MTC
* These meetings start at the time shown, or
immediately following the previous meeting,
whichever occurs later.
Most MTC Commissioners
are local elected officials.
MTC Works Through
Advisory Committees
MTC ensures ongoing community partici-pation
and guidance by sponsoring three
advisory committees, identified below. At
their monthly meetings, the committees
make recommendations on a range of
transportation issues and projects being
considered by the Commission. The com-position
of the three panels reflects the
Bay Area’s demographic diversity.
MTC Advisory Council — The most
broadly based of MTC’s citizen partici-pation
groups, the Council is composed
of 24 representatives from diverse cate-gories,
including:
• academia
• business and freight
• community
• environmental
• labor
• public safety
• transportation users
• architecture, construction and
engineering
• news media
• MTC’s other two advisory committees
The Advisory Council provides advice on
Regional Transportation Plan revisions,
legislative initiatives, funding priorities
and other key subjects.
14 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Advisory committees
make recommendations
on issues being considered
by the Commission.
Elderly and Disabled Advisory
Committee — This committee focuses
on issues of concern to the elderly and
to persons with disabilities, particularly
regarding access to transportation serv-ices
and implementation of the Americans
With Disabilities Act. This federal civil
rights law requires, among other things,
that public transit operators make their
systems accessible to disabled persons.
Minority Citizens Advisory Committee —
This group works to ensure that the
views and needs of minority communities
identified in Title VI of the federal Civil
Rights Act of 1964 are adequately
reflected in MTC policies. The Commission
appoints members from the nine Bay
Area counties covering the region’s major
ethnic minority groups.
MTC Works With
Transportation Partners
To manage a transportation system
owned and operated by dozens of differ-ent
agencies — with hundreds of different
facilities, ranging from sidewalks to jet
runways — strong organizational links
must be formed. To this end, MTC has
formed a coalition of some three dozen
federal, state, regional and local institu-tions
responsible for transportation and
environmental quality in the Bay Area.
This group, known as the Bay Area
Partnership, includes:
• Caltrans ( the California Department
of Transportation)
• local transit operators
• representatives from county- level
congestion management agencies
• local public works departments
• airports and seaports
• other regional, state and federal trans-portation
and environmental- protection
agencies.
The Partnership meets regularly to
develop and coordinate strategies to
efficiently manage the region’s trans-portation
assets. The Partnership’s work
reflects its commitment to operate
the transportation network as a single,
well- integrated system.
The ABCs of MTC 15
Managing the region’s
transportation assets
requires strong
organizational links.
REGIONAL
TRANSPORTATION PLAN
ne of MTC’s most important
functions is preparation of a
Regional Transportation Plan
( RTP) for the nine- county San Francisco
Bay Area. The RTP is a road map to guide
the region’s transportation development
for a 25- year period. Updated every four
years to reflect changing conditions
and new planning priorities, it is based
on projections of growth in population,
employment and travel demand coupled
with financial assumptions. The RTP
process includes extensive public consul-tation
and outreach to various agencies
and Bay Area residents.
No transportation project in the region can
qualify for state or federal money unless
it is found to be consistent with regional
goals, and thus included in the RTP. Also,
directives contained in federal transporta-tion
and clean air legislation require that
the RTP include only those projects that
the region can afford, and that, taken as
a whole, the projects included in the plan
must help improve air quality.
Transportation 2030: Mobility for the
Next Generation is the RTP currently in
effect. It was adopted by the Commission
in 2005. Work has already begun on
an update to that plan, scheduled for
adoption in 2009.
REGIONAL TRANSIT
EXPANSION PROGRAM
( RESOLUTION 3434)
One of the cornerstones of the Trans-portation
2030 Plan is the Bay Area’s
Regional Transit Expansion Program,
which calls for a $ 13.5 billion investment
in new rail and bus projects that will
improve mobility and enhance connectiv-ity
for residents throughout the region.
These include:
• a BART extension from Fremont to
San Jose and Santa Clara
• a “ Central Subway” that would extend
San Francisco Muni’s “ T- Third” light- rail
line to Chinatown
• a BART connector to the Oakland
International Airport
• electrification of the Caltrain line and
extension of the service to a rebuilt
Transbay Terminal in downtown
San Francisco
• a significant down payment on rail
extensions or other transit improve-ments
to Livermore and Antioch
• the addition of several new regional
express bus routes, including an
AC Transit Rapid Bus route running
from International Boulevard in Oak-land
to Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley
• new ferry routes to serve San Fran-cisco,
the East Bay, the North Bay and
the Peninsula
O
16 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Planning for the Future
Artist’s rendering ( above) is of the under- construction self- anchored suspension portion of the new East Span
of the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge. The design for the bridge was selected by a special MTC task force.
The Regional Transit Expansion Program,
which MTC adopted in December 2001
as Resolution 3434, is the successor to
MTC’s earlier Regional Rail Agreement,
which was adopted in 1988 and delivered
such critical projects as BART extensions
to Pittsburg/ Bay Point and Dublin/
Pleasanton, the Tasman light- rail exten-sion
in Silicon Valley, and the BART
extension to San Francisco International
Airport. Like its predecessor, Resolution
3434 represents a regional consensus on
how to invest limited transit expansion
funds. Such a consensus is needed to
garner federal and state funding to match
locally raised revenues.
Encouraging Transit- Friendly
Development
In July of 2005, MTC acted to maximize
the smart- growth potential of the
Resolution 3434 transit investments by
adopting a new policy to guide future
development near the new transit sta-tions.
The first of its kind in the country,
MTC’s Transit- Oriented Development
Policy sets a minimum number of housing
units that must be planned for in con-junction
with Resolution 3434 transit
extensions, with more capital- intensive
investments ( i. e., new rail lines) requiring
a higher number of housing units. At the
same time, MTC initiated a new Station
Area Planning Grant Program to help local
governments map out plans for housing,
shops and offices — vibrant, mixed- use
transit villages — in the vicinity of future
transit hubs.
The ABCs of MTC 17
Resolution 3434 represents
a regional consensus
on how to invest limited
transit expansion funds.
Bridge crews repaint and perform other maintenance
tasks on an otherwise- deserted San Francisco- Oakland
Bay Bridge in September 2007, when the entire span
was closed for seismic upgrade work over the Labor Day
weekend. MTC’s Bay Area Toll Authority funds day- to- day
operations and maintenance on the region’s state- owned
toll bridges.
18 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
FAST FACTS 2006 2030 % Change
Bay Area Demographics Forecasts
Employment 3,580,900 5,120,600 + 43
Population 7,157,300 8,747,100 + 22
Bay Area Travel Activity Forecasts
Total Daily Person Trips 21,516,700 28,161,300 + 31
Auto ( including carpool) 17,945,700 23,480,700 + 31
Transit 1,113,100 1,634,100 + 47
Bicycle/ Walk 2,457,900 3,046,500 + 24
Average Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled
Regional 148,165,200 191,176,500 + 29
Average Travel Time to Work
Time ( minutes) 28.4 31.2 + 10
Distance ( miles) 11.7 11.5 - 1.5
Sources: Association of Bay Area Governments, MTC travel forecasts
The ABCs of MTC 19
magine a huge reservoir filled
primarily by local streams — but
augmented by smaller tributaries
with headwaters in Washington, D. C., and
Sacramento — and drained by a complex
network of pipelines. The pipes take a tor-tuous
path, shooting off in all directions.
There are a number of shut- off valves,
and leaks sometimes occur. There seems
to be a lot of liquid flowing from the tap,
yet there is always a thirst for more.
This plumbing analogy can shed light on
transportation finance in the Bay Area.
With a seemingly endless array of funding
categories, programs and associated
acronyms, it is a complicated process that
provides an essential service to many but
is well understood by relatively few.
Probably the best and certainly the most
straightforward way to look at transpor-tation
funding is to view it as the means
of implementing the goals embraced in
the planning process. The Bay Area’s long-term
plan, the Transportation 2030 Plan,
characterizes transportation spending in
terms of three key categories: adequate
maintenance, system efficiency and
strategic expansion.
ONGOING OPERATIONS
AND MAINTENANCE
About 80 percent of all transportation
revenues coming to the Bay Area are
needed just to operate and maintain the
existing system. Buses need drivers, and
roads, bridges and transit systems require
sizable investments for their upkeep.
In this category fall such expenses as:
• filling potholes and resurfacing streets
and roads
• strengthening bridges and overpasses
to withstand a major earthquake
• buying fuel for transit vehicles and
paying drivers’ and mechanics’ salaries
• providing special transit service
for elderly and disabled persons who
cannot use regular transit
Some of the money that comes to the
region for transportation is targeted for
building new transportation facilities
and cannot be used for operations and
maintenance. Thus, a community might
have funding to build a new rail extension,
but may lack the money to operate the
new service once it is online. At present,
such operating and maintenance funds
are in short supply. MTC’s latest projec-tions
identify a $ 1.3 billion transit operat-ing
shortfall over the next 25 years, and
an even larger $ 10.9 billion funding gap
for the upkeep of local streets and roads.
20 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
I
The Funding Pipeline
Transportation funding
implements the goals set
in the planning process.
SYSTEM EFFICIENCY
It is not enough merely to keep the pres-ent
system up to snuff by continuing to
operate and maintain it. To get the most
out of our regional transportation invest-ments,
we also must strive to improve
the operating efficiency of the system.
We must take steps to maximize the
passenger and goods- movement through-put
of our road, highway and transit
networks. To do this, MTC is deploying
new approaches and technologies to:
• smooth traffic
• simplify the payment of transit fares
and bridge tolls
• inform travelers of road and transit
conditions
• perform other important system-efficiency
services
( A sampling of these operations- oriented
projects is included in the “ You Already
Know MTC” section, pages 4- 5.)
STRATEGIC EXPANSION
AND CAPITAL INVESTMENTS
After the costly maintenance, opera-tions
and system preservation needs
are addressed, less than one- fifth of the
funding that comes to the region is
available for new transportation invest-ments.
Yet the Bay Area needs to
upgrade and expand the capacity of our
transit and highway systems to prepare
for the anticipated influx of an additional
1.6 million residents over the next 25
years. Typically, this type of investment
is labeled “ capital” in transportation
circles. These capital improvements —
be they rail extensions, road widenings
or new bus transfer stations — require
years of public review, environmental
analysis, planning and design before any
construction begins.
As with ongoing operation and mainte-nance
of the existing system, there are
many more ideas for improvements to the
transportation network than there are
funds available. This is not surprising when
you consider the hefty price tag that some
transportation projects carry. For example,
the 8.7- mile BART extension from Colma
to San Francisco International Airport
cost in the neighborhood of $ 1.5 billion.
And the new, seismically safe East Span
of the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge
is expected to cost some $ 5.6 billion.
The ABCs of MTC 21
We also must strive to
improve the operating
efficiency of the system.
WHERE DOES THE FUNDING
COME FROM?
Almost all transportation sources origi-nate
with taxpayers, who pay fuel, sales
or other taxes and fees. As illustrated in
the revenues chart on page 23, in the
Bay Area, the bulk of the moneys are
generated locally, with smaller portions
coming from state and federal sources.
While the gasoline tax used to be con-sidered
the lifeblood of transportation
finance, it is now absorbed by the cost
of operating and maintaining the state
highway system, leaving nothing left over
for improvements. As a result, 19 coun-ties
throughout the state have adopted
local sales tax measures dedicated to
transportation.
At the statewide level, the two most
recent sources of new funding were
approved by the voters — Proposition 42
in 2002 and Proposition 1B in 2006
( see page 27 for more on these funding
sources).
The “ Major Transportation Funding
Sources” table on pages 24- 25 lists the
main funding categories and the annual
dollar amounts for the Bay Area.
Note: The expenditures chart on page 23
illustrates how the Bay Area is spending
available transportation funding over
the next 25 years, based on revenues
estimated at the time the Transportation
2030 Plan was adopted in 2005. Passage
by California voters of Proposition 1B in
2006 provided an additional $ 20 billion
for a variety of transportation programs
statewide. The Bay Area’s share is esti-mated
to be approximately $ 4.5 billion.
22 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
The cost of operating
and maintaining the
state highway system
now absorbs available
gas tax revenues.
The ABCs of MTC 23
Projected Bay Area
Transportation Revenues
2005– 2030
1
2
3
4
Billions Percent
of Dollars of Total
1 Local $ 75 64%
2 Regional $ 16 13%
3 State $ 14 12%
4 Federal $ 13 11%
Total $ 118 100%
Projected Bay Area
Transportation Expenditures
2005– 2030
Billions Percent
of Dollars of Total
Adequate Maintenance
1 Transit $ 61 51%
2 Highway $ 10 9%
3 Local Roads $ 23 20%
System Efficiency
4 Transit $ 2 1%
5 Highway $ 1 1%
6 Local Roads $ 2 2%
Strategic Expansion
7 Transit $ 13 11%
8 Highway $ 5 4%
9 Local Roads $ 1 1%
Total $ 118 100%
1
3
2
4
5
6
7
8 9
Source: Transportation 2030 Plan
The bulk of Bay Area
transportation funds
are generated locally.
MAJOR TRANSPORTATION FUNDING SOURCES ( Fiscal Year 2005– 06)
Local Funding Categories
Transit Fares $ 570
Temporary 1/ 2¢ sales taxes $ 510
Permanent 1/ 2¢ sales taxes for transit $ 476
Transportation Development Act $ 285
Gasoline Tax Subventions $ 210
( fuel tax; for local street and road maintenance)
Regional Measure 1 Bridge Tolls $ 138
($ 1 base toll for maintenance of bridges and voter- approved Regional Measure 1 projects)
Regional Measure 2 Bridge Tolls $ 118
($ 1 toll for voter- approved transit and congestion relief projects in the bridge corridors)
Seismic Retrofit Bridge Tolls1 $ 118
($ 2 surcharge on state- owned bridges; for earthquake retrofit)
Property Taxes $ 97
( local taxes in three Bay Area counties; for AC Transit operations and BART seismic retrofit)
Transportation Fund for Clean Air $ 22
($ 4 vehicle registration fee)
State Funding Categories
State Highway Operation and Protection Program $ 350
( based on 2006 SHOPP)
Proposition 42
State Transportation Improvement Program $ 118
Local Streets and Roads $ 117
State Transit Assistance $ 50
State Transportation Improvement Program2 $ 172
State Transit Assistance $ 70
( a portion of the sales tax on gasoline and diesel fuel; for transit capital and operations)
Proposition 1B: Infrastructure Bond
24 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Approximate Annual
Amount for the
Bay Area ( in millions)
Varies — one- time bond
with proceeds
distributed over 10 years
Amounts cited for
Proposition 42
are for FY 2008– 09
Federal Funding Categories
Federal Transit Act Section 5307 — Formula Funds $ 189
( federal fuel tax for purchase of buses, trains, ferries, vans and support equipment,
and for preventive maintenance and ADA- required paratransit service)
Federal Transit Act Section 5309 — Fixed Guideway $ 102
( for purchase of rail cars, ferries, rail track and facilities)
Surface Transportation Program ( STP) $ 76
( federal fuel tax for most capital projects, including highways, rail and bus transit,
local streets, port facilities, bicycle and pedestrian projects, etc.)
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program ( CMAQ) $ 69
( federal fuel tax for projects to reduce vehicle emissions and traffic congestion)
Federal Transit Act Section 5316 – $ 2.5
Job Access and Reverse Commute Program ( JARC)
( projects and services designed to transport low- income and disabled persons to work;
projects to move people to suburban job centers)
Federal Transit Act Section 5307 — New and Small Starts
( discretionary funding from general fund for rail extensions and rapid bus projects)
Federal Transit Act Section 5310 — Elderly and Disabled
( purchase of paratransit vans and related equipment)
Bus and Bus Facility
( purchase of buses and improvements to bus facilities)
The ABCs of MTC 25
Notes:
1 Amount will double in fiscal year 2007– 08 as a result of $ 1 toll increase — bringing total seismic surcharge
to $ 2 — that took effect January 1, 2007.
2 Amount includes the contribution to the State Transportation Improvement Program from Proposition 42,
listed separately.
See MTC’s companion publication, Moving Costs: A Transportation Funding Guide for the San Francisco Bay Area,
for a more complete listing of funding categories as well as which agencies make the funding decisions.
Approximate Annual
Amount for the
Bay Area ( in millions)
Discretionary —
varies annually
Discretionary —
varies annually
Discretionary —
varies annually
HOW DO TRANSPORTATION
PROJECTS GET FUNDED?
Transportation funds are committed to
projects, or “ programmed,” in several ways.
Transportation Improvement
Program ( TIP)
MTC prepares the federally required
Transportation Improvement Program, or
TIP, every four years with the cooperation
of local governments, transit operators
and Caltrans. The TIP is a comprehensive,
multiyear spending plan for the region
that lists every transportation project
that will receive even a penny of federal
funds or that is subject to a federally
required action, such as a permit or
review for its impact on air quality. TIPs
must “ conform” to federal Clean Air Act
requirements ( meaning the projects,
taken as a whole, must help improve the
region’s air quality). As the primary
spending plan for the region, the TIP is
one of the principal means of implement-ing
the goals and priorities identified in
the Regional Transportation Plan.
State Transportation Improvement
Program ( STIP)
To receive state funding for capital
improvements, most projects ( such as a
new roadway or highway lane, a new rail
line or rail extension) must be included in
the State Transportation Improvement
Program, or STIP. Covering a five- year
span and updated every two years, the
STIP is a blueprint for spending certain
available funds throughout California.
Seventy- five percent of the STIP consists
of spending programs developed at the
regional level throughout the state, called
Regional Transportation Improvement
Programs ( RTIPs). Each county receives
a designated amount of funding from
the RTIP, known as a “ county share.”
Congestion management agencies for
each of the nine Bay Area counties
forward their STIP proposals to MTC,
which then reviews them for consistency
with the goals of the long- range plan and
ultimately compiles them into a region-wide
RTIP. This is then forwarded to the
California Transportation Commission
( CTC) — a statewide panel appointed by
the governor. In turn, the CTC must
accept the RTIP in its entirety or send it
back to the region for revision.
For the remaining 25 percent of STIP
funding, Caltrans proposes a statewide
plan for the CTC to adopt. This element is
known as the Interregional Transportation
Improvement Program, or ITIP, and is
intended to address infrastructure needs
that cross metropolitan boundaries and
link the state’s transportation facilities.
26 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Transportation improve-ments
must be included
in the TIP.
Proposition 42 Has Become Main
Fund Source for New Projects
In recent years, funding for the STIP has
been in short supply due to the increas-ing
costs of maintaining and operating
the state’s aging highway system, which
receives priority before gasoline tax
funds are made available to the STIP.
While state and federal gasoline excise
( or “ per gallon”) tax revenues used to be
the main funding source for the STIP,
it is now almost entirely dependent upon
its share ( 40 percent) of Proposition 42
funds, whose source is the sales tax
on gasoline. Statewide, Proposition 42
generated approximately $ 1.4 billion in
revenues in fiscal year 2006– 07.
The first call on these funds is the
Traffic Congestion Relief Program ( a set
of specified projects determined in state
legislation enacted in 2000), which
received $ 678 million in fiscal year
2006– 07. The remainder is split according
to a ratio established in statute wherein:
• 40 percent is allocated to the STIP
• 40 percent is allocated to local street
and road improvements for cities
and counties
• 20 percent is allocated to public
transportation improvements
( Following the expiration of the Traffic
Congestion Relief Program, at the end
of fiscal year 2007– 08, Proposition 42
funds will flow in their entirety to the
categories above.)
Proposition 1B: Infrastructure Bond
Recognizing the need for greater invest-ment
in transportation, in November 2006
California voters approved Proposition 1B,
a general obligation bond measure that
will fund nearly $ 20 billion in transporta-tion
improvements.
Over the next decade, the Bay Area’s
share of Proposition 1B funding is
expected to be about $ 4.5 billion.
Proposition 1B Statewide Summary
Amount
Category ( in billions)
Goods Movement $ 2.0
Highway Improvements $ 5.5
Transit Expansion $ 4.0
State Transportation
Improvement Program $ 2.0
Local Roads $ 2.0
Transit Security $ 1.0
Air Quality $ 1.2
State- Local Partnership $ 1.0
Highway Repairs $ 0.5
Other $ 0.7
Total $ 19.9
The ABCs of MTC 27
EVOLUTION OF A PROJECT
Typical Stages in the Development and Funding of Transportation Projects
Symbol is used to indicate best public participation opportunities.
( All the stages listed on this page, however, are open to comment by the public.) MTC encourages
public participation in Bay Area transportation decision- making — especially during the earlier stages of
the project development process, when citizen involvement is most effective.
The process starts when a particular transportation need is identified or a new
idea put forward. This first step can be taken by members of the public, a private
business, a community group or a public agency.
28 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Idea
The project idea must be adopted by a formal sponsor — usually a government
entity — which refines the initial idea and develops clear project specifications.
Define Project
In many cases, the project must first be presented for review to the local authori-ties,
such as a municipal planning commission, local transit agency, city council
or county board of supervisors. Some projects can be approved at the local level
( e. g., street repairs) and financed with local dollars.
3 Local Review
To be eligible for certain state and federal funds, other ( typically larger) projects
must be cleared through the county- level congestion management agencies ( CMAs).
County CMA Review
2
1
4
The ABCs of MTC 29
All projects competing for state and federal funds are reviewed by MTC as part of
the preparation of the Regional Transportation Plan ( RTP) and Transportation
Improvement Program ( TIP). At MTC, public participation is welcomed at commit-tee-
level and Commission- level meetings, as well as at special public hearings.
MTC Program Review
Projects reviewed and approved by MTC for state funding are included in the
Regional Transportation Improvement Program ( RTIP), which is considered for
inclusion in the State Transportation Improvement Program ( STIP).
State Program
Projects of all types — bus, rail, highway, bicycle, etc. — reviewed and approved by
MTC for eligibility for federal funds are included in the Transportation Improvement
Program. The federal document, being the most comprehensive, also includes many
of the projects listed in the state program.
7 Federal Program
Projects listed in the multiyear state and federal programs are reviewed again
by MTC on a project- by- project basis to assure state and federal requirements are
met. Approved projects are forwarded to the state or federal authorities for the
final award of funds.
Grant Allocation ( Funding)
6
5
8
TC extends an open and continu-ing
invitation to the Bay Area
public to assist the agency in
developing transportation solutions
for the region. A comprehensive Public
Participation Plan details the many
avenues available to groups and individ-uals
who would like to “ plug into the
process” and get involved in MTC’s work.
The plan can be found on MTC’s Web
site at www. mtc. ca. gov/ get_ involved/
participation_ plan. htm.
Residents of the nine Bay Area counties
are encouraged to apply for vacant
seats on MTC advisory committees ( see
pages 14- 15.) In most cases, no specific
education or professional experience
is required, just a strong interest in trans-portation.
Commissioners review all
applications, may conduct interviews
with potential members, and make final
appointments to advisory committees for
two- year terms. MTC Public Information
staff are available to answer questions
and provide information about participat-ing
in MTC citizen advisory committees.
Phone the Public Information office at
510.817.5757.
Meeting Schedules, Agendas
and More
MTC encourages interested residents
to attend MTC Commission and standing
committee meetings to express their
views. ( See page 13 for information on
MTC’s committee structure.) An up- to-date
schedule of MTC meetings is
available on the agency Web site, at
www. mtc. ca. gov/ meetings/ schedule/
index. htm. Agendas and packets of
materials for meetings of the Commission
and its committees and advisory panels
are also posted.
Database Keeps Interested
Residents in the Loop
MTC maintains a master database of
interested residents, public agency staff
and stakeholders. The database, which
includes mailing information, e- mail
addresses and other contact information,
is organized around issues or events. This
allows MTC to send targeted mailings to
keep the public updated on the specific
issues they are interested in. Members of
the public may request to be added to
MTC’s contact database by calling the
Public Information office at 510.817.5757
or e- mailing info@ mtc. ca. gov.
30 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
M
Attend a meeting, join a
committee, get involved!
Getting Involved With MTC
Web Site
MTC’s news- oriented Web site, www. mtc.
ca. gov, offers a wealth of information,
illustrated with colorful graphics. The site:
• explains the agency’s programs and
activities in full detail
• provides links to 511, FasTrak ® ,
TransLink ® , and to all Bay Area transit
operators, as well as to other regional,
state and federal government agencies
• posts daily transportation headlines
with direct links to news articles about
Bay Area transportation and more
Also, MTC Commission meetings and
many of its committee meetings are
audiocast live on the Web site, and
audiocasts of past meetings are archived
on the site.
Publications
To keep the public informed of MTC’s
activities as well as about general
transportation news for the Bay Area,
MTC publishes a bimonthly newsletter,
Transactions, and a comprehensive
annual report ( containing audited finan-cial
statements for both MTC and BATA).
Transactions is sent free of charge to
interested persons, the news media,
public officials, legislators, transit staff,
national transportation groups, environ-mental
groups, business groups and
libraries. Each issue is posted on MTC’s
Web site. To add your name to the
Transactions mailing list, fill in the tear- out
card at the back of this publication.
With Caltrans, MTC also publishes an
annual Bay Area Transportation: State of
the System report, which summarizes the
performance of the Bay Area transporta-tion
system. Key facts and performance
indicators are presented for freeways,
local roadways, transit, goods movement,
and bicycle and pedestrian travel in the
region. As well, MTC regularly issues news
releases on its programs and actions and
arranges for its staff and commissioners
to make presentations in the community.
The ABCs of MTC 31
Library Services:
Information for the Asking
The MTC- ABAG ( ABAG stands for the
Association of Bay Area Governments,
which is located in the same building as
MTC) Library is a fully accredited facility
stacked with books and periodicals with a
special focus on transportation and plan-ning.
MTC reports, brochures and studies
are available to the public through the
library, as are other publications to help
you get the latest word on transportation
planning, demographics, economic indica-tors
and regional issues. The MTC- ABAG
Library offers free public access to the
Internet. Upon request, MTC publications
can be transferred to a format that is
accessible to persons with disabilities.
MTC- ABAG Library
Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter
101 Eighth Street ( at Oak Street)
First Floor
Oakland, CA 94607
8: 30 a. m. to 5 p. m., Monday– Friday
Phone: 510.817.5836
Fax: 510.817.5932
E- mail: library@ mtc. ca. gov
Visit MTC
MTC’s offices — site of Commission and
committee meetings, as well as the
MTC- ABAG Library — are at:
Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter
101 Eighth Street ( at Oak Street)
Oakland, CA 94607
( Receptionist is on the third floor)
8 a. m. to 5 p. m., Monday– Friday
Phone: 510.817.5700
Fax: 510.817.5848
E- mail: info@ mtc. ca. gov
Web: www. mtc. ca. gov
The building is adjacent to the Lake
Merritt BART station, and several
AC Transit lines stop within a few blocks.
The MetroCenter also is easily accessible
via Interstate 880 or Interstate 980.
Both street and garage parking are avail-able
nearby.
32 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Visit the MTC- ABAG
Library for the latest on
transportation planning
and related topics.
15th
14th
13th
12th
10th
9th
8th
7th
4th
To San Jose
3rd
11th
17th
Lake
Merritt
Oak Lakeside
Fallon
Madison
Jackson
Alice
Madison
Jackson
Alice
Harrisson
Webster
Franklin
Broadway
Webster
Franklin
Broadway Fremont BART Line
Lake Merritt
BART station
Oakland
City Center/
12th Street
BART station
MetroCenter
101 Eighth Street
MAKING THE LOCAL
CONNECTION
The first step toward participating in MTC
may begin close to home — with your
county congestion management agency,
your local transit operator or your city
council. Here are contacts for the nine
county congestion management agencies:
Alameda County Congestion
Management Agency
1333 Broadway, Suite 220
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510.836.2560
Fax: 510.836.2185
Web: www. accma. ca. gov
Contra Costa
Transportation Authority
3478 Buskirk Avenue, Suite 100
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
Phone: 925.407.0121
Fax: 925.407.0128
Web: www. ccta. net
Transportation Authority of Marin
3501 Civic Center Drive, Room 304
San Rafael, CA 94903
Phone: 415.507.2680
Fax: 415.507.2648
Web: www. tam. ca. gov
Napa County Transportation
& Planning Agency
707 Randolph Street, Suite 100
Napa, CA 94559
Phone: 707.259.8631
Fax: 707.259.8638
Web: www. nctpa. net
San Francisco County
Transportation Authority
100 Van Ness Avenue, 26th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: 415.522.4800
Fax: 415.522.4829
Web: www. sfcta. org
San Mateo City/ County
Association of Governments ( C/ CAG)
County Office Building
555 County Center, 5th Floor
Redwood City. CA 94063
Phone: 650.599.1406
Fax: 650.361.8227
Web: www. ccag. ca. gov
Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority
3331 N. First Street, Building B
San Jose, CA, 95134
Phone: 408.321.2300
Fax: 408.321.7535
Web: www. vta. org
Solano Transportation Authority
One Harbor Center, Suite 130
Suisun City, CA 94585
Phone: 707.424.6075
Fax: 707.424.6074
Web: www. solanolinks. com
Sonoma County
Transportation Authority
490 Mendocino Avenue, Suite 206
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Phone: 707.565.5373
Fax: 707.565.5370
Web: www. sctainfo. org
The ABCs of MTC 33
n MTC’s world, HIP doesn’t mean
“ cool,” TLC doesn’t offer “ tender
loving care” and “ ice tea” is not a
drink. The business of transportation, like
many other industries, professions and
government agencies, is full of acronyms,
abbreviated names and jargon. If you’d like
to become fluent in “ transportationese,”
here’s a list of terms to start you on
your way.
511 511 is a 24- hour, toll- free phone and
Web service ( 511. org) that consolidates
Bay Area transportation information
into a one- stop resource. 511 provides
up- to- the- minute information on traffic
conditions, public transit routes and
schedules, carpool and vanpool referrals,
bicycle routes and more. 511 is managed
by a partnership of public agencies,
led by MTC, the California Highway
Patrol and Caltrans. When MTC activated
the 511 phone number in 2002, the
region became the first in the state to
implement a free, phone- based traveler
information service.
ABAG Association of Bay Area
Governments A voluntary association
of counties and cities that is the general
planning agency for the nine- county
San Francisco Bay Area. Also provides
demographic, financial, administrative,
training and conference services to local
governments and businesses. ABAG
appoints a representative to sit on the
Commission.
ADA Americans With Disabilities Act
Federal civil rights legislation for disabled
persons passed in 1990; calls on public
transit systems to make their services
more fully accessible, as well as to under-write
a parallel network of paratransit
service.
BAAQMD Bay Area Air Quality
Management District ( Also known as
the Air District, since the acronym seems
to take longer to say than the full name.)
Regulates industry and employers to
keep air pollution in check and sponsors
programs to clean the air. The Air District
works with MTC and the Association
of Bay Area Governments on issues
that affect transportation, land use and
air quality.
BATA Bay Area Toll Authority
Entity created by the state Legislature
to administer the base $ 1 toll from the
Bay Area’s seven state- owned toll bridges.
Now oversees all toll revenue from the
seven toll bridges. MTC began operations
as BATA on January 1, 1998.
Bay Area Partnership Often referred to
simply as “ The Partnership,” this is a
confederation of the top staff of various
transportation agencies in the region
( MTC, public transit operators, county
CMAs, city and county public works
departments, ports, Caltrans, U. S. DOT,
etc.) as well as environmental protection
agencies. The Partnership works by con-sensus
to improve the overall efficiency
34 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Bay Area “ Transportationese ”
I
and operation of the Bay Area’s trans-portation
network, including developing
strategies for financing transportation
improvements.
BCDC San Francisco Bay Conservation
and Development Commission A state-established
agency with jurisdiction over
dredging and filling of San Francisco Bay
and limited jurisdiction over development
within 100 feet of the Bay. BCDC appoints
a representative to sit on the Commission.
CAA Clean Air Act Federal legislation
that requires each state with areas that
have not met federal air quality standards
to prepare a State Implementation Plan,
or SIP. The sweeping 1990 amendments
to the CAA established new air quality
requirements for the development of
metropolitan transportation plans and
programs. The California Clean Air Act
( or CCAA) sets even tougher state goals.
Caltrans California Department of
Transportation The state agency that
operates California’s highway system.
Capital Funds Moneys dedicated for
new projects to cover one- time costs,
such as construction of roads or transit
lines and facilities, or purchase of buses
and rail cars.
CHP California Highway Patrol State
law enforcement agency responsible for
highway safety, among other things.
CMA Congestion Management Agency
A county- level agency responsible for
preparing and implementing a county’s
Congestion Management Program.
CMAs came into existence as a result of
state legislation and voter approval of
Proposition 111 in 1990. Subsequent legis-lation
made optional the requirement
for counties to have a CMA. All Bay Area
counties have them.
CMAQ Congestion Mitigation and Air
Quality Improvement Program A pot of
federal money for projects and activities
that reduce congestion and improve air
quality, both in regions not yet attaining
federal air quality standards and those
engaged in efforts to preserve their
attainment status.
Conformity A process in which
transportation plans and spending pro-grams
are reviewed to ensure that they
are consistent with federal clean air
requirements; transportation projects
collectively must not worsen air quality.
CTC California Transportation
Commission A state- level commission,
consisting of nine members appointed by
the governor, that establishes priorities
and allocates funds for highway, passen-ger
rail and transit investments through-out
California. The CTC works with the
state Business, Transportation and
Housing Agency in overseeing Caltrans,
and participates in the development of
state and federal legislation that affects
transportation funding.
The ABCs of MTC 35
Environmental Justice The term stems
from a 1994 presidential executive order
to promote equity for disadvantaged
communities and promote the inclusion
of racial and ethnic populations and
low- income communities in decision-making.
Local and regional transportation
agencies must ensure that services and
benefits, as well as burdens, are fairly
distributed to avoid discrimination.
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
Federal department responsible for
researching and setting national stan-dards
for environmental quality. The EPA
works with other federal, state, local
and regional agencies to issue permits,
monitor compliance and enforce environ-mental
laws.
Equity Analysis Consistent with federal
requirements for environmental justice,
MTC conducts an equity analysis covering
the 25- year Regional Transportation Plan
to determine how the benefits and burdens
of the plan’s investment strategy affect
minority and low- income communities.
FasTrak ® The electronic toll collection
system used on the Bay Area’s seven
state- owned toll bridges and the Golden
Gate Bridge. FasTrak ® customer service
operations are managed by the Bay Area
Toll Authority.
FHWA Federal Highway Administration
U. S. Department of Transportation
agency responsible for administering the
federal highway aid program to individual
states, and helping to plan, develop
and coordinate construction of federally
funded highway projects. FHWA also
governs the safety of hazardous cargo
on the nation’s highways.
Flexible Funding Unlike funding that
flows only to highways or only to transit
by a rigid formula, this money can be
invested in a range of transportation
projects. Examples of flexible funding
categories include the Surface Transpor-tation
Program, and the Congestion
Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement
Program ( both federal).
FTA Federal Transit Administration
U. S. Department of Transportation agency
that provides financial and planning assis-tance
to help plan, build and operate rail,
bus and paratransit systems. The agency
also assists in the development of local
and regional traffic reduction programs.
HIP Housing Incentive Program
An incentive program initiated by MTC
in 2000 that provides seed money to
municipalities and their development
partners to encourage the development
of compact residential communities near
public transit hubs.
HOT Lane High- Occupancy/ Toll Lane
A designated lane that motorists driving
alone can use if they pay a toll, allowing
them to avoid traffic delays in the adja-cent
regular lanes. HOT lanes usually are
combined with high- occupancy- vehicle
( HOV or carpool) lanes that have enough
capacity to handle more vehicles. Toll-paying
drivers and toll- free carpools/
vanpools share the lane, increasing
the number of total vehicles using the
HOV/ HOT lane and generating revenues
that can be used for transportation
improvements.
HOV Lane High- Occupancy- Vehicle Lane
The technical term for a carpool lane,
commuter lane or diamond lane.
36 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Intermodal The term “ mode” is used to
refer to and to distinguish from each
other the various forms of transportation,
such as automobile, transit, ship, bicycle
and walking. Intermodal refers specifically
to the connections between modes.
ISTEA Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act
Pronounced “ Ice Tea,” this landmark fed-eral
legislation signed into law in 1991
initiated broad changes in the way trans-portation
decisions are made. ISTEA
emphasized diversity and balance of
modes, as well as the preservation
of existing systems before construction
of new facilities. ISTEA expired in 1997,
but much of its program structure was
carried forward in successor federal legis-lation
( see “ TEA 21” and “ SAFETEA”).
ITIP Interregional Transportation
Improvement Program A state funding
program intended to address needs that
cross metropolitan boundaries. Caltrans
nominates and the CTC approves a
listing of interregional highway and rail
projects for 25 percent of the funds to
be programmed in the STIP. ( The other
75 percent are RTIP funds; see below.)
ITS Intelligent Transportation Systems
Technical innovations that apply com-munications
and information processing
to improve the efficiency and safety of
ground transportation systems. In the Bay
Area, ITS initiatives include closed- circuit
video monitoring of freeway traffic condi-tions
and the use of automatic vehicle
location technology to provide real- time
transit and traffic information to the 511
telephone and Web- based information
service. ITS initiatives are also used
to coordinate traffic signals and speed
emergency vehicle response times.
JPC Joint Policy Committee Created
by state law to coordinate regional
planning efforts in the Bay Area, the
JPC includes representatives from MTC,
ABAG, BAAQMD and the San Francisco
Bay Conservation and Development
Commission ( BCDC).
Lifeline Transportation Network
An MTC initiative to enhance low- income
residents’ access to key destinations
such as job centers, government build-ings
and medical facilities during both
peak commute periods and off- peak
hours. While most of the Lifeline network
identified by MTC is already served by
existing transit routes, some low- income
communities and/ or destinations are
not served by transit or lack service at
specific times of day. MTC is working with
transit operators and potential funding
partners to fill these gaps in the network,
whether by transit or other options such
as car- sharing.
MPO Metropolitan Planning
Organization A federally required body
responsible for the transportation plan-ning
and project selection in its region;
the governor designates an MPO in every
urbanized area with a population of over
50,000. MTC is the Bay Area’s MPO.
Operating Funds Moneys used to fund
general, day- to- day costs of running
transportation systems. For transit, costs
include fuel, salaries and replacement
parts; for roads, operating costs involve
maintaining pavement, filling potholes,
paying workers’ salaries, and so forth.
( See “ Capital Funds.”)
The ABCs of MTC 37
Paratransit Door- to- door bus, van and
taxi services used to transport elderly
and disabled riders. Sometimes referred
to as dial- a- ride service, since trips are
made according to demand instead of
along a fixed route or according to a fixed
schedule.
PMS Pavement Management System
This cooperative effort between MTC
and more than 100 local jurisdictions
evaluates options for improving the main-tenance
of local streets and roads. MTC
provides its own StreetSaver ™ computer
software and technical assistance to help
cities and counties extend the life of
pavement and thus stretch local budgets
further.
Program ( 1) verb, to assign funds to a
project that has been approved by MTC,
the state or other agency; ( 2) noun,
a system of funding for implementing
transportation projects or policies, such
as through the State Transportation
Improvement Program ( see “ STIP”).
Proposition 1B ( also known as the
Infrastructure Bond) — Passed by 61 per-cent
of the voters in November 2006,
Proposition 1B authorizes the state to
issue a $ 20 billion general obligation
bond for a variety of transportation
improvements.
Proposition 42 A statewide initiative
approved in 2002 that requires gasoline
sales tax revenues to be dedicated to
transportation purposes. In FY 2006– 07,
Proposition 42 funds are estimated
to provide approximately $ 1.4 billion
statewide. In November 2006, the
voters passed a subsequent initiative,
Proposition 1A, which provides greater
assurance that these funds will go to
transportation. Proposition 1A allows
the funds to be loaned to the General
Fund only twice in a 10- year period and
requires that funds be repaid within three
years prior to making a second loan.
Resolution 3434 ( also known as the
Regional Transit Expansion Program) —
A list of high- priority rail and express bus
improvements to serve the Bay Area’s
most congested corridors. MTC adopted
Resolution 3434 in December 2001 to
establish clear priorities for the invest-ment
of transit expansion funds.
RM 1 Regional Measure 1 Passed by Bay
Area voters in 1988, RM 1 increased tolls
( which at the time varied by bridge) on
the region’s seven state- owned bridges to
a uniform $ 1. Revenues generated by the
toll increase were dedicated by RM 1 to
fund certain highway and bridge improve-ments,
public transit rail extensions, and
other projects that reduce congestion in
the bridge corridors.
RM 2 Regional Measure 2 A ballot
measure instituting a $ 1 bridge toll
increase passed by Bay Area voters in
March 2004. The expenditure plan funds
37 capital projects, with an emphasis on
transit improvements in the bridge corri-dors,
as well as a dozen transit operating
projects to enhance service along the
bridge corridors.
RTIP Regional Transportation
Improvement Program A listing of high-way
and transit projects that the region
hopes to fund; compiled by MTC every
two years from priority lists submitted by
local jurisdictions. The California Trans-portation
Commission ( CTC) must either
approve or reject the RTIP list in its
entirety. Once the CTC approves an RTIP,
it is combined with those from other
regions to comprise 75 percent of the
funds in the STIP ( see below).
38 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
RTP Regional Transportation Plan
A blueprint to guide the region’s trans-portation
development for a 25- year
period. Updated every four years, it is
based on projections of growth in popu-lation
and travel demand coupled with
financial projections. Required by state
and federal law.
RTPA Regional Transportation Planning
Agency A state- designated agency
responsible for preparing the Regional
Transportation Plan and the Regional
Transportation Improvement Program,
administering state funds, and other
tasks. MTC is the Bay Area’s RTPA.
SAFE Service Authority for Freeways
and Expressways As the region’s SAFE,
MTC — in partnership with the California
Highway Patrol and California Depart-ment
of Transportation — oversees the
installation and operation of call boxes
along Bay Area freeways and administers
a roving tow truck service ( Freeway
Service Patrol) to quickly clear incidents
from the region’s most congested road-ways.
State legislation in 1987 created
the MTC SAFE, which is funded in part
through a $ 1 surcharge on motor vehicle
registrations.
SAFETEA Safe, Accountable, Flexible,
Efficient Transportation Equity Act
A multiyear federal transportation bill,
signed into law by President George W.
Bush on August 10, 2005. The bill author-izes
$ 255.5 billion in funding for federal
surface transportation programs over
five years. SAFETEA maintains the pro-gram
structure of its predecessor, TEA 21,
but provides a much higher number of
earmarks for special projects chosen by
Congress. SAFETEA is distinguished by
its emphasis on safety, including a federal
Safe Routes to School Program, and
new flexibility for states to develop high-occupancy/
toll ( HOT) lanes.
SHOPP State Highway Operation
and Protection Program State funding
program for highway projects that will
improve traffic safety; preserve bridges,
roadways and/ or roadsides; increase
mobility; or improve facilities related to
the state highway system. It is adopted on
a four- year schedule. Pursuant to state
law, the SHOPP receives priority in fund-ing
before funds are made available to
the STIP.
SIP State Implementation Plan
Here’s a case where one term refers to
two different — albeit related — documents.
Metropolitan areas prepare regional SIPs
showing steps they plan to take to meet
federal air quality standards ( outlined in
the Clean Air Act). Several SIPs make up
the statewide plan for cleaning up the air,
also known as a SIP.
Smart Growth A set of policies and
programs designed to protect, preserve
and economically stimulate established
communities, while protecting valuable
natural and cultural resources and limit-ing
sprawl.
SOV Single- Occupant Vehicle A vehicle
with one occupant, the driver, who is
sometimes referred to as a “ drive alone.”
Spare the Air Program established by
BAAQMD to educate people about air
pollution and to encourage them to curtail
emissions by driving less, taking public
transportation, carpooling, walking, biking
and other measures. Spare the Air season
runs from June 1 through October 13.
MTC partners with BAAQMD and Bay Area
transit operators to offer free fares on
the season’s first several Spare the Air
days in an effort to increase transit rider-ship
and reduce emissions from driving.
The ABCs of MTC 39
STA State Transit Assistance Provides
funding for mass transit operations and
capital projects.
STIP State Transportation Improvement
Program What the CTC ends up with
after combining various RTIPs as well as
a list of specific projects proposed by
Caltrans. Covering a five- year span and
updated every two years, the STIP deter-mines
when and if transportation projects
will be funded by the state.
STP Surface Transportation Program
One of the key federal funding programs.
STP moneys are “ flexible,” meaning they
can be spent on mass transit and pedes-trian
and bicycle facilities as well as on
roads and highways.
TCM Transportation Control Measure
A strategy to reduce driving or to smooth
traffic flows in order to cut auto emis-sions
and resulting air pollution. Required
by the Clean Air Act, TCMs for the Bay
Area are jointly developed by MTC, the
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
and ABAG. Examples of TCMs include
roving tow truck patrols to clear stalls
and accidents from congested roadways,
new or increased transit service, or a pro-gram
to promote carpools and vanpools.
TCRP Traffic Congestion Relief Program
A five- year state transportation invest-ment
plan passed by the California
Legislature and signed into law in 2000.
The plan originally called for $ 6.8 billion
of spending ( with $ 1.7 billion to the Bay
Area) from fiscal 2000– 01 to 2005– 06,
but subsequent refinancing agreements
postponed the funding until fiscal
2002– 03 to 2007– 08.
TDA Transportation Development Act
State law enacted in 1971. TDA funds are
generated from a tax of one- quarter of
one percent on all retail sales in each
county; used for transit, special transit for
disabled persons, and bicycle and pedes-trian
purposes, they are collected by the
state and allocated by MTC to fund transit
operations and programs. In nonurban
areas, TDA funds may be used for streets
and roads under certain conditions.
TDM Transportation Demand
Management Low- cost ways to reduce
demand by automobiles on the trans-portation
system, such as programs to
promote telecommuting, flextime and
ridesharing.
TEA Transportation Enhancement
Activities A federal transportation fund-ing
category. Ten percent of STP moneys
must be set aside for projects that
enhance the compatibility of transporta-tion
facilities with their surroundings.
Examples of TEA projects include bicycle
and pedestrian paths, restoration of rail
depots or other historic transportation
facilities, acquisition of scenic or open
space lands next to travel corridors, and
murals or other public art projects.
TEA 21 Transportation Equity Act for
the 21st Century Passed by Congress
in 1998, TEA 21 retained and expanded
many of the programs created in 1991
under ISTEA. The law reauthorized
federal surface transportation programs
for six years ( 1998– 2003), and signifi-cantly
increased overall funding for
transportation. Its successor is SAFETEA.
TETAP Traffic Engineering Technical
Assistance Program An MTC initiative
that provides local jurisdictions with
traffic engineering assistance and expert-ise
on projects to improve traffic flows on
major arterials.
40 Metropolitan Transportation Commission
TIP Transportation Improvement
Program This is the primary spending
plan for federal funding expected to flow
to the region from all sources for trans-portation
projects of all types. The TIP
must be updated at least once every four
years. It covers a four- or five- year period.
Title VI Refers to Title VI of the Federal
Civil Rights Act of 1964, and requires that
transportation planning and programming
be nondiscriminatory on the basis of race,
color and national origin. Integral to Title
VI is the concept of environmental justice.
TLC Transportation for Livable
Communities Funding program created
by MTC in 1998 to fund small- scale,
community- and transit- oriented projects
that improve neighborhood vitality.
TMC Transportation Management
Center A centralized regional facility for
notifying travelers of current traffic and
roadway conditions through various
media including radio and TV reporters,
roadway message signs, and highway
advisory radio. The TMC and the regional
Traffic Operations System ( see “ TOS”
below) reflect the growing importance of
system management and intelligent trans-portation
systems in combating roadway
congestion. The Bay Area TMC, which is
partially funded by MTC, is located in the
Caltrans District 4 headquarters building
in Oakland.
TOD Transit- Oriented Development
A type of development that links land use
and transit facilities to support the transit
system and help reduce sprawl, traffic
congestion and air pollution. It calls for
locating housing, along with complemen-tary
public uses ( jobs, retail and services)
at strategic points along a transit line.
TOS Traffic Operations System In the
Bay Area, Caltrans and the CHP monitor
traffic flows by means of detectors
embedded in pavement and closed- circuit
television cameras, quickly dispatching
tow trucks and other assistance. Message
signs and broadcasts alert drivers and
transit riders to conditions ahead, while
ramp metering controls traffic flows. All
these devices together comprise the TOS.
( See also “ TMC.”)
TransLink ® MTC’s prototype for a univer-sal
ticket valid on all transit modes,
from BART to buses to ferries. Translink ®
went into service in the fall of 2006 on
AC Transit buses and Golden Gate Transit
buses and ferries. TransLink ® smart card
technology can provide a broad range of
services beyond transit fares, including
payment for parking meters, telephone
calls, retail purchases and perhaps even
Internet purchases.
U. S. DOT United States Department of
Transportation The federal cabinet- level
agency with responsibility for highways,
mass transit, aviation and ports; headed
by the secretary of transportation.
The DOT includes the Federal Highway
Administration and the Federal Transit
Administration, among others. There are
also state DOTs ( known as Caltrans in
California).
VII Vehicle Infrastructure Integration
VII is a major ITS ( see entry) initiative.
The goal of VII is to provide a communica-tions
link between vehicles on the road,
and between vehicles and the roadside
infrastructure, in order to increase the
safety, efficiency, and convenience of the
transportation system.
The ABCs of MTC 41
CREDITS
MTC Management Staff
Steve Heminger
Executive Director
Ann Flemer
Deputy Executive Director,
Operations
Andrew B. Fremier
Deputy Executive Director,
Bay Area Toll Authority
Therese W. McMillan
Deputy Executive Director,
Policy
Project Staff
Randy Rentschler
Director, Legislation and
Public Affairs
Joe Curley
Editor
Catalina Alvarado
Marjorie Blackwell
John Goodwin
Ellen Griffin
Pam Grove
Brenda Kahn
Rebecca Long
Editorial Staff
Peter Beeler
Map Design
Finger Design Associates
Graphic Design
PRINTEAM/ Hatcher Press
Printing
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
Photography/ Art
PHOTO CREDITS ARE LEFT TO RIGHT
AND TOP TO BOTTOM
Cover
Dan Krauss
Thomas Winz,
Panoramic Images
Noah Berger
Joe Sohm,
Panoramic Images
Terry Thompson,
Panoramic Images
Pages 2- 3
Dan Krauss
John Benson
Noah Berger
Kit Morris
Pages 4- 5
Noah Berger
Michele Hofherr
MTC Archives
Peter Beeler
Pages 6- 7
© 2007 Barrie Rokeach
BART
Noah Berger
Michele Hofherr
Pages 8- 9
John Huseby,
Caltrans
Peter Beeler
MTC Archives
Peter Beeler
Pages 10- 11
© Tom Myers
Karl Nielsen
Pages 12- 13
Peter Beeler
Peter Beeler
Pages 14- 15
Peter Beeler
Peter Beeler
Pages 16- 17
Kevin Gilson
Evelyn Johnson
John Benson
John Huseby,
Caltrans
Steve Price,
Urban Advantage
Pages 18- 19
© 2007 Barrie Rokeach
Peter Beeler
Pages 20- 21
John Huseby,
Caltrans
Michele Hofherr
George Draper
Bill Hall,
Caltrans
Page 22
John Benson
Pages 26- 27
John L. Kim,
The Oakland Tribune
Somos,
Veer/ Getty Images
Pages 30- 31
Noah Berger
Noah Berger
Chriss Poulsen
Noah Berger
Page 32
Laurie Kemmel
Pages 34- 35
Noah Berger
Noah Berger
Peter Beeler
Peter Beeler
42
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