Draft MTP/SCS Comments Received - sacog

infrastructure in those communities and with the types of facilities that will result in
the biggest increases in mode-share.
The following strategies will help achieve a 20% non-commute bike/pedestrian
mode-share by 2035:
Invest in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure as soon as possible and
during the planning period to begin reaping benefits in mode-share increase
as soon as possible.
Set an equally aggressive goal for increasing the densities of urban land use
to make bike and pedestrian travel more viable,
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Focus funded projects on communities with high mode-shift potential
such as mixed-use, high-density, and transit-priority areas. For example,
Environmental Justice Areas have the highest existing mode share for
bicycling and walking. EJA mode share is forecast to increase at 4 times the
rate of the increase in bike/pedestrian mode-share in non EJAs (Table 8.9).
Therefore, roadway and bike and pedestrian projects in EJA areas should
receive much higher priority for early funding.
Prioritize bicycle infrastructure improvements on low-volume/low-speed
roadways and streets that will be much more attractive for bicycling by a
broader swath of our population than on high-speed/high-volume arterials.
2. The MTP/SCS 2035 should strengthen the Policies and Supportive Strategies
presented in Chapter 6 to better focus on assuring “Complete Streets” are
implemented wherever possible throughout the region. We believe that most
MTP/SCS funded projects should have complete street elements and follow
complete street principles. Nearly all transportation projects can have positive or
negative impacts on travel by foot, bike, or transit and therefore should be planned
with complete-street considerations, including all surface-street projects and all
maintenance and rehabilitation of surface streets. Even freeway projects that create
wide interchanges with high vehicle volumes and speeds should be required to
install extraordinary protections for bicyclists and pedestrians in otherwise hostile
environments (for example, the Hwy 50/Watt Avenue interchange project has
required special bike and pedestrian infrastructure so that bicyclists and pedestrians
can get safely travel through the interchange area).
Expanding Complete Streets in the region is a critical way to address the Guiding
Principles of the MTP/SCS. However, Complete Streets are not the subject of any of
the 31 policies (and only a few of the strategies) presented in Chapter 6 of the
MTP/SCS.
We recommend that SACOG better define the extent and purpose of adopting a
Complete Streets policy as mentioned in Strategy 9.1 (page 6-7). Strategy 9.1
supports a policy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The MTP/SCS 2035
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