Draft MTP/SCS Comments Received - sacog

Sacramento Public Hearing Comments from January 4, 2012
Amy Williams, Legal
Services of Northern
California
Earl Withy Combe
The MTP is a good plan, but the timeline is too spread out. We need improved transit service now. The California Endowment's initiative
"Building Healthy Communities" will be completed in eight years, and SACOG should attempt to complement that initiative with increased
transit service that will address equity issues and benefit low‐income communities.
The MTP/SCS performance measures should include more measures related to public health and healthy communities.
Accountability Gap: SACOG does not have the land use authority to guarantee achievement of the SCS goals, only the ability to model that
attainment is possible. SACOG should begin a program of incentives and disincentives to encourage and incentivize local jurisdictions to adopt
and embrace the Blueprint vision, including the siting of high‐density developments near transit. SACOG should institute a bonus point system
in the programs, planning, and enhancement funding to give bonus point in communities where the local jurisdictions have clearly
demonstrated that they support the Blueprint goals and they enforce those in the approval of new land use projects. Over time, SACOG should
add a similar bonus system to other pots of funding. SACOG needs more levers to achieve the goals of the SCS. The plan is somewhat wishful
thinking without such controls.
Michael Monasky
Mike Barnbaum
SACOG should consider something akin to the 30/10 initiative that was approved in L.A. County. This initiative establishes a sales tax increase
that will be used to bond new transit projects over a 10‐year period that would otherwise take 30 years. The SACOG region needs another
funding option for returning transit service levels and expanding them. The region should consider an initiative like the one in L.A.
Anything we can do to bring down GHG emissions is desirable.
Disappointed with the public comment process. Usually, a public hearing is started and ended officially and the members who comprise the
Board are present, but not a single Board member is present to hear comments.
Concerned about the air quality chapter, including diesel contaminants.
SACOG should include public health officials in public outreach.
The MTP puts too much investment in roadway projects. Greater investment in transit projects would yield better returns for reductions in
vehicle miles traveled and better air quality. Vulnerable populations carry more of this burden in terms of adverse health outcomes.
GHG emissions are still growing. Roadway maintenance and rehabilitation projects (which account for $7 billion of total MTP expenditures)
should not be included as non‐exempt projects in air quality conformity determinations because the current infrastructure is already causing
too much GHG emissions.
The MTP project list needs to include something about the San Joaquin corridor that runs from Oakland/Sacramento to Bakersfield.
During the unmet transit needs process, transit needs that are found to be reasonable to meet should be specially recognized or "fast tracked"
in the MTP/SCS to speed implementation of these services.
The region should consider something like the 30/10 initiative approved in L.A. County. SACOG should think outside the box to help move the
region forward.