Bicycle & Pedestrian Funding
A number of programs are available to fund pedestrian, bicycle and related projects. (Appendix D [PDF - 68 KB] of the Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan (CBPP) contains an extensive list of potential sources for funding pedestrian or bicycle projects.) The Authority has some role in several of these programs.
- As the Congestion Management Agency for Contra Costa, the Authority allocates federal funds available through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). In May 2012, MTC adopted a new approach for allocating these funds, the OneBayArea Grant, also known as OBAG. Through this program, the Authority will allocate about $45 million to a variety of programs, two of which - Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) and Bicycle-Pedestrian Improvements (BPI) - can fund bicycle and pedestrians programs and projects.The BPI Program will fund facilities that will improve air quality by encouraging more people to bicycle or walk instead of driving. The TLC Program will fund projects that "bring new vibrancy to downtown areas, commercial cores, neighborhoods, and transit corridors, enhancing their amenities and ambiance and making them places where people want to live, work and visit." Most projects funded through the TLC program include bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The Authority is in the process of deciding how to carry out the OBAG program in Contra Costa.
- The Safe Routes to Transit program is intended to promote bicycling and walking to transit stations by making these important feeder trips easier, faster, and safer. The program is funded through Regional Measure 2 bridge tolls and is administered by the Transportation Land Use Coalition and the East Bay Bicycle Club.
- To help fund projects that reduce motor vehicle emissions and thus improve air quality, the Transportation Fund for Clean Air funds a variety of projects, including bicycle improvements included in the Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and congestion management program.
- Finally, the new Measure J expenditure plan includes several programs that can be used to fund bicycle and pedestrian improvements. The Pedestrian, Bicycle and Trail Facilities program sets aside sales tax funds specifically for bicycle and pedestrian projects. In addition, Measure J can fund such improvements through other categories, especially the Contra Costa TLC, local streets and roads, safe transportation for children, and major streets programs.