HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06232009 - C.35RECOMMENDATION(S):
ADOPT Resolution No. 2009/311 supporting efforts by the West Contra Costa
Transportation Advisory Committee (WCCTAC) to amend AB 744 (Torrico) and DIRECT
staff to provide the adopted resolution to WCCTAC staff, our state legislative delegation,
and our transportation advocate in Sacramento, as recommended by the Transportation,
Water and Infrastructure Committee.
FISCAL IMPACT:
NONE.
BACKGROUND:
Assembly Bill 744 would authorize the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to
establish a network of "Express Lanes" throughout the Bay Area, based around the region's
existing high-occupancy vehicle lanes plus additional lanes planned for the future. The bill
was sponsored by MTC and introduced by Assemblymember Alberto Torrico (D-Fremont).
The bill would authorize MTC, in its role as the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), to
convert the high-occupancy vehicle lanes to so-called high-occupancy toll (HOT) Lanes,
which are combinations of high-occupancy
APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
Action of Board On: 06/23/2009 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:Speaker: Christina Atienza
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
AYE:John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Gayle B. Uilkema, District II
Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III
Supervisor
Susan A. Bonilla, District IV
Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V
Supervisor
Contact: John Greitzer 335-1201
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board
of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: June 23, 2009
David J. Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
By: June McHuen, Deputy
cc: Assembly Member Tom Torlakson, Assembly Member Joan Buchanan, Assembly Member Nancy Skinner, State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, State Senator
Loni Hancock, Ms.Christina Atienza -WCCTAC
C. 35
To:Board of Supervisors
From:Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Comm
Date:June 23, 2009
Contra
Costa
County
Subject:Amendments to AB 744 (Torrico)
BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)
vehicle and toll lanes. This means carpools, vanpools and buses could use these lanes for
free as they currently do, and solo drivers could also use the lanes by paying a toll. The
premise behind HOT lanes is that they provide a more efficient distribution of vehicles
among the lanes, thereby reducing congestion, and they generate revenue through the
tolls that solo drivers would pay to use the HOT lanes (which typically are less congested
than the regular lanes). The tolls would be used to finance the expansion, operations and
maintenance of the Express Lane network.
Some observers have reservations about HOT lanes, for a number of reasons. Some
believe HOT Lanes provide better freeway service to more affluent drivers (those who
can afford to pay the tolls), thereby introducing inequity in the public highway system.
Others believe they detract from the purpose of high-occupancy vehicle lanes, which is
specifically to provide an advantage (and therefore an incentive) to carpoolers, vanpoolers
and bus passengers. By allowing solo drivers to use the lanes, there will be more traffic
and congestion in these lanes, which could make ridesharing and bus transit less
attractive. A potential also exists increase the occupancy requirements for carpools or
otherwise limit their access to these lanes to make more room for toll-paying users.
The West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee (WCCTAC) has expressed
these and other reservations about the HOT Lane concept in AB 744. As the regional
transportation planning committee for West County, WCCTAC has voiced several
concerns about the impacts of converting Interstate 80 into a HOT Lane, including the
social inequities mentioned earlier; the potential to slow down travel time for bus and
carpool passengers; the lack of emphasis on public transportation in terms of how the toll
revenues will be used; the uncertainty over cumulative traffic impacts of both the HOT
Lanes and the new ramp metering and other technologies being studied in the I-80
Integrated Corridor Mobility Project; and uncertainty over whether HOT Lane toll
revenues will be adequate to cover the intended costs of building, operating and
maintaining the HOT Lane network (and the worry that if toll revenues are not adequate,
MTC could take funds from other funding sources to pay for the HOT Lane network).
The author of the bill has verbally agreed to include some amendments requested by
WCCTAC to address these concerns, but WCCTAC indicates MTC has not agreed to
incorporate the amendments. The bill pased the Assembly and went to the State Senate
without any of the WCCTAC amendments.
If MTC does not include the amendments in the bill, WCCTAC intends to seek another
amendment that would exclude I-80 in West County from the bill's HOT Lane Network.
WCCTAC has asked all of its member agencies to adopt the attached resolution in
support of their efforts.
The Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee will review this item at its
monthly meeting on June 22 and their recommendation will be sought at that time. Due
to the urgency of the matter, staff has requested this item be placed on the June 23rd
Board agenda in advance of the Committee meeting. Any changes raised by the
Committee concerning this report will be announced at the meeting of the Board of
Supervisors.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution No. 2009/311