Guest Perspective: Measure BB is Essential for Castro Valley
- By : Guest Voice
- Category : Public Safety
Guest post by Dave Campbell, Advocacy Director, Bike East Bay
Every respected group in Alameda County has endorsed Measure BB because it addresses our concerns about getting around town. The League of Women Voters, Alameda County Taxpayers Association, United Seniors, Sierra Club, Transform, Bike East Bay and many other groups endorse Measure BB. For the full list of endorsements go to: www.yesonbb.org.
Every year, Castro Valley and the unincorporated areas of the county get $1.4 million for Local Streets and Roads repairs and over $400,000 for walking and bicycling improvements from the current transportation plan. With Measure BB, these amounts double. You can help decide how this critical locally-controlled money is spent by getting to know your neighborhood Alameda County Public Works Agency and their hard-working team: Director Daniel Woldenesenbet, Traffic Engineer Art Carrera, and Transportation Planner Paul Keener. Please add them to your contacts and contact them regularly.
I want to underscore the importance of the Local Streets and Roads money and Bike Ped money. These local funds come directly to Castro Valley and all areas of unincorporated Alameda County for local residents to decide how to prioritize–no other city or area of the county gets these funds. These monies fund new sidewalks and streetscape improvement projects that enrich our neighborhoods, such as Castro Valley Blvd and Lewelling Blvd projects. These types of streetscape projects encourage people to walk, take transit and bicycle for more trips, easing congestion and freeing up parking spaces for those who need to drive. The best time for Castro Valley residents to advocate for these community funds will be shortly after the passage of the measure.
Measure BB will expand funding for Safe Routes to School (SR2S). Many schools in Castro Valley have SR2S programs, and via the SR2S grant programs have received pedestrian safety upgrades such as sidewalks, contrast-painted crosswalks, and flashing lights at crosswalks. Measure BB will allow SR2S to expand to more schools in Castro Valley, and provide much-needed upgrades near the schools. Measure BB also provides essential funding to restore many AC Transit bus services cut over the past 10 years, funding to improve BART service directly to Fremont so Castro Valley residents can travel directly to Fremont without a transfer, and traffic relief on major arterials such as Lake Chabot Rd and at congested freeway interchanges along 880 and 580.
Measure BB will be a game-changer in this way–it will help build walkable neighborhoods. By this we mean neighborhoods where you can walk for many close trips, take advantage of better quality transit for longer trips, hop on a bike for quicker trips, and be able to avoid congestion and more easily drive around to the places you want to go, including to work and to school. Your street will make you happier if it is well-maintained and accommodates all users. Measure BB will create these kinds of streets and these kinds of communities.
Dave Campbell is the Advocacy Director for Bike East Bay, formally known as the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. Bike East Bay works both in Alameda and Contra Costa County’s to make cities more bikeable and walkable. Bike East Bay also runs an education program teaching people how to be safe out on our streets, and coordinates Bike to Work Day & Bike to School Day day activities every year, which Alameda County is a proud sponsor.
How much of the BB revenue has been specifically earmarked for Castro Valley projects? What are those projects specifically? How were projects in the plan selected? Were citizens of Castro Valley consulted on what projects will be awarded top Castro Valley?
I’m a little fuzzy on how this money is locally controlled. Befriending county agencies and their staff does not feel very democratic.
It seems weird that we have to wait until the measure passes before we can advocate for projects.
The capital projects are already set in stone (no pun intended), and I am not clear on why Castro Valley didn’t get any, but I have my suspicions. Regarding programs, I think this is where being unincorporated really hurts us. If we were a city, money would be allocated to us (based on population), our city council would prioritize how it’s spent, and we could hold them accountable at the ballot box if we didn’t like their decisions. Since we’re unincorporated, money is allocated to all the unincorporated communities (based on their total population), and the Board of Supervisors ultimately prioritizes how it’s spent. Hence we need to be the loudest voice in the room.
Sort of related: the unincorporated communities do not have a seat at the table of the Alameda CTC Commission. We should work to change that.
Steve and Rebecca, look at it this way, Piedmont is also not getting any large capital projects, nor is Albany. Not every city gets one necessarily-it is based on need and representation too. But the programs in current Measure B are 60% of the money and Castro Valley can get their fair share, but residents need to speak up. Another way to look at it is this way, East Oakland is not entitled to a share of Oakland’s money, just like Castro Valley is not entitled to a share on unincorporated Alameda County monies allocated and guaranteed. Residents have to speak up.
My street is about to get repaved with Measure B money, because residents spoke up and called their elected representative. That’s how our democracy works. But without funding, there is less to ask for as a resident.