LA County Bicycle Coalition www.la-bike.org

Metro is proposing to put a 1/2-cent sales tax measure on the November ballot. The earliest serious vote shaping the tax will be at the Metro Board Meeting on July 24th at 9am. The current proposal includes a projected total of 40 billion dollars in Metro revenue over 30 years. At this point, there’s money planned to be set aside for rail, bus, highways, local cities, and even freeway soundwalls, but not a penny specifically set aside for bicycle or pedestrian projects.

We need to get funding specifically allocated for bicycle and pedestrian projects!

We need to ask for at least 1% for bikes and 1% for peds which will mean about 800 million dollars over the next thirty years.

When asked to designate bicycle and pedestrian funding, Metro responded that bike and ped projects are eligible to compete for funding in what’s called the “local return” category. The proposed tax revenues will return 15-20% to cities (and county for unincorporated areas) on a per capita basis for flexible use on transportation projects. This funding can go toward roads, repairing potholes, signals, streetscape, signal synchronization, and maybe bike and ped projects. Given rising gas prices, climate change, and public health crises, it’s short-sighted and irresponsible to leave bike and ped funding out of planned transportation expenditures.

If there is no dedicated funding in the official language of the tax initiative, bike advocates will need to press each city each year to find funding for bicycle projects, pretty much like it is today. Most cities do not allocate a significant proportion of their transportation dollars to bike projects.

Bicyclists are encouraged to do the following:

1. Attend Metro meetings and request 1% for bikes and 1% for peds
The Metro Executive Management and Audit Committee Meeting
WHEN: Thursday July 17th at 9am
WHERE: One Gateway Plaza,
Metro Board Room, 3rd floor
L.A. 90012
(located adjacent to Union Station easy access from the Metro Red and Gold Lines)
The full Metro Board Meeting
WHEN: Thursday July 24th at 9:30am
WHERE: One Gateway Plaza
Metro Board Room, 3rd floor
L.A. 90012
(located adjacent to Union Station easy access from the Metro Red and Gold Lines)
For meeting schedules and agendas, see http://www.metro.net/board/mtgsched.htm

2. Write Letters to the Metro Board
Send a letter, fax or email requesting allocation of 1% for bikes and 1% for pedestrians in the proposed sales tax by July 23rd.
Metro’s board consists of elected officials, including L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa, County
Supervisors, and elected from other cities, including Duarte, Glendale, Long Beach, and Santa Monica (full list of Metro board members is available at: http://www.metro.net/about_us/board/board_members.htm

Some Metro’s Board Members:
Antonio R. Villaraigosa: mayor@lacity.org Ph: (213) 978-0600 Fax: 213 978-0750
Pam O’Connor: pam.oconnor@smgov.net
Bernard Parks: councilmember.parks@lacity.org ph: (213)-473-7008 fax: (213) 485-7683
Gloria Molina: molina@bos.lacounty.gov Ph: (323) 881-4601Fax: (323) 887-7286
Yvonne B. Burke: seconddistrict@burke.lacounty.gov
Ph: (310) 458-8201Fax:(310)458-1621
Michael D. Antonovich: (213) 974-5555, (213) 974-1010 FAX
Don Knabe: http://knabe.com/askdon/askdon.html
Zev Yaroslavsky: http://zev.lacounty.gov/forms/touch.htm#email%20address
Carol Inge: 213-922-3056 ingec@metro.net
Roger Snoble: snobler@metro.net

These elected officials need to hear from the bicycle community to know that there is a need!

A sample letter is available on-line at:
http://la.streetsblog.org