CGF: News: CGF endorses Measure A

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Planning for San Mateo County's transportation future

CGF endorses Measure A

On November 2, 2004, San Mateo County voters will be asked to approve an extension of the County's existing half-cent transportation sales tax. Measure A's reauthorization will improve safety, reduce air pollution and traffic congestion, and provide diverse transit options.

The current Measure A, approved by the voters in 1988, will expire in 2008. Over that 20-year period, each dollar raised through the half-cent sales tax has yielded more than double that amount due to grants and matching funds from state and federal sources.

Measure A's extension will continue the basic 50-50 split between automobile related and transit projects, with the addition of some important guaranteed allocations for bicycle/pedestrian projects as well.

The Transportation Expenditure Plan for "new" Measure A was the result of an extensive process involving input from every city, town and interested group in San Mateo County. The Plan is now being considered for approval by each city, and by early July, the Board of Supervisors is expected to place the measure on the November ballot.

The Expenditure Plan includes:

30% for transit including: Caltrain (16%), local shuttle services (4%), paratransit services (4%), Dumbarton Rail station facilities (2%), BART capital investment and operations (2%) and ferry service matching funds (2%)
27.5% for highway improvements, focused on key congested corridors along Highways 101, 280, 92 and 1
22.5% for local streets and road improvements, allocated by population and road miles among the 20 cities and the unincorporated areas of the County
15% for grade separations to eliminate safety hazards for motorists and pedestrians, while improving the efficiency of Caltrain and local traffic flow
3% for bicycles and pedestrian improvements
1% for alternative trip reduction measures such as ride sharing, flexible work hours and other commute alternatives, plus funding for intelligent transportation systems that facilitate more efficient use of available highway and transit capacities
1% for administrative costs

The Expenditure Plan has safeguards to prevent reallocation of funds from one transportation category to another, while maintaining some flexibility for new projects to be considered in the Highway Improvement category.

The projects in the new 25-year plan will help implement the goals of the Countywide Transportation Plan, which are to improve mobility, reduce congestion, increase access, improve air quality, increase economic vitality, improve the coordination of land use and transportation planning, increase reliability and increase safety.

CGF has endorsed Measure A and recommends that voters approve the vital transportation package this November.

For more information, download the Measure A fact sheet (PDF format).

Page last updated September 13, 2010 .