Fresno County

Last week, California voters supported equitable transportation, open space and climate spending by large margins at the ballot box.

If your community is planning to apply for Cycle 4 of the Active Transportation Program, you have until July 31 to do so. Information and resources for applicants are available on the CalTrans website and at the Active Transportation Resource Center.

Please join us at the May 30 Walking & Biking Summit in Fresno to build your capacity to organize resident-led walking and biking groups and to use these groups to inform traffic safety improvements in your neighborhood. There will also be a workshop about how Safe Routes to School can make walking and biking to and from school safer, convenient, and fun.

In early May, California Senior Policy Manager Jonathan Matz joined our partners in the Sustainable Communities for All coalition (SC4A) in Sacramento to lobby state lawmakers for an equitable portfolio of investments from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). Among the programs SC4A would like to see funded from the GGRF this year are Urban Forestry and Urban Greening; the Low Income Home Weatherization Program; and transit passes for K-14 students in public education institutions.

Proponents of an effort to repeal SB 1 (last year’s increase in the State Gas Tax) submitted nearly 1 million signatures to place a proposition on the statewide ballot this November, widely exceeding the minimum number to qualify (584,000).

The Call for Projects for Cycle 4 of the Active Transportation Program (ATP) is set for May 16, with applications due by July 31.  Until they are released, the latest draft applications and guidelines are available at http://catc.ca.gov/programs/atp/.  New this year are separate applications for different project types and more detailed questions concerning local health disparities.

On April 5, the Fresno Council of Governments released a draft of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) 2018 – 2042 for a 55-day review and public comment period. The plan addresses greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other air emissions related to transportation, with the goal of preparing for future growth in a sustainable manner. Public hearings will be held on April 26, and  May 15.

The California Transportation Commission has announced another (likely final) workshop on the applications and guidelines for Cycle 4 of the Active Transportation Program on Tuesday April 17 in Sacramento. The workshop will also cover SB 1 accountability guidelines. Please see the meeting announcement with full details including how to participate remotely here.

In recent months, the Safe Routes Partnership has solicited input from constituents throughout California about the potential impact of SB 328, which would require middle and high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.  We received input from stakeholders on all sides of the legislation and have done some careful research and consideration of the issues.