Last year around this time, two Alameda County agencies consolidated into one agency under the guise that it would create efficiency and eliminate duplication. The Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority (ACTIA) and the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (ACCMA) merged to form the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC). According to media out of ACTC they claim to have saved nearly $3 million and “presents greater detail to improve accountability and transparency.”
However, more recently Oakland Local has reported that the ACTC funded program Safe Routes to Schools has been temporarily suspended because of delays that apparently no one is taking responsibility for. Highlights:
Unlike so many stories these days of transportation funding getting slashed, Alameda’s program is fully funded. After a series of local delays, the contract is slowly making its way through Caltrans. Now the only way Alameda County schools will start this month with its Safe Routes to Schools, or SR2S, programs intact is for Caltrans to issue a quick contracting decision that will release the funds.
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Every two years, Alameda County selects a combination of organizations to run its SR2S program. The Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) – a 22-person board of mayors, councilmembers, county supervisors, BART and AC Transit representatives – must approve each step of the selection process.
The team selected for 2011-2013 is very similar to the team active in 2009-2011. Alta Planning performs an audit of the walking conditions and other analyses. Cycles of Change, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, Big Tadoo Puppet Crew and others organize family cycling workshops, children’s bike rodeos and safety puppet shows in the schools. But it’s staff at Transform coordinate the relationships between schools, parents, and advocates with six full-timers.
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Due to delays within Alameda County earlier this year, the contract schedule is now over six weeks delayed. Without a formal notice to proceed, staff cannot be paid to work. After paying its SR2S staff from its own general fund as long as it could, Transform laid off its staff early last week, with the hopes of bringing them back when the funds become available.
For those that don’t know Safe Routes to Schools is a federal program that essentially is designed to help kids get to school safely by bicycle or on foot, programs such as Walk and Roll to School, the Walking School Bus, and bicycle safety classes are all programs that fall under Safe Routes to Schools.
It’s a shame that somehow an organization whose merger was supposed to streamline business has made what was a seamless process previously now suspended until the initial granting agency, Caltrans, makes an exception in their policy. And honestly, it’s something that our elected reprensentatives, in Alameda’s case Vice Mayor Rob Bonta and Supervisor Wilma Chan are members of ACTC, should be holding ACTC staff accountable for, figuring out why this “improved accountability” that was supposed to come on the heels of this merge instead has sidelined a program for kids.
According to the article, the safe routes to school team was selected by the board on June 23 and Caltrans takes 10 to 45 days to process the contract.
It has been longer than 45 days since the approval, what is taking Caltrans so long?
Comment by curious — August 26, 2011 @ 12:21 pm
A comment I agree with from:
http://www.examiner.com/bicycle-transportation-in-national/top-republican-eyes-cutting-safe-routes-to-school
“No doubt the motives are pure, but there are some things that are beyond the purview of the federal government. Or are we at the local level so pathetic that we can’t solve problems without having the federal government tax us so it can give the money to the Federal Highway Administration which will then parcel it out to the areas with the most powerful congressional representation? If only six percent of the need has been met…and precisely was that number determined…then we should increase the funding by twenty fold so ALL children are protected. But then, gee, what happens to the Interstate highway bridges that money could have repaired? Oh, that’s OK, we’ll let them fall into the Mississippi. Or we can print money and pretend it’s real.
The truth is that most projects like this are boondoggles and pap for the companies and unions who will have to meet federal regulations regarding hiring, etc., etc., etc., rather than local voluteers do something that does the same thing. J
Comment by Jack Richard — August 28, 2011 @ 4:54 pm