The Results are in - 88% of Local Bay Area Candidates Support Seamless Transit!
Throughout the past few months, Seamless Bay Area has been partnering with other advocacy groups to develop and distribute a candidate questionnaire focused on transportation issues to local candidates across San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties.
The questionnaire focused on a range of transportation-related issues including greenhouse gas emissions, street safety, and transit-oriented development, but one question in particular focused squarely on Seamless Bay Area’s vision for Bay Area transit:
“Public transit in the Bay Area is highly fragmented, with 27 transit agencies, each with different fares, schedules, branding, and customer information. This keeps ridership low, and low income and transit-dependent people are particularly burdened. Polling indicates that 89% of the public supports legislation to create ‘“one seamless, multimodal transit system...with consistent mapping and signage and regional fares”; and 83% support combining BART and Caltrain into an integrated system. Do you believe it should be a priority for the region to create an integrated transit system? And as an elected leader or potential member of a local transit agency board, would you support state legislation that advances a more integrated, high ridership system, even if it diminishes local control?”
We received responses from a total of 154 local candidates, and after analyzing each of their responses to this question, we found that 136 candidates stated their support for the principles above - a staggering 88%!!
This is highly encouraging, and tells us that there is not only widespread citizen support for integrated transit in the Bay Area, but also widespread support from our locally elected officials and candidates. These influential locally elected officials can play an important part in facilitating this transition for the future of Bay Area transit.
Analysis
Further analysis of the responses to this question points out some interesting patterns, and gives important indicators as to what the primary issues are that prevent people (and elected officials) from supporting integrated transit.
Alameda County had the highest percentage of respondents - 97% in total - who state their support for seamless transit, while Contra Costa County had the lowest percentage - 78% in total. Even on the lowest end of the spectrum, candidates who support the seamless integration of Bay Area transit make up the majority by a large margin.
The responses in support of seamless transit ranged from extremely enthusiastic to conditional and cautious, with each providing valuable insight into what these candidates are prioritizing in their respective cities and counties, and how seamless transit fits within those local priorities.
Predictably, one of the most common critiques of state legislation for regionally integrated transit is a fear of losing local control. As Pamela DiGiovanni, an incumbent running for Daly City Council, stated;
“I do understand the need for local control as well so it should consist of finding a balance of seamless transit but also not undervaluing the transit needs of smaller and more suburban transit systems.”
These sentiments were echoed by many of the candidates who only expressed conditional support, or did not support. However, Ruben Abrica, mayor of East Palo Alto, presents an excellent response to claims like these in his statement;
“Local control becomes empty rhetoric when only some localities carry the burden of a fragmented system. A multimodal, integrated transit system rebuilt on fairness and equity for all, particularly economically vulnerable populations is badly needed. State legislation is the missing but necessary piece for regional efforts to succeed”
Concerningly, an admitted lack of knowledge on the implications of legislation like this was another one of the most common reasons for candidates being hesitant to support seamless integration. This is why work to educate the public and advocate for these issues is so important - these responses represent a sizable cohort of decision makers who, once educated on these issues, could easily become supporters of seamless transit. In doing so, they’d be better representing the needs and positions of their constituents and joining the growing majority of local candidates in support of this movement.
Conclusion
Moving forward into elections this November, we need to push as hard as we can to elect local candidates that have these vital transit issues high up on their roster. These local candidates can have a massive impact on transit issues in their own towns and counties, and their support will continue to push us forward towards a more efficient, equitable, and seamless transit system for the Bay Area.