Transportation is the lifeblood of any economy, but the COVID-19 pandemic ground the Bay Area to a halt and forever changed our travel patterns. Freeway congestion on the region’s highways and bridges has now surpassed pre-pandemic levels, while transit agencies are still struggling to draw riders back to their systems.
The Bay Area Council is working to make it faster, easier, and more comfortable to move around the Bay Area. This includes creating a more seamless, comfortable and safe transit experience, alleviating congestion on highways and bridges, expanding ferry routes, supporting new mobility solutions, improving goods movement operations, and decarbonizing transportation across the board.
2023 Policy Goals
- Lead advocacy to revitalize public transportation by advocating for funding to avert the looming transit fiscal cliff and encourage regional coordination to make a more seamless, safe, comfortable, and reliable transit rider experience throughout the Bay Area.
- Improve surface transportation by advocating for new federal infrastructure funding to support regional priorities and work with state leadership to expedite delivery of those projects.
- Lead coalition to expand water transit service on the San Francisco Bay by advocating for funding to support public ferry terminals and services and promoting new service concepts to access new markets.
- Improve mobility by supporting the growth of private transportation modes including employer-provided shuttle systems, ridehailing services, autonomous vehicle deployment, and other new mobility services.
- Enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and safety of goods movement operations in the Bay Area by advocating for state and federal funding, attracting and leveraging emerging technologies, and seeking legislative initiatives and changes as needed.
Get Involved
The Transportation Committee and Subcommittees listed below are open to Bay Area Council members. For more information, contact Vice President Emily Loper (eloper@bayareacouncil.org) and check out our upcoming events.
Transportation Committee Co-Chairs:
Darlene Gee, Senior Vice President, HNTB
Arielle Fleisher, City Policy Strategist, Waymo
Rich Robbins, President and CEO, Wareham Development
Waterfront Mobility Committee Co-Chairs:
Emily Lesk, Project Manager, Wilson Meany
Seamus Murphy, Executive Director, Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA)
Heather Salem, Commute Operations Lead, Genentech
Goods Movement Subcommittee Co-Chairs:
Danny Wan, Executive Director, Port of Oakland
Genevieve Cadwalader, Vice President & Investment Officer, Prologis
Employer TDM Task Force Co-Chairs:
Lauren Bennett, Principal Program Manager, Transportation, Genentech
Jonathan Schuppert, Manager of Transportation Planning & Optimization, Meta
Return to Work and Transit Employer Survey
Since April 2021, the Bay Area Council has been collecting monthly survey data from employers around the region to track how attitudes about returning to offices and commuting on transit have shifted throughout the pandemic. These results have been critical to helping our region understand new commute patterns and design services to best meet the needs of commuters.
For more information or to participate in the Council’s monthly Return to Work and Transit Employer survey, email Policy Director Laura Hill (lhill@bayareacouncil.org).
Sponsored Bills
AB 321, Sales and Use Tax: exemptions: zero-emission public transportation ferries
Author: Wilson (Suisun City)
Summary: Would facilitate and accelerate the wider use of zero-emission ferries by exempting them from state sales and use taxes. Consistent with the Bay Area Council’s work to expand regional ferry service as a commute alternative and reduce harmful greenhouse gas and other emissions.
AB 1464 Toll Bridges: Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
Author: Connolly (San Rafael)
Summary: Paves the way for the legislature to take measures to improve traffic on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, which is state-owned. Consistent with the Council’s work to create smoother, more efficient transit throughout the Bay Area.
