Not the same old sprawl: Stanislaus seeks input for sustainable transportation plan
The public has two chances to comment in mid-November on making transportation more sustainable in Stanislaus County.
The online workshops are part of a state-mandated plan for enhancing walking, bicycling and transit amid a landscape dominated by cars.
The plan is being compiled by the Stanislaus Council of Governments, made up of its nine cities and the county. It is done every four years and looks ahead 25 years, in this case from 2022 to 2046.
The workshops will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, and Monday, Nov. 15, both with Spanish translation. Details on how to take part are at www.valleyvision2046.com.
The new plan will build on a 2018 document that outlined about $7.2 billion in spending over 25 years. Most of the money is for projects that ease the way for motor vehicles, such as the Highway 132 bypass now under construction and the future North County Corridor.
But the plan also cited increased rail service, notably an Altamont Corridor Express expansion scheduled to reach Modesto and Ceres by 2023. The plan also examines how to add bike paths and to make streets more inviting to pedestrians.
All of the projects would be funded by money expected from local, state and federal sources. They include Measure L, a sales tax approved by county voters in 2016, and a fuel tax increase enacted by the state a year later.
The plan does not commit the city councils or the county Board of Supervisors to any of the projects. It does serve as a guide to how we might get around over the next quarter-century.
At the core is the idea that transportation and land-use planning should happen in tandem. Advocates urge homes, shops and workplaces in compact mixes that make walking, bicycling and transit use easier. They seek to move away from the pattern, starting in the 1950s, of low-density homes distant from work and shopping.
The plan also must weigh how transportation projects affect low-income and minority communities. This grew out of concern about how poorer neighborhoods were harmed by freeways and other past projects.
StanCOG’s process is known as Valley Vision 2046 for short. Formally, it is the Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy.
Questions can be directed to senior planner Isael Ojeda at iojeda@stancog.org or 209-525-4632.
