SANDAG Solicits Bike and Pedestrian Projects for $8.8 Million in Grant Funds

April 19, 2012
|In News
|By BikeSD Staff

Below is a press release I received from SANDAG.

I encourage you to contact your elected representatives and your traffic engineering departments in your respective cities with recommendations on specific areas that could benefit from long neglected improvements. The City of San Diego’s Bicycle Coordinator is Tom Landre. In Carlsbad, please contact Bryan Jones, the Deputy Director of Transportation. In light of yesterday’s tragedy, not only do we need additional improvements, but we also need additional funds to implement all the glaring deficiencies in our transportation network. I hope you take the initiative to be proactive and work on making the San Diego region a friendlier place for everyone who rides.

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Date:              April 19, 2012
For Release:  Immediately
Contact:         David Hicks, (619) 699-6939 or david.hicks@sandag.org

SANDAG SOLICITS BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN

PROJECTS FOR $8.8 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDS

 Acting to implement its long-range plans to improve active transportation, SANDAG has put out a call seeking competitive bids for $8.8 million in grant funds to pay for bicycle and pedestrian improvements throughout the region.

Among the types of projects eligible for funding are new bicycle paths and boulevards, bicycle lane striping, new sidewalks and sidewalk improvements, high visibility crosswalks, roundabouts and traffic circles, road diets, and pedestrian and bicycle-related traffic control devices.

Proposals submitted by the region’s 18 cities and the county government are due in July. The submittals will be scored on a competitive basis, with funding recommendations being made in late summer or early fall to the SANDAG Board of Directors. While the grants will be made only to the cities and the county, non-profit and community-based organizations may partner with the agencies to make joint proposals.

Funding for the approximately $8.8 million Active Transportation Grant Program comes from the Transportation Development Act and the voter-approved TransNet half-cent sales tax program. The funds will be apportioned to capital and non-capital projects as follows:

  • $6.6 million, or 75 percent of the fund, for capital projects.
  • $2.2 million for planning, education, and bicycle parking projects.

This is the first call for active transportation projects since the Board of Directors adopted Riding to 2050: The San Diego Regional Bicycle Plan in May 2010 and the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan and its Sustainable Communities Strategy in October 2011.

The goal of the Active Transportation Grant Program is to promote the “complete streets” vision, providing multiple travel choices for residents and connectivity to transit, schools, retail centers, parks, work, and other community gathering places.

For more information go to www.sandag.org/active

About SANDAG

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is the San Diego region’s primary public planning, transportation, and research agency, providing the public forum for regional policy decisions about growth, transportation planning and construction, environmental management, housing, open space, energy, public safety, and binational topics. SANDAG is governed by a Board of Directors composed of mayors, council members, and supervisors from each of the region’s 18 cities and the county government.

 

Find SANDAG on Facebook at facebook.com/SANDAGregion.