Existing law establishes the Active Transportation Program in the Department of Transportation for the purpose of encouraging increased use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking. Existing law requires the California Transportation Commission to develop guidelines with regard to project eligibility that include, among other project types, safe routes to transit projects that will encourage transit by improving biking and walking routes to mass transportation facilities and schoolbus stops.

This bill would instead require the guidelines with regard to project eligibility to include projects for safe routes to transit projects that encourage access to transit and investments in transit-rich and infill opportunity areas, as specified.

Existing law requires the commission to develop guidelines with regard to project selection that include, among other criteria, identification of walking and bicycling routes to and from schools, transit facilities, and community centers.

This bill would require the guidelines with regard to project selection to also include as criteria the potential for encouraging increased access to public transit and recommendations to maximize commitments of state transportation improvement program funds to projects funded by the program. The bill would require higher priority to be given to projects that allocate 50% or more of state transportation improvement program programming capacity to active transportation improvements.

This bill would require the commission’s guidelines to include a progressive range of penalties for an applicant that failed to use previously received program funds in a timely manner, as specified.