Countywide Transportation Plan

The 2020 Countywide Transportation Plan (2020 CTP) was adopted by the Alameda County Transportation Commission in November 2020, along with the Community-Based Transportation Plan and the New Mobility Roadmap. This plan was developed through nearly 2 years of engagement, technical analysis, and prioritization efforts for transportation in Alameda County. The final plan documents are linked below. Background information on the 2020 CTP and supporting documents can be found on this webpage within the tabs included above.

What is the CTP?

The Countywide Transportation Plan (CTP) establishes near-term priorities and guides long-term decision-making for the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC). It establishes a vision for the county’s complex transportation system that supports vibrant and livable communities. The CTP is updated every four years and serves as a key input into the region’s transportation plan, Plan Bay Area. The 2020 CTP covers transportation projects, policies, and programs out to the year 2050 for Alameda County.

The 2020 CTP includes two companion documents:

Community-Based Transportation Plan. An assessment of transportation needs in the county’s low-income communities and communities of color with a focus on input collected via community engagement activities.
New Mobility Roadmap. Document that provides a foundation for agency policy, advocacy, and funding decisions to advance new mobility technologies and services for the Alameda CTC and partner agencies, as well as the private sector. The outcome of the New Mobility Roadmap is a set of seven initiatives, each of which has a comprehensive list of potential actions that could be taken to address and implement new mobility technologies and services in Alameda County.

2020 CTP Vision and Goals

The CTP Vision and Goals were adopted by the Alameda CTC in fall 2019. These will guide Alameda CTC’s work as we implement the recommendations in the 2020 CTP.

The vision is:
Alameda County residents, businesses, and visitors will be served by a premier transportation system that supports a vibrant and livable Alameda County through a connected and integrated multimodal transportation system promoting sustainability, access, transit operations, public health, and economic opportunities.

Four goals support the transportation vision:

Accessible, Affordable and Equitable: Improve and expand connected multimodal choices that are available for people of all abilities, affordable to all income levels and equitable.
Safe, Healthy and Sustainable: Create safe multimodal facilities to walk, bike and access public transportation to promote healthy outcomes and support strategies that reduce reliance on single-occupant vehicles and minimize impacts of pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.
High Quality and Modern Infrastructure: Deliver a transportation system that is of a high quality, well-maintained, resilient, and maximizes the benefits of new technologies for the public
Economic Vitality: Support the growth of Alameda County’s economy and vibrant local communities through a transportation system that is safe, reliable, efficient, cost-effective, high-capacity and integrated with sustainable transit-oriented development facilitating multimodal local, regional, and interregional travel.

Core Recommendations

Although the CTP is a long-range plan, the core recommendations of the plan include a set of priority transportation projects and programs to advance in the next 10 years and a set of complementary strategies and actions to help implement the vision and goals. The core recommendations will guide Alameda CTC decision-making in the coming years:

10-Year Priority Projects and Programs. A set of projects and programs that will address current transportation needs throughout Alameda County and work towards the countywide vision and goals. This list also includes programs that represent long-standing agency commitments.
Strategies and Near-Term Actions. A set of strategies based on guiding principles, industry best practices, and an analysis of gaps in the project list that will complement the 10-Year Priority Projects and Programs. These can inform funding, advocacy, policy, planning, technical assistance, and project implementation. Near-Term Actions have been identified to implement strategies over the next four years, until the next update of the CTP.

For more information on the core recommendations, see the Projects and Strategies tab at the top of the page. More information on needs, outreach, and additional resources can also be found in the tabs at the top of the page.

Transportation needs for all users have been identified through previous planning efforts, new analysis, partner agency engagement, and community outreach. The identification of these needs occurred prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place orders, which have affected the health, economy, and travel patterns of Alameda County. Although long-term impacts are uncertain, the transportation needs developed pre-pandemic are likely to continue to be broadly relevant when the county emerges from the pandemic. These needs are documented within two documents: (1) the Needs Assessment Report (37MB) and (2) the Community-Based Transportation Plan (CBTP). During the final phase of public engagement in fall 2020, needs and priorities related to the pandemic were also captured, this is documented in the Outreach Report and in the Chapter 2 of the 2020 CTP. The Outreach Report is under the Outreach Summary Tab on this webpage.

Needs Assessment Report
Community-Based Transportation Plan

The Needs Assessment documents countywide and local transportation needs for public transportation, walking, biking, driving, and goods movement. This assessment pulls together findings from a variety of reports and plans completed by the Alameda CTC over the last few years.

The following countywide needs serve as the foundation for the priority Project and Strategy recommendations described in the next tab. The most critical countywide transportation needs are relevant to all communities in Alameda County, including:

Needs Assessment Reference Documents

The Needs Assessment pulls information from a variety of reports and plans conducted by the agency over the last few years. For more information and detail on specific transportation modes, please see the following resources on the Alameda CTC website:

The Community-Based Transportation Plan (CBTP) identifies transportation needs and concerns in the county’s low-income communities and communities of color through analysis and a strong emphasis on community engagement. The CBTP program was launched in 2002 by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). MTC subsequently identified Communities of Concern throughout the region, which are communities that have a high concentration of both minority and low-income households or that have a high concentration of other factors including people with disabilities, seniors, and/or cost-burdened renters. The CBTP study areas are comprised of these MTC-identified Communities of Concern.

Alameda CTC conducted a countywide update to the CBTP as a key input to the 2020 CTP. The 2020 CBTP relied on direct engagement in low-income and minority communities, analysis of baseline conditions, and detailed review of recent local planning and engagement efforts. In fall 2019 and early winter 2019/2020, over 400 surveys were collected within CBTP study areas. In addition, an online survey was administered in May 2019 that was designed to be representative of Alameda County’s diverse population across planning areas, and included a significant sample from people in MTC’s designated Communities of Concern.

Key needs identified through CBTP engagement and analysis for the 2020 update include: CBTP Needs

The core recommendations of the 2020 CTP are (1) a prioritized set of projects and programs for the next 10 years and (2) a complementary set of strategies to guide Alameda CTC actions. This tab summarizes these core recommendations. More information can be found in the 2020 CTP document.

10-Year Priority Projects and Programs

Cities, the County, and transit agencies submitted projects in the fall of 2019 for inclusion in the 2020 CTP. Through collaboration and discussions with local agencies and elected officials on local priorities and a screening of how projects address countywide transportation goals and needs, Alameda CTC developed a list of projects for implementation over the next ten years.

The 10-Year Priority Projects and Programs List includes improvements in all parts of the county, comprising 93 projects and 5 programs. Of the 93 projects in the 10-Year List, 77% will make transportation improvements within or increase access to Communities of Concern and 90% of projects will be located in or provide access to Priority Development Areas to support sustainable transit-oriented development. The list of 10-Year Priority Projects and Programs is included in the 2020 CTP Project List.

Overall, the 10-Year Priority Projects will accomplish the following:

In addition to the prioritizing projects on the 10-year list, the 2020 CTP also reinforces long-standing agency commitments to the following key programs:

Other projects and programs will be implemented over the next 30 years. These include both long-term projects and programmatic groupings of projects that will be defined throughout the plan horizon. The 30-year list can be found in the 2020 CTP Project List.

Strategies and Near-Term Actions

To complement the 10-Year Priority Projects and Programs and help move the county towards the CTP vision and goals, the 2020 CTP includes a series of Strategies. Strategies reflect guiding principles, industry best practices, and a gaps analysis of areas that aren’t fully covered by projects. They also advance equity by addressing needs identified in the CBTP and can inform funding, advocacy, policy, technical assistance, and project implementation. Strategies that advance equity are noted with two red asterisks (**).

The strategies in the 2020 CTP fall into one of five categories. Click the Plus button to see more detail for each category.

Safe Systems Approach

** Improve Safety on the High-Injury Network, with an Eye Towards Community Disparities.
** Support Context-Appropriate Speed Limit Setting and Automated Speed Enforcement Policies.
Modernize Interchanges for Safer Multimodal Travel, including Addressing Pedestrian Experience at Underpasses.
** Enhance Safety at At-Grade Rail Crossings

Complete Corridors Approach

** Improve Bus Service Frequency, Reliability, Quality and Travel Time.
** Manage the Curb to Balance Needs of Multiple Users.
** Build the Low-Stress Walking and Biking Network, including Low-Stress Facilities on Arterials and/or Alternative Routes.
** Plan and Deliver Urban Greenways and Trails.
Coordinate with Caltrans for Faster Project Advancement and Innovation.
Support Modern Traffic Signals that Operate Seamlessly Across Jurisdictions and Deliver Robust Transit Signal Priority.
Address Navigation Apps Directing Regional Travelers to Local Streets.
Support Placemaking and Economic Development Through Street Design.
** Manage Truck Parking and Congestion.

Partnerships to Address Regional and Megaregional Issues

Enhance Interregional Rail Service.
** Provide Seamless Transit Connections.
** Improve Priority Freight Routes and Shift More Freight to Rail.
Proactively Plan for and Support Climate Resiliency Efforts.
Create a Continuous Managed Lane Network.
Provide Express Bus Service and Bus Prioritization on Freeways and Approaches.

Transit Accessibility and TDM

Use incentives to Reduce Drive-Alone Trips and Vehicle-Miles Traveled.
** Improve Fare Integration and Explore Affordable Fare Options.
** Expand First/Last-Mile Options and Improve Access to Major Transit Hubs.
Explore Innovative, Agile Solutions to Supplement Transit, e.g. in Low Density Settings or to Serve Older Adults; Consider Potential Impacts of Innovative Strategies.
Support Necessary Transit Operations & Maintenance facilities.

New Mobility and an Automated, Low-Emission and Shared Future

Advance the initiatives of the New Mobility Roadmap:

Transit Integration
Coordinated Information Technology Services (ITS)
Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
Electric and Low-Emission Mobility
Equity and Accessibility
Mobility Coordination and Innovation
Data and Automation

For each Strategy category, a series of the CTP also identifies an initial set of near-term actions Alameda CTC can take to advance the strategies until adoption of the next CTP in 2024. The list of actions is not intended to be static, and it will continue to evolve to support the strategies in the coming years as opportunities arise. This initial list of near-term actions are shown in Chapter 5 of the CTP.

Public engagement was essential to developing and refining every aspect of the 2020 CTP. Over 2,000 members of the public provided feedback on their transportation needs and priorities throughout development of the CTP. Feedback was requested and received through the following venues:

Countywide Poll (May 2019) Alameda CTC conducted a countywide survey on residents’ transportation needs and priorities in May 2019. The poll was representative of the county’s diverse population across planning areas and included a deliberate emphasis on gathering input from residents in low-income communities and communities of color to ensure their voices were heard.

CBTP Outreach (Oct 2019 – Feb 2020) Alameda CTC held “pop-up” events at high foot traffic locations or community events in low-income communities and communities of color between October 2019 and February 2020. Focus group interviews were conducted with community leaders and community-based organizations by phone in February 2020 to develop a full and nuanced understanding of transportation needs and priorities for the Community-Based Transportation Plan.

Virtual Outreach (Aug – Oct 2020) Due to COVID-19, the final phase of outreach on the 2020 CTP was done virtually, relying on a survey, a virtual open house via the Alameda CTC website, and virtual focus groups across the county. Promotions were sent out to agency email lists and social media. Local agency partners helped promote the survey and webpage through their social media channels.

Public Meetings (Jan 2019 – Nov 2020) Public Alameda CTC Commission and Committee meetings discussing the 2020 CTP were held throughout the process, with materials posted ahead of time to the Alameda CTC website. At these meetings, Commissioners and members of the public were able to help shape the overall approach, vision and goals, identification of transportation needs, and priorities for projects, programs, and strategies to be included as core recommendations.

Engagement revealed several recurring key issues and needs:

Improved safety for active transportation
More connected and affordable public transit
Equitable outcomes for low-income communities
Freeway congestion and commute options
Addressing climate change and air quality
High-quality roadways

More information on the outreach approach and findings for the 2020 CTP is included in the Outreach Summary Report. The appendix for the report includes questionnaires, outreach materials, and additional analysis of the 2020 survey.

Note that all materials including surveys, fact sheets, social media posts, and the webpages itself were translated into Spanish and Traditional Chinese. The CTP webpage can be translated into four additional languages through Google Translate.

Alameda CTC Committee and Commission Meeting Materials

Below are key presentations and memoranda prepared as part of the Draft 2020 CTP process. Materials were presented to the Alameda CTC Planning, Policy, and Legislation Committee (PPLC); Multimodal Committee (MMC) and Projects and Programs Committee (PPC).