Report to the Commission: April 28, 2021
COVID-Related Activities
A reminder that all Covid-19 related reporting items can be found on our MTC webpage. We provide monthly updates on all related activities, and statistics that are affecting the region.
Clipper® Launches on iPhone and Apple Watch, Debuts New Mobile App
On April 15, Clipper launched on iPhone and Apple Watch, along with a mobile app for easier management of Clipper cards. Riders on 24 Bay Area transit systems now have a new, contactless way to pay fares on buses, trains and ferries. Customers can add their cards to iPhone or Apple Watch directly through Apple Wallet and load cash value with Apple Pay anytime, anywhere. Riders also can transfer the value from a plastic Clipper card to their iPhone. Clipper will be coming to Google Pay in May. Read more
Regional Housing Technical Assistance Program Training Series
The ABAG Regional Housing Technical Assistance Program has launched a 10-part training series for local planning and housing staff focused on Housing Element updates. Sessions will be held the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., beginning on Tuesday, February 23 and running through August, 2021. See the ABAG Regional Housing Technical Assistance Program Training Series for dates and more information.
CTF Awards
The California Transportation Foundation this month named BATA as its Organization of the Year for 2020. The award will be presented at a virtual CTF Transportation Awards ceremony on Thursday, May 27 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. The CTF chose BATA for this prestigious award because of its effective partnership with Caltrans and with FasTrak contractor Conduent Inc. to transition the region’s seven state-owned toll bridges to all-electronic tolling in March 2020. What originally was planned to be a gradual, years-long transition was forced by COVID-19 to take place on just about 48 hours’ notice. BATA first adapted its existing toll violation system to begin issuing no-penalty toll notices to customers who did not already have FasTrak accounts, while also beginning an all-out sprint to design, install, test and implement a genuine all-electronic tolling system. Read more
Equity Panel: San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Board of Directors Meeting
On Friday, April 23, 2021, I was invited to participate with other equity leaders in a discussion before the Board of SANDAG. While I have often been invited to speak on this topic and the work that we are doing here in the San Francisco Bay Area, this opportunity is worthy of note as it was timed with SANDAG’s efforts to finalize their long range plan, with a focus on equity.
The conversation was insightful in many respects, including questions from the Board. In short, our collective regional commitments to equity are needed and challenging. The link below is to the presentation to the Board, and the equity panel begins an hour into the meeting, should you wish to check in out.