After Measure M — the $120 billion transportation measure approved by LA County voters in November 2016 — passed, we asked our readers: how do we guarantee that current and future generations of families, especially in low-income neighborhoods, benefit and thrive with Measure M’s investments?
.@Prof_MPastor: Implementation matters. Not enough to pass Measure M. Need to follow through on antidisplacement. #justgrowth
— Investing in Place (@InvestinPlace) November 14, 2016
We heard loud and clear (and we strongly agree): we have to “bake in” equity into all of Metro’s programs, policies, and investments — this is one of the core concepts of our #JustGrowth work group.
Don’t think about equity as an add-on, put it as a fundamental part of economic model and governance. –@Prof_MPastor #justgrowth
— Investing in Place (@InvestinPlace) November 14, 2016
The Measure M draft guidelines, released last month by Metro, is one of the first places to start (for background, read our recommendations from back in January) — and today, we’re proud to release our analysis for your feedback and review.
Please click here to read our analysis.
The Measure M guidelines are the first opportunity to review Metro’s approach to implementing the promises made to voters to invest in building a safe, sustainable, and reliable transportation network for the region. Investing in Place reviewed these draft guidelines with an eye toward integrating the policy best practices we care about — including data-driven decision-making, prioritizing the needs of vulnerable communities, and valuing public participation — into all Measure M projects and programs.
In our report, we provide an overview of the guidelines and their role in implementation, highlight aspects we are excited about, and recommend improvements to ensure Measure M stays true to the progressive ideals that led to its passage.
We provided a suite of policy recommendations to ensure Measure M lives up to its potential during implementation. We believe Metro should:
- Ensure all projects and programs funded by Measure M comply with Metro’s Complete Streets Policy;
- Prioritize traffic safety–particularly for people walking and biking–in all funding programs for streets and highways;
- Set clear objectives for each program in line with regional performance metrics;
- Require transparency and public participation in all project development and prioritization processes;
- Dedicate funding for countywide active transportation programs, including open streets, bike share operations, bike safety education, and safe routes to school non-infrastructure programs; and
- Support innovation in the Multiyear Subregional Programs by expanding eligibility for planning, data collection, project development, and transportation demand management (TDM) and building capacity at each council of governments (COG).
To read our policy analysis, please click here.
Next Steps
On Wednesday, April 5th 1pm, Metro’s Policy Advisory Council will meet for the first time to discuss, among many things, the Measure M draft guidelines. We encourage you to attend and provide feedback. The meeting will take place on the 15th floor of Metro’s Headquarters (1 Gateway Plaza). These meetings are open to the public. Metro is accepting public comments on the draft guidelines through May 26th — we encourage all our partners to weigh in by emailing feedback to theplan@metro.net.
To stay up to date on everything Measure M, please consider joining our #JustGrowth work group, attending our #JustGrowth work group meeting on April 20th (where we will be presenting our Guidelines analysis for discussion), or sign up on Investing in Place’s email list.
For any questions, please feel free to contact me directly: jessica@investinginplace.org
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