511 Contra Costa
Encyclopedia
About 511 Contra Costa
511 Contra Costa is a comprehensive transportation demand managementTransportation Demand Management
Transportation demand management, traffic demand management or travel demand management is the application of strategies and policies to reduce travel demand , or to redistribute this demand in space or in time.In transport as in any network, managing demand can be a cost-effective alternative to...
(TDM) program that implements vehicle trip reduction and air quality programs on behalf of the local jurisdictions in Contra Costa County, California. The programs promote alternatives to the single-occupant vehicle.
Funding and Oversight
Funding for 511 Contra Costa programs are provided primarily by the Bay Area Air Quality Management DistrictBay Area Air Quality Management District
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is a public agency that regulates the stationary sources of air pollution in the nine counties of California's San Francisco Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, southwestern Solano, and southern Sonoma...
’s Transportation Fund for Clean Air, a voter-approved local county ½ cent transportation sales tax, and Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program funds from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area)
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is a regional planning, financing, and funding government agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was created in 1970 to coordinate the transit systems in the area's nine counties...
.
511 Contra Costa implements programs on behalf of all of the cities in Contra Costa and the County. Oversight for the programs are provided by four Contra Costa Regional Transportation Planning Committees (RTPCs). The four Regional Transportation Planning Committees are; Southwest Area Transportation Committee (representing southwest Contra Costa): Transportation Partnership and Cooperation (TRANSPAC, representing central Contra Costa): TRANSPLAN Committee(Coordinating the transportation interests of east Contra Costa): and the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee (WCCTAC, representing west Contra Costa) and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.
History
In 1992 each jurisdiction had Growth Management Program requirements as a result of the legislation that was passed by voters in 1998 as part of the local county half-cent sales tax for transportation peojcts and Congestion Management Program (statewide gas tax passed in 1991) requirements written in local Transportation Demand ManagementTransportation Demand Management
Transportation demand management, traffic demand management or travel demand management is the application of strategies and policies to reduce travel demand , or to redistribute this demand in space or in time.In transport as in any network, managing demand can be a cost-effective alternative to...
Ordinances.
The 511 Contra Costa TDM program has evolved over the years from what began as primarily an employer-based vehicle trip reduction program to include a broader range of services including youth transportation reduction programs and community based programs aimed at reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and transportation related greenhouse gas emissions reductions programs.
Programs
Services provided to all Contra CostaContra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
cities and the County include: procurement and installation of bicycle racks, lockers and eLockers; procurement and installation of electric charging station
Charging station
An electric vehicle charging station, also called EV charging station, electric recharging point, charging point and EVSE , is an element in an infrastructure that supplies electric energy for the recharging of electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric-gasoline vehicles) or semi-static and mobile...
s; funding towards the purchase of electric plug-in vehicles for municipal fleets; development and deployment of pilot shuttle services to assist economic development and promotion of downtown businesses; Climate Action Plan reports on green house gas emissions from TDM programs; participation in city/county sponsored events, assistance with special projects related to sustainable transportation education and outreach.
School Programs
511 Contra Costa provides infrastructure, education, safety and multi-modal transportation programs for schools. Specific programs called SchoolPool and Pool to School provide carpool ridematching and free transitPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
tickets to school-aged children in order to help reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality around school sites. The Lamorinda School Bus Program provides school bus service to the elementary and middle schools in Lafayette, California
Lafayette, California
Lafayette is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 23,893. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero of the American Revolutionary War...
, Moraga, California
Moraga, California
Moraga is a suburban incorporated town located in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is named in honor of Joaquin Moraga, whose grandfather was José Joaquin Moraga, second in command to Juan Bautista de Anza...
and Orinda, California
Orinda, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Orinda had a population of 17,643. The population density was 1,389.5 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Orinda was 14,533 White, 149 African American, 22 Native American, 2,016 Asian, 24 Pacific Islander, 122 from other races, and...
. TRAFFIX is a limited subscription-based school bus program that serves seven schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District area. Public bus passes are provided on a limited basis to select children in West Contra Costa who qualify for the Federally subsidized school lunch program. Other school-related programs include procurement of bicycle racks and skateboard racks;”Walk and Roll” to school bicycle/pedestrian promotions; and educational materials are provided to promote awareness vehicle trips.
Recently, 511 Contra Costa built a 31-Day transportation activity wheel and a children’s book called Why Don’t Hydrogen Cars Fly Away?
College Programs
College Campus Vehicle Trip Reduction Programs include discounted universal student transit passes, the provision of bike lockers and racks, on-site transit events and carpool and mass transit incentive programs.Employer Services
Employer Services: 511 Contra Costa provides services to employers to promote the use of all commute alternatives. Services include employee travel behavior surveys, carpool and vanpool ridematching, parking management plans, implementation of trip reduction and air quality campaigns such as Spare the Air and Bike to Work Day, procurement of bicycle racks and lockers at employment sites, participation at health and transportation onsite fairs, assistance with the Bay Area Green Business Certification eligibility checklist, a Guaranteed Ride Home program, telework program development, and individualized public transit trip plans for employees.Community Outreach
511 Contra Costa's website provides transportation news and traffic alerts via TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and RSS
RSS
-Mathematics:* Root-sum-square, the square root of the sum of the squares of the elements of a data set* Residual sum of squares in statistics-Technology:* RSS , "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary", a family of web feed formats...
, and continual air quality forecasts (also available through an iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
app). 511 Contra Costa also participates at local community events such as Earth Day
Earth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
, Farmers' Market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
s, Art and Wine Festivals and coordinates Bike to Work Day promotions in Contra Costa County. Finally, the organization provides bike trail and park and ride maps for any interested party.