New research from the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) develops policy recommendations for an equity framework for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) proposed Equitable VMT Mitigation Program.
The research, Exploring Equity Frameworks for a Cross-Jurisdictional Vehicle Miles Traveled Mitigation Program in Santa Clara County, was a collaboration between Santa Clara VTA, MTI, and San Jose State University (SJSU) graduate students and showed that best practices include:
- Incorporating equity early and at multiple key decision-making points throughout the program development and implementation phases
- Defining program equity in a locally relevant way that reflects the experiences of inequity within affected communities
- Embedding equity into the project selection process and program evaluation criteria
- Developing an informative and implementable accountability plan
Another major finding was that while the Santa Clara VTA project team’s approach to public meetings, focus groups and surveys was excellent, public engagement and program informational materials could be simplified for non-technical audiences and the project team could use social media better to foster dialogue with the community.
The proposed program would provide a VMT mitigation option for local government agencies and developers, which would improve travel options for the community, with an emphasis on cross-jurisdictional collaboration and equity.
Authors of the research include Dr. Serena Alexander, associate professor of public policy and environmental Engineering at Northeastern University, as well as Luana Chen and Maxwell Belote-Broussard, graduate students in SJSU’s Urban and Regional Planning Program.
“A major transportation need identified by the community is improved connectivity, frequency, reliability and speed of public transportation,” said the authors. “Identifying these community needs and providing recommendations as this research does can help advance the equity framework of the proposed Equitable VMT Mitigation Program for Santa Clara County.”
MTI notes that based on interviews performed for the project, stakeholders generally support the concept of funding VMT mitigating measures for the community with development contributions, but some remain concerned about the potential impact on housing development costs and ensuring transparency in funding allocation and project selection.
VMT helps quantify how much people drive, which is related to greenhouse gas emissions, local air quality, health, noise pollution and street safety. Programs lowering VMT can improve quality of life and the environment and an equitable framework for the programs is critical.
Santa Clara VTA is continuing to work with the local jurisdictions of Santa Clara County to develop the framework for the proposed Equitable VMT Mitigation, incorporating the MTI / SJSU recommendations into the framework. Santa Clara VTA anticipates releasing a draft report and recommendations in fall 2024.
The full research report can be found here.
