San Rafael approves Canal transportation plan
June 24, 2022
by Adrian Rodriguez, Marin IJ
San Rafael has a new five-year plan to improve transportation safety and accessibility in the city’s Canal neighborhood.
The City Council unanimously approved the document, called the Canal Community Based Transportation Plan, at its Tuesday meeting. The document outlines 11 projects — designed with the help of community advocates — aimed at upgrading infrastructure for walking and biking, and enhancing transit.
With the plan in hand, city leaders are better equipped to aggressively seek local, state and federal funding to complete these projects, said Taylor McAdam, senior transportation planner for Fehr and Peers, the consulting firm that developed the document.
Aaron Burnett, director of policy at Canal Alliance, said the nonprofit leaders are proud of its contribution and partnership with the city in this effort.
“The CBTP provides an achievable roadmap for progress and clearly defines which projects should be given highest priority,” he said. “We are optimistic that the city of San Rafael will use the CBTP as a tool to hold itself accountable for completing the projects and solutions outlined in the plan and ensure that our underserved communities have equal access to a safe neighborhood and effective transportation.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission created the Community Based Transportation Plan program in 2002 to identify the needs for low-income communities. MTC works with local agencies and organizations to collaboratively craft the plan.
The plan was developed with the Transportation Authority of Marin, Canal Alliance, Voces del Canal community advocacy group and the city.
The bridge project, which is estimated to range from $5 million to $10 million, has been a request since the city’s original community based transportation plan adopted in 2006. The five-year goal is to secure funding to complete a feasibility study and for design and engineering, according to the document.
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