AB2140, signed into law by Governor Davis in October 2000, does three things:

(1) establishes a standardized set of basic transportation performance indicators related to safety, congestion, potholes and public transit that each region must begin to track;

(2) establishes a standardized method of financial reporting to help the public and local officials know what their moneyŐs being spent on;

(3) encourages "alternative growth scenarios" in the development of each region's 20 year transportation plan in order to provide a clear alternative to present growth patterns that could minimize future demand on transportation infrastructure while protecting open space, farmland and quality of life.

Those working in the private sector are familiar with the concept of establishing measurable goals and indicators that reflect an organization's mission and objectives. AB 2140 establishes a core set of indicators that reflects the missions and goals of the state's 43 regional transportation planning agencies, and will allow a standardized measure of regional performance in terms that users of the transportation system really care about: congestion, safety, potholes, and transit reliability.

By establishing a core set of indicators statewide and requiring regional transportation planning agencies to track these over time, AB 2140 provides elected officials with the kind of information they need to make better choices. Better information breeds better decisions. Caltrans as well as some of the RTPAs have already recognized the need to develop indicators as a way to track the performance of their investments over time. AB 2140 takes the first step at putting an initial set of measures into practice for the 43 RTPAs in California, making it possible to learn what works and what doesnŐt across the state.

Little effort has gone into making information about the use of transportation funds accessible, comprehensible or accountable to the public, despite over $10 billion in taxpayer funds spent on transportation in California every year. AB 2140 provides for full disclosure about spending by mode that would be standard from region to region, so that elected officials and the public can better understand what the money is being spent on and whether these investments are worth the cost.

Too often transportation and land use decisons are caught up in a vicious cycle whereby local governments assume certain types of growth and development are going to occur, and then regional transportation planning agencies commit funding to provide the infrastructure to serve that growth -- thereby inducing the growth to take place. Meantime transportation agencies are hard-pressed to meet the demands for new infrastructure and maintain existing infrastructure. The solution is to step back from current assumptions, project wish lists and the status quo, and undertake some visionary planning.

AB2140 uses the opportunity presented by the 20-year regional transportation plans to create a model of an alternative growth scenario that doesn't use yesterday's assumptions when predicting the future but rather employs a set of five smart growth principles to develop an alternative vision for future growth. If we can begin the planning process with an alternative vision it will help make clear the choices that regions face and how these choices will determine patterns of growth and development. Project investments can then be selected to support the agency's vision for the region.

More compact growth that makes more efficient use of existing infrastructure usually costs less than typical patterns of sprawling growth. Models of alternative growth scenarios often predict reduced traffic, decreased travel times, conservation of open space, reduced emissions and greatly reduced infrastructure costs. By requiring each region to generate such a model, AB2140 will provide great stimulus and the necessary information to engage in serious dialogue about the future of each region and the wisdom of different investments.