Bay Area residents chose transportation as their top concern in the 2004 Bay Area Poll, followed closely by the economy and housing. The annual poll, conducted for the Bay Area Council, found 26 percent of the survey respondents listing transportation as their first priority, 23 percent concerned about the economy, and 17 percent worried about housing. Compared to the 2003 poll, the economy dropped by 10 points and housing nearly doubled. Nearly 80 percent of the respondents believed that the cost of housing has worsened over the past year.
Residents seemed to link the issues of transportation and housing, with a majority saying that new higher-density homes should be built near job centers rather than in outlying areas. Most also favored a regional growth plan backed with incentives such as extra transportation funds for cities and counties that participate. However, a strong majority of those polled favored keeping control of building approvals for both housing and commercial development in the hands of city officials, implying that a regional growth plan without funding for incentives—a likely scenario with current tight government finances—may be welcomed but not fully implemented.
The poll showed that many people felt that highway expansion, public transit operations, airports, waste disposal and promoting economic growth were areas in which a regional agency could be more effective than local governments. However, respondents disagreed strongly with a potential regional strategy for funding transportation improvements, with only a third supporting charging higher bridge tolls at peak hours. Such "congestion pricing" or "variable pricing" is a key piece of the pilot project in Alameda County to allow single-occupant vehicles to use carpool lanes if tolls are paid, and is also included as a funding strategy in the region's new Transportation 2030 plan (see article in this issue). While the poll specifically asked about variable pricing for bridge tolls as a way to fund additional seismic projects, the responses indicate that the public in the Bay Area is not familiar with the underlying concept, despite its use in Southern California and elsewhere in the country.
The survey was done with a representative sample of 600 residents from all parts of the Bay Area. The Bay Area Council, which has conducted the poll since 1980, is a regional business organization.
For more information: Bay Area Council, 415-981-6600, http://www.bayareacouncil.org