Thank Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin

As we reported here, Caltrans pulled $100 million in funding from its biannual road repair program to add bike and pedestrian safety elements to some of the projects. This directive came from the top: Director Toks Omishakin.

This was an explicit and unprecedented admission that Caltrans made a mistake in excluding such safety improvements when these projects were first planned. Even better, as Caltrans staff choose how to allocate that $100 million, they are putting disadvantaged communities first. The people most impacted by inequities in our transportation system will benefit from positive public investment for a change.

These steps give us confidence that, when this program comes up for funding again in about 18 months, the projects will include bike and pedestrian safety improvements from the beginning.

Please take a moment to thank Director Omishakin for this important shift in direction at our state DOT. We’ve included draft language. Feel free to add your own thoughts.