Bay Area Transit Priority Policy
for Roadways – Local Transit Priority Policy
AC Transit/City of Alameda Inter-Agency Liaison Committee October 8, 2026
Photo credit: Karl Nielsen
Definition of Transit Priority
Transit-supportive infrastructure,
design, and policies can decrease
transit vehicle travel times and
enable them to move more reliably
by avoiding traffic congestion and
minimizing delays.
2 Photo credit: Karl Neilsen/MTC; Jeremy Menzies/SFMTA; Sinwaves, Inc; FHWA MUTCD
Transit-Supportive Design Principles
Transit Supportive design principles help reduce or
eliminate transit delays. Some examples include:
Bus bulbs instead of pedestrian bulbs
Relocating bus stops to optimize stop placement
Bus boarding islands adjacent to bikeways
Transit Signal Priority (TSP)
Bus Bulbs make sidewalk
wider at transit stops
Bus Boarding Islands
separate bikes from buses
3 Photos: Jeremy Menzies/SFMTA, City of San Jose DOT
All Ages and Abilities Design and
Transit-Supportive Design Working Together
4 Photo Thesen/MTC
West Atlantic Avenue at Orion Street, Alameda
MTC’s Regional Transit Priority Efforts
Policy
Transit Priority Policy
for Roadways
Adopted January 2026
(MTC Resolution No. 4739)
Planning
Transit Priority
Roadway Assessment
Plan Bay Area 2050+
(and Transit 2050+)
Caltrans Coordination
• District 4 Transit Plan
• Director’s Policy on Transit
• Transit Implementation Plan
Funding &
Technical Assistance
Transit Performance
Initiative (TPI)
Bus Accelerated
Infrastructure Delivery
(BusAID)
Innovative Deployments
to Enhance Arterials
(IDEA)
Project Delivery
Forward Initiatives
• Bay Bridge Forward
• Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
Forward
• Dumbarton Bridge Forward
5 Bay Area Transit Priority Policy for Roadways
Implements Plan Bay
Area 2050+ Strategy
What:
• New Policy to emphasize transit priority
• Implemented via existing Complete Streets Checklist
to avoid creating an additional administrative process
Goals:
1. Establish a common definition of transit priority
2. Strengthen interjurisdictional coordination and guide agencies to consider transit in roadway projects.
3. Inform prioritization of funding for transit priority projects
6 Transit Priority Network (TPN)
The Transit Priority Policy for Roadways calls for the development of a regional Transit Priority Network
(TPN) that identifies key roadway corridors in the Bay
Area where improving roadway transit travel time
and reliability would benefit the most transit riders.
The TPN will guide:
where transit priority and other transit-supportive
investments should be prioritized for future
discretionary funding
where projects receiving MTC discretionary funding
should consider incorporating reasonable transitsupportive design elements 7 Draft Transit Priority Network
Transit Priority Network (TPN)
Non-TPN Corridor with Transit Webster St
Optional: Local Resolution on Transit Priority
Purpose: Promote broader local support of
transit priority
MTC would provide a variety of templates for a
local policy or resolution:
o Local resolution supporting the regional Policy
o Local transit priority policy
o Update to local complete streets resolution
Funding incentives could be applied on a
program-by-program basis
8 Examples
• City of San Francisco Transit First
Policy (City Charter)
• City of Berkeley Transit First Policy
(General Plan)
• City of El Cerrito Transit First Policy
(General Plan)
• City of San José Transit First Policy
(City Council Policy, Move San José)
Elements Required of a Local Transit Priority Policy
1. Include a goal to improve transit
2. Define Transit Priority
3. Adopt a Transit Priority Network
4. Commit to proactive collaboration with transit agencies, including:
Soliciting transit review of all projects along transit routes Considering, and incorporating when feasible, transit supportive elements into projects along Transit Priority Network
Monitoring transit-supportive investments to ensure effectiveness over time Documenting agreements to clarify roles and responsibilities of all agencies involved 9 2026 2027
Develop Transit Priority Network (TPN) Adopt TPN Policy TPN Requirements Start Optional Local Policy Approval
Policy Adopted
January 2026
Develop Transit-Supportive Roadway Design Toolkit
Transit Review
Webinar
Technical Assistance & Funding
Call for Transit Priority Grant
Transit Priority Roadway Assessment (2025-27)
Overall Transit Priority Timeline*
Transit Coordination & Review Integrated into Complete Streets Checklist *schedule subject to change
10 Policy Links
Policy Webpage with various resources:
Bay Area Transit Priority Policy for Roadways (MTC Resolution No. 4739) Guidance for Implementing Agencies: Project sponsors can use this guide to determine Policy requirements for their roadway projects. Guidance on Optional Local Transit Priority Resolution or Policy: Local jurisdictions are encouraged to adopt their own local transit priority policy or resolution and can use this template as a starting point. New Complete Street Checklist Portal available via Complete Streets Resource Page.
11 Thank You
Email: [email protected]
For more information: Visit Policy Webpage
12 Joel Shaffer, P.E.
Program Coordinator,
Transit Priority
[email protected]