Introducing the Bay Area Metro Awards: MTC and ABAG Inaugurate Joint Recognition Program

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- What projects, people or programs are making a real difference to solve the Bay Area's housing and transportation problems? Is there a local government agency or other organization that has helped streamline your commute, boost smart growth, preserve natural habitat or support affordable housing in your community? Are you impressed by someone's work to make streets safer for school kids, by local efforts to calm busy streets or to promote social equity? Is your bus driver exceptionally friendly and helpful?

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) today jointly launched a new Bay Area Metro Awards program to honor the often-unsung heroes doing the hard work to improve our region's mobility, affordability and comity; and to recognize efforts that make the Bay Area a better place to live, work and play.

Nominations for the Bay Area Metro Awards can be submitted online at www.abag.ca.gov/awards/BayAreaMetro2018.html. The deadline for submissions is Friday, Nov 16, 2018. Winners will be selected by a jury representing ABAG, MTC and the community. A recognition ceremony is planned for May 2019. Please email [email protected] or call Leah Zippert, 415/820-7995, or Terry Lee, 415/778-5352, with questions or for more information visit www.abag.ca.gov/awards or www.mtc.ca.gov/awards.

The opening of the nomination window for the 2018-19 Bay Area Metro Awards marks the first time ABAG and MTC have teamed up to honor the region's difference-makers. Past ABAG and MTC awards programs separately honored individuals, projects, local governments and organizations that have made a positive impact on transportation, housing and sustainability in the nine-county region. Winners have included Mid-Pen, Union City and Eden Housing for their affordable transit-oriented development projects; San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind and Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute for developing braille and tactile BART maps; the Santa Clara Valley Resource Plan or Habitat Plan for wildlife conservation efforts; and a local program known as Transportation YOU for mentoring and encouraging disadvantaged girls to enter the transportation field.

ABAG is the regional planning agency for the 101 towns and cities, and the nine counties in the region. MTC is the transportation planning, funding and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

SOURCE MTC