The BEST Coalition brings together transportation and land use advocacy groups. We work together to enhance community health, safety, livability, and equity by advocating for and encouraging comprehensive and collaborative transportation, land use, and design strategies that move away from automobile dependency and towards healthier patterns of habitation and mobility.



Our major goals are to:



--Encourage pedestrian, bicycle, and transit trips, to, from and, within Berkeley while minimizing automobile trips



--Promote safe, attractive, affordable, seamless, and convenient transportation



--Establish Berkeley as a leader in the movement to develop more sustainable and livable cities



To accomplish these goals the BEST Coalition promotes and supports:



1. Ecologically sustainable and equitable transportation, land use, and urban design planning procedures and goals.



2. 2. Allocation of substantially higher percentages of city, public, and other transportation budgets to transit, pedestrian, bicycle, and related infrastructure and facilities than has occurred in the past, and identification of public and private funding for specific actions and projects.



3. Compact, mixed-use, low-energy consumption, ecologically sensitive development and transportation patterns, projects, policies, and plans with densities closely related to available transportation options, particularly public transit, bicycling, and pedestrian facilities.



4. A sustained city-wide emphasis on transportation safety, including safe routes to schools and youth activities, bicycle and pedestrian safety, access and safety for wheelchair users and people with disabilities, and an emphasis on decreasing speeding and careless driving on all city streets.



5. Pedestrian, public transit, and bicycle-oriented routes, including greenways and green corridors associated with abandoned railroad rights of way, creek daylighting, and shoreline and ridgeline restoration.



6. Improved and expanded public transit services that will increase access to affordable, efficient, and convenient transportation for all citizens.



Members of BEST will promote our platform through a range of activities that include:



-- Educating and involving residents, community groups, business interests, and public officials



-- Advocating for the implementation of comprehensive long-range plans for transportation and land use within the city



-- Forming partnerships with organizations and regional campaigns working to reverse sprawl, introduce bioregional restoration, and establish ecologically healthy communities



-- Organizing and facilitating public events and workshops