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Editor's Note: This originally appeared on our mailing list on November 30, 2002.
VTA has too many things on its plate right now and needs to choose proposals more wisely. This is a big reason why you are running out of finances. To start, let me ask this question. What are the many reasons why we have public transportation? I'll tell you one of them:
To lower the pollution levels in the area and in the future, have a faster mode of transportation. Am I correct or not? VTA is working a whole lot on roadwork right now, which is subtracting the finances for other projects. Some of these road improvements include, but are not limited to:
Due to VTA paying continual attention to stuff like this, they are running out of finances that they are already short of. VTA needs to not worry about road improvements as much because our goal is to make public transit look better than that of traveling via car. By doing these projects mentioned, VTA would end up in fact, losing population because people will go back to driving. Travelers will only use public transportation if it operates better that that of driving. Therefore, leave the roads the way they are for now. Work on improving public transit and allowing BART to operate by its name, Bay Area Rapid transit, not San Francisco/East Bay moderate transit. After VTA, MTC, and many others get this in place, then drivers will get jealous and then use public transit instead of driving. Then, VTA will receive a whole lot more finances and they could be looking like SF MUNI, who hasn't had a downfall in transit or fare structure since the '70s. In fact, LRT could be traveling rapidly throughout the county, more buses could become articulated, and much more. Then, if you still need to improve road transit, do so. You still will be traveling faster than car travelers and wouldn't lose passengers!
Back to the fact that you will need to have you transit much more faster and efficient that that of a car, VTA should find other ways of improving the transit system. I notice that VTA, MTC, and other agencies tend to use the "easy-way"/"cheap-way" out, via using UPRR and so forth. You should look more at what would please your passengers rather than what would please you or your finances because, if you please your passengers, you will end up with more money than you started with. I have presented my BART to San Jose proposal, which would be much more pleasing to the passengers than the route that VTA and BART have chosen. Additionally, my routing would allow BART to serve the airport and possibly eliminate the need of a "people mover". So, I hope that this advice is highly considered.
Before closing, I would like to explain to VTA what they are losing and draw out the behavior that they are displaying right now and how it will effect the future: Basically, VTA is using up their finances to improve both public transit and road transit. When running out of finances, VTA asks, or more rather, tries to force their passengers to pay for their money that they are losing. Then, more passengers leave and go back to their cars because:
After that happens, VTA goes back the fewer passengers that they still have and yet again ask for more of their money and in conclusion end up doing the same thing over and over again. VTA needs to instead, pay attention to improving their public transit, not road transit, and make the conclusion be that VTA looks like SFMUNI; having subways, buses, and shuttles everyday, every night, on every street! I hope that this is highly considered. I will see some of you at the BART open house meeting this Thursday, as well as at the VTA meeting on Dec. 10.
Respectfully,
Zakhary Cribari, 15
Note: The opinion expressed here does not necessarily reflect that of the Santa Clara VTA Riders Union, its members, or supporters.
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