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| Santa Clara VTA | Riders Union |
Background
The Facts...
...News from VTP2030 meetings...
and How You Can Voice Your Opinion
Over the next two weeks in March 2004, the Valley Transportation Authority will accept public input into its long-range transit plan, known as VTP2030. Based on public input, later on this year VTA will submit its plan to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) - the Bay Area's transit planners and financiers, with rankings from highest to lowest for transit capital projects. At the MTC level, the highest priority projects receive the maximum amount of state and federal funding, while the lowest priority projects receive minimal state and federal funding. This process takes place every few years
Your voice to VTA at these meetings determine what projects get ranked the highest and which projects get ranked the lowest.
According to a workshop VTA held on February 27, VTA has selected the following default funding priorities and rankings at these workshops, based on the November 7, 2003 VTA workshop:
VTP2030 TRANSIT PROJECT RANKING BY PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA ========================================================== TIER 1 ------ Ranking 1 - BART to Milpitas, San Jose, and Santa Clara Ranking 2 - Downtown East Valley (DTEV) - Capitol Expressway LRT to Eastridge Ranking 3 - DTEV - Santa Clara/Alum Rock Corridor Ranking 4 - Bus Rapid ransit (Line 22, Monterey, Stevens Creek Blvd.) TIER 2 ------ Ranking 5 - Caltrain Service Upgrades Ranking 6 - Zero Emission Buses and Facilities Ranking 7 - Mineta San Jose International Airport People Mover Ranking 8 - Caltrain - South County Ranking 9 - Highway 17 Express Bus Service Improvements TIER 3 ------ Ranking 10 - Dumbarton (Commuter) Rail Ranking 11 - Palo Alto Intermodal Transit Center Ranking 12 - ACE (Altamont Commuter Express) Upgrades Ranking 13 - New Rail Corridors (Other Corridors) Ranking 14 - New Rail Corridors (DTEV - Capitol Expwy. to Eastridge to Highway 87 Ranking 15 - Caltrain Electrification
Tier 1 projects are VTA's top priorities that they feel are most likely to receive (scarce) state and federal funding. Tier 2 and Tier 3 projects are lower ranked and thus are lower priority in receiving (scarce) state and federal funding.
Where VTA's prioritization goes wrong is in several areas:
Given VTA's out-of-control spending habits and misplaced priorities, SCVTARU fears that VTA will be forced to eliminate all bus and light rail service in the county to ensure BART to San Jose gets fully funded. This will leave Silicon Valley in a position where Los Angeles was a few months ago during its recent transit strike. There, residents had three choices for mobility:
This is where you come in. Remember: you are helping to determine transit funding priorities for Santa Clara County until 2030!
...News from VTP2030 meetings...
Reports from the VTP2030 meeting at San Jose's Martin Luther King Library indicate very good turnout. Attendees expressed the need for enhanced, rapid service on Line 22. There were several stations and questionnaires where you got to rank projects. The most interesting were the two boards at the end. Bus rapid transit on Line 22 had about 20 dots (meaning a "top three" project), BART four dots, Caltrain electrification eight dots, Caltrain frequency improvements 10 dots, to give a sampling. The San Jose State University Spartan Daily has more information on that particular meeting.
A report from Mountain View's VTP2030 meeting via the Mountain View Voice reflects the same need for buses instead of BART.
SCVTARU also learned that you can take the same survey at VTA's web site for VTP2030. You can access that web site and the same survey here.
...and How You Can Voice Your Opinion
Until March 17, VTA will accept public input on VTP2030 thru their special web site.
Also, contact the VTA Board member(s) for your city and district, which you can do here.
Finally, speak up at the March 4 and April 1 VTA Board meetings during the public comment period, or when the VTA Board will discuss VTP2030. Information on how to address the VTA Board at their meetings can be found here.
This is your opportunity to let VTA know that what is needed is an efficient, cost-effective transportation plan that benefits all of Silicon Valley.
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