The days of 100 degrees and above behind us, the cooler fall
weather is here. Gas prices are up to an obscene $3 or more per
gallon (especially tough on the wallets of those who drive gas
guzzlers that get a measly 12-19 miles per gallon).
The days of 100 degrees and above behind us, the cooler fall weather is here. Gas prices are up to an obscene $3 or more per gallon (especially tough on the wallets of those who drive gas guzzlers that get a measly 12-19 miles per gallon). The economic and climate conditions could not be better to consider alternative modes of transportation.
But what alternatives exist here? Well, there’s CalTrain, with a whopping four trains north (useful as long as you leave between 5:16 and 7:06am) and four trains this far south per weekday, and no service on weekends. And there’s the VTA bus service, which has three routes, two of which are really not that useful in Morgan Hill or Gilroy. Lucky San Martin has only one – the main line of 68 that runs up and down Monterey Highway, taking two hours to get to San Jose.
When it comes to improving public transportation in this county, one would think that the transportation needs of a community with 80,000 people, a good number of whom are low-income and without cars who have only five bus routes from which to choose, would be at least in the middle of the list for use of any tax dollars that were authorized in a countywide election.
The few fixed bus routes are inefficient in terms of time, they are prohibitively expensive to people who most depend on them, and paratransit improvements for our most vulnerable travelers are neglected, while fees continue to climb.
Instead, the VTA juggernaut, led by of a pair of influential leaders in our county is beginning to look at a “PR strategy” to make the adoption of another sales tax increase to supplement the shortfall for the BART project more palatable to residents in areas of the county where there is no discernible benefit. Well, here’s what I think they should include in their public relations campaign.
n We’re reversing the dollar distribution of the tax dollars! Currently, $3 out of every $4 raised will go to close the budget gap for the BART extension. The remaining one dollar will go to “other projects” such as increasing light rail, and expanding bus and train services. Instead, we pledge that local transportation projects will receive more money than BART!
n We’re reversing the priority list of projects! Currently, BART is at the top of the list, while expanding bus and train services, most needed across the county, is dead last. We’re putting local transportation projects, including Gilroy’s Community Based Transportation Plan, due in December, as the highest priority!
n The concept of regional equity will guide all our decisions! When is the last time we had improvements and not cuts in South County or North County services? No more reducing routes and services while increasing user fees. We want to increase ridership countywide by improving transportation options in North and South County!
n In fact, in that vein, we will not implement a $7 trip surcharge for Outreach (paratransit) services for those who live “x” of a mile from a fixed-route. Next year, the VTA plans to impose a $7 trip surcharge each way for Outreach services. With so few fixed routes in South County, many residents live outside of “x” of a mile.
This impacts seniors and disabled people, who are mostly on fixed incomes in a hugely negative way. So, forget the increase folks! We’re going to honor our senior citizens and have compassion for those who are disabled by not making them spend more money on transportation than they do on housing!
n We’re going to create a shuttle from the Valley Health Center in San Martin to Valley Medical in San Jose! No more two hour bus trips for those who cannot be served by the clinic in San Martin. Instead, the shuttle will cut transportation time by more than an hour each way, making services at both sites more efficient, as patients are more likely to follow through on their prescribed treatment.
n CalTrain will go to and from San Francisco all day, every day! While gas is $3 a gallon and increasing, this could be a great transportation option for South County travelers who can’t leave the station by 7:06 am.
San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales and Silicon Valley Leadership Group Director Carl Guardino, put those claims in your campaign, make sure they are true, and I just might join Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy and support your ballot measure for a tax increase.
Columnist Dina Campeau is a wife, mother of two teens and a resident of Morgan Hill. Her work for the last seven years has focused on affordable housing and homeless issues in Santa Clara County. Her column will be published each Friday. Reach her at dc******@*****er.net.
