Spring Break
VTA seeks public input on transit plans
Claudia Plascencia
Daily Staff Writer
- Page 1 of 1
The VTA is holding a series of six public meetings at various locations, one of which was held Wednesday night at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Joint Library.
In attendance were about eight representatives from the VTA, who focused on different topics such as transit, expressways, bicycle trails and pedestrians.
There were about a dozen members of the public in attendance, who took a look at the various plans for projects that constitute the transportation plan.
The plan, called the "VTP 2030," uses federal and state grants for about 70 percent of its funding.
The remaining 30 percent comes from Measure A, a 30-year half-cent sales tax passed in the year 2000, said Kat Mereigh, a spokeswoman for VTA.
"It is the global plan for the county and what it is that our community wants to see as priorities," said Lupe Solis, another spokeswoman for VTA. "It's the vision of the community regarding transportation projects, freeways and bicycle facilities."
Some people expressed concern about the VTP 2030 because they felt that Bay Area Rapid Transit seemed to be the top priority in this plan.
One organization that calls itself the Transportation and Land Use Coalition is concerned about the plan VTA is presenting because members say it isn't realistic in terms of how the funds will be allocated to different projects, including BART.
"VTA wants to spend all the money on BART, but they don't want to say that up front," said Chris Lepe, South Bay organizer for the Transportation and Land Use Coalition.
Lepe said that VTA officials seem to be overestimating what they will be receiving from Measure A funds, and if they spend the more than $4.1 billion they are hoping for on BART, there will be nothing left for other projects.
"We went to a (Valley Transportation Authority board workshop) meeting last Friday, and they said the East Valley/Downtown light-rail extension would be their first priority before BART, but if they decide to build BART, they won't have enough money to finish that project," Lepe said.
He said the organization is concerned that building BART will threaten bus and light-rail services as well.
Some people who attended the Wednesday night meeting said they also had similar concerns having to do with the proposed BART project.
"I have a problem with expanding BART to San Jose. I think it's too expensive. I think the money should be put into ACE (Altamont Commuter Express Train)," said Andre Luthard.
Eyedin Zonobi, the transportation solutions manager for the Associated Students at San Jose State University, was also at the meeting and said there were other areas of the transit plan that needed money more than the BART extension.
"Basically we think that not enough priority and not enough funding is being allocated to the existing operations. We think VTA is over-budgeting money they don't have to projects like BART," Zonobi said.
Mereigh said that they have not prioritized any projects yet, and that is the whole point of getting public opinion and holding the meetings they have scheduled.
"We are going out to the public and asking the public to choose which projects should have the highest priority," Mereigh said. "VTA strives to get public input on every project, with VTP 2030. It's crucial to prioritizing projects and delivering them."
Solis said that what is really important about the public meetings is to find out if the VTA is working toward the same goals as the public.
The format of the meeting was informal and interactive, and the public was encouraged to roam around the room and look at charts set on easels that displayed the different projects in the VTP 2030.
Two of the charts were set aside for the public to place stickers under the projects they thought were most important to them.
People were given six stickers, so they could place three on each of the two charts.
The charts already had stickers under some columns before the meeting started.
Almost halfway through the meeting, BART had only two stickers under it while regional buses and CalTrain had almost 10 stickers each.
Members of the public were also given surveys to complete about the transportation plan, as well as comment cards they could submit to the authority.
VTA representatives were on hand to answer any questions people had about the projects in the plan.
Solis said the plan, which is an update to the previous "VTP 2020" adopted in December 2000, will need reviewing as demographics and travel patterns change throughout the years in Santa Clara County.
"What was good 10 years ago no longer stands. It depends on each individual and a lot of different factors," Solis said.
The deadline for public comment is March 17, and on March 19 the comments will be presented to the board of directors, at which time they will prioritize the projects, Solis said.
"Given all the financial situations, it may not all happen, but this way we know what the priorities are," Solis said.
