Published Friday, June 6, 2003, in the San Jose Mercury News

Comment

By Stuart Cohen

The Valley Transportation Authority is poised to adopt a budget today
that would slash bus service 21 percent -- after three straight years
of cuts. Do people really ride the bus? Should you care? The answer
to both is a resounding yes.

This draconian reduction would disrupt the lives of tens of thousands
of students, working families and seniors for whom VTA's service is
not just a transit system but a lifeline.

Last week, I spent an afternoon riding VTA buses through downtown and
East San Jose, talking to riders. Less than one out of five had heard
of these cuts. A mother with three young children was still adjusting
her schedule around last month's cuts and was horrified by the idea
of a massive reduction. When I offered her a flier with a sample
letter to write to the VTA board, she gave me a quizzical look and
politely said no.

Buses are the workhorses of the valley's transit system, providing
more than 130,000 daily trips; 59 percent of VTA bus riders make less
than $35,000 per year, and 66 percent say they have no other way to
make their trip.

As I helped the mother of three take her stroller off the bus, I came
to a sad realization. Most of the riders who depend on VTA are simply
too busy, apolitical or unaware of the pending cuts to get involved
in stopping them.

Can VTA avoid cutting service given its financial crisis? Absolutely.

Twenty organizations -- from the Sierra Club to Latino Issue Forum to
the Silicon Valley Independent Living Center -- are backing specific
recommendations that would better serve the county's families and
workers who rely on transit. We are calling it the "Save Our Transit"
budget alternative.

Our alternative would advance funds from the Measure A sales tax,
passed by the voters in November 2000, for allowable paratransit and
light rail service. This would free up enough funding to reduce the
bus cuts to 5 percent.

There is also a way to fully stop the bus cuts: using Measure A money
directly for buses. Measure A was supposed to provide revenue for
an "expanded bus fleet of 750 vehicles." Clearly, voters expected
that this meant a significant investment of Measure A funds in buses.
But VTA's legal counsel has produced an opinion that violates the
letter, spirit and intent of the measure by claiming that bus service
must now pass a threshold test: If service is below November 2000
levels, then Measure A funds may not be used for buses.

We believe that a judge would find the VTA counsel's legal opinion to
be incorrect. That is why the Save Our Transit alternative also calls
on the VTA board to direct staff to immediately bring this matter
before the courts. The voters deserve nothing less than clarification
of these important issues. Every VTA board member must remember that
a finding that buses can receive Measure A funds would not tie the
VTA board's hands. It would only give it an important new option and
greater flexibility.

While some may find it imprudent to bond against Measure A for
operating costs, it is imperative to understand that this is a one-
time mechanism that will bridge the gap until additional funds are
identified. It gives time for county leaders to bring new revenue
proposals before the voters in November 2004.

Other proposals being put forward to continue with the 21 percent cut
but do more "studies" on saving the system are just a ruse. Board
members with moral fortitude will reject those studies for true
action.

Should you support the Save Our Transit Alternative? Ride the bus for
an hour and talk to riders, then tell the VTA board your answer at
its meeting at 6 p.m. today or go to www.transcoalition.org for more
information.

Stuart Cohen is executive director of the Transportation and Land Use
Coalition <http://www.transcoalition.org>, a collaboration of 90
organizations promoting sustainable transportation in the Bay Area.