Support Faster Transit in Santa Clara County
Valley Transportation Authority
Transit is in serious trouble because of the pandemic. We need to take steps now to ensure that transit can thrive in the future. One of these steps is to have countywide signal preemption throughout the county. Signal preemption would dramatically increase transit speed and make transit more competitive with driving.
According to VTA, the declining transit speeds cost almost $70M just to operate the same service levels that we had in 1990. VTA is spending more money to provide less service. If transit speeds are improved, residents will be able to get from point A to point B faster, and VTA can use the money they save to improve transit frequency and provide service to areas that currently lack access to transit. And if we can increase VTA ridership, everyone will benefit through reduced congestion.
VTA has already been working on a Fast Transit Program and has approved a Transit Speed Policy which would help accomplish these goals but they need support in all of the cities to make it happen. You can read more about the Fast Transit Program here: https://www.vta.org/programs/fast-transit-program
Sign the petition to urge VTA, the Cities in Santa Clara County, and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to take action to make fast transit a reality in Santa Clara County.
Sponsored by
To:
Valley Transportation Authority
From:
[Your Name]
Dear VTA Board of Directors,
As you are all aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to transit ridership declines across the country. Transit agencies are also losing revenue from fares, sales tax, and gas tax. Even if these funding gaps are filled by federal aid, the challenge of bringing riders back to transit will still exist.
With the massive reduction in driving during shelter in place, we have experienced better air quality and less traffic. Coming out of this crisis, we need to create a better future for transit in Santa Clara County. Improving transit speed would make transit a more attractive option for people and would increase ridership as the economy reopens.
According to VTA, the declining transit speeds cost almost $70M just to operate the same service levels that we had in 1990. VTA is spending more money to provide less service. If transit speeds are improved, residents will be able to get from point A to point B faster, and VTA can use the money they save to improve transit frequency and provide service to areas that currently lack access to transit. And if we can increase VTA ridership, everyone will benefit through reduced congestion.
While this crisis has been a struggle for everyone, we have the opportunity to come out of it stronger and create a better future. We urge the VTA board to work with the private sector to get funding for a study for a county-wide signal system so that we can make signal preemption a reality, which will increase transit speed and efficiency and help bring riders back to transit.
Sincerely.