unmet transit needs - SBCAG Board Meetings

SBCTAC STAFF REPORT
SUBJECT:
Transit Needs Assessment – Summary of Public Input
MEETING DATE:
February 11, 2015
STAFF CONTACT:
Andrew Orfila
AGENDA ITEM: 4
RECOMMENDATION:
A. Receive summary of unmet transit needs input from SBCAG public hearing and other
sources, and discuss next steps.
B. Receive presentation by Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) and City of Lompoc Transit
(COLT) on input received from local unmet needs public workshops.
SUMMARY:
SBCTAC is asked today to receive and discuss the input received regarding unmet transit
needs. SBCAG is conducting the annual Transit Needs Assessment as required by the
California Transportation Development Act (TDA). Transit is the priority use for TDA funds, but
claimants may use the funds for streets and roads if the SBCAG Board finds that there are no
unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet within their jurisdictions. Since the City of
Lompoc and unincorporated North Santa Barbara County have indicated they plan to use TDA
funds for streets and roads, SBCAG must perform an assessment of regional transit needs and
make a determination as to whether or not there are unmet needs that are reasonable to meet
within Lompoc and the unincorporated North County before allocating TDA funds.
SBCAG conducted public outreach to assess transit needs. COLT and SMAT held workshops
on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, and Wednesday, November 19, 2014, respectively. SBCAG
held a public hearing on Thursday, January 15, 2015. SBCAG also accepted public comment by
mail, e-mail, and telephone until January 23, 2015.
SBCAG staff will consult with SBCTAC and analyze the requests to determine whether or not
there are unmet needs that are reasonable to meet in Lompoc and unincorporated North
County. Staff will incorporate the findings into a draft Transit Needs Assessment report, which
SBCTAC, TTAC, the public, and the Board will review. Staff will incorporate any necessary
revisions into a final Transit Needs Assessment report. The Board must adopt the final report
and findings regarding “unmet transit need” and “reasonable to meet” before allocating TDA
funds in June.
DISCUSSION:
Background
The California Transportation Development Act (TDA) provides annual funding for public
transportation. Transit is the priority use for TDA funds. TDA Local Transportation Fund (LTF)
monies may be used for non-transit purposes (i.e., streets and roads), but only if the SBCAG
Board finds that there are no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet.
For FY 2015-16, local agency staff in Santa Barbara County has indicated that only the City of
Lompoc and unincorporated North Santa Barbara County plan to request LTF funds for nontransit purposes. Before allocating the funds, SBCAG must perform an assessment of regional
transit needs, and make a determination as to whether or not there are unmet needs that are
reasonable to meet within the jurisdictions of Lompoc and the unincorporated North County.
Public Input & Consultation
To assess regional transit needs, SBCAG solicits public comment through a public hearing,
transit agency workshops, and via mail, e-mail, and telephone. SBCAG consults with SBCTAC
on unmet transit needs as required by state law.
SBCAG Public Hearing
Transportation Development Act (TDA) statutes require that SBCAG hold at least one public
hearing on unmet transit needs. The public hearing occurred on January 15, 2015. SBCAG
held the public hearing at the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room in Santa Maria. A Spanish
language interpreter was available at the meeting, during which four people commented in
Spanish. There were a total of twelve verbal comments received at the public hearing.
Attachment 1 summarizes the comments in detail.
Written Comments
SBCAG also accepted public input via mail and e-mail. Between February 24, 20141 and
January 24, 2015, SBCAG received 3 letters (see Attachment 2), and 11 e-mails (see
Attachment 3). SBCAG did not receive any telephone comments related to this item
Transit Agency Workshops
A prior legal settlement requires that City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) and Santa Maria Area
Transit (SMAT) conduct workshops on unmet transit needs, which they did on Wednesday,
October 15, 2014, and Wednesday, November 19, 2014, respectively. The committee will hear
a report of input received at the SMAT and COLT public workshops at the February SBCTAC
meeting. Memoranda summarizing the input received at the COLT and SMAT workshops are
attached to this staff report (see Attachments 4 and 5).
1
February 21, 2014 was the close of public comment for the 2014 Transit Needs Assessment.
2
Summary of Comments
The table below summarizes the requests for new or expanded service received as part of the
public outreach process. It should be noted that SBCAG received a number of comments that
were not related to requests for new or expanded transit service. These are generally
designated as operational improvements and will be forwarded to the local and regional transit
operators for consideration. As noted above, all public comments received by SBCAG are
contained in the attachments to this staff report.
Table 1 – Requests for New or Expanded Transit Service
Request
Category
Source
Weekend service between
communities of Santa
Maria, Los Alamos and
Santa Ynez
Regional
Kenneth Wolf
SBCAG Public
Hearing; Santa
Maria workshop
Discounted fares and/or
subsidies for seniors in the
Santa Ynez Valley
Paratransit /
Dial-a-Ride
James Rhode, President, Solvang Senior Center;
Collen Klein, Executive Director, Solvang Senior
Center
SBCAG Public
Hearing
Expanded Saturday service
and new Sunday service
between Guadalupe and
Santa Maria
Regional
Bob Lizalde, SBCAG Board Member
(Guadalupe); Doreen Farr, SBCAG Board
Member (3rd District Supervisor); Jose Gonzalez,
CAUSE; Jose Cedillo, CAUSE; Jorge Acosta,
CAUSE; Rosa Ladrada, CAUSE, Rufio
Hernandez, CAUSE
SBCAG Public
Hearing
Weekend service between
Santa Maria and the South
Coast and coordinate with
SLORTA Route 10
Inter-regional
Joseph Collett
Letter
Expanded mid-day service
between Lompoc and
Santa Barbara
(additional day)
Inter-regional
Linda Byrd
Letter
Saturday service between
Lompoc and Buellton
Regional
Linda Byrd
Letter
Commuter service between
Goleta and Santa Maria
Reverse
Commute
Scott Whiteley
E-mail
Commuter service between
Santa Barbara and Solvang
Reverse
Commute
Eunice Morales
E-mail
Mid-day service – Santa
Ynez to South Coast
Regional
Myrna Heldfond
E-mail
Mid-day service – Santa
Maria to South Coast
InterRegional
Steve Johnson
E-mail
Expansion of local COLT
service on Saturday
Local Fixed
Route
Dixie Pack
Phone call with
COLT staff
3
Next Steps
Using the SBCAG Board-adopted definitions of ‘unmet transit need’ and ‘reasonable to meet’,
staff will analyze the requests for new or expanded service within the City of Lompoc and
unincorporated North County. Staff will determine if any unmet transit needs exist in these
jurisdictions and, if they do, whether or not they are reasonable to meet.
In April, staff will post a draft Transit Needs Assessment report with preliminary findings on
‘unmet transit need’ and ‘reasonable to meet’. SBCTAC and TTAC (Technical Transportation
Advisory Committee) will review the report, SBCTAC will provide a recommendation to the
SBCAG Board regarding the Transit Needs Assessment findings, and then staff will present it to
the SBCAG Board. The Board will hold a hearing on the preliminary findings.
After incorporating any necessary revisions, staff will present a final Transit Needs Assessment
report to the Board in May. The Board must approve the final report and findings before
allocating TDA LTF funds for FY 2014-15. Only if SBCAG finds that there are no unmet transit
needs that are reasonable to meet within the City of Lompoc and unincorporated North County
may these jurisdictions use TDA funds for non-transit purposes.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. SBCAG Public Hearings – Unmet Transit Needs Testimony
2. Letters
a. Joseph Collett
b. Linda Byrd
c. Marc Chytilo on behalf of the Transportation Futures Coalition and the Committees for
Land, Air, Water and Species
3. E-Mail Comments – Unmet Transit Needs
4. City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) Annual Transit Unmet Needs Workshop Summary
5. Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) Unmet Transit Needs Workshop Summary
4
ATTACHMENT 1
SBCAG Public Hearing – Unmet Transit Needs Testimony
Kenneth Wolf – Transit Rider





Increase awareness of the transit systems
Request for weekend service on Breeze 200
Request for transit service and connectivity amongst and between airports
Santa Maria bus network should resemble more of a “grid style”
Buses in North County need more bike racks, three in front and three in back
James Rohde – President, Solvang Senior Center



Aging and transportation issue: members at one point will need to give up DL
Accessibility can be difficult for seniors
Transportation system should accommodate seniors and those with medical issues, not
just commuters
Colleen Klein – Executive Director, Solvang Senior Center


Affordability is a factor for seniors using transit
Suggestion to underwrite senior rides on transit
Jose Gonalez – CAUSE


CAUSE has worked with SMOOTH to request service between Guadalupe and Santa
Maria on Saturdays (additional) and Sundays.
CAUSE supports current plans for implementation of the weekend transit service.
Jose Cedillo – CAUSE


Guadalupe Flyer is a vital service for Guadalupe residents
Request for expanded Saturday service and service on Sundays between Guadalupe
and Santa Maria
Jorge Acosta – CAUSE

Request for expanded Saturday service and service on Sundays between Guadalupe
and Santa Maria
Rosa Ladrada – CAUSE


Guadalupe students use the Flyer to and from school in Santa Maria
Vital service for Guadalupe residents
SBCAG Public Hearing – Unmet Transit Needs Testimony
(continued)
Ken Hough – Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN)


Santa Maria has been responsive to suggestions
Suggested more comprehensive, targeted outreach in Lompoc and those areas that are
not using 100% of TDA funds for transit
Rufio Hernandez – Transit Rider, Guadalupe


Request for smoother transition/transfer between Guadalupe Flyer and Breeze 200
Request for Sunday service between Guadalupe and Santa Maria
Marc Chytilo – Transportation Futures Committee / Committees for Land, Air, Water and
Species


Make those jurisdictions that opt to spend TDA funds for non-transit purposes fund the
Transit Needs Assessment planning process
Extend the public comment period and do more targeted outreach in communities that
are affected, such as on-bus surveys
Eva Inbar – Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST)

General comments regarding COLT budget and diversion of TDA funds to streets and
roads
Christine Nelson-Thuresson

Encouraged better outreach to elderly, handicapped, and youth in areas not spending all
TDA funds for transit
Doreen Farr

Request for expanded weekend service in Guadalupe – come back with more
information
Salud Carbajal

Encouraged staff to expand outreach
To Whom It May Concern:
The items listed below represent the “wish list” of a frequent user of public transit. I
believe the wishes are common sensical and apropos to improving transit options in
Santa Barbara County. I would like to thank the Santa Barbara County Association of
Governments for facilitating this forum.
1. Make transportation services searchable through online services such as Google
Transit Trip Planner.
• Especially for the most used services such as SMAT and the Clean Air
Express.
2. Provide a weekend bus service from Santa Maria to Santa Barbara
• Based on the Clean Air Express’s ~95% fare box recovery ratio on weekdays,
I would guess that lower weekend demand would still justify the service
• The current “best” option is Greyhound busses that happen to go through
Santa Maria. On Saturdays, these busses leave at 4:15 AM; 12:55 PM and 6:20
PM, times that are clearly not suited to Santa Maria’s needs.
• Ideally this would coordinate with the existing SLO RTA weekend routes so
as to permit public transportation from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara.
3. Find a way to increase the Breeze Bus service’s capacity at peak commuting
hours.
• I road the bus regularly from September 2013 to March 2014 and there were
often 10 or more passengers forced to stand.
• I realize that the overall farebox recovery ratio for the Breeze bus is a little
low, but this is certainly not due to a lack of ridership on the Lompoc – Santa
Maria route during commuting hours.
4. Promote the use of fare cards on the Breeze Bus to expedite the payment process.
• Cash payments are excruciatingly slow
• The Breeze service provides little incentive for a monthly pass.
o The round trip fare is $4 and the monthly pass is $75. This means the
monthly pass costs the same as 18.75 round trips, whereas the
average maximum number of weekday round-trips in a month is
21.72. So the maximum savings is only $12/month, or 13.7%. Add in a
few sick days or holidays and that savings disappears.
• On the website it is not mentioned that you can by a “value pass” on the bus
itself. I believe few riders are aware of this convenient option.
o The website does list less convenient places of purchase (grocery
stores mostly) but not the bus itself.
o The one time I bought one at Vons (before I learned you could
purchase one on the bus), it was quite the ordeal due to the unusual
nature of the transaction.
5. Pave the Santa Maria River Levee Trail (SMRLT).
• While the SMRLT is technically a Type I bike path, it is unpaved. The loose
gravel and dirt make it impassable to anything other than a true mountain
bike. Accordingly, it is unsuitable for most touring or long distance bicyclists.
•
Paving the path would provide a much better connection for Santa Maria to
San Luis Obispo County. Taking the path from the 101 bridge to its terminus
on Suey Rd (a good road for biking), riders could than travel south crossing
under the freeway on Jones St., which passes by Alan Hancock College. From
there they could choose to continue south on either College or Miller, both
good streets for bicycling.
6. Put bike shoulders on Jones St. and College as these streets are adjacent to Alan
Hancock College, one of the key public transportation hubs.
• On Jones St this would be difficult due to the limited space available, however
College has what seem like 20+ foot lanes with plenty of space.
• While Jone St does have very limited street space, there is a wide dirt path
along it which could easily be developed into a more formal multipurpose
path.
7. Add 3 additional bike rack space to the back of the Breeze buses, for a total of 6
spaces.
• This is the system the SLO RTA buses use.
• Many times I have seen the 3 Breeze Bus spaces filled and a potential rider
forced to find other means of transportation.
Thank you,
Joseph Collett
LAW OFFICE OF MARC CHYTILO
————————————————————————
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
January 14, 2015
Mr. Andrew Orfila
Chairperson Richardson and Board Members
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments
260 North San Antonio Road, Suite B
Santa Barbara, CA 93110
RE;
2015 Unmet Transit Needs
Dear Mr. Orfila, Chair Richardson and Members of the Santa Barbara County Association of
Governments:
Please accept this letter concerning the assessment process for north county unmet transit needs
on behalf of the Transportation Futures Committee and the Committees for Land, Air, Water and
Species, organizations concerned with transportation issues in Santa Barbara County.
The State of California gives to Santa Barbara County and its cities approximately $13,000,000
each year for public transportation and transit systems that “provide an essential public service”
to the whole population, especially the “elderly, handicapped, youth, and citizens of limited
means.” Public Utilities Code § 99220(a). The Transportation Development Act (TDA) is a
civil rights and environmental justice statute.
Today, nearly all California jurisdictions apply all TDA funds to public transportation systems.
As you are aware, the TDA allows jurisdictions that have been able to meet all public
transportation needs without consuming all TDA funds to undertake an extraordinary
demonstration that their jurisdiction satisfies all public transportation needs. Upon making that
showing, surplus TDA funds may be used for road purposes.
SBCAG is one of those rare jurisdictions that undertakes the unmet transit need process to justify
the expenditure of state dollars earmarked for public transportation on roadways. These
earmarked funds are diverted for road purposes in two north county jurisdictions. Were TDA
funds used for public transportation purposes in Lompoc and northern Santa Barbara County,
SBCAG would not need to spend its funds on the unmet transit need process.
This process has been repeated so many times that SBCAG simply repeats the same ineffective
public outreach process each year, culminating in a regurgitation of the same “Transit Needs
Assessment” document annually. In so doing, SBCAG routinely fails to identify the
disadvantaged communities that are discriminated against by this pattern and practice.
MARC CHYTILO
P.O. Box 92233  Santa Barbara, California 93190
Phone: (805) 682-0585  Fax: (805) 682-2379
Email: [email protected]
Mr. Andrew Orfila
January 14, 2015
Page | 2
The County and City of Lompoc propose to divert approximately $3,000,000 from the needs of
disadvantaged residents in their communities and apply them to road purposes. It is simply
preposterous to contend that these communities have adequate public transportation systems.
Indeed, these communities have allowed their public transportation systems to become so
ineffective that riders no longer try to use them. These communities have been abandoned by
their government.
Lompoc’s Public Transportation System Has Been Decimated to the Detriment of Transit
Dependent Members of the Community to Divert TDA Funds to Roads Purposes
The City of Lompoc, with a large transit dependent community, has dramatically reduced
expenditures for the COLT system, allowing the system to whither and soon fail, while
coincidentally substantially increasing the amount of their TDA allocation applied to roads.
The trend in expenditures is displayed in the 2014 Transit Needs Assessment:
This trend is shown graphically:
Mr. Andrew Orfila
January 14, 2015
Page | 3
During this period, ridership on COLT has plunged in a commensurate manner.
Mr. Andrew Orfila
January 14, 2015
Page | 4
Not surprisingly, with COLT’s ridership and investment dropping precipitously, and the
systems’ unnecessary isolation and literal disconnection from other, more productive and
efficient transit systems, farebox recovery ratios are similarly low.
It is evident that the City is ignoring the mandate to meet the needs of its least empowered
residents, the poor, disabled, and ethnic minority residents. By diverting the core operating and
capital funds necessary to keep COLT expanding and on par with the other elements of the
County’s interregional transit system, Lompoc has deprived its residents and its economy the
benefits of a modern transit system.
In light of this obvious problem and pending system failure, it is incumbent upon SBCAG to
ensure that the unmet transit need process enjoys a robust public outreach process that can
provide the factual nexus between COLT’s performance and the changes that are needed to
rebuild the system.
Poorly Managed and Isolated Public Transportation Systems Plague northern Santa
Barbara County
These same concerns exist with the County of Santa Barbara’s diversion of Transportation
Development Act transit funds to roads purposes. Truncated definitions of transit needs,
unrealistic farebox recovery expectations, and the Balkanized public transportation systems of
the north county combine to intentionally defeat the provision of adequate public transportation
systems in the rural northern Santa Barbara County.
As of 2006, this was the structure of north county public transportation system operation and
management.
Mr. Andrew Orfila
January 14, 2015
Page | 5
While there have been some adjustments, the state of north county transit services remain
disjointed, inefficient, and poorly integrated. This is the product of turf battles and an
unwillingness or inability to collaborate to create a seamless, integrated set of systems, or a
single, internally coordinated system.
Were the productive north county regional and intercity transit services pooled and coordinated
with intracity systems, farebox recovery ratios would be far higher and the system would provide
much better services to north county residents. Instead, north county public transportation is
balkanized, with individual jurisdictions attempting to operate transit systems through Public
Works Departments and little or no dedicated professional transit system staff, inadequate and
disjointed marketing programs, and services that are often inadequate to meet the needs of their
respective transit dependent communities.
SBCAG’s Needs Outreach Effort Is Inadequate in the Absence of Active Transit User
Surveys and Targeted Outreach to Transit Dependent Communities
The SBCAG unmet transit needs process was not designed and/or implemented to adequately
identify and assess the needs of transit dependent and disadvantaged groups, or to detect
inadequacies in the existing public transit system that are relevant to the TDA. As such,
significant needs have gone undetected and unaddressed. Establishment of new, revised and
expanded transit services that address these needs would significantly increase the mobility of
Mr. Andrew Orfila
January 14, 2015
Page | 6
various transit dependent/disadvantaged communities; TDA funds earmarked for public
transportation must be spent on establishing these needed new, revamped and expanded services.
Instead, the process is managed so as to avoid detecting additional new unmet transit needs, such
as by failing to conduct on-board surveys of transit users which thwarts the unmet transit needs
process and impedes compliance with the legal requirements.
SBCAG’s principal means of publicizing the unmet transit needs process is through publication
in paid newspapers that few of the target community can afford to buy, and most of which are
written in a non-native language. The hearings are conducted in the middle of the work day,
when someone would have to miss work to participate. For those that do manage to submit
comment, their concerns are routinely rejected on technical grounds.
The TDA requires an annual assessment of the size and location of identifiable groups likely to
be transit dependent or transit disadvantaged. Public Utilities Code § 99401.5(b)(1). The TDA
further requires analysis of the adequacy of existing public transportation services in meeting the
transit demands of those identifiable groups. Public Utilities Code § 99401.5(b)(2). To
effectuate this mandate, the outreach process must survey riders of existing services and more
effectively identify un-served and under-served communities. This was an express
recommendation of the SBCTAC after the 2007 process. This year, SBCTAC asked for hearing
notices on the busses that people rode. Unfortunately, these recommendations were ignored.
The SBCAG process fails to identify the needs of characterized populations, and how those
needs are not being met. Existing public transit users were not surveyed, rather had to submit
written comments or testify at the public hearing. Those that have testified in the past have seen
their concerns ignored or belittled through SBCAG’s miserly definitions that operate to
discourage and marginalize good faith efforts of affected communities to participate in this
process. The TDA identifies transit dependent or transit disadvantaged groups to include the
elderly, the handicapped, and persons with limited means. Individuals in these groups are those
individuals least able to attend public hearings or spend the time necessary to write and submit
written comments. Due to this fact, it is incumbent on SBCAG to be proactive in identifying the
needs of these transit dependent or disadvantaged groups in each and every community where it
proposes to allow a jurisdiction to divert TDA Transit funds to roads purposes.
The process SBCAG has undertaken is purely reactive to testimony, but structured in a way to
encourage less testimony and thus identify less perceived need. When the perceived need is
understated in this way, important inadequacies in existing public transportation services go
unidentified. This results in large populations and communities being disadvantaged from the
improper allocation of TDA funds to roads when people are not having basic mobility needs met.
It is part of a recurring cycle of disempowerment and marginalization.
In 2003 a community group undertook a pro-active survey of unmet transit needs in northern
Santa Barbara County by riding the busses, explaining in other languages what is involved in the
unmet transit needs process. Although the report’s data is outdated, that effort demonstrated that
more active and aggressive data collection methods could and will result in the identification of
additional unmet transit needs.
Attachment 3
Summary of E-Mail Comments on Unmet Transit Needs
From: Scott Whiteley
Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2014 5:24 PM
Dear Customer Service,
Is it possible to ride the other way, i.e., Goleta to Santa Maria? I work in SM and commute there every
day from Goleta. I was hoping it might be possible to catch a ride on the bus as it returns to SM--and back
to Goleta in the afternoon. I'm flexible on timing.
Thanks. Scott Whiteley
From: Eunice Morales
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 8:14 PM
hello I am wondering about any buses this Thursday that go from santa Barbara to solvang in the morning
or afternoon? thank you!
From: Jenny Willis
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 11:54 AM
Hello,
I am unable to attend the Transit Hearing on January 15th, so I decided to give you my feedback via
email.
Many times my daughter and son have had trouble making it to appointments on time because of the very
unorganized bus schedule. Once my daughter was picked up so far past the time the bus should have
arrived she ended up being 45 minutes late to her doctor’s appointment. The doctor’s office just told her
she was TOO late and told her to reschedule. Why can’t we ever count on the bus being on time and
sticking to the schedule? If you need more busses or more staff, hire them or buy them. We pay a fortune
as it is, so what are we paying for, bad service?
I can’t tell you how many times my kids have been stranded because a bus has never showed up. I filed
many complaints with the General Manager regarding this, it doesn’t seem to help one bit. I hear things
like, the bus broke down or it was there (which is a lie). Well why don’t you have properly maintained
busses for such an incident? Or when a bus breaks down, where are your back up busses you can drive
instead? Or I hear the excuse, someone that was on the bus fell and got injured so we can’t leave the
scene until the report is made. Shouldn’t the GM go out on the route in a bus and take care of all the
other people who are counting on a timely bus to pick them up? What is your back up plan for when your
customers are stranded? Someone needs to come out and take over in situations like that.
It is never convenient to catch a bus from our home if you want to be on time. We live on the far north end
of town around Donovan and Broadway in Santa Maria. My kids have to catch a bus from Donavan and
Broadway but instead of the bus driving straight down Broadway to the South end of town they get taken
to a transit center to transfer busses. There should NEVER be a transfer when a bus drives down a major
road like Broadway, Blosser, Miller, College or Bradley. A bus should start from the North end of one of
those streets and head straight down without turns or trips to the transit center. Those major road should
have a bus running from one end to the other all day long. It shouldn’t take someone 2 hours to get
somewhere by bus which only takes 15 minutes by car. The schedule and organization of the bus
department is atrocious. And it doesn’t seem like any amount of complaints are doing the trick. The
unorganized problem has been going on for years.
And what make all of the above worse is when we call the transit center to speak to the operator they
often lie about what is going on and why they are stranded. There is no customer service that I can see,
why isn’t that a priority? Either the bus driver is lying to the dispatcher about what is going on and why
he/she hasn’t picked people up yet. Or the dispatcher is lying to the customers about why he hasn’t
showed up for over two hours? Communication is key on both ends and to the cliental.
And I am not sure if we have enough of a need to run a bus by a stop every 15 minutes, but that is what
needs to happen. There shouldn’t be a bus that runs only once and hour. And many people work very
early or very late in the day. Why are busses running at 5am or as late as 10pm?
Thank you for listening to my concerns. I hope this helps in resolving the ongoing problems with the
transit in North County.
Sincerely, Jenny Willis
From: Myrna Heldfond
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2014 6:08 PM
Thank you for your information and I will try to come to the meeting but I am not a "public speaker". I do
think it would make a bigger impact than just another letter so I'll try. Do you think it is necessary to be
there at 10:00 A.M. sharp? Is there anything on the drawing board for public transportation from the
Santa Ynez Valley to Santa Barbara? I don't mean that crazy bus from Solvang that leaves at 6 A.M. and
comes back 12 hours later.
Myrna
From: Beth Houston
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 3:49 PM
Oh good okay because I have an issue with the Breeze hours service because what happen is that I had
a meeting in Lompoc at 9:30am, so there is no service from between 7am to 8:30am that leave me no
choice to get on bus at 6:30am and got in Lompoc at 7:15am and end up sat on bench in the cold for two
hours for my meeting at 9:30am. Can they get a better hours such like 7:30 to 8:30am that would be
nice?
From: Myrna Heldfond
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 5:24 PM
Saturdays are certain to fail to get riders. What we need is a way to get to Santa Barbara during
weekdays for doctors appointments, social engagements, the theatre, a movie, the beach, just
because. It is some kind of joke that in 2014-15 there is no public transportation out of the Santa Ynez
Valley to Santa Barbara. What are we supposed to do if we don't have a car, a relative? Saturdays are
useless. The only way currently is a $100 one way taxi ride. Is that what our government proposes we
do. I'm quite angry about this, as you can tell. I have been to so called "third world" countries that have
better transportation then Santa Barbara County.
Myrna
From: Myrna Heldfond
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2014 5:48 PM
So, Andrew, I just received the winter issue of a magazine distributed by the Sansum Clinic and there
was a very interesting notice regarding bus transportation. I am going to quote it here. "MTD BUS LINE
3 EXTENDED TO INCLUDE FOOTHILL CAMPUS. Under the formal demand management program,
and in an effort to improve access to our facilities, we have worked with MTD to extend the line 3 bus
route to include our new Foothill Campus, as of December 15, 2014.
This will be a signature improvement in bus access to Foothill for our patients as there will be an
additional 20 stops there per day, Monday through Friday. Please see the map below and visit sbmtd.gov
for complete schedules."
Why was this so easy to accomplish when there still will be no transportation to any of the Sansum Clinic
locations from the Santa Ynez Valley. Maybe I should just contact Kurt Ransohoff, M.D. and see if he
can accomplish what no one else seems to be able to do including SBCAG.
Full disclosure: Sansum is my medical provider and there have been times when I was not able to get
there.
Myrna Heldfond
From: Suzanne "Sam" de st. Jean
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2015 1:14 PM
I have been riding the Breeze bus to Lompoc from Santa Maria for over four years. Having affordable and
reliable transportation is so important to me because it has saved me in gas money and wear and tear on
my vehicle. If I had to drive I could not continue to work in Lompoc as I could not afford the gas.
Even though the buses have maintenance issues from time to time I can handle those little
inconveniences. I need the Breeze Bus to continue its' route from Santa Maria to Lompoc and back.
Without it I couldn't pay my bills or take care of my family. Please keep the Breeze Bus and the current
schedules.
Thank you,
Suzanne M. de St. Jean
From: Steve Johnson
Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2015 2:41 PM
Bus transit service from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria are poor compared to service from Santa Barbara
to Ventura (VISTA).
The only real option is Greyhound, with a standard 1-way fare of $25, and only two trips per day (9 AM
and 4:30 PM).
Compare this with VISTA service, which has departures every two hours or less (much less during
commute hours) for $1.35 one way with a senior SmartCard.
I recognize the transit time between Santa Maria and Santa Barbara is about an hour, compared to 30
minutes for SB-Ventura.
But the difference in cost and frequency is nearly 10-fold.
A low cost test of demand for bus transit service would be an agreement with Amtrak to allow use of (very
much underutilized) Thruway buses without requiring connections to trains.
SBCAG could negotiate a tolerable rate ($10) and sell passes via the web (even bus riders have smart
phones in this age).
Steven Johnson
From: Steve Johnson
Sent: Sunday, January 05, 2015 7:41 PM
Mr. Orfilia,
The Clean Air Express is a commuter service, not a transit service. It does not provide a practical way for
a person living in Santa Barbara to get to Santa Maria and back in a single day (unlike the VISTA service,
which is a true transit service). I hope my concerns will be relayed to the SBCAG group considering
Unmet Transit Needs.
From: Myrna Heldfond
Sent: Wednesday, January 7, 2015 3:02 PM
One hundred years ago there was public transportation to and from Santa Barbara and points beyond,
from the Santa Ynez Valley. It was a stagecoach. In 2015 we don't even have a stagecoach. Nothing.
What we need is a user friendly (and by that I mean day of week and time of day) bus service to Santa
Barbara. There are a lot of us who are either too young or too old to drive or just can't afford the cost of
maintaining an automobile. How are we supposed to get to doctor’s appointments, social engagements,
the beach, a concert?
I understand there is a plan in the works to offer a bus from Solvang on Saturday. That is not user
friendly. The bus that leaves from Solvang at 6 A.M. and returns at 6 P.M. is also, not user friendly.
I understand that Sansum Clinic has arranged with the Santa Barbara transit authority to add several
additional trips a day to the new, Foothill Road clinic. Those of us who live in the Santa Ynez Valley can't
get there at all unless by the kindness of others.
If any of you do not think this is important I suggest you come reside in the Santa Ynez Valley for six
months without a car.
Myrna Heldfond