LTA votes not to send letter protesting cuts to commuter
service
Proposed
”
devastating
”
cuts to Caltrain rail service and hikes in fares for commuters
prompted the San Benito County Local Transportation Authority to
draft a letter protesting rumored further reductions, but the LTA
board decided against sending it.
The LTA provides direct connections to the Gilroy Caltrain
station for each of its morning and evening runs, with ridership
increasing for three straight quarters.
LTA votes not to send letter protesting cuts to commuter service
Proposed “devastating” cuts to Caltrain rail service and hikes in fares for commuters prompted the San Benito County Local Transportation Authority to draft a letter protesting rumored further reductions, but the LTA board decided against sending it.
The LTA provides direct connections to the Gilroy Caltrain station for each of its morning and evening runs, with ridership increasing for three straight quarters.
“The increase in ridership shows that there is a strong public demand for Caltrain service to Gilroy,” the proposed LTA letter, signed by Chairman Jaime de la Cruz, said.
Eliminating Caltrain service to and from Gilroy would make riders switch to a personal vehicle, the letter noted, or switch to the less direct Valley Transportation Authority bus service.
Further cuts “will adversely affect Hollister and San Benito County residents and the mobility options available to them,” said the letter to Sean Elsbernd, chairman of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which oversees Caltrain. “Transit riders help reduce single-occupant vehicles which in turn helps improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion.”
Earlier this month, the joint powers board announced a projected $35.7 million operating budget deficit and has proposed service reductions and fare increases.
At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Anthony Botelho, who also serves on the LTA board, said the letter was not approved because Caltrain “might not be a bad area to cut if it’s not supporting itself.”
The LTA has increased its own fares and reduced service, including eliminating midday local fixed route service and offering less frequent weekday commuter shuttle service to Gavilan College and weekend Gilroy Greyhound service.
“Despite the reduction in funding (that prompted the service cuts and fee hikes), the LTA remained committed to its Caltrain commuters and did not reduce any of the connection services,” the letter stated. “Suspending the Gilroy Caltrain service would be devastating to our passengers who rely on your service to get to and from their place of employment.”
The letter, had it been sent, would have urged the joint powers board to maintain Caltrain service to Gilroy to continue offering “affordable, efficient transportation to and from work,” decrease vehicle emissions and reduce congestion along Highway 101 between Gilroy and San Jose.
The elimination of an afternoon southbound train run to Gilroy in January “appears to be a sign of what service may look like in July,” when the new fiscal year begins, Betty LiOwen, the LTA’s transportation planner, said in a report.
A public hearing to discuss the proposed fare increases and service reductions is scheduled for March 3 at 10 a.m. at 1250 San Carlos Ave. in San Carlos.
