A Speedier MTD
[ Excerpt from the SBN-P article of 5/24/2006 by Joshua Molina ]
... The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District plans to speed up bus pickup times on many of its key lines.
In an aggressive attempt to encourage people to get out of their cars and ride the bus, top city officials on Tuesday voted to make sweeping changes to the city's transit system.
Working with the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District, the council voted 4-0 to spend about $500,000 to pay for faster pickups on its most crowded bus routes.
The changes mean buses will pick up passengers five to 10 minutes earlier, depending on the route...
As traffic congestion grips the South Coast, officials are looking for ways to reduce auto use. City and MTD officials believe that increasing pickup times will serve as an incentive for motorists to ride the bus instead, theoretically reducing traffic congestion.
In addition, many of MTD's bus lines are already packed during peak morning and afternoon times...
For the changes to Lines 1, 2, 6 and 11, the city plans to transfer about $350,000 from its MyRide program, which is paid through downtown parking lot rates. MyRide is a program that provides free bus passes year-round to downtown workers. The city will end that program but keep its 10-ride free pass program for downtown employees.
For changes to Line 3, the city plans to take about $105,000 in Measure D sales tax money and put it into transit.
The funds are currently used to pay for road and street repairs, such as fixing sidewalks and filling potholes...
The four members of the council who were present were eager to boost MTD. Council members Iya Falcone, Grant House and Helene Schneider were absent.
"The goal here is to reduce car trips," said Councilman Das Williams. "No matter what neighborhood you live in, traffic is an issue."
... The council also agreed to take another look at the changes in future years to determine whether they are effective and boosting ridership.
e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com
Santa Barbara News-Press
(Source: UCSB Environmental Studies Program)
... The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District plans to speed up bus pickup times on many of its key lines.
In an aggressive attempt to encourage people to get out of their cars and ride the bus, top city officials on Tuesday voted to make sweeping changes to the city's transit system.
Working with the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District, the council voted 4-0 to spend about $500,000 to pay for faster pickups on its most crowded bus routes.
The changes mean buses will pick up passengers five to 10 minutes earlier, depending on the route...
As traffic congestion grips the South Coast, officials are looking for ways to reduce auto use. City and MTD officials believe that increasing pickup times will serve as an incentive for motorists to ride the bus instead, theoretically reducing traffic congestion.
In addition, many of MTD's bus lines are already packed during peak morning and afternoon times...
For the changes to Lines 1, 2, 6 and 11, the city plans to transfer about $350,000 from its MyRide program, which is paid through downtown parking lot rates. MyRide is a program that provides free bus passes year-round to downtown workers. The city will end that program but keep its 10-ride free pass program for downtown employees.
For changes to Line 3, the city plans to take about $105,000 in Measure D sales tax money and put it into transit.
The funds are currently used to pay for road and street repairs, such as fixing sidewalks and filling potholes...
The four members of the council who were present were eager to boost MTD. Council members Iya Falcone, Grant House and Helene Schneider were absent.
"The goal here is to reduce car trips," said Councilman Das Williams. "No matter what neighborhood you live in, traffic is an issue."
... The council also agreed to take another look at the changes in future years to determine whether they are effective and boosting ridership.
e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com
Santa Barbara News-Press
(Source: UCSB Environmental Studies Program)
Posted by Malcolm on
5/24/2006
Subscribe to RSS Feed
0 Comments
Post a Comment
Links
Create a Link
<< Home