By Khalida Sarwari
Though no two office environments are exactly the same, conversations at the water cooler across the Bay Area invariably veer toward one topic: traffic, and specifically, how much time we spend in it. And just about everyone agrees it’s a problem. A big one.
Naysayers predict the congestion can only get worse in the coming years, but optimists view a future of free-flowing traffic on Highway 101, smoothly paved roads, designated bike lanes, Bay Area Rapid Transit in the South Bay and not a pothole in sight anywhere.
A measure on the Nov. 8 ballot purports to do all that and more. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Measure B not only proposes to untangle bottle-necked highways, expressways and interchanges, repair roadways and potholes and finally bring BART to the South Bay, but also aims to ensure bicycle and pedestrian safety around school zones, increase Caltrain ridership and add transit options for seniors, students and the disabled.
It is a laundry list of goals and comes with a hefty $6.3 billion price tag. The catch is South Bay and Peninsula taxpayers are being asked to pick up the tab.
Measure B is a 30-year half-cent sales tax that requires a two-thirds super-majority vote to pass. If approved, it would go into effect as soon as April.
Of the $6.3 billion, $1.5 billion would be spent to bring BART to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara; $1.2 billion to maintain and repair streets, $1 billion to improve Caltrain capacity and construct grade separations, $750 million to expand the county’s nine expressways, $750 million to pay for freeway interchange improvements, $500 million to bolster transit operations for under-served residents, $350 million to study transit alternatives on the Highway 85 corridor and $250 million to make bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
VTA would appoint an independent citizens’ oversight committee to annually track all that money to make sure it’s spent as promised.
Among the measure’s most outspoken proponents is the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a public policy business trade organization led by CEO Carl Guardino. Acknowledging that a sales tax is regressive, Guardino indicated it’s nevertheless the only way to address the region’s growing traffic problem and secure state and federal matching funds for local transportation improvements.
“Are we going to come to grips with the gridlock that this valley faces? Sacramento and Washington, D.C. are not going to ride in on their white horse with bags full of money,” he said. “We either address this ourselves, as we’ve done successfully and with accountability in the past, or the gridlock remains. The choice is that simple.”
Guardino said the average Santa Clara County driver pays $2,500 a year for traffic-related costs, including car repairs due to poor road conditions and time spent in traffic. Alternatively, the tax would cost individuals “somewhere in the double digits at the most.”
“That’s a pretty easy wallet decision for me to make,” he said.
The question is whether voters will reach the same conclusion next month. A lot of the region’s elected officials have already made up their minds. Most are endorsing it, among them entire city councils, such as Saratoga’s. Some have not yet taken a stance as of this newspaper’s deadline, such as the Los Gatos Town Council, scheduled to discuss Measure B at its Oct. 18 meeting. Others, such as Cupertino Mayor Barry Chang, question the measure’s priorities.
While Chang has not officially come out against the measure, his words suggest he won’t be lending his support anytime soon.
“I’m caught in the middle of a rock and hard place. I know we need money for transportation, but this measure is not spending the money in the right direction, on the right area,” he said. “You’re not going to solve the [traffic congestion] problem; the problem is going to become worse.”
For one, Chang said, he disagrees with allocating $1.5 billion to bring BART to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara. Given that Highway 237 is one of the more congested freeways in the area, it would be wiser to spend that money to connect BART from Milpitas to Mountain View, he said.
“Traffic congestion is not rocket science at all,” Chang said. “All you have to do is take a look at it during traffic hour and see where the most congested areas are. The most congested area is Highway 237 and Highway 85 from South County to West Valley and North County and also Highway 101. Those are the areas you need to solve.”
The mayor, who has been on the Cupertino City Council since 2009, went on to call Measure B “a big mistake,” claiming that even if money is allocated for the BART project, maintenance and operation of the trains and infrastructure would cost considerably more money.
While many of his colleagues in Cupertino would disagree with him (Vice Mayor Savita Vaidhyanathan, council members Darcy Paul, Gilbert Wong and Rod Sinks, Cupertino Union School District members Josephine Lucey and Anjali Kausar and the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce all favor the measure), Chang has backers in the Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta chapter—whose members hail from San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Benito counties. The chapter argues that Measure B is less than a viable solution to addressing the region’s traffic problems.
“Our main objection is that they’re trying to lock in an obsolete direction for the next 30 years,” said Gladwyn D’Souza, transportation chair for the group. “They’ve been widening roads and interchanges which are now gridlocked. [That has] spilled over onto expressways and now those are spilling over into neighborhood streets. They say they’re going to be solving congestion on the expressways, but if they knew how to do that wouldn’t you think they would have done it on freeways by now?”
While the Sierra Club has endorsed transit taxes in the past, it’s hesitated to support Measure B because “it benefits the Leadership Group and the elite in Santa Clara County” more than commuters, D’Souza said.
Chang and the Sierra Club are not alone in their opposition to the proposed tax. Some wonder how much is enough. Measure B is not the first tax floated to voters by VTA for transportation projects in the Valley, and Guardino has hinted it likely wouldn’t be the last, though he added that another one wouldn’t go before voters for “quite a while.”
“At some point in our future, are there going to be other transportation and traffic needs? Well, that is almost assuredly yes,” he said. “The funding source locally through Measure B is much smaller than the overall need for traffic improvements necessary in this valley.”
In fact, traffic experts identified $48 billion worth of traffic-relief measures needed, Guardino said, and securing the remainder of that money will have to be done through other means. The passage of Measure B would draw anywhere from $3 billion to $3.5 billion in additional state and federal funding, he said. Then, “based on past practices,” other local, regional, state and federal funds would generate an additional $10 billion to $12 billion over the life of the measure, he added.
Measure B is only the latest in a series of sales tax measures in Santa Clara County over the years. Voters in 1984 passed a 10-year half-cent sales tax to build Highway 85, widen Highway 101 and upgrade Highway 237 to a full freeway.
Then in 1996, a nine-year half-cent sales tax was approved for general county purposes, which included widening highways 101, 880, 17 and 87, upgrading interchanges, extending light rail, increasing Caltrain service, expanding bicycle routes and improving senior and disabled transit service.
A transit improvement program funded by a 30-year half-cent sales tax was passed in 2000, but it didn’t begin until April 2006, when the 1996 measure expired. The current measure supports several transit improvement projects in the county, among them the BART to Silicon Valley extension project.
The most recent measure passed by voters is a 30-year one-eighth-cent sales tax hike, approved in 2008 and dedicated to covering operating and maintenance costs associated with the BART extension.
The BART project is but one piece of what Guardino calls the jigsaw puzzle that is Measure B.
About $1.2 billion of Measure B revenue would be divided among 15 cities for street maintenance and repairs, with respective amounts based on population and road miles. Cities that have high “pavement condition index” scores would be “rewarded for good behavior,” Guardino said, meaning they could spend their allotted money for congestion relief or to make their roads better, while those with lower scores could only use the funds to fix potholes and repair roads. Cities that reported a “good” score include Campbell and Sunnyvale. Those in the “fair” category are Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, San Jose and Saratoga.
At $580 million, San Jose would receive the largest share of the street maintenance funds. That breaks down to about $19 million a year, said Councilman Johnny Khamis, who represents District 10. Though he’d like to see citywide street improvements, one area in particular that could benefit from that money is Branham Lane, which Khamis said he’d like to see expanded between Snell and Vista Park.
“I’m really excited about fixing our expressway and doing some highway improvements,” Khamis said. “I’m supportive of getting more people where they want to go faster.”
The city plans to use its Measure B allocation toward making improvements to the Almaden interchange, including at Camden Avenue, Highway 85 and Branham Lane; to Capitol Expressway from Highway 680 to Capitol Avenue; and to Montague Expressway from Great Mall to Trade Zone, from Trade Zone to Main and Oakland and from Trade Zone to McCarthy and O’Toole. San Jose would also invest in interchange improvements on segments of highways 101, 680, 87, 237 and 280.
Khamis expressed enthusiasm about Caltrain improvements and the BART project, which includes the completion of stations in downtown San Jose and Santa Clara.
“I think there’s a lot in there to benefit the traveling public. Whether you’re from Gilroy or Palo Alto, you’ll have some kind of benefit,” Khamis said. “Everybody’s getting a piece of the pie. All the money is being dedicated in some way, and there’s going to be transparency where the money is going to go and what it’s going to be used for.”
Measure B has been endorsed by San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Vice Mayor Rose Herrera and council members Ash Kalra, Charles Jones, Don Rocha, Magdalena Carrasco, Manh Nguyen, Raul Peralez and Tam Nguyen.
Saratoga would receive an influx of roughly $600,000 a year for a total of $17.5 million, which would supplement the city’s current road budget of $1.5 million, said Councilman Howard Miller.
“This $600,000 is going to help tremendously,” he said. “This will increase our budget by more than 25 percent. That is a big deal for cities our size. We don’t have that much money. We have one of the smaller budgets of any city, and roadway money is hard to come by.”
Miller said the city would likely spend that money on “preventative maintenance,” which includes roadway resurfacing. “We’re using a more high-tech resurfacing material and technique which is meant to be more impervious and reliable long-term.”
According to Saratoga city engineer Iveta Harvancik, the city has identified three streets in particular that need attention: Kosich Drive from Saratoga Creek to Kosich Court, Okanogan Drive from Taos Drive to Okanogan Court, and Taos Drive from Montauk to Okanogan.
The measure further benefits residents of Saratoga because it provides congestion relief on the San Tomas and Highway 17 interchange and on highways 85 and 280, and it ensures that the median lane on 85 would be reserved for mass transit, Miller said. About $10 million would be allocated to doing noise abatement work in Saratoga and $20 million to study other solutions for the corridor, according to Guardino.
“This is the right step in coming up with a viable transit option on Highway 85,” Miller said.
While Measure B is “a compromise, it’s a good compromise,” he said.
“It has something in there for every city, every commuter, every transit rider and the underserved within the county,” he said. “This ballot measure potentially could provide a funding source for seniors and student transportation within our city.”
Miller is joined in his support of Measure B by his colleagues on the Saratoga City Council: Manny Cappello, Emily Lo, Mary Lynne Bernald and Rishi Kumar, along with council candidate Dede Smullen. Former Mayor Ann Waltonsmith, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District board member Katherine Tseng and the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce also support the measure.
While Los Gatos hasn’t taken an official stance on the proposed tax, Matt Morley, the town’s parks and public works director, said residents would gain from its passage, especially because it would produce $600,000 a year for road maintenance. The town’s current budget for street maintenance is $1.2 million, according to Morley.
“We’re seeing a gradual but steady increase in the condition of our pavement,” Morley said. “So having additional funding will be a significant impact to having our streets in good condition. This will help us fix the potholes and the streets that are rough and tough to drive on that cause deterioration.”
The funds would be used to improve such streets as Lark Avenue between Winchester Boulevard and Arroyo Grande Way, Winchester Boulevard between Pleasant View Avenue and Shellburne Way, and Blossom Hill Road between Los Gatos Boulevard and Camellia Terrace, according to Morley.
In addition, a portion of the funds would go toward providing buses for students to reduce traffic around the town’s most congested schools, such as Los Gatos High, Fisher Middle School, and Van Meter and Blossom Hill elementary, Morley said. A similar bus system that would provide service downtown and town-wide based on citizen demand also would be implemented, with a goal of alleviating pressures from cut-through traffic, he added.
The town would also use Measure B funds to make bicycle and pedestrian improvements for the Safe Routes to Schools program, which encourages walking or riding bikes, scooters and skateboards to school, Morley said.
The measure also would help pay for the development of a transit hub on property owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District off of Winchester just north of Highway 85 which could be used by both VTA and corporate buses to pick up employees. The site would also serve as the home of the future Vasona light rail, said Morley.
Revenue from the proposed tax would also aid the town in upgrading its traffic signal system to take advantage of technology that allows signals to coordinate with real-time traffic conditions, resulting in smoother traffic flow throughout the town, Morley said. The system already exists in Palo Alto and San Jose, he said.
In Los Gatos, Measure B has already garnered the support of Vice Mayor Marico Sayoc and council members Marcia Jensen and Rob Rennie, Planning Commission Chairwoman Kendra Burch and the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce.
Sunnyvale Mayor Glenn Hendricks also expressed interest in using Measure B funds toward making traffic signal control system upgrades in his city. A member of the VTA board, Hendricks is a strong supporter of Measure B.
“I believe Measure B is vitally important for the region and for the city,” Hendricks said. “It has to do with our ability to have economic vitality here in the region. Measure B is a positive thing—not the tax itself but the underlying project. It’s important for us to keep the economic vitality of the region going.”
Though he emphasized that Measure B is a regional solution, Hendricks pointed out that the benefits to Sunnyvale residents are many. For example, the city’s $84 million allocation can be used toward pavement maintenance and to improve handicap access on sidewalks, as well as bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
“Let’s not understate the improvements that could be made for pedestrians and bicycles in the environment,” he said. “This is not just about cars; this is about all modes of getting around.”
The city is working to expand its bicycle lane network, Hendricks said. Earlier this year, the city council voted to add bike lanes on Maude and Mary avenues from Fremont Avenue up to El Camino Real. There are also plans to put bicycle lanes on a segment of El Camino Real, he said.
Other benefits Sunnyvale residents would see from Measure B funds are grade separations on Lawrence Expressway from Reed and Monroe to Arques, congestion relief near highways 237 and 101 and Mathilda Avenue, and improved traffic flow at interchanges.
Vice Mayor Gustav Larson, council members Jim Davis, Jim Griffith, Tara Martin-Milius and Larry Klein, Sunnyvale School District board member Reid Meyers, bicycle and pedestrian advisory commissioner Tim Oey and the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce all support the measure.
Considering the region’s failing infrastructure, Measure B is “a giant step in the right direction,” said Monte Sereno Mayor Lon Allan. His city, which has one of the lower pavement condition index ratings in the West Valley, would receive nearly $2 million if the measure passes. The city currently budgets $75,000 annually for street maintenance, he said.
“The roads [in Monte Sereno] are asphalt; they’re not concrete,” Allan said. “Asphalt needs continual maintenance.”
Along with road repairs, Measure B would help the city rework the interchange at highways 17 and 9, which historically have had problems with pedestrian and bike safety, Allan said. It would also give the city an opportunity to invest in buses for students as well as provide community busing and transportation for seniors and the disabled. Roughly 19 percent of the city’s 3,500 population is older than 65, Allan said.
“Helping the traffic infrastructure in the county helps my constituents,” he said. “Because when they get up in the morning, they have to drive to wherever they’re going. We have to pay for infrastructure. No one likes to talk about sales tax, but to keep the infrastructure we have to pay for it. That’s a reality we all have to accept.”
Vice Mayor Marshall Anstandig and council members Evert Wolsheimer and Burton Craig all have endorsed Measure B.
Link:
Measure B aims to untangle traffic mess but will cost $6.3 billion
