STAFF REPORT. MEETING DATE: February 8, 2012 AGENDA ITEM: 4. A. Receive presentation by COLT staff on input from COLT public workshop.

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1 STAFF REPORT SUBJECT: Transit Needs Assessment MEETING DATE: February 8, 2012 AGENDA ITEM: 4 RECOMMENDATION: A. Receive presentation by COLT staff on input from COLT public workshop. B. Receive summary of unmet transit needs input from SBCAG public hearing and other sources, and discuss next steps. STAFF CONTACT: Aubrey Spilde 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 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 unincorporated North County before allocating TDA funds. SBCAG conducted public outreach to assess transit needs. COLT and SMAT held workshops on Thursday, October 20, 2011, and Wednesday, November 16, 2011, respectively. SBCAG held a public hearing on January 19, SBCAG also accepted public comment by mail, , and telephone until January 27, 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 there are no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet.

2 For FY , 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 unincorporated North County. Public Input & Consultation To assess regional transit needs, SBCAG solicits public comment through transit agency workshops, a public hearing, and via mail, , and telephone. SBCAG consults with SBCTAC on unmet transit needs as required by state law. 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 Thursday, October 20, 2011, and Wednesday, November 16, 2011, respectively. Last month the committee heard a report of input received at the SMAT public workshop. Today the committee will hear a report of input received at the COLT public workshop. A memorandum summarizing the input received at the COLT workshop is attached to this staff report (see Attachment 1). SMAT staff will provide a written report at a later date. SBCAG Public Hearing Transportation Development Act (TDA) statutes require that SBCAG hold at least one public hearing on unmet transit needs, which it did on January 19, SBCAG held the public hearing at the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room in Santa Maria; it was also accessible from the Planning Commission Hearing Room in Santa Barbara via remote video testimony. A Spanish language interpreter was available: five people commented in Spanish. An American Sign Language interpreter was also requested; one person commented in sign language. In total, 13 people made comments. Attachment 2 shows the comments in detail. Comments received by Mail, , and Telephone SBCAG also accepted public input via mail, , and telephone. Between January 29, and January 27, 2012, SBCAG received 40 s (see Attachment 3), one telephone call 2 (see Attachment 3), and 10 letters (see Attachment 4). Summary of Comments The list below summarizes the primary requests for new or expanded service received at the COLT workshop, the SBCAG public hearing, and via mail, , and telephone. After each request, the number in parentheses indicates the number of people making that request. SMAT Service Connect Old Town Orcutt and East Orcutt/Oak Knolls (1) Provide direct service from Government Center to Orcutt (1) Keep SMAT Route #4 as it was (1) Provide more evening service on SMAT (1) 1 January 28, 2011 was the close of public comment for the 2011 Transit Needs Assessment. 2 In addition, Lillian Smith called twice regarding her letter. 2

3 Split the various Route 1 lines in Orcutt to make it less confusing (1) Regional Service from Los Alamos Service to Santa Maria more days/week (including Saturdays) (11) Evening service to/from Santa Maria (2) Service to Lompoc (2) Service to Buellton/Solvang (1) More service (1) Commuter Service from Los Alamos Commuter service to Santa Barbara (1) Lompoc/Wine Country Express Service from Lompoc to Buellton/Solvang/Santa Ynez/Los Olivos in the AM, returning to Lompoc in the PM (1) Regional and Interregional Weekend Service Saturday service on the Wine Country Express/bus service from Buellton to Lompoc on Saturday (2) Saturday service on the Breeze (1) Weekend service on the Clean Air Express-Lompoc (1) Regional and Interregional Non-Commuter Service Regular service connecting Santa Maria to Santa Barbara (1) Regional transit (1) Midday service from Buellton to Santa Maria or Santa Barbara (1) Reverse Commute Service Goleta to Santa Maria (1) Goleta to Lompoc (1) Santa Barbara to Lompoc (1) Santa Barbara to Vandenberg Air Force Base (1) Santa Barbara to Santa Ynez (1) Clean Air Express Service Direct service from Santa Maria to UCSB (1) Service from the Santa Ynez Valley to Santa Barbara City College (2) Additional buses from the Santa Ynez Valley to relieve overcrowding (3) Add a third bus from Lompoc to Santa Barbara to relieve overcrowding (1) Later bus from Solvang (e.g., 7:15 AM) (1) Later bus from Buellton (1) Earlier bus back to Lompoc (e.g., 3:00 PM) (1) Later service between Santa Ynez Valley and Goleta to fit 8-5 schedule (1) Additional departures from Goleta to Solvang (1) Service to Santa Barbara City College more than once a day (1) 3

4 Add midday service from Santa Barbara to Santa Ynez (1) Run Clean Air Express buses throughout the day (3) Southern Santa Barbara County/Ventura County/San Luis Obispo County Faster service from Goleta (Calle Real) to UCSB (1) Direct route from Isla Vista/UCSB to Calle Real Marketplace (1) Additional stops from Ventura County to Montecito Retirement Association (1) Semi-direct bus between San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria with a stop in Pismo Beach (1) 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. (Staff will forward requests for service in other jurisdictions to the appropriate transit operators.) In April staff will create 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 create a final Transit Needs Assessment report in May. The Board must approve the final report and findings before allocating TDA LTF funds for FY Only if SBCAG finds there are no unmet transit needs reasonable to meet within the City of Lompoc and unincorporated North County may these jurisdictions use TDA funds for non-transit purposes. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Memorandum Lompoc Annual Transit Unmet Needs Workshop 2. SBCAG Public Hearing Testimony 3. and Telephone Comments 4. Letters 4

5 Memorandum To: CC: Peter Imhof, Deputy Director, Planning, SBCAG Larry Bean, P.E., Public Works Director Kevin McCune, P.E., Assistant Public Works Director From: Richard Fernbaugh, Aviation/Transportation Administrator Date: October 21, 2011 Re: Annual Transit Unmet Needs Workshop The Annual Lompoc Community Transit Unmet Needs Workshop was held at 6:00pm on October 20, 2011 in the City Council Chambers at Lompoc City Hall, 100 Civic Center Plaza, Lompoc, CA. This workshop is part of the yearly Transit Unmet Needs process spearheaded by Santa Barbara County Association of Governments and held in various areas of Santa Barbara County to determine if there are any unmet transit needs that are not being met. Public notices of this workshop, in English and Spanish were placed in the Lompoc record from October 14, 2010 through October 20, Public Service announcements were also sent to TV Stations KSBY, KCOY, KPMR, KTAS and radio station KRQK. Posters in both English and Spanish were posted in each bus and at each bus shelter from October 10 thru October 20, Notices were individually mailed to the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation, Santa Barbara County Action Network, PUEBLO, The Fund for Santa Barbara, California Rural Legal Assistance, and the Law Office of Marc Chytilo. Those in attendance were: Councilmember Dirk Starbuck Richard Fernbaugh, Aviation & Transportation Adm. Matt Dobberteen, Santa Barbara County Peter Anderson, City Resident Debra Moegelin, City Resident Antoinette Munoz, City Resident

6 Richard Fernbaugh opened the meeting by talking about services the City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) provides. In addition Richard provided brochures for the bus routes for COLT, The Wine Country Express, Clean Air Express and the Breeze. Richard also gave a brief update on the all services. Richard then opened the meeting for questions from those in attendance. Comment #1 Residents Anderson and Moegelin commented on the buses being late. Richard explained that COLT was doing a complete revamp of the route schedules and also some route changes and this should be implemented by the first of the year. Comment #2 Resident Anderson suggested that each bus stop be numbered for reference at both the stop and in the brochure for easier identification by the riders. Richard indicated he would look into this. Comment #3 Resident Moegelin suggested that when the new schedules are ready to be implemented that COLT do a mass mailing to the community. Richard said there would be substantial community outreach to inform the public of the new changes. Comment #4 Resident Anderson asks if Saturday service on the Wine Country Express and the Breeze would be forthcoming. Richard noted that the Wine Country Express and the Breeze were very popular and that Saturday service would be considered if there was enough demand and that request for service should be forwarded to him. Comment #5 Resident Anderson asks if an extra bus could be added for the VTC users so their use (multiple wheelchairs) would not slow the routes down. Richard explained that we are not allowed by the FTA to provide what would be considered charter service and that the cost of doing this would have a substantial impact on our fare box. Richard also explained that the additional time allotted in the new schedules should allow for the impact of multiple wheelchair boarding s. Comment #6 - Resident Anderson asks if an additional bus could be put on line when a route is running late. Richard explained that we do this when we can schedule drivers ahead of time, such as the first run for school kids in the morning otherwise we would have to have a driver always on standby which would have a negative effect our efficiently. Comment#7 Resident Moegelin commented that routes are late sometimes because drivers are late coming back from lunch. Richard noted that he would check with the contractor to make sure this is not happening. The meeting ended at 7:30 pm.

7 Attachment 2: SBCAG Public Hearing Testimony Barry Stotts Diverse group Spanish speakers, hearing impaired, people with disabilities, seniors, general public attended SMAT workshop and provided input Austin O Dell did good job facilitating Lots of changes being made Providing better transportation Beth Houston Support SMAT Route #4 Keep Route #4 as it was before, for wheelchair users Applaud you for new Santa Maria Transit Center Suggest adding signs to indicate if SMAT routes are going north or south Lillian Smith There is no connection between Old Town Orcutt and East Orcutt (Oak Knolls) There is no bench, shelter, or sign at bus stop by Kohl s Maria Hernandez Need evening transportation from Santa Maria to Los Alamos Need service from Los Alamos to Santa Maria on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and maybe Friday Arcelia Sencion Transportation between Buellton and Lompoc has been successful, is important because there is no specialized medical care in Santa Ynez Valley Still need transportation from Los Alamos because there is no specialized medical care Need transportation in evening hours to/from Los Alamos for high school students Mayra Gutierrez Need transportation from Los Alamos to go to doctor; would like transit available on more days Yamila Gomez Need bus from Buellton to Lompoc on Saturdays for grocery shopping and to attend Lompoc swap meet Item 4, Attachment 2, Page 1

8 Eli Martinez Thank you for services given last year Would like additional day of bus service from Los Alamos to Santa Maria during the week; there is not enough time on Saturdays It is okay if the fare goes up John Dimeglio Use smart shuttle system to utilize computers and cell phones to have as many bus stops as necessary Helen Ann Thomas Many SMAT bus stops disappeared with the new schedule, requiring lots of walking New SMAT bus schedule is difficult to use, full of mistakes and omissions Signs are missing at bus stops Several bus stops were eliminated in Old Orcutt by Spencer s Market and now I have to walk 25 minutes rather than 7 Buses need northbound/southbound labels Patricia Bartoli-Wible Southern California Edison has many employees who commute The company encourages increasing bus usage Veronica Garcia Need increased bus routes in Los Alamos for doctor and other appointments, and on Saturdays Hazel Putney PUEBLO pushed SMAT to hold public hearings on bus route changes Many problems were addressed at the meetings (e.g., route taken off Western Avenue, reduced buses from Pioneer Valley High School, limited service to Tanglewood, outdated and misleading bus signs) PUEBLO is happy with the results; SMAT is willing to make changes PUEBLO wants changes to be timely with lots of public input, and for maps and signs to be updated PUEBLO donation translation equipment and interpretation services for SMAT meetings Item 4, Attachment 2, Page 2

9 Attachment 3: and Telephone Comments Comments Re: Clean Air Express (and no-longer-operational Valley Express) From: William Harris Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 Dear Scott, I am very pleased to hear the schedule for the 82 is shifting to a later pickup time. Although I hear that this is may be being reconsidered. This early pickup has been problematic for several reasons: - I don't see my family at all 5 out of 7 days per week (in the mornings). - I have no option for working less than everyday. - I am away from home nearly 12 hours per day / 5 days per week. This schedule is difficult for my family especially with 2 and 4 year old boys and my wife and I share a single car. I look forward to the change. Although an even later pickup time would be preferred (e.g. 7:15 am in Solvang). One point I believe there is an error on the draft schedule: the first stop is listed as "Hollister at Coronado". Should it not be "Palo Alto"? Please seriously consider this input. From: William Harris Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2011 Hello, I am providing input per the attached regarding unmet transit needs. I am a regular user of the Clean Air Express (Solvang to Goleta) and feel fortunate that we have this option. I rely on the bus to get me to work and back whenever I am not traveling on business. My wife and I can only afford and own only one car. The bus is my only option for getting to the office. Additionally I attempt to work while riding the bus whenever possible. I have two needs I would like to express for improvements: 1) More flexibility in departure times For example I currently I awake at 5:30 am to make the 6:15 departure in Solvang. I don't see my wife and two sons until I arrive home at 6 pm. Adding a 7:15 am departure would enhance our quality of life in several respects. Similarly returning home there is no flexibility to get to Solvang or even Buellton, just one 5:07 pm pick up in Goleta. I work 5 days per week and don't need to always work a full day. An option to get home early would help a lot. Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 1

10 2) Returning to coach class service The current bus that serves Solvang is in reality a commercial truck and it rides like one. It is difficult to work or sleep due to the rough ride. The space per seat and row is akin to the tightest aircraft that I fly in on a monthly basis. I'm looking forward to ridership increasing so we can return to a better class of service. In summary, I am a working professional with need for greater flexibility in departure and arrival times and ride comfort that supports office work and rest. Thanks for considering the input. From: Denise Reece Sent: Friday, January 06, 2012 As you are aware the cost is $4 for Ventura to SB, why would the cost be double for Northern SB Co to Santa Barbara? Should be the same. From: King, Cynthia Sent: Friday, January 06, 2012 Are there any plans in the future to add earlier buses to the schedule? I get off work at 3:00 pm but have to wait for the 3:49 bus. Also, a weekend bus would also be nice. Thanks for your time, From: Dean Cooper Sent: Friday, January 06, 2012 Lori, I think the clean air express is a great service. My only suggestion would be to provide a way to pay for passes online. For instance each passenger is issued a card that is swiped as passenger boards the bus. This card can be reloaded through online payment. If interested, I can make a power point presentation of the system outlining the details. I am an electrical engineer and very capable of putting a system like this together. Thanks for a great service. From: Leslie Lane Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 2

11 I was unable to attend school in Santa Barbara at Santa Barbara City College last and now this semester because of the service being dropped. This bus service is also the transportation of choice to attend my regular monthly Dr. appts. in Santa Barbara. Please reinstate the the previous schedule with added mid-day service so that one is not required to spend the entire day in Santa Barbara before returning home to the valley. Thanking you in advance. From: Richard Hallerman Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 Hi, I ride Clean Air Express from Buellton to Goleta and Santa Barbara for work. Please leave the Goleta routes and times intact. Please move the SB to Buellton leg only of the route up by one-half hour to 4:56PM at Mission & De La Vina.. Thanks, From: Daniel Klein Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 Hello my name is Daniel Klein and I have taken the clean air bus 5 or 6 times. I work in Goleta and prefer to drive every day.have you considered having a clean air pick up at the new city bus station on Miller St? I live only a few blocks away and would probably ride it to Goleta.Maybe you could do a survey to see how many clean air riders live in down town Santa Maria. Driving out to Hagerman and getting on the bus early on both end adds an hour to my commute which is not worth it for an 11 hour day already.thanks for listening and for providing a transportation solution, From: Sue Deweese Sent: Monday, January 09, 2012 I cannot be at the meeting on Jan 19 th but I am responding to the that went out concerning any comments I may have. I ride the 6 am bus to Goleta with Ishmael and he is great. The ride is always enjoyable and he isn t scary driving. I ride with AJ at night and I like him a lot also though he drives much faster and takes the turns at a higher speed than should be. A lot of us feel we are going to tip over. Maybe he is in a hurry to get home. He s a nice guy but I wish the buses had an alarm if they go over a certain speed. I know he sets his cruise control at 70 mph but that seem to high for a bus. It s just not as relaxing as the morning ride is. Also my biggest comment is that I know of 11 riders that work close to the bus stop in front of the Jiffy Lube on Hollister and Fairview in Goleta. There are six of us who work in the old post office a short distance on Fairview and 5 others that work at Cox which is across the street down past Mcdonalds. Having to go to the 7-11 stop makes it 5-8 blocks for all of us to walk. Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 3

12 If the bus could just drop us off at Jiffy Lube in the morning then we can still us the 7-11 stop at night when we have more time to walk unless there is another stop on the North bound side by Jiffy Lube. Please consider this if you could. Thanks, From: Taylor, Kimberlee Sent: Monday, January 09, 2012 I love the Clean Air Express to and from Santa Barbara, from Lompoc. However, I hope the rates do not go up again, especially at such a jump as they did last time from $135 a month to $150. From: Cuthbertson, Bruce Sent: Monday, January 09, 2012 The bus service, Clean Air, is doing a good job currently. The morning and afternoon times are very good for my work schedule. My cost savings are very good, and the ridership seems very high. This service keeps many cars off the road to ease congestion and pollution. I would not recommend any changes at this time. Regards, From: Zach Brown Sent: Monday, January 09, 2012 I would use the Clean Air Express regularly if it were scheduled 1 hour later. I work the typical corporate 8am-5pm schedule with a 1 hour lunch break. Using the Pine and Hollister drop off as an example, the 7:07am drop-off time is a bit early (tho I could adjust if needed) and the 4:50pm pickup time is definitely too early. It s not common for an employee to be allowed to leave before 5pm on a regular basis. A 5:30 or even 6:00pm pickup on Hollister would be better. I realize I m just one person and I may not represent the majority, but this seems like a logical solution that could increase use of the Clean Air Express Thanks for listening! From: Teresa Stankis Sent: Monday, January 09, 2012 Board of Supervisors: I have been a UCSB employee for the last five years. I live in the Orcutt area and have taken advantage of the Clean Air Express from Santa Maria for the last four years. Most of the time I enjoy a stress free ride. The time it is most stressful is during the winter months Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 4

13 when we have to make a transfer to the Lompoc bus on Hollister at the Pacific Oaks bus stop. It adds an extra forty minutes traveling to our day (20 minutes coming plus 20 minutes home). I would like to suggest having one bus from Santa Maria to the UCSB campus to avoid the transfer time and cold mornings waiting at the bus stop on Hollister. I believe this would encourage more UCSB employees to ride the Clean Air Express that live in the Santa Maria area. Thank you for your time. From: Valentine-Felix, Gena Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 Hello, Thank you for the opportunity to express my concerns regarding bus service in North County. I live in Lompoc and I commute to Santa Barbara daily on the Clean Air Express. There is an immediate need for an additional bus serving the Lompoc/Santa Barbara route. The two we have now are at capacity on most days, and several of us have been turned away because the buses are full. Please consider adding a third bus to the Lompoc/Santa Barbara route. Thank you for your time. From: Phil Stucky Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 I received the notice of public hearing in Santa Maria on January 19th. I will not be able to attend in person so will give comments in this . I ride the bus one to two days per week from Buellton to Santa Barbara. We used to have the Valley Express bus which was great but understand that it was not financially feasible to continue this service. The Clean Air Express had a difficult start but there have been improvements. I really appreciate moving the stop from the northern end of Avenue of the Flags to the current park and ride at the southern end of this street. The biggest issue continues to be overcrowding of the busses. I have had to stand on the bus a couple of times due to no seating being available. This issue could be resolved by moving the people that are riding this current bus that depart at the County Administration Campus to the Goleta bus with the morning routes. The evening route has the Goleta bus pick these people up and the Santa Barbara bus is almost full but no one has ever had to stand. Thank you for letting me comment on this issue. From: Terri Stringer Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 To Whom it May Concern: Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 5

14 In order to hear the transit needs of the residents of the North County, especially those already commuting by bus from Santa Maria (and Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley) to Goleta and Santa Barbara, wouldn t it make better sense to hold the public hearing near where we work, rather than in Santa Maria the furthest possible distance away from those whose voices most need to be heard? The primary people to benefit from a hearing held in Santa Maria are those who are NOT currently commuting to jobs in Santa Barbara and Goleta. In addition, when we are using public transit to get to Santa Barbara and Goleta, we would not have a vehicle to drive to the hearing and would be forced to drive. Public hearings need to be reasonably convenient for people to attend: a location in Santa Maria is fine as long as there will also be meetings held in Goleta AND Santa Barbara. By locating the hearing in Santa Maria, you are assured NOT to hear from most of us whose work days that, including commute time, already add up to hours per day in order to work an 8 hour shift. Furthermore, in order to attend a meeting in the middle of the morning in Santa Maria, we would have to miss work for several hours AND commute by car not just to our jobs, but to and from Santa Maria. The personal expense for the loss of an unknown number of hours away from our jobs added to the expense involved for us to drive our cars to attend a hearing in Santa Maria is as difficult to justify as taking the day off for the purpose. If the real point is to drum up more business from North County, that s only part of the issue. The buses are already very crowded - uncomfortably so - most of the time. We need more buses scheduled in the mornings and afternoons like they already have for commuters from Ventura. Why is commute service from Santa Maria, Lompoc and the Valley so limited? We all want more time with our families hour work days because of limited commuter bus service is a hardship on everyone, married or single with or without children; not to mention those who possess no other reliable method of transportation. If the idea is to get more people out of their cars and onto public transit, then more routes are needed throughout the day, more buses and larger buses, and expanded routes. We need to return service to SBCC more than once each day and give students and part time workers the option of using public transit to Goleta and Santa Barbara. Also, the Solvang to Goleta bus is really a bad joke. It is very small, terribly noisy inside, and the heating system is a total joke. The heat vents are few and far between and the seats they are located near are so hot you can t use them without putting your feet up on the seats or risk getting burned to a crisp. Love the new driver, hate the small bus. True story. In closing let me say, I value the service we have and I am glad SBCAG wants to improve service. I could not keep my job without public transit as far too much of my take home pay would be spent putting gas in the tank and I don t have the luxury of driving a nice new dependable fuel efficient car. I hope you get many responses and fully expect that you are going to have handouts on all the buses for the next week to notify all riders about the meeting next Thursday. Thank you for inviting public comment. Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 6

15 From: Justin Miller Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 Hi All, We are being requested to send an to the Bus Services in Santa Maria regarding our request for an A.M bus stop at Fairview and Hollister in front of the Super Eight Motel. This is for the for the Goleta bus. We are not to concerned with the P.M bus, but the A.M stop. There are riders that work in the proximity of Fairview and Hollister. Would it be possible given the amount of people at that location to add a stop? We appreciate you looking into this matter. Respectfully, From: Benjamin Carbajal Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 Hi All, We are being requested to send an to the Bus Services in Santa Maria regarding our request for an A.M. bus stop at Fairview and Hollister, in front of the Super Eight Motel. We re not too concerned regarding a P.M. bus stop at that corner, just the A.M. stop would be helpful. there are between people who work in very close proximity to that corner. Thank you From: Belinda Burns Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2012 Hi, Belinda Burns here. I am a resident of Solvang. I am extremely grateful for the service that is provided by Clean Air Express. Our other commuter bus was cancelled last July by the Santa Barbara MTD bus service. I find the drivers very kind and feel very safe with them. Having the bus service is very important because it would be a hardship for me to take a car into Santa Barbara every day. My Geo Prizm has approx. 395,000 miles on it and we certainly can t afford another car. The Cancer Center generously pays half of my commuter fees plus allows us to bank monies to pay ourselves back PRE TAX. I can t think of anything else that the Clean Air Express could do but continue their great service. With Appreciation, Belinda Burns From: Cyndy Carbajal Sent: Monday, January 16, 2012 Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 7

16 Hello, There are about people who ride the Clean Air Express everyday who work within a very close proximity to the corner of Fairview Avenue and Hollister Avenue in Goleta, CA. As it stands right now, the bus drop off is at the corner of Pine Avenue and Hollister Avenue. For some, the walk to work is Eight (8) blocks. We are not concerned about the afternoon pick up as much as the morning drop off. Is it possible to consider using the bus stop that is already in place in front of the Super 8 motel on the south side of Hollister Avenue just west of Fairview Avenue as a morning drop off? Thank you for considering this question at your hearing on January 19, From: Ekeland, Karen Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Hello, Regarding the Clean Air Express bus service in Santa Maria: Is it possible to have buses that leave throughout the day, like the Ventura bus system? We get some drunk transients sometimes. Can they be removed from the bus for public intoxication? What about the pets they bring on the bus? Is that legal? I think the buses could be cleaned more often. Will you be getting a smaller separate bus for the Buellton route? Thank you for your time, From: Sheryl Reimers Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 hello, thank you very much for asking for my opinion. I hope that on occasion a meeting will be help during the evening hours so that working people with long commutes can attend! I was very sorry to see the Valley Express go to the Clean Air Express simply because I find the Clean Air Express service so inflexible. I had hoped that more service like the Valley Express would come along, with a park and ride at the intersection of Highway 1 and 101, for example. If there were service between Lompoc and Goleta (I work at UCSB) that gave an option for coming and going more than once a day, I THINK you would get more riders. As it is, I can't use Clean Air Express because I can't guarantee that my work schedule is going to be exactly the same every day; some days it could be 730 to 530, some days 830 to 530, and so on. Again, thanks for listening. I am frustrated by the lack of choices. Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 8

17 From: Len Fleckenstein Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 I d like to offer some comments on the transit service needs in North County. I am a Buellton resident who works in downtown Santa Barbara. I currently commute by Clean Air Express bus to the County Court House stop. There is only 1 bus available for the Buellton to downtown Santa Barbara trip. (The other bus goes from Buellton to Goleta and only to upper State St in SB). The bus that I take (at 6:20am) gets me to Santa Barbara about 45 minutes earlier than my 8am starting time. It would be very helpful if additional later Clean Air buses from Santa Maria would stop in Buellton to pick up passengers. I know there is a CAE bus from Santa Maria that passes through Buellton on Highway 101 at approximately 7am; it could stop in Buellton to meet the needs of people who need to be downtown at 8am. Sincerely, From: Arlene Kostock Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 In your study of the bus service for the North County, I would like to suggest that you consider adding a dedicated Clean Air Express route for Solvang-Buellton-Santa Barbara. While we now have service from Buellton to Santa Barbara on the bus from Santa Maria, the conditions are not ideal. The bus is very crowded, and it doesn t appear that there can ever be more riders from Buellton. New riders consistently appear for a short time, and then stop riding. We ve lost all but three of the City College students who used to ride the Valley Express. More people are driving who might be taking the bus if they felt there would be seats available every day. If the goal is to attract more riders, providing a separate bus from the Santa Ynez Valley to Santa Barbara would be more likely to succeed. Perhaps a smaller bus would also be appropriate, along with bringing back the City College stop. Thanks for your consideration From: Cheryl McCallon Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 I can't say anything bad about the drivers - at least on the Lompoc to Santa Barbara run - at all times. The drivers are very friendly, helpful and cheerful. Cheerful is very nice for us commuters. It makes the long days much nicer for us. Thank you for the drivers. We really appreciate the new buses too. They are very nice and comfortable. Thank you, again. The only thing I could really ask for is that each of the buses be checked periodically regarding the working order of the seats and over-head reading lights. Some of the seats are stuck in the extreme recline or only upright position. Also, many of the over-head Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 9

18 reading lights have lost much of their power - many of the LEDs have burned out. Even on the new buses. I can't tell you how disappointing it is to sit down to get comfortable for the ride, pull my book out to disappear somewhere else - only to find that I can't see the words on the page. And not being able to recline or sit up in a comfortable position only makes the commute unpleasant. Respectfully, Re: Reverse Commute From: Paula Haines Sent: Monday, June 06, 2011 Hello, I live in Santa Barbara and work in Lompoc. I wanted to let you know that judging by the number of people who have the same commute as mine, and who have actually taken the initiative to sign up for carpool partners on the Traffic Solutions website, it appears there is definite interest in a route that would take people from their home in Santa Barbara to their work in Lompoc. I'm hoping your company will consider expanding your service to accommodate we workers with this schedule. It would get our cars off of the road and definitely put money into your pockets. Thank you From: Meza, Lorena Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 Good afternoon Do you know of any services offered from Goleta to Santa Maria in the morning? Or Santa Maria to Goleta in the afternoon? Any information would be appreciated Thanks From: Korina Kempf Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 I currently live in Santa Barbara, but need to commute to Santa Ynez. The current schedule looks as if it is only a south bound commute and not a north bound commute for mornings from Santa Barbara. Is there a schedule for pick times for this type of commute? Thanks From: Warner, Brian Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 10

19 Hello. Do you have any services from Goleta to Lompoc in the morning and Lompoc to Goleta in the evening. I understand this is backwards from most people. Thank you for your time! From: Lauren Wilson Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 Comments submitted for the Board Meeting on the 19th of January: I commute from Santa Barbara City up to Vandenberg AFB. The base employs 15,000 people many of which do not live in the immediate area of the base. Providing bus transportation from SB to VAFB would be very helpful. Re: SMAT From: Mark Mintz Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 Hello, I have used public transportation in a number of bay area systems. I currently ride the RTA from Grover beach to Allan Hancock College for work. I will be unable to attend the meeting, but I've discussed this at length with other bus riders, and these are my primary complaints about the SMAT system. One reason I never successfully took the bus when I lived in Orcutt was the sheer ludicrousness of your map. Route 1 seems to have 3 paths it takes. Possibly more, it's impossible to tell from the map, and since the paths through Orcutt are completely separate, yet marked the same, I couldn't even begin to guess how I could get from, say Righetti to Old Town Orcutt, though I have a feeling it would require 3 buses, 2 hours, and at least one trip past Preisker Park... I could walk the 3.5 miles from my house to the restaurants in old orcutt faster than I could take the bus as far as I can tell. Allan Hancock College is one of the biggest single location employers in Santa Maria. There are a number of people who commute from Lompoc, Orcutt, Santa Ynez Valley, Los Alamos, and other places to the south, that would be willing to take buses to save some money and not have to worry about our cars in the parking lot. For that matter, there's a lot of people that live in Orcutt, and who work in the industrial zone around skyway drive, Industrial, and that whole area, and yet there seems to be no direct route from Orcutt area to (for instance) DenMat -- requiring instead a Route 1, then cross over to a Route 8 if you're lucky enough to be near that route, or a Route 1 to route 3 at the transit center in Santa Maria, since that and the mall are the only two places that the routes cross. Suggestion 1: Split Route 1 into multiple routes on the map to better describe the actual service. Yes, this means you will have to change the names. Yes, the extra color will make the maps cost more to print, but they'll be less obnoxious to us riders. Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 11

20 Suggestion 2: Split your Routes to make them more succinct. You have a depot, use it. Make a second one, possibly at evergreen shopping center (they'd love the traffic I'm sure) and keep buses out in Orcutt. Suggestion 3: Split Both route 1s through Orcutt to separate displayed routes, and have a "mini depot" stop in Orcutt where you can switch from the one Orcutt Route to the other. as well as grab a bus to Santa Maria Suggestion 4: Regional Transit would be appreciated, to at least some of us. I intend to move to Buellton soon, and will have to start driving again because no regional transit like the RTA exists. Suggestion 5: Later evening transit to "nightlife" areas would be appreciated. Less drunk drivers, and more people willing to go out and spend money because they have a safe ride home. Suggestion 6: Register yourself with google maps so we can easily get directions using mass transit. Thank you for your time and for making the effort to increase services -- and make it something that is useful to the rest of us. Re: Southern Santa Barbara County and Ventura County From: Nathalie Lecolley Sent: Friday, January 06, 2012 Good afternoon, Many of us at the Montecito Retirement Association live in the Ventura County. We have been waiting desperately for a change with Bus transportation and schedule. We would greatly appreciate additional stops! From: Miles Ashlock Sent: Friday, January 06, 2012 To Whom It May Concern: I have been particularly disappointed with the bus routes in Goleta as they connect to UCSB. I live off of Calle Real and work at UCSB. By car, the ride takes me 6-10 minutes. By bus, it takes more than 40. As a result, I do not even consider riding the bus to work. Thank you, From: Debjani Bhattacharya Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 Hi, Thank you for inviting me to the Bus service meeting. However, I am currently out of the country and would not be able to attend it. I will be back on 29th January. I would like to let Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 12

21 you know that I live in IV and I avail the MTD bus service regularly. I feel the need of a direct bus route from IV/UCSB to the Calle Real Market area. Thank you. Re: San Luis Obispo County From: Birklandart Sent: Friday, January 06, 2012 I THINK THAT BUS SHOULD GO DIRECTLY TO THE HOMETOWN BUFFET IN SLO BECAUSE THAT IS THE BEST PLACE TO EAT SENIORS SHOULD ONLY HAVE TO PAY THEIR SHARE OF THE GAS. WHY DON'T WE HAVE ANY CHEAP, GOOD EATING PLACES HERE? From: Fredericks, Jeffrey Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 I would like to weigh in on the discussion of transit needs for the north county residents/workers. The difficulty in addressing this issue is the political demographics of many who live and work in Northern Santa Barbara County. In reality there are closer ties between Northern Santa Barbara and Southern San Luis Obispo Counties than between Northern Santa Barbara and Southern Santa Barbara County. This spread over different Political Jurisdictions can result in conflicts over who should cover what expenses which then result in no action. Thus obviously my input will require some level of cooperation and funding between the two counties. I would propose a semi-direct bus between San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria, with one additional stop in Pismo Beach. One issue facing many potential riders is the extended period of time it can take to travel from one location to another because of the number of stops on the route. By making a semi-direct route that time is minimized. By making the route semi-direct you would encourage those living in the Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande area to travel to a single pick up spot for a trip to Santa Maria. There are approximately 20% of the people in our office that live in or travel thought that area to work in Santa Maria. By having a service that arrives in Santa Maria by 7:45 and leaves by 5:15 people could be encouraged to take this alternative transportation and still not have an extended travel time. I use to be a member of a vanpool from San Luis Obispo to Santa Maria that made a single stop at the Pismo Beach outlets. The vanpool was ended due to budget cuts. If a similar transportation were put into place I would participate. Miscellaneous From: Barbara Walsh Sent: Friday, April 15, 2011 Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 13

22 With Gas Prices going up like crazy - is it possible for someone to start a bus service in the mornings from Lompoc to Buellton, Solvang, Santa Ynez and Los Olivos and then back to Lompoc in the afternoon? PLEASE? From: Steve Johnson Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2011 I would like to again express my concern that there is NO regular public bus service connecting Santa Maria to Santa Barbara. The Clean Air Express is a commuter service only. This is in stark contrast to the RTA service connecting Santa Maria / San Luis Obispo / Paso Robles (or now even San Simeon), or the excellent VISTA service to Ventura and points south. At a bare minimum, I would recommend contracting with Greyhound to provide a discounted service, and to provide bike rack capability. Thanks for the opportunity to comment. From: Henry, Patrick Sent: Friday, January 06, 2012 Your continued support of affordable bus transportation is a great alternative versus driving alone or to use a commuter train. Oh, that s right, we don t have a commuter train. Maybe someday, but until that day comes, in order to minimize pollution, traffic accidents, etc. this is a great alternative. From: Margarita And Edward Zaske Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2012 Since I cannot attend the meeting as a speaker I would like to comment on an unmet transit need for Los Alamos. This community is in need to both commuter service to/from Santa Barbara for the workers with jobs in Santa Barbara, and better transit service to nearby services in Santa Maria and Buellton/Solvang. Since our community does not have most of the services critical for health care this is especailly important for those without transportation. Thanks. Telephone Comment Jody, Buellton Chamber of Commerce midday service from Buellton to Santa Maria or Santa Barbara for visitors and residents going to medical appointments Item 4, Attachment 3, Page 14

23 Attachment 4: Letters Translation of letters received from Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People: Mayra Gutierrez Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Los Alamos to Santa Maria Leticia Cervantes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Los Alamos to Santa Maria Maria Cervantes Every day from Los Alamos Laura Ante Los Alamos to Lompoc Alejandra Pineda Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Los Alamos to Santa Maria Alma Barriga Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Los Alamos to Santa Maria Irma Marin Three days a week (unspecified) Los Alamos to Lompoc Veronica Rosas Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Los Alamos to Santa Maria

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27 Rewrite of Letter from Maria Cervantes 2/1/12 Yo Maria Cervantes vivo aqui en Los Alamos quiero darles a saber que necesito la transportacion del bus todos los dias para llevar a mis hijos a sus citas del doctor. Gracias, Maria Cervantes

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36 January 18, 2012 To Chair of SBCAG Board and Board members, I am writing you some comments of the Unmet Transit Meeting workshops that were held by SMAT in November of 2011 and the results of them: The SMAT workshops were facilitated by Austin Odell, many people attended the Wed. and Sat. workshops and voiced their opinions of what they saw needed to make the bus system better. Austin Odell listened to their comments and as a results many of the comments will be implemented into new routes and time schedules to make the SMAT bus system better. Here are some examples of things that came out of the workshops. A. More direct routes to the Orcutt area and times schedules will be better. B. New route to the North end and that will also include the Casa Grande Mobile Home Park again in the system. C. The Northwest area will get better coverage again. D. The Northeast area will get better coverage again also. E. Walmart route will get more coverage in a bi-directional route instead of just a one way route as it is now. F. The Betteravia Gov't. Center will now have better coverage, so G. the health clinic and Social Services will have coverage and the rest of the county offices in that area. It will go East on Betteravia, past Miller St., and turn right into the gvt center complex then go through it back to Miller St. and turn north to the transit center. H. Tanglewood will receive better times and scheduled routes. I. There are several route changes and operational changes that will accur making it easier for persons to ride the SMAT buses in the Santa Maria and Orcutt areas because of the SMAT workshops. Thank You for your time and efforts on this issue. Sincerely, Barry Stotts 519 W. Taylor St. Space 126 Santa Maria, CA Ph