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The Proposed Scoping Plan acknowledges (in the section Recommended
Actions pages 47-50)
that:
"Enhanced public transit service combined with incentives for land
use development that provides a better market for public transit
will play an important role in helping to reach regional targets."
and
"Quality of life will be improved by increasing access to a
variety of mobility options such as transit...."

Yet there is no strategic analysis of the performance requirements
for "enhanced public transit service."

There seems to be an unexamined belief that simply providing more
funding for transit will lead to reductions in
vehicle-miles-traveled. However an examination of the facts - in
San Diego County - shows the opposite. Even after of billions of
dollars invested in Light Rail transit capital infrastructure, VMT
has steadily increased. In fact, the existing RTP for the region,
shows that even after all transit investments in the plan VMT will
be increasing by 38.8% (UCSD Environment and Sustainability 
Initiative (ESI) Dec. 2008).

The region is approving significant density increases that are
called "Transit Oriented Density" but that lead to significant
traffic increases and a resulting backlash against density because
the transit services are insufficient. 

What can we conclude from this? 
The transit projects need to change. Why?

Market research shows that unless transit trip times are
competitive with driving times, drivers (especially in California)
will not change to taking transit. The numbers of driver who will
change without competitive trip times is not significant enough to
either impact traffic or GHG emissions.

What works?
Applying global best planning practices here. It may indeed shock
some, but we do not currently apply global best transit planning
practices here in California - or the United States. There are many
barriers to this and they need to be understood or else advancing
billions into existing plans will actually setback our goals of
mitigating climate change. 


Please see the recent FTA Study: Advanced Network Planning 
for Bus Rapid Transit

http://www.nbrti.org/docs/pdf/BRT%20Network%20Planning%20Study%20-%20Final%20Report.pdf


The study's central finding is that the Quickway model which is
little understood or practiced within the United States, can offer
significant benefit to urban regions intent on creating more
effective transit networks. More than being "the poor man's light
rail," Quickways--fully grade-separated bus guideways--can
cost-effectively support a range of local, express, and branching
services that together create significant public value, lead to
major increases in ridership, and even lead to "phase shifts" in
the role that transit plays in a region. Quickways, rather than
being a "stepping stone" to light rail, are rather a fundamental
building block in creating transit networks better matched to
modern city form. 

In every international case cited, the Quickway model was
chosen--or backed into--as a response to the absolute need to meet
ambitious ridership or mode split targets which were developed
exogenous to the transit planning process. For U.S. cities that
choose to set similar targets, Quickway infrastructure and service
planning can become powerful tools to helping achieve these goals.


Such targets need to be set by the State in order for projects to
qualify for funding or to be consistent with any SB375 Sustainable
Communities Strategy planning.