Vote "no" on B: the slow death of Caltrain and VTA

Why would I ever say "no" to BART? Simple: because it'll cannibalize existing transit services. My friends, if you live in Silicon Valley, please vote NO on measure B (additional tax for BART to San Jose).

Apologies for the brief reprieve from Orange County Transit issues, but I feel this is an important issue for my friends in the San Jose area that might not be aware. I donated my design skills and time to the No on Measure B campaign because a friend of mine, Margaret (whom I met during a state government lobby day to avoid Schwarznegger's continuous slashing of state transit funding), is fighting measure B, C, and D almost single-handedly. She's been a long-time advocate of transit and environmental issues. BART's a good deal, right? Why would she be against BART?

• BART could choke Caltrain — and likely be the death of Caltrain electrification. Did you know we were supposed to have fast, electric Caltrain vehicles JUST LIKE BART come around 2006? There was a tax in 2000 where voters demanded electrified Caltrain over their god-awful diesel trains, and it still hasn't happened. VTA's been pushing this project back for ages, even though it would cost much less than BART. And VTA has ignored pleas from transit advocates to link an inexpensive, fast, electric Caltrain to Fremont.
• VTA mismanages their light rail. Look, everyone knows how shitty their light rail system is. Their empty trains crawl along a tortuous path through Mountain View and Sunnyvale. A good light rail system should be located along heavily-traveled corridors, but instead, VTA placed their rail near vast empty lots of unused land on First Street and single-room houses along Tasman. VTA has the worst-performing light rail system in the nation.
• VTA's doing shady stuff now. They're withholding the actual BART cost estimates and inquiries into VTA continuously shows evidence of mismanagement (see the Hay Group report). Why would you want to continue giving crack to a DRUG ADDICT?
• BART's like a girlfriend who gives you a good time and keeps taking your money while cheating on you behind your back. I love riding BART. I really do. But a lot of rotten things go on behind the scenes. The BART-to-SFO project nearly bankrupt SamTrans on the San Francisco peninsula because of mismanagement and cost overruns. BART gets priority funding in its member counties, and is a big reason why AC Transit has had to slash routes. When I lived in Mountain View, I depended on VTA's bus system, and it'd be devastating to see BART gut the vestiges of VTA's anemic bus service.

Read the No VTA tax: No on B, C, and D website for more information about these and other measures. They say: "For the past 8 years, VTA has been spending millions to promote the BART project while raising fares and cutting bus service. Transit advocates understand that bus service is an important part of the public transit network, and it is the only mode for many youths, seniors, and the disabled to get to schools, hospitals, and jobs. Transit advocates believe that VTA should tell voters how much the project will cost and draft a plan that wouldn’t put existing service at risk."