A public hearing on how best to use money allotted to Northern Santa Barbara County by the state drew mostly Los Alamos residents seeking increases in bus services.
Before the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments on Jan. 19, the public got its annual chance to discuss unmet transit needs. Under the State Transportation Development Act, the county and cities are expected to receive about $12 million in funds for the coming fiscal year. Half of the funding will go toward South Coast area, which is served by the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District. No unmet transit needs were identified for this area.
In the North County, some unincorporated areas and Lompoc have proposed to use some of the funds for non-transit purposes such as road repair. SBCAG, a regional planning agency that deals primarily with transportation, sought comment to ensure that there were no unmet transit needs that were “reasonable to meet” before approving funding for non-transit projects.
Maria Hernandez of Los Alamos echoed the concerns of many of the small town’s residents who do not have vehicles and want more bus services so they can meet medical appointments, shop for groceries and other necessities, and expand their children’s after-school extracurricular opportunities.
“The school bus picks my son up really early, and he and a lot of young men need help doing their homework, but they cannot stay because there is no transportation,” Hernandez said.
A representative of People Helping People said parents will carpool or rely on the organization’s already overburdened staff.
“Many of the families that we serve say there is a lack of transportation in the evening hours,” she noted. “Many of the children that attend high school at Los Alamos go to Ernest Righetti High School in Santa Maria. The bus service drops them off in Los Alamos at 3:30 p.m. and oftentimes there are no sports, extracurricular activities. Los Alamos lacks youth services, so it’s important to expand bus services.”
Yamilia Gomez of Buellton said there was a need for Saturday bus route that will allow people to run errands. “I represent many residents who go to work in Solvang and Buellton and they need to ride the bus to work,” she added.
Third District Supervisor Doreen Farr warned that a large housing project currently under construction in Los Alamos and slated to be completed this summer could exacerbate the transportation shortcomings.
“Los Alamos is a wonderful community, but it has no services,” she said. “It has no large grocery store, drug store of any kind, and no medical services. So it does make it all that more important that it is served much better by transit than it is now.”
No action was required during the Jan. 19 meeting, but the county will forward all public comments to transit authorities before funding decisions are made. The public has until Friday to express concerns to the board. Comments can be sent to comment@sbcag.org or to SBCAG at 260 N. San Antonio Road, Suite B, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. Information about existing transit services can be found at trafficsolutions.info/transit.htm
Santa Maria mayor Larry Lavagnino said the county has made tremendous strides in improving transportation services in the county. “I’ve been here long enough to remember unmet transit needs hearings that would go for four to five hours and the entire hearing room would be packed.”
Last year, SBCAG determined there were no unmet transit needs that were reasonable to meet, but some concerns were addressed. Thanks to subsidies from the Santa Ynez Valley Transit, dial-a-ride service for seniors in the Santa Ynez Valley is $1.74, which is 25 cents more than the general fixed-route fare and 50 cents more than the senior fixed-route fare. By law, Valley Transit, which consists of the county and the cities of Solvang and Buellton, could charge as much as twice its fixed-route fare.
Sunday service for the general public, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., was added.
Also, SBCAG and transit operator staff in the North County have been developing a plan to create service between the Valley and Santa Maria. The city of Santa Maria has received a $102,500 grant to fund the service for one year. The service is expected to start this summer.