on the books - Ventura County Transportation Commission

ON THE BOOKS
BUDGET CHALLENGES FOR THE COMING FISCAL YEAR
The 2011/2012 Fiscal Year is shaping up to be a challenging one for public entities such
as VCTC. The organization is looking at a 44.8 percent decrease in its proposed overall
budget over Fiscal Year 2010/2011. Unreliable funding from State and Federal sources, minimal
locally generated revenues, and the slow pace of the country’s economic recovery have
severely impacted the amount of money available for projects to enhance transportation
within our community. As Ventura County continues to grow, the problem will likely become
even worse.
April 2011 - Issue 4
ON THE STREETS
WIDER HWY 118 NOW OPEN
On March 15, VCTC and Caltrans, along
with the City of Simi Valley, celebrated
the completion of the SR-118 Westbound
Widening project in a ribbon-cutting
ceremony at the Tapo Canyon Park & Ride.
VCTC will continue to provide all of the services and programs it has in the past, even in this
challenging economic environment. However, because of these reductions in some funding
sources and lack of growth in others, Ventura County is likely to face the following in the
coming year:
The project widened the Tapo Canyon
the Los Angeles County line. The project
Minimal project development and delivery,
Deterioration of local roads,
Increased congestion, and
No increase in transit services.
Bridge undercrossing and added a lane in
each direction between Tapo Canyon and
was partially funded by the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
AT THE BALLPARK
NEW METROLINK SERVICE TO DODGER STADIUM
On Thursday, March 31, Metrolink kicked off the 2011
baseball season by debuting its Dodger Late-Night Train
service. Now you can use Metrolink’s regularly scheduled
service
to
attend
home
weeknight
Dodger
games and return home on the special late-night
Ventura
County
train
leaving
L.A.
Union
Station
at 11:05 p.m. A special Dodger Stadium Express Bus
provides a free connection between Union Station and the
stadium. Look for special Metrolink ticket pricing when you
purchase your game ticket through dodgers.com.
The Ventura County late-night train runs between
Union Station and Moorpark, and will make all regular
stops along its way.
Trains will not be held for any
reason, even if the game runs over the scheduled departure
time. For the complete schedule and additional information, visit
www.metrolinktrains.com/spevents/?=74.
Ventura County Transportation Commission
950 County Square Drive, Suite 207, Ventura, CA 93003 || www.goventura.org
Contact Information: Donna Cole, Public Information Officer (805) 642-1591, ext.101
The seventeen-member board of
the VCTC meets monthly on the first
Friday of each month except in
August. The meetings are open to the
public and comments on transportation
topics are welcomed. Meetings are held at:
Camarillo City Hall
601 Carmen Drive
Camarillo, CA
Starting time: 9:00 AM
Dates and times are subject to
change, so check the Current Agenda
(available at www.goventura.org) for
the most up-to-date information.
ON THE AGENDA
ON THE MAP
VISTA ridership in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2010-2011 demonstrated an overall
increase over the same time period last year. The Conejo Connection inter-county
service exhibited the greatest increase in ridership, with growth of nearly 13
percent over last year. Ridership on the Highway 126 service also increased,
rising nearly 10 percent over the same time last year. While ridership on the Coastal
Express and Dial-A-Ride services decreased slightly, system-wide ridership is expected
to increase in the next quarter due largely to the success of the new transfer program.
The bells that mark the historic El
2ND QUARTER VISTA RIDERSHIP UP FROM 2010
SPECIALIZED TRANSIT PROJECTS PRIORITIZED
Three specialized transit projects have been approved by the Commission for submittal to
Caltrans for funding consideration. If the grant applications are approved by the State, the
following local agencies will be able to purchase additional equipment to improve the service
they provide to seniors and persons with disabilities.
The Arc of Ventura County – buses to replace vehicles that are more than 9 years old
Camarillo Health Care District – GPS units to improve efficiency of service using
current vehicles
HELP of Ojai – additional minivan to accommodate the growing number of seniors
IN YOUR COMMUNITY
VCTC IS COMING TO AN EARTH DAY NEAR YOU!
DID YOU KNOW?
Camino Real, which can be seen along
Highway
101
Ventura
in
County,
were first installed
to mark the original
roadway
in
1906.
Most of the bells
you see today are
modern replacements
crafted
from
the
original bell molds.
ON YOUR MIND
Do you have an idea for an article
in a future edition of On the Move?
Email your idea to Donna Cole at
dcole@goventura.org. Be sure to include
Celebrate Earth Day with VCTC by stopping
your contact information so we can follow
by
up with you for more details.
our
booth
at
a
local
Earth
Day
celebration this month! We’ll have information
about Commuter Services, VISTA, Metrolink,
bicycling, and much more. We’d love to talk
with you about using alternative transportation
as part of your business or family’s efforts to
“go green”!
April 9 City of Oxnard Earth Day
Plaza Park, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
April 15 City of Simi Valley Earth Day
Simi Valley Town Center, 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
April 16 Ventura Charter School Earth Day
Promenade Park, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
April 17 City of Camarillo Earth Day
Camarillo Community Center, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
April 30 Thousand Oaks Arbor/Earth Day
Conejo Creek Park, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Would you like to request a
presentation by VCTC to your
group or organization?
Contact Donna Cole at (805) 642-1591,
ext. 101 today for more information or
to schedule your presentation.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Ventura County Transportation
Commission Meeting
May 13, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
Camarillo City Hall
Please note date change - the May
meeting will be on the 2nd Friday of
the month.