Saturday, December 17, 2005
BART to San Jose plans sinking
The uncovering of a sleazy politician may be the best way to bring sanity to regional transportation plans. The current revelation finds San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales caught in a garbage collection scandal. Since Gonzales was a supporter of an incredibly expensive plan to bring a BART line to San Jose, that plan is now in jeopardy.
The head of the Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose's transit agency, claims that the BART extension is "inevitable." Yet everyone seems to be turning against it. First the Sierra Club, which last year argued that BART was so expensive that building the line to San Jose would do transit more harm than good.
Now, with the Gonzales scandal, opposition to BART is snowballing. First, the federal government says that BART is such a waste of money that it does not want to cover the 20 percent share of the costs that it was counting on. Then a critic of the BART extension wins a seat on the Valley Transportation Authority council. Even the San Jose Mercury News, which historically has supported rail transit, admits that BART will do nothing to stop traffic congestion.
BART to San Jose, RIP.
The head of the Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose's transit agency, claims that the BART extension is "inevitable." Yet everyone seems to be turning against it. First the Sierra Club, which last year argued that BART was so expensive that building the line to San Jose would do transit more harm than good.
Now, with the Gonzales scandal, opposition to BART is snowballing. First, the federal government says that BART is such a waste of money that it does not want to cover the 20 percent share of the costs that it was counting on. Then a critic of the BART extension wins a seat on the Valley Transportation Authority council. Even the San Jose Mercury News, which historically has supported rail transit, admits that BART will do nothing to stop traffic congestion.
BART to San Jose, RIP.
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