The staff of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is pushing a plan to seize the left lane on El Camino Real (in each direction) for VTA “rapid transit” buses only. Cities along El Camino have raised objections – such as the lunacy of reserving an entire lane for one bus every 10 minutes at most; however, the decision is to be made later this year by the VTA’s part-time 12-member Board of Directors (consisting of two members of the county Board of Supervisors and 10 city council members from across the county). The only leverage residents possess to stop the lane grab is to stand ready to defeat the sales tax increase planned (by VTA staff) for the county-wide ballot in June or November 2016. In my city of Mountain View, the prospect of HOV lanes – instead of bus-only lanes – has been raised. Santa Clarans need to get involved before they get stuck in stalled traffic with only two lanes on El Camino left for cars, trucks and other VTA buses.
