Public Input Sought on Unmet Transit and Paratransit Needs and on 2016 Measure D Spending Plans for Highway 1 and the Coastal Rail Trail

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) is holding two public hearings at its Thursday, May 5, 2022 meeting via Zoom (see meeting agenda for login details) to receive public input on the 2022 Unmet Transit and Paratransit Needs List and to receive public input on options for spending voter-approved 2016 Measure D revenues on Highway Corridor projects and Active Transportation/Coastal Rail Trail interim trail or ultimate trail scenarios.

The hearing to receive input on the 2022 Unmet Transit and Paratransit Needs List will begin no sooner than 9:30 a.m. and will be preceded by a staff presentation. The focus of the list is on transit and paratransit needs of seniors, people with disabilities, and/or people with limited means. Unmet transit and paratransit needs are those which are not being met by the current public transit system, have community support, and do not duplicate transit services provided publicly or privately. The Unmet Transit and Paratransit Needs List is a tool to identify transit and paratransit needs, services, and project funding priorities for future State Transit Assistance (STA), Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP), Transportation Development Act (TDA), State of Good Repair (SGR), Federal Transit Administration 5310 (FTA5310), Transportation Network Company (TNC) Access for All, greenhouse gas reduction grants, and other funds.

The hearing to receive input on options for using 2016 voter-approved Measure D revenues will begin no sooner than 10:30 a.m. and will be preceded by a staff presentation. The RTC will consider using revenues for Coastal Rail Trail, Highway 1, and traveler assistance projects, including possible financing to expedite project delivery. Measure D revenues are expected to be used to leverage state and federal grants.

The RTC will consider programming additional Measure D funds for the following:

• Highway Corridor: Highway 1 Freedom Boulevard to State Park Drive auxiliary lanes and bus-on-shoulder facilities
• Active Transportation/Coastal Rail Trail: Segments 7-12 from the City of Santa Cruz to Rio Del Mar Boulevard in Aptos for either the Interim Trail (trail on the rail line) option or Ultimate Trail (trail next to the rail line) option. Should the Commission decide to program Measure D funds for an Interim Trail, a process called “railbanking” would be required to remove the railroad tracks.

The deadline for written comments on the 2022 Unmet Transit and Paratransit Needs List and the 2016 Measure D five-year spending plans is noon on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. Comments can be emailed to info@sccrtc.org, or mailed to 1101 Pacific Ave., Ste. 250, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Oral comments may also be provided to the RTC board during the public hearing. Staff reports and login details are available in the meeting agenda.