Dear Editor,
Jeers for County Supervisor Don Gage pointing his finger of
fiscal mismanagement blame at Caltrans in the Friday, Aug. 20
Dispatch. After all, Supervisor Gage is the chairman of the Valley
Transportation Agency and apparently has ignored the shameful
fiscal misconduct contained in his own monthly VTA Board
reports.
Dear Editor,
Jeers for County Supervisor Don Gage pointing his finger of fiscal mismanagement blame at Caltrans in the Friday, Aug. 20 Dispatch. After all, Supervisor Gage is the chairman of the Valley Transportation Agency and apparently has ignored the shameful fiscal misconduct contained in his own monthly VTA Board reports. Cheers for Supervisor Gage should he choose to euthanize the VTA during his term as chairman.
Here is the simple math: VTA burns through about $350 million of your tax dollars every year. Current monthly ridership is 5 million people. This really means that VTA serves 2.5 million riders per month (Assuming that everyone that goes somewhere on VTA, comes back on VTA). And, by the way 2.5 million is generous because many riders are counted several times due to transfers. But to be generous, we can say that 81,000 folks ride VTA on a daily basis; “the VTA regulars.”
Perhaps we should consider investing the same tax dollars we currently waste on the bloated VTA in leasing 81,000 fuel efficient hybrid cars; one hybrid for every VTA regular. Our total lease payments would amount to $21 million per month; an immediate SAVINGS of $8 MILLION DOLLARS PER MONTH over the current VTA budget.
Once we have funded 81,000 fuel efficient, hybrid “buses” taking family and friends to the precise locations they desire, we can sell the “Little Train that Can’t” (AKA light rail) to an entrepreneurial investment group who will provide the customer service and incentives required for profitable operation.
That leaves us with Caltrans. Well fellow taxpayers, permanently closing the VTA will reduce the number of mismanaged transportation bureaucracies from two to one. This represents an immediate 100 percent improvement.
Once the VTA lights are out, we can concentrate on improving our tax investments at Caltrans.
John Murphy, San Martin.
