| Santa Clara County, CA | March 7, 2000 Election |
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Traffic Policies and RemediesBy William J. GarbettCandidate for Member, City Council; City of San Jose; District 10 |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
I share the Mayor's view on BART for high density transit. The future of commuter transportation by CALTRAIN is not by electrification, but by moving on to BART. The rights of way have been grade separated, and security is next. This will prevent the loss of lives at intersections and speed up a more comfortable ride. The process should begin in San Jose, ant then be interconnected. Automated people movers are a joke that is too hazardous to be tried, not only for the disabled, but for those carrying baggage to the airport. Use of light rail will never gain a critical nucleus. The automobile remains with us, with the weight per passenger transported efficiency beating all rail. Expansion of a bus fleet is more practical and cost effective. High Speed Rail in California is a pipe dream at best. New roads are not being expanded except for new residential construction. Neighbor diversions of traffic near freeway entrances are as counterproductive as metered traffic flow. The commuter will adjust to conditions by using cross town streets as practical alternatives to grid lock. Removing the diamond lanes so all motorists, including buses, have equal access for equal taxes will maximize traffic capacity. Congestion management is a cruel joke in California so politicians can extract money. Politicians don't have the answers, so why be held hostage? Open the roads for equal treatment, and the loss of labor productivity while trapped in gridlock will be transformed into gross national product. The multiplier effect will result in more taxes being generated without suppression of the masses. The circular patterns of traffic management around malls and airports should give way to direct shortest route connections. Environmental studies should be done on the amount of asbestos hazard in rock used for chip sealing roads and the incidents of broken windshields for total cost effectiveness. The routine changing of painted line patterns during resurfacing would only be done with council or neighborhood approval. Storm sewers should be given a holding area prior to sewage treatment, rather than being diverted directly to watersheds. The use of concrete as a cost-effective substitute for asphalt should be tried for heavily damaged streets or high density development. The use of high pressure sodium or halogen should be discouraged for lighting to accommodate astronomers. Use of city light standards for radio networks should be ended. In case of a natural disaster their failure would be critical. The use of digital radios with encrypting and network saturation would leave the police dependent upon the fire department for communications. Over use of sound walls to isolate communities with private gates tends to polarize residents into `gang' communities and limit emergency response. Citizen's requests should be acted upon in a reasonable time with a realistic period given. |
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