Highway Callboxes to be Upgraded

North County “Breeze” Commuter Buses Roll May 9th

Commuters traveling between Santa Maria, Vandenberg Air Force Base and Lompoc are finding getting to work a “Breeze” on the newest north county commuter bus service. 

The new Breeze Bus commuter service started on Monday, May 9^th.   The buses operate every weekday.  The first buses leave Santa Maria Town Center Mall Transit Center at 5:45 AM and arrive at the VAFB main gate at 6:25 and arrive at Lompoc’s Mission Plaza Transit Center at 6:40 AM.  The last bus returns from Lompoc at 5:30 PM and arrives back in Santa Maria at 6:25 PM.  

The Breeze Bus service is a cooperative effort between the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, the City of Santa Maria, The City of Lompoc and Vandenberg Air Force Base. 

Rides are free until May 20^th and only $2.00 each way after that.   Monthly passes can be purchased at a wide variety of locations in Lompoc, Orcutt Santa Maria and VAFB including Vons and Albertsons grocery stores.

All breeze Buses have bicycle racks and are wheelchair accessible.  Breeze riders can receive free transfers to all Santa Maria Area Transit and COLT buses.  The Vandenberg Shuttle will meet you when you get off the Breeze Bus at the Vandenberg Air Force Base stop and take you to your final destination.

The new service is a welcome addition to the existing north county commuter bus services.  The Clean Air Express and Valley Express commuter bus services connect north county residents to south county jobs and Regional Transit Authority buses connect Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo County residents to their jobs.  

For more information call (800) 417-2137 or visit  www.breezebus.com. 

101 in Motion Down to Final Four     

The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) 101 in Motion Steering Committee voted unanimously last month on the final four packages of alternative solutions that will continue as viable options to provide long-term congestion relief on the 101 corridor in South Santa Barbara County.

"It is important that we keep moving forward with this important project, but we must remember that if Measure D is not reauthorized we won't be able to implement any of these options," stated Santa Barbara City Councilmember Dan Secord, the Steering Committee Chair.  

Russ Hicks, Buellton Mayor and Steering Committee Member, stressed that the final solution could be made up of a hybrid of the final 4 packages, based on public input and further technical analysis of how elements of the packages work in conjunction with each other.

101 in Motion originally began last year with more than 60 community inspired potential solutions to address 101 freeway congestion.  Through technical evaluation and community input the list was refined to 8 alternative packages and now to the final four packages of alternatives. 

After reviewing performance data on the remaining alternative packages and considering the unanimous recommendations of both the Technical Advisory Group and the Stakeholder Advisory Committee, the SBCAG 101 in Motion Steering Committee decided on the final four packages that should move forward for additional technical evaluation.  These four packages offer a wide range of mobility options for the community to consider stated Jim Kemp, Executive Director of SBCAG.  "Over the next few months we will again be taking these alternatives out to the community to answer questions and hear directly from local residents which options have the most support." 

The major elements of the four alternative solution packages still being considered as long term solutions to reducing 101 freeway traffic congestion are: 

• A commuter rail alternative with no highway capacity enhancements;

• An alternative that adds a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) or High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane in each direction from the Ventura County line to Patterson, as well as commuter rail between Ventura County and Goleta, and expanded express buses to/from North County;

• An alternative that adds an HOV lane                                                                        in each direction from Milpas south to the Ventura County line and auxiliary lanes in each direction in the existing 6-lane segment, plus commuter rail between Ventura County and Goleta, and expanded express buses to/from North County.

• An alternative that adds one general purpose lane in each direction from the Ventura County line to Patterson. Express buses to/from Ventura County and to/from North County would be the transit element.

The SBCAG 101 in Motion Steering Committee also approved the inclusion of  the following demand reduction and operational management elements be included in all four of the Alternative Solution Packages:

• Individualized Marketing

• Reduce Vanpool Fees by 20%

• Adjust Work Schedules (Flex Work)

• Variable Parking Rates

• Rapid Bus

• Ramp Metering

• Intelligent Transportation System

The committee also dropped the following elements from further consideration:  

• Calle Real Gap Closures between Turnpike and Patterson and between Los Carneros and Glen Annie were evaluated.  Factors that led to this element be eliminated from further consideration included:  low usage projections, extensive environmental impacts and impacts to existing residential areas, need to acquire several existing single family residences to maintain existing road alignment, cost in excess of $50 million, limited value to ease congestion on US 101. 

• Dedicated Busway: a single, reversible lane busway between Ventura County line and Garden Street, and a bi-directional busway between Garden Street and Patterson Avenue, which would be located within the Union Pacific right-of-way and/or other dedicated right-of-way was analyzed.  This option was eliminated from further consideration because of poor performance in terms of congestion relief, poor safety projections and introduction of new cross-street conflicts at grade crossings; significant noise and visual impacts to adjacent residential neighborhoods; no incentive to carpool or van pool; concern that if ridership projections were not met little other utility could be made of the busway; no dedicated busways operate on active railroad right-of-way anywhere else; and willingness of Union Pacific to permit use of right-of-way is unknown.

 A detailed technical report is available at 101inMotion.com. 

New Guadalupe Flyer Bus Hits the Road

The many bus riders who travel between Guadalupe and Santa Maria each day will be riding in comfort on a brand new $240,000 clean diesel bus with capacity for 54 people.   The old bus it is replacing was often full as it only had seats for 30 riders. 

The Guadalupe Flyer’s thirteen loops per day between Guadalupe and Santa Maria provide a critical transportation connection for Guadalupe residents.  

This new bus was purchased by the City of Guadalupe with Measure D funds and TDA grant funds.  The project demonstrates how Measure D funds give local governments in Santa Barbara County the flexibility they need to meet local transportation needs.     

Guadalupe Mayor Lupe Alvarez praised the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments for assistance in obtaining the Measure D funds to purchase the new bus “Without Measure D, the purchase of this new Guadalupe Flyer bus would not have been possible”.

The Guadalupe Flyer is operated by the Santa Maria Organization of Transportation Helpers (SMOOTH).  SMOOTH is a non-profit organization that provides transportation services to disabled and economically disadvantaged people, seniors, and those living in remote areas.