SamTrans forum highlights the necessity of Route 17

Disclosure: I have a strong bias towards public transportation, and have been advocating for more services for years.  For two years when I was executive director of Coastside Hope, I managed the team that provided both Route 17, and medical transportation for the coast.  During that time I worked with SamTrans to successfully win a lifeline transportation grant to expand busing into Montara, extend hours of operation, and add weekend service on the coast. When I heard that Route 17 was on the chopping block, my first thought was, "This has to be a mistake." 

Last Thursday night over 180 coastside residents, and a few from "over the hill", converged on the Cunha mulitpurpose room to share their concerns over proposed cutbacks in what little public transportation we have on the Coastside. This was the last of four community input meetings in the county, and by SamTran’s admission, by far the most well-attended. 
  
Don Esse, the operations financial analyst from SamTrans, with assistance from Chester Patton director of bus transportation, lead the meeting reviewing SamTrans’s overall financial analysis [pdf of Samtrans presentation].  Options range from a reduction in service to the full elimination of critical routes, including Route 17.
 
Sentiment among the crowd at Thursday’s two hour meeting was unanimously in support of maintaining the existing services, even if that necessitated a rate increase.  One resident of San Mateo, who came to the meeting to argue on behalf of keeping his local route, told officials that after hearing the stories from local residents, he would give up his route to save Route 17.   Mayor John Mueller promised that the Half Moon Bay city counsel is willing to do "whatever it takes" to save the route.

Unlike the routes in question in other areas, Route 17 is not an ancillary route, an expansion of another line, or a "nice to have" line with extended hours.  Route 17 is the only line serving both the Moonridge low-income community, and stops in the upper section of Montara.  According to Dwight Wilson, who sat with me on the Coastside Transportation Committee, Route 17’s ridership has steadily increased year over year:
 

 
The route is crowded with people going to work at Nurseryman’s exchange, students going to school, and seniors seeking medical care at Seaton.  Route 17 is a lifeline for a large population of the coast, and to even consider taking this route is unconscionable.  An action that would strand a large number of residents, keep many from necessary medical care and add to an already congested traffic route.  
 
I’ve posted a set of pictures from the event on the Coastsider gallery.  I tried to capture a majority of the speakers as well as their comments.  I hope you’ll take the time to add your voice to theirs and tell SamTrans that Route 17 is critical to the coast.  You can email your feedback to: http://www.samtrans.com/contact.html