After 25 years, Santa Clara's light rail has failed to live up to its promise, proving to be “among the least successful in the nation” reports Mike Rosenberg, while “serving as a constant reminder that the car is still king in Silicon Valley."
Despite expanding out over a stretch of 42.2 miles, with 62 stations, and serving 32,000 one-way commuters, Silicon Valley's VTA system is still considered to be one of the most costly, slow, inefficient and under-utilized in the nation, writes . It cost $2 billion to build and costs $66 million a year to operate. Each vehicle costs 30 percent more than the national average to operate and carries 30 percent fewer passengers. And the system is heavily subsidized by taxpayers, at the second worst rate in the nation. Critics see it as an innately flawed failure, yet advocates point to decreased freeway traffic while remaining optimistic that usage will increase in years to come.
VTA transportation manager Kevin Connolly contrasts its failures with San Francisco's successes, “[i]n our case we tried to graft a big-city transit type of mode onto a suburban environment, and it's still kind of a work in progress." Routes were planned along onion fields, rather than along existing, dense corridors, and “the density never materialized in Silicon Valley,” notes Rosenberg.
Those who remain optimistic acknowledge there is much improvement to be made. "In general, we can't lose sight of the fact that we have to do the basics better," says Connolly. "We have to be faster, we have to connect with better destinations." Proposals in the pipeline include adding more tracks for express trains, as well as reductions in service costs, which could lead to more funding.
FULL STORY: 25 years later, VTA light rail among the nation's worst

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

In More Metros Than You’d Think, Suburbs are Now More Expensive Than the City
If you're moving to the burbs to save on square footage, data shows you should think again.

The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.

The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)