A version of our popular Myth/Fact list appeared in the News-Press Opinion section on Sunday, August 29, 2004. Roger Horton, Dennis Story, and Jonathan Maguire collaborated to put these together.

If you have ideas for our list, please write to us at info@CoastalRailNow.org.

MYTH: We cannot widen the freeway and provide commuter rail. We must choose one or the other.

FACT: Commuter rail on existing tracks is badly needed especially if the freeway is to be widened. The fact is that neither option alone will solve the congestion anticipated in the year 2030. 101 In Motion's website claims that “no one solution will solve the problem.” In April 2005 101 In Motion selected 4 packages of transportation solutions, 3 of these included commuter rail as did the best package in terms of congestion relief. In discussions, several 101 In Motion participants asserted that commuter rail can also provide the necessary alternative to nightmarish freeway congestion during the many, many years of freeway construction required for widening. Commuter rail gives commuters a way to avoid the freeway altogether.

MYTH: Commuter rail is too expensive and doesn't provide good “bang for the buck”.

FACT: To compare the various alternatives for reducing congestion, 101 In Motion gave a rough estimate of how much peak hour, peak direction congestion each potential alternative could solve (7/7/04 SBCAG Southcoast Subregional Planning Committee staff report). The analysis shows that both commuter rail and freeway widening give almost identical “bang for the buck” in terms of congestion relieved per dollar spent.

MYTH: Commuter rail cannot be funded.

FACT: Our survey of existing commuter rail service suggests that rail can be successfully funded and faces challenges similar to all other transportation projects (including freeway widenings). The following types of financial support are essential.

• Federal support (e.g. ISTEA, TEA-21, CMAQ)
• State support (e.g. STIP)
• Local support (local sales taxes like Measure D in Santa Barbara and Measure B in Ventura County )
• Fare box recovery (usually 20%-50% of costs)

MYTH: Commuter rail is “light rail” and would require construction of a whole new set of tracks and station stops.

FACT: Light rail is not needed for commuter rail service. Our existing “heavy” railroad tracks (now used for freight and Amtrak) are already in place and so are the passenger stations. A whole new set of tracks would not be required. Many commuter rail services around the country share tracks with freight service. We would probably need to improve some railroad crossings for safety and build some new sidings to optimize scheduling.

MYTH: The freeway can be widened without much environmental review.

FACT: Much of the 101 in the South Coast travels through the Coastal Zone. The California Coastal Act requires that construction projects occurring within the Coastal Zone undergo rigorous review to ensure that California 's coastline is not damaged. Such review takes time and cannot be legally avoided.

MYTH: Dense populations are required for successful commuter rail service.

FACT: Success can also be achieved when connecting two well-defined points such as the workers who live in the large residential areas of western Ventura County and their jobs in the South Coast mainly along the State/Hollister corridor.

MYTH: Commuter rail would take too long to implement.

FACT: With political leadership and cooperation, commuter rail can be initiated very quickly. Metrolink's massive five-county commuter rail system centered in Los Angeles took only two years to start.

MYTH: The worst freeway congestion in the South Coast (101) is South of Milpas.

FACT: Believe it or not, according to SBCAG's Congestion Management Program Biennial Updates, the six-lane sections in Santa Barbara already snare more commuters in congestion than the four-lane sections south of Milpas. This occurs in both directions (north and south bound) and at both AM and PM peak hours so it cannot be chalked up to the infamous Milpas bottleneck.

MYTH: Widening the freeway south of Milpas will eliminate the Milpas bottleneck.

FACT: Though counterintuitive, the fact is that if freeway widening only occurred south of Milpas the bottleneck would shift north to the heart of the existing six lane freeway in the City of Santa Barbara . It is now recognized that added lanes south of Milpas will deliver more cars per minute in the northbound direction to the heavily congested areas north of Milpas. Though many believe the freeway need only be widened south of Milpas, every alternative under consideration at 101 In Motion (7/7/04 SBCAG Southcoast Subregional Planning Committee staff report) includes options to expand the freeway through Santa Barbara to eight lanes from Milpas to Fairview in order to deal with the anticipated congestion.

MYTH: Additional capacity on the 101 will not impact traffic on local streets in commercial and residential areas.

FACT: Delivering more cars per minute during peak hours is the point of increasing capacity on the 101. We know from SBCAG's Congestion Management Program Biennial Updates that many local streets and intersections serving employment centers in Santa Barbara and Goleta are severely congested and those are just the ones that are officially tracked. Increased capacity on the freeway will cause higher peaks of traffic in local roads and intersections during the peak hours. Expanding the capacity of local streets and intersections to handle the higher peaks of congestion would likely be infeasible due to the cost of acquiring residential and commercial property for increased road width and the extreme unpopularity of such an endeavor with the neighborhoods that would be effected.

MYTH: Widening the freeway can be done by restriping, without a massive construction effort.

FACT: 101 In Motion has ruled out adding lanes to the freeway by restriping existing shoulders and medians because there is not sufficient existing pavement. The resulting lanes “ would pose [danger] to motorists and Caltrans maintenance workers ” ( 6/2/04 SBCAG Southcoast Subregional Planning Committee staff report). Widening the freeway will require construction. Freeway construction, once funded and approved, takes a long time. Construction for widening the freeway between the Ventura County Line and Fairview will likely last at least 10 years. No one knows yet what effect construction delays will have on congestion, but it is certain that commuters and visitors are going to have a tough time driving the 101 during construction.

MYTH: Congestion on the 101 can be solved by addressing the “Jobs-Housing Imbalance”. That is locating jobs near housing.

FACT: It is important that we try to house as much of our critical workforce in the communities that those workers serve. But the fact is that the housing market in the South Coast of Santa Barbara bears little relationship its employment market. Even if the number of jobs in the South Coast of Santa Barbara decreases significantly in the future, commuting will still increase. This is because as residential real estate is sold over time, the teacher or nurse who owns their residence because they purchased it decades ago when it was possible to do so is now sitting on an extremely valuable asset. When that property is sold on the market a new teacher or nurse will not be able to afford it. Retirees and other people with wealth from around the country and the world will be the new owners. Over time these people will displace our workforce further exacerbating the trend towards long commutes.

MYTH: Commuter rail would not be convenient for commuters.

FACT: A front door to office door trip from Ventura with commuter rail could take under an hour with well coordinated bus service from MTD and support from major employers. With proper funding, MTD will alter and improve its existing bus routes to make sure connections are available along the State/Hollister corridor where most South Coast jobs occur. Major employers such as UCSB and Cottage have pledged to help make the critical link for their employees. While driving could take less time depending on freeway congestion, commuter rail provides a comfortable and productive environment for commuters. Possible amenities include electrical outlets for computers and other mobile devices.