Or read the Transit Forum Script<\/a>.<\/p>\n A public conversation—BART-Caltrain Connection: Another Way?<\/a> will be on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024 from 6:30 \u2013 8:00pm in the Milpitas Library Auditorium at 160 N Main Street. Unlike the tightly-controlled conversation models commonly used by public agencies, we\u2019ve chosen a format that allows the entire group of attendees to participate in the conversation. By using an open fishbowl conversation<\/a> format, we expect to clarify for attendees and online viewers the long-term trends in public transit, and start community thinking about next steps to avoid our predictable future.<\/p>\n Reserve a seat!<\/a><\/p>\n This is what democracy looks like. Community members coming together to discuss how to improve the lives of themselves and their grandchildren.<\/p>\n Our Climate Crisis is, as recent aberrant weather and scientists tell us, spinning out of control. We need to reduce CO2 emissions quickly—and public transit must be part of the solution. Unfortunately, fiscal cliffs threaten transit agencies around the Bay. Here in Santa Clara County, VTA moves forward with a $12B mega-project that will do nothing to address our congestion and climate problems until 2037 or later—if we can pay for it! Already, some public voices are questioning<\/a> the venture.<\/p>\n Conversations about how to connect the BART Berryessa station with the Diridon Caltrain station are needed. VTA, the organization most likely to lead such a conversation, has not stepped up.<\/p>\n LoopWorks seeks a conversation to chart a new way forward. As the leader of a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) project in the Milpitas Metro Area, LoopWorks wants a public conversation about the future BART-Caltrain Connection. We think a public discussion will help us secure the $6M funding for pre-development work on the Milpitas PRT project around the Great Mall and BART Transit Center.<\/p>\n The PRT community believes that a 3-mile BART-Caltrain Connection using PRT technology would provide better service than the BART Burrow, sooner, and for only $1B. LoopWorks believes that a grid of PRT guideways covering an area 2 miles wide and 5 miles long (10 square-miles) could provide 80 stations—8 neighborhood stations for each square-mile—to serve residents, visitors, and workers with 24\/7 non-stop rides between all of them. PRT would also provide quicker trips between the BART and Caltrain transit centers.<\/p>\n This public conversation about how to connect the BART Berryessa station with the Diridon Caltrain station will use an open fishbowl setup with a moderator.<\/p>\n 6:30 pm—Welcome and Meeting Rules<\/p>\n 6:35 pm—Common Agreements<\/p>\n 6:40 pm—Where We Are, and How We Got Here<\/p>\n 7:00 pm—Options Moving Forward<\/p>\n 7:30 pm—Converge on New Agreements<\/p>\n 7:50 pm—Wrap Up and Next Steps<\/p>\n 8:00 pm—Socializing\/Networking\/Moving Forward<\/p>\n 8:30 pm—end of event and Auditorium rental time<\/p>\n These organizations and people were invited<\/a> to attend; those in bold said “yes”. (Click here for the full list<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Transit Agencies—VTA Board, BART Board, Caltrain Board, Santa Clara County Airports Commission, …<\/p>\n Transit Advocates—Rod Diridon, Monica Mallon, Silicon Valley Transit Users, TransForm, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, SPUR, San Jose Department of Transportation, …<\/p>\n PRT Companies—LoopWorks, Glydways, Solar Skyways, CityTram, Santa Cruz PRT, SJSU Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, …<\/p>\n Environmental Groups—Sierra Club (Loma Prieta Chapter), Acterra, Citizens Climate Lobby, Green Party, Our City Forest, …<\/p>\n Media—Merc-News Opinion Editor, San Jose Spotlight, San Jose Inside, Milpitas Beat, KCXU-FM, …<\/p>\n 2024 Candidates<\/a> and Elected Representatives—Milpitas and San Jose Council members, Hon Lien (Milp. CC), Anu Nakka (Milp. CC), Bill Chuan (Milp. CC), Sen. Aisha Wahab, Asm. Alex Lee (AD 24), Bob Brunton (AD 24), Asm. Ash Kalra, Olivia Navarro (SJ D6), …<\/p>\n Membership Groups—Sunnyhills Neighborhood Association, Milpitas Chamber of Commerce, PTSAs (Pearl Zanker and Mabel Mattos Elementary), Laborers Local 270, IBEW, South Bay Progressive Alliance, Working Partnerships, East Valley Democratic Club, SOMOS Mayfair, many neighborhood associations, …<\/p>\n Subject: We need to talk about public transit.<\/p>\n Our Climate Crisis is, as recent aberrant weather and scientists tell us, spinning out of control. We need to reduce CO2 emissions quickly—and public transit must be part of the solution. Unfortunately, fiscal cliffs threaten transit agencies around the Bay.<\/p>\n Here in Santa Clara County, VTA moves forward with a $12B mega-project that will do nothing to address our congestion and climate problems until 2037 or later—if we can pay for it! Already, some public voices are questioning<\/a> the venture.<\/p>\n A renewed public conversation about how to connect the BART Berryessa station with the Diridon Caltrain station is needed. LoopWorks<\/a>, leader of the Milpitas Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) project, invites you to a public discussion using an open fishbowl conversation format<\/a> (shown below).<\/p>\n Four panelists occupy the center circle of chairs, where one chair is left empty. The moderator introduces the topic, and the panelists start the discussion. Attendees outside the fishbowl listen in on the conversation; those wishing to participate do so by taking the empty seat.<\/p>\n We expect attendees and online viewers will quickly grasp current transit challenges, and start community-level thinking about next steps. If you or your organization’s agent plan to attend, please let us know so we can inform others to expect you.<\/p>\n Join the conversation entitled BART-Caltrain Connection: Another Way?<\/p>\n Wednesday, Sept. 4, 6:30 pm \u2013 8:00 pm Visit our BART-Caltrain Connection webpage<\/a> for details,agenda, list of invitees, and streaming link.<\/p>\n Because the Library Auditorium is limited to 120 people,please RSVP here<\/a> if you plan to attend in person.<\/p>\n Glydways expects the Diridon-Airport Connector (3.5 miles apart) to cost $0.5B and turn a profit.<\/p>\n The BART Burrow has been called a “boondoggle” and \u201ca black hole for transit dollars\u201d by transit advocates.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if it\u2019s a long-term problem we\u2019re trying to solve, we should just say it out loud and take the time to do it right.\u201d —Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cThis BART project is sucking all of the transit money out of everything.\u201d —Santa Clara City Council member Suds Jain [VTA recently increased the amount of money it would draw from 2000\u2019s Measure A—a half-cent sales tax for a number of capital improvements—and 2016\u2019s Measure B, another 30-year half-cent sales tax to improve transit, highways and expressways.]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cI just want to make sure that when we get the numbers from the federal government, we\u2019re either able to move forward immediately on the current design, or we have a menu of alternatives that are ready to go, and we don\u2019t need another six months of analysis to get to that point.\u201d —San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “This project has been driven by politics rather than sound policy and financial planning.”—Mercury-News Editorial, June 20, 2024<\/p><\/blockquote>\n May 8, 2024 Opinion: Tom McEnery, Lewis Wolff call San Jose BART extension \u201cmunicipal madness\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n “As we editorialized in 2021, 2022, and 2023, as costs keep rising and VTA transparency remains abysmal, the BART extension should be subjected to complete and rigorous independent review. But it\u2019s become clear that VTA leaders are not about to let that happen.\u201d —Daniel Borenstein, Bay Area News Group Opinion Editor<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Milpitas Library Auditorium limits occupancy to 120. Some folks have knowledge or interests they want to share, and must attend to do so. Others who simply want to observe may attend or host a watch party. Party hosts may share contact information via email<\/a>, and we will post it here.<\/p>\n Forum Details Visit the @MilpitasPRT YouTube channel to view the event recording. Or read the Transit Forum Script. A public conversation—BART-Caltrain Connection: Another Way? will be on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024 from 6:30 \u2013 8:00pm in the Milpitas Library Auditorium at 160 N Main Street. Moderator: Belinda Quesada, KCXU (92.7 FM) Radio Host Panelists: Rob … BART-Caltrain Connection: Another Way?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1715","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1715"}],"version-history":[{"count":124,"href":"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3194,"href":"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1715\/revisions\/3194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nModerator: Belinda Quesada, KCXU (92.7 FM) Radio Host
\nPanelists: Rob Means on behalf of the advanced transit industry, Valley Transportation Authority representative was “not able to make it”, a student and frequent transit user represented transit riders, and Jonathan Karpf (a member of the California Faculty Association\u2019s Board of Directors) spoke for the environment.
\nDue to the tight schedule, expect a prompt start at 6:30pm.<\/p>\n\n
Why the Forum Took Place<\/h2>\n
The Agenda for the BART-Caltrain Connection: Another Way?<\/em> Forum<\/h2>\n
![\"open-fishbowl-diagram\"](\"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/open-fishbowl-diagram.png\")
<\/a> <\/p>\nInvited People and Organizations<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/fishbowl-open.png\")
<\/p>\nInvitation Emails sent to Invited People and Organizations<\/a><\/h3>\n
\nMilpitas Library Auditorium at 160 N Main Street.
\nModerator: Belinda Quesada, KCXU (92.7 FM) Radio Host
\nDue to the tight schedule, we plan to start promptly at 6:30 pm.<\/p>\n![\"posterPRT-2022-w-QR-medium\"](\"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/posterPRT-2022-w-QR-medium.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nStarting Agreements<\/h3>\n
\n
Public Statements by Experts<\/h3>\n
\n
$12 Billion 4-station BART Burrow vs. $1 Billion 80-station PRT network<\/h3>\n
![\"BART_Burrow_Map-2\u00d75-shaded\"](\"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/BART_Burrow_Map-2x5-shaded.png\")
<\/a> <\/p>\nRed Flag Comments by Public Voices<\/h3>\n
BART-ATN Comparison<\/h3>\n
![\"BART-Burrow-ATN-compare\"](\"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/BART-Burrow-ATN-compare.png\")
<\/a> <\/p>\nWatch Parties<\/h3>\n
Long List of Invitees<\/h3>\n
\n
Open Fishbowl Seating in Milpitas Library<\/h3>\n
![\"open-fishbowl-diagram3\"](\"https:\/\/milpitasprt.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/open-fishbowl-diagram3.png\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"