Encinitas' representative at the North County Transit District, Jerome Stocks. In this picture Jerome is touting the recent completion of the Sprinter.

Over on SD Rostra Council Member Jerome Stocks has been tooting his horn over an award that had been given to the Sprinter. Stocks is Encinitas' representative at NCTD.

Today the NCTimes followed up on the award. The article indicates that the criteria for the award may not have been followed and there may be an element of fluff to the award. The Sprinter was years late and cost $130,000,000 more than projected.

From the article,

...it appears neither office's awards committee did any research on the Sprinter project outside of reviewing the information on its nomination form ---- originally sent in by a Sprinter project manager.

The Sprinter was also awarded the 2008 Grand Golden Fleece award by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association.

The article contains several quotes that are gems. Read them at the North County Times.

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The North County Transit District's (NCTD) budget has finally caught up with them and cuts in service will continue. That doesn't stop the NCTD from paying to run advertisements in local papers to celebrate the Sprinter's one year anniversary.

The ad is directed at transit riders. Why not just post the announcement on buses and trains?

NCT Sprinter completes inaugural year on Monday: Ridership counts lag behind projections
When the Sprinter light rail line reaches its first birthday Monday, it will have carried about 1 million fewer passengers than transit officials initially projected.

The shortfall means ridership revenue is likely to be at least $1 million below what North County Transit District officials hoped the train would bring in. Officials said last week they couldn't pinpoint an exact dollar amount, but that once discounts such as monthly passes are factored in, the district collects an average of $1.13 per rider...

RCSD NCTD Sprinter Anniversary Posted by: Jerome Stocks
Monday, March 9 marks one year since the SPRINTER opened its doors to the public, and what a year it has been! Ridership on NCTD vehicles continues to grow...

See Also: Rider Rants the Sprinter

Consultants for the City of Encinitas' just reported their findings to the city council. The consultants were brought in to address the growing lack of parking in the downtown area.

The meeting included a bit of bombshell. NCTD, which owns the biggest parking lot, is considering restricting parking. This was revealed by a member of the public.

NCTD's actions could have major consequences for the parking situation downtown and that should have been fully considered by the consultants. It should not have been a surprise.

NCTD has been considering this action for some time and the issue was even on the July 3rd planning committee agenda.

Jerome Stocks is the Encinitas representative at NCTD. He is also on the NCTD Planning Committee.

Mayor
Stocks

See Also: Rider Rants the Sprinter

The San Diego Grand Jury recently released a report titled SANDAG: How Much Growth is Sustainable. It was very critical of SANDAG.

The Grand Jury is composed of citizens selected by judges. When the report was reviewed by the SANDAG board, the board spent much effort discrediting the Grand Jury members, instead of just focusing on the arguments presented by the Grand Jury.

George Crissman's most recent editorial documents some of the comments made by SANDAG board members.

NCT SANDAG reacts to grand jury
[Excerpts] During a meeting on July 11, members of SANDAG's board of directors aired their feelings about the report:

Escondido City Councilman Ed Gallo, representing the North County Transit District, said, "It sounds like the grand jury doesn't understand what SANDAG does."

Santee City Councilman Jack Dale stated, "What we do is complex so it is not hard to see that the grand jury didn't comprehend the complexity of this organization."

It's true that complex issues require complex analysis by a complex organization. SANDAG's activity is definitely not simple nor straightforward. Consider these SANDAG actions:

-- Two carpool lanes in the center of I-15 are half empty while the regular lanes are at gridlock. SANDAG's congestion-relief plan is to double the number of carpool lanes so they will be three-quarters empty while the regular lanes are at gridlock.

-- Congestion occurs when you jam people into a small area with inadequate infrastructure. SANDAG's preferred development plan is called "Smart Growth," which jams people into high-density projects without expanding the infrastructure.

-- The cost to construct a two-lane freeway with a capacity of 4,400 solo drivers per hour is $3,500 per person, per lane-mile. The cost of constructing the Sprinter railroad with a maximum seated capacity of 1,040 per hour using maximum-sized two-car trainsets is $22,000 per person, per mile.

While these examples could have been generated by a complex organization, it's also possible ---- some might say likely ---- these policies were developed in the Gaslamp Quarter during an extended happy hour. We can only hope they used a designated driver to get home afterwards.

Marilyn Dailey, who is Escondido's representative on the San Diego County Water Authority, provided the most worrisome response when she said, "The problem is that the grand jury is made up of members of the public, and generally the public doesn't understand SANDAG's responsibilities. You have to approach it from that perspective."

Dailey's expression of disdain and contempt for the public is unwarranted, since we experience the reality of SANDAG's transportation plan every time we travel.

Instead of objecting to the well-deserved attention SANDAG is receiving from the public in general and the grand jury in particular, the board of directors should be simplifying the organization and working to provide us the promised relief from traffic congestion by approving cost-effective freeway projects.

George Crissman is a Vista resident and has a website that tracks SANDAG activities.

UT Cutting back on bikes onboard
For bicyclists who have taken to the Sprinter like frogs to a green pond, the transit district's move to control the number of two-wheelers on the new passenger train is a puzzler.
UT Transit district cuts routes, OKs rate hikes
The North County Transit District board voted unanimously Thursday to cut bus routes, reduce services and raise fares to balance its $91.8 million budget.

UT Median value in May falls 23% from a year earlier
Home prices continued to tumble in San Diego County last month, with the median reaching its lowest level – $380,000 – since September 2003.

UT Ridership on Sprinter trains is down since its debut, but officials are optimistic
But since that heady March 9 opening, when those 13,000 checked out the new train, reality has taken over. Daily ridership, more than 7,000 in March, has dwindled to the mid-6,000s range since then.

UT Group wants term limits for council members
Citing unsatisfactory performance by the Escondido City Council, a group of mobile-home owners is planning to sponsor a ballot measure to end the city's practice of unlimited council tenure.

UT Bleak picture of college's palm trees emerges
There is yet another accounting of what is now the ill-fated donation of more than 2,300 palm trees a decade ago to the Oceanside-based community college. Accountants say most of the trees have died, are ailing or are too ragged to sell.

A little more than two years ago, the college had 2,328 palm trees valued at $222,370. An audit in March counted 1,377 valued at $49,000.