By Angela Sheu

News Editor

Los Gatos traffic is notorious, and it’s only getting worse. Because of congestion and low ridership, Valley Transportation Agency (VTA) plans to redraw the weekend route 27 — the only bus through Los Gatos — beginning in April. Allowing the town’s public transit to steadily dwindle, however, exacerbates traffic. For Los Gatos to maintain accessibility and inclusivity, the entire Los Gatos community — not just town and transportation officials — must enable public transportation to play a bigger and more sustainable role.

The West Valley largely fails to prioritize public transportation because it’s more affluent than other parts of Santa Clara County, leading fewer people to take buses. VTA cited that only two to seven residents take the 27 bus through downtown Los Gatos on an average weekend day, versus the hundreds of Saturday and Sunday riders along the rest of the route (which runs from Campbell to Santa Teresa). While many Los Gatans neither need nor take public transportation, it’s a necessity for those who do. With the new route beginning in April, Los Gatos bus access is still available, but riders will have to walk up to a mile more to reach a stop. Decreasing accessibility makes buses an impractical alternative for those who currently drive and also encourages those who take the bus to drive instead, setting up an unsustainable future for Los Gatos transportation.

Town traffic is an obvious issue, causing transit delays that affect both those inside and outside Los Gatos. Policy changes, therefore, must not only respond to congestion, but also actively combat it. While the town has considered solutions like bus-only lanes and community shuttles, neither are currently sustainable. The former is impossible in downtown Los Gatos, and congestion will continue to impede the latter. The only solution is to get cars off the road, which is why the accessibility and practicality of public transportation is so important. Extending Los Gatos’ West County connectivity begins by maintaining the 27 routes, but also necessitates additional routes in town. We need to reinstate local routes, like the previously terminated 48 and 49, whose elimination Council Member Matthew Hudes called, “a significant setback to our access to public transit,” and greatly worsened traffic problems in Los Gatos.

Ultimately, neither the town nor VTA can enable or justify public transportation if residents don’t take it; transit and traffic will only continue to get worse. Mayor Maria Ristow acknowledged the public transit situation in Los Gatos as a “death spiral, in terms of trying to encourage people.” Currently, VTA has no plans to improve Los Gatos transit or connectivity. VTA is open to change, however; it collects feedback through its summertime Annual Transit Service Plan and long-term Visionary Network, but we must advocate accessible routes at town and community meetings, while also opting for public transportation ourselves to get cars off the road.