How did you get to campus or work today? Did you dodge potholes as you biked? Wait for a late train that was too crowded? Or did you sit through three stoplights before you could cross an intersection at one of our expressways?
We have all felt these frustrations. That’s why the ASSU Undergraduate Senate has endorsed Measure B, the traffic relief, transit options and road repair initiative on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Major benefits of Measure B
Measure B will increase Caltrain capacity, ease highway congestion and improve bike and pedestrian safety. Specific benefits to the Stanford student population include:
- Measure B builds on the upcoming electrification of Caltrain Commuter Rail Service, which makes the trains quieter, faster and less polluting. It also nearly doubles the weekday ridership from 65,000 trips to 110,000 trips. Measure B adds additional capacity and safety improvements with the single largest investment in Caltrain’s 153-year history.
- It will invest $250 million in additional bicycle and pedestrian improvements, especially near schools, which will increase accessibility for Stanford students, many of whom bike to and from campus.
- It funds lifeline and core transit service for people with disabilities, seniors, students and the working poor who depend on mass transit — all groups that are important to our community and deserve equal rights.
- The measure will provide $38 million in vital local funding to fill potholes and maintain roads in Palo Alto, easing backups and reducing wear and tear on vehicles used by Stanford students.
- It will invest $45 million in congestion improvements on Page Mill and Foothill expressways alone, greatly improving our commute times.
Accountability is built in
The measure also provides accountability provided by a citizen’s watchdog committee and annual audits. Instead of a “General Purpose Tax” that only requires a 50 percent vote — but that can be changed at any time by elected officials — Measure B intentionally calls for a two-thirds vote because that is the only way the funds can be locked in for these specific transportation improvements.
Measure B will provide a meaningful and comprehensive solution to our traffic woes, investing nearly $200 million in North Santa Clara County cities alone, including Stanford’s home of Palo Alto.
Join us in making a difference. Vote yes on Measure B.
– Shanta Katipamula ’19, Mylan Gray ’19, Hattie Gawande ’18
Senators for the Associated Students of Stanford University
Contact Shanta Katipamula at skatipam ‘at’ stanford.edu.