Editorial Editorial (April 29, 2005)

BART critic deserves better

The powerful forces that support building a 16.3-mile, $4.2-billion stretch of BART from Fremont to San Jose flexed their muscles again last week, and Mountain View city council member Greg Perry was once again on the receiving end.

Perry, as most residents know, has consistently spoken out about the high cost (approximately $250 million per mile) of the BART project that San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales and a wide range of development interests are tirelessly promoting. But Perry's outspokenness on BART troubles Carl Guardino, the CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, who has taken a personal interest in muzzling Perry.

Last week, when Perry staged an anti-BART news conference in San Jose after being dropped from a Commonwealth Club panel discussion of the project, Guardino showed up with a group of sign-carrying union supporters in a childish effort to shout him down. After some not-so-friendly pushing and shoving, Perry and Guardino held an impromptu 20-minute debate, a much more meaningful exchange than the discussion held later inside the club, where the issue of scrapping the link to San Jose was never raised.

This and earlier squabbles underline how desperate Guardino and the pro-BART forces have become in their quest to shore up the sinking fortunes of the project, which recently lost a portion of the federal funds needed to keep it even remotely viable. The move forced valley transit leaders to consider not building one of the underground stops in San Jose, although no firm decision has been made.

More than likely, it will be the voters who make the final call on BART to San Jose. Without passage of an additional countywide half-cent sales tax, the project is doomed. And right now Perry and most other north and south county leaders believe there are less costly options, like improving regular rail service to San Jose and restoring the Dumbarton rail bridge to funnel East Bay commuters into job-rich South Bay cities, including Mountain View and San Jose.

Guardino claims a recent poll taken by his organization shows that residents of all north county cities continue to support the BART project. Even if accurate, and plenty of people question whether that's the case, survey results can't cover up the project's poor cost-efficiency rating. An even bigger concern is that cost overruns during construction and shortfalls in actual ridership will force huge cuts to busing and other local transit services. And federal studies show that the BART to San Jose project will never carry enough passengers to make a dent in the East Bay traffic congestion.

It is time for BART supporters to face reality. The project was approved after endless hype during the peak of the Silicon Valley boom. Those days are long gone. Guardino and the San Jose boosters are beginning to look foolish as they try to sell a project they must know is not going to fly. They may think they can sweep BART's problems away by shouting Perry offstage. But Perry is not the issue. At $4.2 billion, the BART to San Jose boondoggle will fall apart all by itself.

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