HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-05-20 - AGENDA REPORTS - SC TRANSIT PILOT PROJ (2)CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Ferry and Members of the
ICity Cou cil
FROM: Ken Pulskamp, City Manager y,
PDX
DATE: May 20, 2009
SUBJECT: SANTA CLARITA TRANSIT PILOT PROJECT
RECOMMENDATION
City Council receive staff presentation and discuss,
BACKGROUND
On January 29, 2009, Michael Wilding, Vice President of Student Services at College of the
Canyons (COC), sent written communication to Ken Pulskamp requesting assistance from the
City of Santa Clarita to help ease parking congestion at the college's Valencia campus by
offering free public transportation to local college students for the first three weeks of the fall
semester as a one-time pilot program. Several other community colleges work closely with
transit agencies to offer special programs that encourage using public transportation as a means
to get to school.
The City responded to Mr. Wilding by expressing an interest in helping COC with this issue, as
well as being able to increase transit ridership. Transit staff is taking steps to develop a one-time
pilot project that will be effective the first three weeks of the 2009 fall semester. Staff is also
researching and evaluating partnership programs that other community colleges have with their
respective local transit systems. There are a large number of successful joint partnerships where
the colleges utilize parking fees to subsidize students' bus passes.
If the three-week, one-time pilot program is successful and generates enough response, City and
COC staff will work together to further develop and establish the joint public transportation
partnership that could include College subsidization of COC student public transportation.
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