If you’re interested in advocating for better access to high-quality public transit in Ventura County, we’ve put together some information to help you do just that.
We are aiming to push for service frequency increases to benefit students and staff at CSUCI and all Ventura County residents. Metrolink is currently interested in increasing service frequency (30-minute interval service in each direction) up to around Moorpark. Let’s encourage them to consider extending this fantastic service to Oxnard and Ventura. Our school is host to thousands of students, professors and faculty and this rail option would be compelling enough to encourage hundreds, maybe even thousands of them to ditch their car for public transportation. This would help the state and county tackle its emissions and congestion reduction goals.
There are many other things we would like to ask for, like a countywide sales tax to support our transit system, but this is our current focus. Generally, we would also just love to see more people involved in the system, as everyone benefits when more voices are heard when designing services for the county.
There are sample letters at the bottom of the page that can be either used as inspiration or just sent as is to these groups. Let’s make a positive change and get involved!
Here are some ideas for things you can mention in your letter. Some of these items are more geared towards our school.
- A new “Transit Support Fee” to be spent on funding and improving public and active transportation on our campus at CSUCI
- The relocation of the bus stop at our Camarillo campus to make it more accessible to the general student body, as currently, it’s positioned far away from where students spend time and live.
- A countywide sales tax funding local transit agencies
Metrolink (Regional Rail)
Metrolink operates several commuter rail lines in Southern California and is one of the biggest commuter rail systems in the country.
Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC)
VCTC serves as a coordinator between the many different transit agencies in the county. They also operate the Blue Buses that you may have spotted around our campus and the county, along with planning active transportation routes. They hold meetings on the first Friday of every month in the Camarillo City Hall Council Chambers. These meetings can be attended by the public. We encourage people to attend and make their voices heard.
CSUCI Parking and Transportation Services
Parking and Transportation services manages all the parking lots on campus, collects fees from passes and tickets, and coordinates with county officials to ensure students have access to public transportation.
Sample Letters
This letter is designed to encourage VCTC and Metrolink to increase frequency on the VCTC line through the majority of the county.
Dear [Authority],
I am aware of an effort to extend frequeny and reliable 30 min interval service on Metrolink into our county. I am super excited to see this change and would love to see this service extended far enough to service Oxnard and CSUCI. Oxnard and CSUCI are major population and trip generation centers and a train service like this would not only serve the people already taking public transit long distances in our county but would also encourage hundreds of additional people to ditch their cars in favor for a more relaxing and cheap form of transportation. It would also reduce emissions and VMT in our county along with combating congestion along the 101 corridor.
I urge you to consider increasing the train frequency on the Ventura County line to improve the commuting experience for the many passengers who rely on this service daily and the hundreds more that will switch when the service becomes more usable and reliable. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]Thanks for reading! ❤
Green Generation Club at CSU Channel Islands 