Capo School District has twice postponed a final decision on reducing bus routes from 62 to 18. The cutbacks have been attacked by several cities. The Mission Viejo City Council pre-approved filing a lawsuit against Capo for failing to adequately consider traffic and other environmental impacts.
The Capo staff is again recommending that Trustees on Monday approve a Negative Environmental Declaration denying any significant traffic, air quality or other impacts will result from major cuts to busing.
After trustee comments during the last board meeting, it was anticipated Capo would upgrade it’s environmental report by identifying impacts and specifying adequate mitigation measures. But the District did not upgrade to a Mitigated Negative Declaration.
Last Thursday the Superintendent and his staff hosted a meeting with representatives from the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and the complaining cities. The meeting did not consider changes to the drastic reductions; and it did not mention the potential lawsuit.
Attendees were Superintendent Carter and seven members of his staff, seven employees from OCTA, a teamster union rep, and two traffic engineers from Kunzman Associates. Traffic representatives attended from Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Aliso Viejo, Dana Point and Rancho Santa Margarita.
OCTA stated it would violate state law for it to provide student-only bus service, but it might try to encourage student ridership. It pointed out that its budget was contrained, however, and bus schedules are already set for the upcoming year.
The gathering considered parent car pools, ushering procedures for car drop-off and pick-up areas, preferred loading/parking areas, bicycling, walking, monitoring traffic counts, staggering school start times, and extending after-school student supervision to permit longer pick-up periods.
Although it appeared there was little or no progress from the meeting, Mission Viejo’s Traffic Manager Shirley Land was not discouraged after participating with the group. She pointed out the involved agencies were limited by budget constraints and that the meeting was simply intended to be a “working session.” She felt the discussion was “constructive.”
The school district intends to use its newest, cleanest emission buses for some of the remaining 18 routes to assist with air quality. CUSD is in the process of receiving some compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.
