CSU Campus to Get $13 Million in Transit Aid

In a boost for creation of an environmentally friendly campus, the Ventura County Transportation Commission on Friday allocated nearly $13 million to the planned Cal State University Channel Islands.

As a result, the 2,000 students expected to attend the university this fall will have access to a wide range of transportation programs meant to minimize pollution and traffic, from natural gas buses to electric bicycles to new bike lanes.

“This is an incredible vote of confidence from the county and is a terrific thing for the future of the university,” Cal State Channel Islands President Handel Evans said. “One of our biggest concerns has been transportation, and now it has been addressed.”

The allocation was part of $33 million in federal, state and local funding earmarked for countywide projects.

The transportation services targeted for the students include shuttle buses fueled by natural gas that will stop at the Metrolink station in Camarillo and the Centerpoint Mall in Oxnard.

Each of the four buses will be equipped with bike racks. In Camarillo, the buses will pass by the station every 15 minutes during peak hours. In Oxnard, they will pass every 60 minutes.

Students will also have access to 21 electric bicycles and 25 enclosed lockers with rechargers.

Also, bike lanes will be added on nearby Lewis, Los Posas and Cawalit roads, and $3.2 million of the funds will be used to help widen and improve Lewis Road.

“They want to create a ‘green campus,’ so therefore we want them to get to that point,” said Supervisor Frank Schillo, who along with Chairwoman Susan Lacey sits on the commission.

Not everyone was happy with the allocations.

Art Kinne, a member of the Senior Coordinating Council in Ventura, called the campus a Johnny-come-lately in the pool of those seeking transportation funding.

“It bugs me because they have neglected the transportation system for seniors for years,” Kinne said. “They said they couldn’t afford it. I’m very unhappy because the special interest groups seem to have priority.”

Schillo defended the allocation of such a large sum to one project, saying, “The city managers all agreed to this. They felt the university would benefit their citizens.”

He added that the Lewis Road widening project would not have been a priority had it not been for the planned university.

“This is the price that we’re paying to get our university,” Schillo said.

Money not allocated to the campus will go toward:

* Camarillo: Bike lanes at Ponderosa Drive and Ventura Boulevard.

* Fillmore: Bike path at Sespe Creek, depot restoration, railroad interpretive center and center division improvements.

* Moorpark: Signal at Tierra Rejada Road, Metrolink entrance landscaping.

* Ojai: California 150 bridge at San Antonio Creek, scenic easement acquisition.

* Oxnard: Harbor and beach transit service, bike lane at Oxnard Boulevard and 5th Street and at Vineyard and Rose avenues, Del Norte Boulevard and Rice Avenue landscaping and intercity transportation center.

Of the roughly $33 million allocated Friday, $23 million came from federal Congestion Management and Air Quality funding and $6 million from the federal Transportation Equity Act.