Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Traffic remains a serious problem at the intersection of Mathilda and 237, leading to Hwy. 101 in Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale City Council recently laid the groundwork for the formation of the Transportation Management Association, a public/private partnership to help improve traffic conditions in the area.




Traffic Control

City council and local businesses partner up in traffic management organization

By Daniel Hindin

The Sunnyvale City Council voted unanimously on Nov. 28, to continue discussions with Moffett Park area businesses to formalize a business-led Transportation Management Association (TMA) with a public/private partnership.

The TMA, which receives funding from participating businesses and outside sponsorship, would concentrate on developing plans to relieve traffic congestion in the rapidly growing area known as Moffett Park. The council also directed staff to find funding for a half-time staff person to work with the association.

There's been a recent resurgence of activity in the Moffett Park area, as many large technology companies are taking advantage of significant plots of land made available by a downsized Lockheed Martin. Hence, road congestion and other transportation problems have become a crucial issue. At a joint study session with the Sunnyvale City Council and planning commission on June 20, the city had decided to look into the possible formation of a TMA to develop new solutions for the increasing traffic problems.

As a part of its research process, Sunnyvale hired the Hoyt Company to conduct a survey of Moffett Park businesses and to analyze options for implementing a TMA in that area. The survey found 62 percent of Moffett Park businesses believe traffic issues affect their company's ability to hire and retain quality employees. 63 percent singled out the 237/Mathilda Avenue/101 interchange as the No. 1 transportation problem affecting their businesses.

Traditionally, representatives of local businesses join together to form a TMA. Together they act as an advocate for local businesses, and communicate opinions and concerns to the appropriate city departments. As the name implies, these concerns usually focus on traffic issues.

While councilmembers didn't actually approve the formation of a TMA--only businesses can do that-- their decision to support a TMA certainly helps accelerate and aid the process.

"The TMA will be formed sometime in the next few months," says Sunnyvale's Economic Development Manager Karen Davis. "The idea is to move forward as quickly as possible because the need is so significant. There is a significant need for alternative transportation as well as infrastructure changes."

Although the city retains an active role in discussions and negotiations about the formation of the TMA, they make it very clear that the businesses must take the initiative to run it. The city especially emphasizes the minimal monetary role that they wish to play.

"This is driven by the private sector," Davis says. "They have to decide how to fund what it is they want to do. Infrastructure plans are totally different, though. How they would be exactly funded, I don't know; the city may be available for grant funds."

While large companies, such as Lockheed Martin, Ariba, Juniper Networks, Network Appliance and Yahoo!, all support the idea of a TMA, many of the smaller employers of the other 237 businesses in the area remain wary. Most of the smaller and mid-sized businesses told the Hoyt Company that they wouldn't join the TMA, and many didn't even reply to the survey. Of the businesses that replied negatively, 50 percent cited lack of time as the main reason.

But the city believes the smaller businesses comprise a key element of a TMA, and it remains determined to include them.

"It's not fair only to take care of the needs of large businesses," says Wendy Hoyt of the Hoyt Company. "But the key is that larger businesses already know what a TMA is. It's pretty hard to grasp if you just get it in the mail."

According to Hoyt, 90 percent of Moffett Park businesses have less than 100 employees. Hence, the half-time staff person that the city wants to hire would concentrate his or her efforts on outreach to small and mid-sized employers.

Hoyt says that after learning more about TMA, smaller businesses will realize that joining can prove advantageous. For example, members of the TMA pay less for Eco Passes.

Eco Passes cost about $60 for business with less than 100 employees. But larger businesses end up paying less per pass, as employees have unlimited use of the VTA bus and light rail services. Hoyt notes businesses that join the TMA can purchase Eco Passes as one group. Therefore, instead of spending $60 per pass, Hoyt estimates they may pay $10.

Hoyt states many people don't take alternative transportation because they're worried about emergencies in which they need to have the means to get home quickly at all times. But, she says, many TMAs offer a guaranteed ride-home program. Under this program, employees will have a way of getting home quickly in the case of an emergency because there are always cars on call.

Although monetary dues for this TMA have not been decided yet, Hoyt says smaller businesses could join for less money than larger ones.

"Dues are really all over the map," she says. "You need to have dues that respond to the things you want to implement. But whatever the dues may be, they are usually determined by the square footage or the number of employees in each business."

According to the survey, the most desired services offered by a TMA would be shuttle buses or better transit service, advocacy on transportation issues and improvements, providing incentives to use alternative transit and a comprehensive annual survey of employee's transportation mode.

The city hopes to make TMAs the norm in Sunnyvale.

Davis says, "If we can make this a successful model, we hope to implement it in other industrial areas in Sunnyvale."

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