It would be useful to study the proposals and actual outcome of other large VTA projects, such as light rail to see how the costs, benefits, rider estimates, and annual expenses match up with the actual data.

The cynical side of me suspects it won't be favorable.

Shut the VTA down. They are absolutely abysmal. They have wasted decades of time and millions and millions of dollars. Every year the public gets screwed with higher taxes and worse traffic that the previous projects from VTA were supposed to fix and never ever do.

They need to be shut down completely and a competent company handle transportation.

They suck beyond belief and every proposal I see come out of them is terrible, inefficient, ineffective and they have proven over and over incompetent and incapable and any level of management.

Another expensive boondoggle. Whatever happens, the taxpayers will pay.

Highway 85 would be far better served by two additional vehicular lanes than by bus lanes (and particularly NOT light rail lanes because no one rides light rail). Of course, this would mean even greater traffic jams at 280 and 101 due to their present overloading. Over-development is squeezing the life out of Santa Clara County, just as it already as done to San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area, particularly the East Bay.

Adding lanes to CA-85 won't fix congestion (induced demand). Adding a bus lane or light rail won't fix it either, but it will at least move more people more efficiently than a car lane would.

The main issue with VTA light rail (especially in north county) is that it takes a circuitous route, so it's rather slow except for limited journeys (e.g. between downtown Mountain View and north Sunnyvale). CA-85 is actually a pretty direct shot between Mountain View and a number of other cities and employment centers.

I imagine the decision will be based on whatever saves the most time for the most people. But it's also good to consider stress. Today I rode with 40 other people on a bus on highway 85. The HOV was totally congested so it didn't really save time versus driving a single passenger vehicle. But it was a lot less stressful being a bus passenger. Driving in bad traffic is no fun at all.

The lawsuit actually contends that the VTA's measure fails to contain 2 accountability provisions mandated by a state law (Government Code section 50075.1 (a) and (b)). The chief issue may be whether the measure can and should be saved by severing the part that allows the VTA Board of Directors to shift use of the money away from any or all of the listed project categories to any other projects the Board fancies. Stay tuned.

Commute on 85, and the LAST thing we need is Lexus Lanes on 85. Allowing the government to create a new lane only for people who are able to pay to use it is as bad as a caste system. The rich can hurry off to work while the working slobs (who do the jobs that matter!) are stuck in even worse traffic. (But it generates more money for the politicians so they're in favor of it!)
No matter what happens with VTA, at least they're not going ahead with the toll lanes - bad idea.

How about bus lanes AND an elevated light rail? I think we all can agree that something needs to be done for 85. It may already be too late, but it should not end up like the disconnected BART route up the peninsula. If you don't build it, or start planning to build it now, it is not going to happen. In 50 years people will still be using the light rail tracks if they are built. The south bay is no longer suburbs, it has become urban in all but name only. It is time we had the transit to match.

Since Saratoga, as a city, was just so against 85 ever being constructed AT ALL, we can leave them out of the equation. No stop there at all - or just try the Cupertino-Mountain View (Googleville) segment to start.

Interesting to think of bus plus elevated light rail. However VTA is such a poor steward of public revenue - and it can't even seem to oversee the construction of the BART extension (East San Jose) without major screw upland delays! And the VTA's screw ups on the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) lanes in Alum Rock are now 'legendary" (as in Bad Karma/incompetence)

There should be no stop in Saratoga. They can drive.