Publications
101 Communities Connected seeks to foster a resilient, sustainable, and efficient transportation future for Ventura County to meet the many and diverse needs of the communities served by US Highway 101. This multi‐modal corridor study analyzes demographic and economic data, considers existing and future land use,
and inventories planned transportation infrastructure projects throughout the US 101 Corridor. It provides a roadmap for collaboration across jurisdictions and development of funding priorities for future investments in infrastructure throughout the corridor to improve connectivity, reduce vehicle miles travelled, and better serve the residents, businesses, and visitors of Ventura County.
Adopted in July 2000, The Airport Comprehensive Land Use Plan for Ventura County is intended to protect and promote the safety and welfare of residents near the military and public use airports in the county, as well as airport users, while promoting the continued operation of those airports. Specifically the plan seeks to protect the public from the adverse effects of aircraft noise, to ensure that people and facilities are not concentrated in areas susceptible to aircraft accidents and to ensure that no structures or activities encroach upon or adversely affect the use of navigable airspace.
Recognizing that Ventura County’s Unmet Transit Needs process is outdated and could serve the public better, the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) asked COH & Associates, Inc. and Ayars & Associates to review the existing VCTC Unmet Transit Needs definitions and process with the goal of creating recommendations for improvements.
In this annual report, learn more about VCTC’s new programs, recent achievements, and efforts to secure transportation funding for projects across Ventura County.
VCTC, as the designated Congestion Management Authority (CMA) for Ventura County, is responsible for coordinating land use, transportation planning, and air quality to mitigate traffic congestion. Every two years, VCTC prepares an updated Ventura County Congestion Management Program (CMP) to provide local government agencies and private developers with the resources necessary to positively impact traffic congestion throughout Ventura County.
The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), functioning as the regional transportation planning agency in Ventura County, has commissioned the 2022 update of the Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan (or Coordinated Plan). This plan is an update of the Coordinated Plan from Fiscal Year (FY) 2016/2017 and will examine changes in Ventura County’s demographic and mobility landscape.
The Final CTP is a long range policy document, built from community-based, local priorities and community-expressed need to enhance regional connections. It is aimed at ensuring mobility and enhancing the quality of life for all Ventura County residents. The CTP also fully examines various funding strategies and options from the federal, state, regional and local levels. It is intended to provide a framework for future community-based planning and collaboration and inform Ventura County’s long range transportation decisions.
If you have comments of questions please email VCTC at: afagan@goventura.org
The Naval Base Ventura County Joint Land Use Study (NBVC JLUS) is a cooperative planning effort led by local communities and agencies promoting greater partnership with military installations. The dual goal of a JLUS is to develop land use policies that preserve the ability of a military installation to perform its assigned mission by preventing the encroachment of incompatible land uses and to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the surrounding community.
VCTC makes this report available on its website as part of the SB 203 legislation. This report includes a description of transit route changes, changes to services levels on transit routes, and ridership numbers for all transit routes operating within the county. This report also includes annual budget numbers for transit services provided by VCTC, Gold Coast Transit, other multiagency operators, and individual municipal operators. The purpose of this report is in response to the SB 203 reporting requirement, which remains in effect until January 1, 2019.
SB 125 (Chapter 54, Statutes of 2023) guides the distribution of $4 billion in General Fund through the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program on a population-based formula to regional transportation planning agencies, which will have the flexibility to use the money to fund transit operations or capital improvements. The transportation budget trailer bill also establishes the $1.1 billion Zero-Emission Transit Capital Program to be allocated to regional transportation planning agencies on a population-based formula and another formula based on revenues to fund zero-emission transit equipment and operations. SB 125 includes an accountability program to govern the distribution of these funds, on which there is more detail below.
In addition, SB 125 establishes a Transit Transformation Task Force led by the California State Transportation Agency to develop policy recommendations to grow transit ridership, improve the transit experience and address long-term operational needs.
Based on the financial evaluation in VCTC’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan, with current revenues it is likely to take 30 years to complete proposed freeway improvements. VCTC considered the possibility of implementing high-occupancy toll lanes to provide an additional mobility option for auto drivers, to maximize the utility of any additional freeway capacity, and to provide an additional funding source that could expedite freeway improvements. More specifically, VCTC hired the firm of CDM Smith to carry out a financial feasibility analysis of HOT lanes on US-101. The analysis scope consisted of two phases, with the first phase being a sketch-level analysis using existing data, and the second phase being a more detailed analysis. Based on the results of the first phase, summarized here, VCTC elected to not proceed with the study’s second phase.
The TDA Performance Audit included here is for VCTC as the Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA). This audit was commissioned by VCTC and was conducted in accordance with the audit process established by the California Department of Transportation. Ventura County is served by seven public fixed-route bus operators, five public dial-a-ride operators, and four paratransit services for seniors and people with disabilities. Ventura County is also served by two Los Angeles-based bus operators (LA Metro and LA DOT), two rail operations (Metrolink and Amtrak), and several private carriers that serve portions of the county. These services are funded and operated by the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), the Gold Coast Transit District, the County of Ventura and individual cities within the county.
The TDA Performance Audit reports were commissioned by VCTC and were conducted in accordance with the audit process established by the California Department of Transportation. The TDA Performance Audit reports included here cover fiscal years 2020 – 2022.
VCTC is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of its services on the basis of race, color or national origin as protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended. No person or group of persons will be discriminated against with regard to fares, routing, scheduling, or quality of transportation service that VCTC furnishes, on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Frequency of service, age and quality of vehicles assigned to routes, and location of routes will not be determined on the basis of race, color or national origin.
Transit asset management plans are required for all Federal Transit Administration
grantees per MAP‐21 legislation. Moreover, developing a transit asset management plan
makes good business sense. The benefits from enhanced asset management practices
include improved system safety and reliability, reduced costs, better customer service, and
optimized resource allocation. The Ventura County Group Transit Asset Management
(TAM) Plan, with VCTC as acting group plan sponsor, outlines the policies, processes and
procedures to improve asset management practices over the next four years and has the
support of the member agencies’ Accountable Executives. Signatures can be found at the
end of the document.
This Plan was developed by the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) and the Santa
Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), with funding from the California Department of
Transportation (Caltrans), to address the transportation challenges related to disasters that affect one
or both counties.
Each year, VCTC staff facilitates an annual transit needs assessment to determine if there are any areas in the County where populations of less than 100,000 are not served by public transit to meet their daily transportation needs.
The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) developed this Bicycle Wayfinding Plan to help improve the convenience and safety of people traveling by bike in Ventura County. Prepared collaboratively with county and municipal agencies, stakeholder groups and the general public, this plan serves as a toolkit for the development of a regional wayfinding network.
The mission of the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) is to improve mobility within the county to meet transportation needs. VCTC began providing countywide intercity bus service, branded as Ventura Intercity Service Transit Authority (VISTA) in 1994. The number of VISTA routes increased from four to seven during the past 20 years. Route schedules have been expanded and modified to meet increased service demand and adapt to traffic and ridership patterns. In addition to schedule adjustments, the network of bus stops has become more extensive and complex over time. In 2015, VCTC began the process of rebranding VISTA as VCTC Intercity, in an effort to improve the visibility and familiarity of the organization.
The Final CTP is a long range policy document, built from community-based, local priorities and community-expressed need to enhance regional connections. It is aimed at ensuring mobility and enhancing the quality of life for all Ventura County residents. The CTP also fully examines various funding strategies and options from the federal, state, regional and local levels. It is intended to provide a framework for future community-based planning and collaboration and inform Ventura County’s long range transportation decisions.
If you have comments of questions please email VCTC at: afagan@goventura.org
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines were updated in 2018 to change transportation impact analysis from vehicle operations level of service (LOS) to vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as required by Senate Bill (SB) 743. This changes environmental analysis from how a project affects congestion to the distance traveled by vehicle trips associated with a Project. The change supports the GHG reduction goals of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Assembly Bill 32), as implemented.
The Ventura County Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) provides strategies for improved regional coordination and connectivity, in an effort to establish a cohesive and consistent set of transit services. The SRTP also provides a framework for future growth with the primary goal of enhancing customer experience and increasing the viability of transit.
The SRTP incorporates input from VCTC staff, Ventura County Transportation Commission Transit Operators Advisory Committee (TRANSCOM) members, as well as community stakeholders and customers. The SRTP examines services provided by all transit operators in Ventura County and includes regional analyses to identify service gaps and prioritize investments. The SRTP was developed in conjunction with the VCTC Intercity Five-Year Plan.
The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), in cooperation with Caltrans and the Port of Hueneme (Port), studied freight corridors in Ventura County to identify impacts associated with freight traffic, and develop inclusive freight corridor strategies to promote safer, more efficient, and sustainable freight connections that support the economy, social outcomes, and health of Ventura County.