MST tells Salinas commission city is highest transit demand area; BRT study and transit-design guidelines planned

Michelle Overmyer, a Monterey Salinas Transit representative, told the Salinas Traffic and Transportation Commission on Thursday that Salinas is MST’s area of highest transit demand and that city ridership has surpassed pre-COVID levels.

Overmyer described a range of MST services that operate in Salinas — fixed-route buses, door-to-door paratransit, vanpools and taxi vouchers — and said any student with a valid ID at Hartnell College, Monterey Peninsula College or Cal State Monterey Bay may ride for free. She said MST is participating in the city’s general-plan update and is updating its “designing for transit” guidelines to inform engineers and developers as the city’s East area, including the Barton Ranch specific plan, builds out.

Overmyer also said MST will study the East Alisal area for bus rapid transit (BRT) and is considering a possible relocation of the Salinas Transit Center. She emphasized the operational constraint that MST’s standard fixed-route buses are 10 feet, 7 inches wide and asked the commission to account for that dimension in lane and curb designs.

“Salinas is our area of highest transit demand,” Overmyer said. “Our ridership in the city has exceeded pre-COVID levels.” She offered to provide a formal presentation to the commission on MST plans at a future meeting.

The information was provided during public comment rather than as a staff agenda item; MST staff named Natalie Flores as the associate planner participating in the city’s general-plan update and noted that MST will coordinate with city engineers and developers as land uses change.