Caltrain Threatens the Perfect Commute; Bike Plan Adopted
I follow the car blogs from time to time, just to keep track of what the other side is doing to stay relevant. Some car blogs are more car-friendly than others, I guess. And that lead’s up to Wired’s ‘Autopia‘ and a recent blog post that starts with this:
We love public transportation. We also love bikes.
With friends like that, car industry…
The article has some interesting tidbits:
San Francisco’s Caltrain commuter rail service was one of the pioneers in bringing “bikes on board,” dedicating certain cars of each train for bikes and allowing up to 64 bike commuters to ride their own bikes to and from work (video after the jump). The program took off, and also took some cars off the road: 80% of cyclists who started taking Caltrain only did so after they could bring their bikes along. “Caltrain has for awhile now provided exemplary bike service,” Andy Thornley, Program Director for the San Francisco Bike Coalition (SFBC) told Wired.com.”Other systems have accommodations, but its usually one or two bikes per car.”
That 80% number is pretty incredible. The article describes how analysis done by some of the smart folks who ride Caltrain suggested that allowing more bikes on Caltrain, in place of empty seats, could increase Caltrain revenues (we’d like to find that analysis).
The title of the article, partially copied by the title of this post (’Caltrain Threatens the Perfect Commute’), is cool, too. I’m not sure what the perfect commute is, but the bike-Caltrain-bike commute surely feels like a contender. If you take out the cyclist-bump situation, you have this seamless integration of the old (bicycle) with the new (modern rail service). There’s a certain symmetry about it that just feels right. If you don’t commute via Caltrain, give it a whirl; just pick a great restaurant to visit on your next day off, find its nearest Caltrain station, and get rolling - you likely won’t regret it.
The Caltrain Board meeting was at 10 a.m. this morning — the bike plan was adopted, as was a 25-cent base fare increase for all riders. Here’s the important part:
Caltrain officials said today they will look for ways to accommodate more bicycles aboard train cars in response to the growing frustration of bicyclists who are routinely turned away from full trains.
The rail agency’s board approved a Bicycle Access and Parking Plan, which calls for more bike lockers, a bike sharing program and other measures to make Caltrain more bicycle-friendly.
But avid bike commuters say those steps aren’t enough and implored the board to take out seats or add more bike cars to meet the demand of a growing number of cyclists who take their wheels on the train.
So, Step 1 is taken care of, but it’s not going to fix our most pressing problem - getting bumped. You can, and should, get in touch with the board and let them know what you want:
The board of directors meets the first Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. in the Edward J. Bacciocco Auditorium located on the second floor at the San Mateo County Transit District Administrative Offices, 1250 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos. The office is located two blocks west of the San Carlos Caltrain Station. The agenda is available approximately one week before the meeting. Comments to the board may be submitted to board@caltrain.com, by fax at 650.508.6281 or by writing to 1250 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos, CA, 94070-1306. Comments not pertaining to the board should be directed through our contact page.
Sounds like a pretty open invitation to me. I’ve sent my request in.
…more details from the Caltrain arrest.
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