Comments on: Caltrain to Present Plan to Increase Bicycle Capacity http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/02/04/caltrain-to-present-plan-to-increase-bicycle-capacity/ Covering San Francisco's livable streets movement Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:15:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: murphstahoe http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/02/04/caltrain-to-present-plan-to-increase-bicycle-capacity/comment-page-1/#comment-3852 murphstahoe Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:30:19 +0000 http://sf.streetsblog.org/?p=1462#comment-3852 Caltrain has installed 2 extra racks on one gallery car. The prevailing wisdom is that they are trying it out to see how it works - wisdom based in part on an email discussion with Mark Simon. The story is that the rack is very short - shorter than the other racks - and as such is problematic to rack your bikes to it. But this train is like a "Great White Whale" - you've heard it exists but never saw it yourself nor do you have any proof. Would it be that hard for Caltrain to notify the major passenger stakeholders and arrange a time for us to look at it? Perhaps even look at the rack before money was spent to install it and save Caltrain a few bucks? They certainly know how to get a hold of the SFBC and SVBC. Caltrain has installed 2 extra racks on one gallery car. The prevailing wisdom is that they are trying it out to see how it works – wisdom based in part on an email discussion with Mark Simon.

The story is that the rack is very short – shorter than the other racks – and as such is problematic to rack your bikes to it.

But this train is like a “Great White Whale” – you’ve heard it exists but never saw it yourself nor do you have any proof. Would it be that hard for Caltrain to notify the major passenger stakeholders and arrange a time for us to look at it? Perhaps even look at the rack before money was spent to install it and save Caltrain a few bucks? They certainly know how to get a hold of the SFBC and SVBC.

]]> By: murphstahoe http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/02/04/caltrain-to-present-plan-to-increase-bicycle-capacity/comment-page-1/#comment-3517 murphstahoe Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:10:52 +0000 http://sf.streetsblog.org/?p=1462#comment-3517 Final Tally - Caltrain will immediately begin ordering racks to increase Bombardier cars to 24 bike spaces and gallery cars to 40 spaces. The bike car will stay as the cab car, so 2 bike car consists will have 48 or 80 slots. This will still be "random" but Chuck Harvey said Caltrain will "try" to schedule them for peak cars. The initial proposal was actually for more capacity - 32 on the bombs but the cyclist in attendance all protested that this produces a disincentive to take your bike on board as it presents a theft risk. The push was for the board to review the proposal first. Scanlon gets major props for responding that this would serve as a delay so why don't we order the racks, put the racks in the gallery cars as specified, put one set of racks into the bombs leaving 11 seats but expanding capacity, then see if we can resolve the theft issue. Personally I was very happy with the result. If you look back a year and recall that Caltrain was insisting there would be NO additional capacity, it shows that perserverance, organization, and hard work can get things through even a public sector organization. Final Tally – Caltrain will immediately begin ordering racks to increase Bombardier cars to 24 bike spaces and gallery cars to 40 spaces. The bike car will stay as the cab car, so 2 bike car consists will have 48 or 80 slots. This will still be “random” but Chuck Harvey said Caltrain will “try” to schedule them for peak cars.

The initial proposal was actually for more capacity – 32 on the bombs but the cyclist in attendance all protested that this produces a disincentive to take your bike on board as it presents a theft risk. The push was for the board to review the proposal first. Scanlon gets major props for responding that this would serve as a delay so why don’t we order the racks, put the racks in the gallery cars as specified, put one set of racks into the bombs leaving 11 seats but expanding capacity, then see if we can resolve the theft issue.

Personally I was very happy with the result. If you look back a year and recall that Caltrain was insisting there would be NO additional capacity, it shows that perserverance, organization, and hard work can get things through even a public sector organization.

]]> By: pat giorni http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/02/04/caltrain-to-present-plan-to-increase-bicycle-capacity/comment-page-1/#comment-3500 pat giorni Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:22:19 +0000 http://sf.streetsblog.org/?p=1462#comment-3500 I will be leaving my front door in B'game at 8am and look forward to meeting up with your entourage along the way. I am afraid I never use the train to those monthly JPB meetings because I can't afford to bumped as that would mean missing the all important 1 minute Public Comment at the top of the agenda! If you should happen to be aboard, wave as you go by me as I dodge the deluge. I will be leaving my front door in B’game at 8am and look forward to meeting up with your entourage along the way. I am afraid I never use the train to those monthly JPB meetings because I can’t afford to bumped as that would mean missing the all important 1 minute Public Comment at the top of the agenda! If you should happen to be aboard, wave as you go by me as I dodge the deluge.

]]> By: murphstahoe http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/02/04/caltrain-to-present-plan-to-increase-bicycle-capacity/comment-page-1/#comment-3484 murphstahoe Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:40:46 +0000 http://sf.streetsblog.org/?p=1462#comment-3484 In theory I am leading a ride from 4th/King Caltrain at 7 AM tomorrow, meeting at Warm Planet. We'll take a nominally flat route to San Carlos, no rider left behind. That said, hopefully it rains tomorrow, in which case I'll still be there but take the train down. http://holierthanyou.blogspot.com/2009/01/bike-to-caltrain-jpb-meeting-day.html In theory I am leading a ride from 4th/King Caltrain at 7 AM tomorrow, meeting at Warm Planet. We’ll take a nominally flat route to San Carlos, no rider left behind.

That said, hopefully it rains tomorrow, in which case I’ll still be there but take the train down.

http://holierthanyou.blogspot.com/2009/01/bike-to-caltrain-jpb-meeting-day.html

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