Today’s Headlines

  • Caltrans May Open Bike Path to Yerba Buena this Weekend (KQED)
  • More on Low Income Bike Share Program (SFExaminer)
  • Tree Plantings in Alamo Square (Hoodline)
  • Demand Pricing for Parking Meters (Hoodline)
  • Better Bus Service Coming to San Francisco (BizTimes)
  • More on N-Judah Shuttle (SFExaminer)
  • Newsom Back on Board with Rail Modernization (EastBayTimes)
  • Menlo Park Candidates Talk Trains (Almanac)
  • Santa Clara Measure B for Road and Transit Improvements (MercNews)
  • Commentary: Yes on RR/BART Bond (Examiner)
  • Commentary: Yes on L for SFMTA Oversight (SFChron)
  • Commentary: Support Mill Valley Measure H for Street Improvements (MarinIJ)

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Get national headlines at Streetsblog USA

  • lunartree

    > Commentary: Yes on L for SFMTA Oversight

    Notice all of their arguments have a NIMBY edge. They don’t want more oversight on Muni. They want to break the checks and balances of our system to stagnate transit progress. Campos was motived to support this when he discovered he didn’t have the leverage to stop the bus lanes in the Mission. We can’t do this.

  • Bruce

    The BRT article is behind a paywall.

  • Joe Brant

    What are your opinions on Santa Clara Measure B?

  • Patrick Devine

    I’m really struggling with it. The Caltrain funds for grade separation would be great… but at the expense of more traffic on freeways/expressways? Also, I’m completely baffled by the Santa Clara BART extension which doubles the Caltrain line to San Jose. What’s the purpose of that?

  • RichLL

    “I’m completely baffled by the Santa Clara BART extension which doubles the Caltrain line to San Jose. What’s the purpose of that?”

    Two reasons I would guess:

    1) Santa Clara has a free shuttle bus to SJC airport, so this would enable people in the East Bay to more easily get to SJC.

    2) An eventual extension of BART from Santa Clara to Milbrae would “complete the circle” of BART around the Bay, and perhaps enable CalTrain to be decommission thereby ensuring HSR has a dedicated right of way.

  • Joe Brant

    1.) Why not have a shuttle bus from Diridon then? It will be a major rail hub and closer to downtown too.

    2.) Caltrain passes through the major Peninsula downtowns, which makes it more suitable for regional rail than any other corridor. Finally, after BART is extended there already will be a continuous ring of rail transit around the bay. Caltrain should be improved, not decommissioned.

  • RichLL

    1) You should ask Caltrain. There is currently a free SJC shuttle from Santa Clara Caltrain station but not from Diridon. The same logic would apply – presumably they want to catch people who need to travel south to SJC as well.

    2) It’s my understanding that it has always been part of the long-term plan for BART for it to encircle the Bay. I’ve certainly seen maps indicating that intention.

    And BART from San Jose to Milbrae could also serve those same towns, or perhaps some different ones, or maybe the major tech centers there.

    Either way, Caltrain would not necessarily be decommissioned when BART is built out. It just becomes a possibility, especially if Caltrain is messing up HSR with which it will share tracks, thereby condemning HSR to be not very HS.

  • I think this discussion is an excellent chance to point out that the Bay Area has too many competing transit agencies that are missing crucial areas and connection points.

    First of all, we’re stuck with BART’s wide gauge system. It’s not going to go away. So, the bigger question is do we continue to invest in this system in the greater Bay Area, or work around it with other standard gauge rail systems? With the extension to SJ, it seems to me that the former should happen, but given that HSR plans to use the Caltrain ROW and Caltrain has a long-standing agreement to allow freight runs on its tracks, these present serious hurdles for Caltrain replacement with BART since both use standard gauge rail. However, there are dual-gauge systems in the world so it can be done.

    In addition to a ring around the bay, replacing Caltrain with BART could also bring additional lines to SF and the Bay Area. For example, using the Dumbarton Bridge to connect San Mateo County with the East Bay. BART could also use the now vacant 3rd track at SFO as a terminus for another line that runs to the South Bay. BART could run skip/stop lines during rush, like the Bay Bullet currently does. BART could run a line that follows Caltrain north of Millbrae into downtown SF and up Geary with connections at Bayshore (MUNI) and 4th/Townsend and additional stations in/around Candlestick Park, Potrero Hill/Dogpatch. El Camino Real, currently a strip mall for most of its length, could see some incredible transit-oriented development around the nearby stations.

    As for HSR, it we have a robust Bay Area transit network in place do we really need all the fanfare of HSR to downtown SF or can we call it a day at Diridon? With the proposed peninsula route, It’s not like the East Bay will see a HSR station.

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