Yesterdays summit meeting to save Caltrain (organized by the Friends of Caltrain; see: Friends of Caltrain seeks to save Peninsula train service from death spiral) was a hubbub of ideas to save and restructure the service. The same few steps were repeated by nearly every speaker. The first priority is emergency funding required ensure service levels are protected, and later steps would be taken to ensure Caltrain has a secure funding source for long term stability.
One might want to step back to see the bigger picture first. Is Caltrain required, at all? It has a nearly 150 year history along the Peninsula, but maybe the automobile is king and rail should be left to the dustbin of history. Many will say such a thing but to follow that route is a highway to traffic congestion, ugly highways, pollution, and many other problems. Someone commuting in their car may not see Caltrain's value and resent the money spent on it. But the congestion reduction from train riders who are not driving makes car drivers lives easier. Caltrain in particular formed the fabric of the SF Peninsula, has for generations provided transit services, and its clear some sort of rail system should continue to play an important role in the Peninsula's life structure. Whether the trains are labeled with the Caltrain name, and whether they're the current diesel powered locomotives, are all open to debate.
Congresswoman Jackie Speier suggested "you have a real challenge here, but I really believe you're up to it" and that "this is not an easy task, but we don't engage in this process because it's easy, but because there are problems to solve." She went on to lay out a series of steps the first of which was "likely to be a reduction in service because often times we don't know what we have until it starts to shrink (or go away)". The second stage is educating the public about the service, its role within the regional transit system and the services effectiveness. Eventually she envisions a dedicated tax revenue stream to support Caltrain.
Sierra Club Executive Director, Michael Brune, also spoke (he lives nearby). He claimed that "a lot of people around the country are really counting on what happens here today," referring to the need to break dependence on oil. While Caltrain is driven with diesel, there is a plan to electrify the service. A large portion of greenhouse gas emissions are due to the use of oil, most of which is used in transportation. He said "there are two ways to solve this problem, the first is to come up with the best policy solution" and he agreed with Congressoman Speier's call for some kind of permanent tax to fund Caltrain. He also said "Sierra Club will stand with Congresswoman Speier behind any of those solutions which will secure a permanent dedicated funding for Caltrain". The second thing we have to do is to organize, not just to save Caltrain but to make it thrive.
Clem Tillier, a blogger covering the compatibility of Caltrain and the High Speed Rail plan, gave a detailed engineering oriented presentation on what it will take to increase traffic on the Caltrain line. While the Baby Bullet trains created an express service which cuts down travel time, its implementation left Caltrain running at what he claimed is 100% saturation. Adding more trains means re-implementing the scheme of fast trains passing slow trains, and he suggested a mid-point area where some passing lanes could be built. He, and many others, also described how electrifying Caltrain would also give faster service because modern electric trains accelerate faster than current diesel trains. The claim is that better service will increase popularity, giving higher ridership. Clem closed by suggesting "Plan B(ART)". Namely, it might be better for Caltrain (as a brand and organization) to dissolve, paint the trains in grey (BART's branding), and have Caltrain run as a BART service rather than its own seperate service.
Carli Paine, of Transform, talked at length about the benefits of dense walkable communities like those who exist in proximity with each of the Caltrain stops. Continuing Caltrain serves many goals the SF Bay Area has. She asked whether the solution would just be about Caltrain. Other transit agencies are also suffering, and it's possible to join forces region-wide for regional transit planning and funding. Paine also suggested parking fees or tolls to use the US 101 high occupancy lanes and dedicated payroll taxes.
At an earlier summit, State Assemblyman Jim Beall (D-San Jose) said "We should get rid of some of these organizations. We need a regional source of funding for a regional agency."
Dr. Shirley Johnson, director of the Bikes On Board project of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, described how they believe increasing bicycle ridership would increase revenue. There's a whole sub-culture of bicycle commuters taking Caltrain, and bicycles are an excellent "last mile" solution to cover the distance between the train station and the riders destination. Those making the bicycle/train lifestyle choice are very loyal to that decision, and it's easily observed that the Caltrain bicycle cars are overwhelmed with use while the other cars are not so heavily used. Bicycle capacity on Caltrain is already full (during commute hours) and bicycle riders are routinely bumped. Hence, it's pretty obvious that increased bicycle capacity would increase ridership and revenue.
One idea buzzing around is a 10 cent gasoline tax. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has legal authority to put a gasoline tax on the ballot, but it would requires a 2/3rds majority to enact. Polling suggests that there's only 60% support for a new tax. Maybe education and outreach will change some opinions? On-board wifi service is a modern necessity and may shift some drivers to train commute.
While there's a wide range of possible solutions, the tone of yesterdays meeting appeared dedicated to preserving not just rail service along the Peninsula, but also Caltrain's role in providing that service. The concept of merging agencies to create a regional transit authority was not in significant discussion. The ideas discussed were well thought out, and sound. A key idea is to increase public education and awareness, make the service more compelling, so that it plays an even larger role in the community.
See:
The Future of Caltrain, without HSR
Merge transit agencies, 'Save California Summit' told
Reduce Cuts - Add Capacity and Caltrain Bikes on Board - SF Bike Coalition
Comments
The envri nuts its always the same TAX TAX TAX ,all these goody to shoes .
Oh gee we must not increase CO2, the Sierra club and all it's associated screw ball organizations along with the Unions have destroyed this state.
They managed to make it one of the most unfriendly states for business,farming etc.Hows that 12.4% unemployment look,they should all be looking in the mirror.
Thanks for the opportunity to express my feelings.
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