Please, please, please have the BART Long Term Metro Study (Bay Area Rapid Transit -- Hello!) scope include studying the cost/benefit and huge capacity increase that would come if BART closes the 21 mile Peninsula gap between Millbrae and the future terminus at Santa Clara/University.
Caltrain is at capacity and has proven 55,000 riders per day, with more Peninsula Corridor density in planning Only BART can address such high-density Smart Growth/Sustainable Communities Strategy vertical growth sprawl.
A key option to keep costs down, benefits up, is to replace the dangerous, deadly (11 dead this year, 23 since last year's start, and 199 since 1/1/1995) Peninsula Caltrain at-grade "kill train." BART has all the features of proposed Caltrain improvements, with electrified, grade-separated, savings by having only one Bay Area heavy rail administration, reduced Caltrain SF SoMa footprint and TBT docks for BART, no longer Caltrain, and, by being around the Bay (as per Perata's suggestion, 09-26-13), gain more transit efficiency for taxpayers and riders.
Enabled two-way BART Around the Bay greatly improves BART capacity and alternative routing of BART cars for incident recovery/avoidance. BART can share most Peninsula rail corridor ROW with HSR/Freight trains separate tracks (of course), with some, but limited need for more ROW acquisition/eminent domain, or, as part of the Peninsula Grand Blvd (El Camino Real) project corridor study, above or below ground level.
The Long Term BART Metro Study must consider the full loop of BART Around The Bay to save tax dollars in the long-term, increase TOD use, reduce congestion (Caltrain delays 100,000 cars each day--at least), reduce GHG and brake particulates, and increase pedestrian, cyclist and cross-traffic safety. The SF Bay Area needs one-seat heavy rail 24-hr high capacity, modern, electrified, grade-separated, safe rail, like many major US and EU cities. That means BART. After all, now even Santa Clara and San Mateo County residents are paying sales taxes for BART--but those in the 21 mile gap from Millbrae and Santa Clara are not getting their moneys worth!
Plan to Build BART Around The Bay, Now!
Omar
Friday, September 27, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
Stanford Dance and community Arts leader, Susan Cashion, whose death at Palo Alto, California's Charleston Rd crossing is the third death by Caltrain this year at theCharleston Rd crossing. Whether by all-to-easy suicide for those, hopefully temporarily depressed, or by accident, is yet another sorrowful death in the too-long history of the surface level, 1863 trackage that is outmoded and outdated, but serves, sorry to say, as the 30 year placeholder for High Speed Rail up the Peninsula. Both Gov Jerry Brown and local politician, long-time HSR train leader, Rod Diridon Sr, admitted on the air, KCBS "Meet the Press" and KBAY Sunday 6:00am show that they have been working to bring High Speed Rail "for 30 years" Despite my pleas over the past two years to Palo Alto, Menlo, and Mountain View city councils, Caltrain and Santa Clara County VTA and other politicians and groups to beg, plead, urge these govt orgs to at least start the 15 year or so process to bring the far safer BART (yes, still some suicides, but far fewer), electrified and grade-separated, non-congesting, non-polluting, high-capacity, efficient trains, down the last 28 miles from Millbrae, through Burlingame, San Mateo (Bay Meadows Devel), Hillsdale Shopping Ctr, Stanford+ Palo Alto etc to join with BART's planned station in SCU. This final Bay Area loop closure will save lives and tie all these Bay Area universities, shooping districts, sports venues and our communities together far safer. Yet, not one of the Democrat-controlled bodies or Democrat members in the Democrat monopoly of elected officials has dared to look to bring BART down (despite the thousands of jobs and access it will bring) and virtually eliminate such sad events and losses to the community as Susan's and so many others, from a Pay Pal executive, to a County employee caught on the tracks between cars, to even Democrat-activist visitors from Indiana, unfamiliar with the deadly Caltrain tracks, who panicked during the 30 seconds it took for the train to hit and kill her from when the first gate movement and flashing lights started. The truly sad reason for keeping this train, and blocking BART coming down is because every Democrat, backed by the labor unions and misguided Sierra Club (offshoot "Friends of Caltrain") with its now-big business/high Density developer and High Density Builder focus, want to use the same-width Caltrain tracks (BART's are different) irrespective of the financial, community, or killings (both human and astray animals on its tracks) horrible impacts.
Politics and Democrat campaign support payoffs are more important than the safety of those who cross the tracks to local politicians, San Jose and Peninsula city councils, and state (Gordon, Hill--worst of the worst!), Beall, Yee, Simitian, etc) and federal legislators (Speier, Eshoo, Honda, Lofgren). Susan's death is the 9th this year 2013, the 21st since 1/1/2012, 197th since 1995, yet no one cares enough to overcome this stupidity with the better, safer BART alternative to plug into for whoe intra-regional transit benefit. Please help stop these tragedies by writing your local legislators, newspaper letters and Online Comments and Patch. I with others plan to be at the next regular Palo Alto City Council Public Comment on Monday, 9/9/13, 7:00pm to ask, plead, again (probably to no avail without lots of help from local residents) to stop this tragic, politically-inspired, payoff that keeps Caltrain for future HSR on its deadly tracks. .
My sympathies for her loved ones and those that knew and benefited from Susan's wonderful life. Perhaps this tragedy will be a catalyst for change from this deadly 75mph Caltrain that races through our streets and neighborhoods at ground level. In the 15 years or so of aggressive planning and fund search, another 160 persons, at least, can be anticipated to die on the Caltrain Killtrain tracks, at the current years' death rates by accidents (60%) and suicides (40%). So much suffering, only for political cause, Democrats HSR desire. Tragic, just tragic insensitivity. How many more must die?
I will post this on my BARTAroundThe Bay blogspot. Omar
Politics and Democrat campaign support payoffs are more important than the safety of those who cross the tracks to local politicians, San Jose and Peninsula city councils, and state (Gordon, Hill--worst of the worst!), Beall, Yee, Simitian, etc) and federal legislators (Speier, Eshoo, Honda, Lofgren). Susan's death is the 9th this year 2013, the 21st since 1/1/2012, 197th since 1995, yet no one cares enough to overcome this stupidity with the better, safer BART alternative to plug into for whoe intra-regional transit benefit. Please help stop these tragedies by writing your local legislators, newspaper letters and Online Comments and Patch. I with others plan to be at the next regular Palo Alto City Council Public Comment on Monday, 9/9/13, 7:00pm to ask, plead, again (probably to no avail without lots of help from local residents) to stop this tragic, politically-inspired, payoff that keeps Caltrain for future HSR on its deadly tracks. .
My sympathies for her loved ones and those that knew and benefited from Susan's wonderful life. Perhaps this tragedy will be a catalyst for change from this deadly 75mph Caltrain that races through our streets and neighborhoods at ground level. In the 15 years or so of aggressive planning and fund search, another 160 persons, at least, can be anticipated to die on the Caltrain Killtrain tracks, at the current years' death rates by accidents (60%) and suicides (40%). So much suffering, only for political cause, Democrats HSR desire. Tragic, just tragic insensitivity. How many more must die?
I will post this on my BARTAroundThe Bay blogspot. Omar
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
More on why BART must replace Caltrain...August 29, 2013 Sixth Palo Alto death in 1 year. Ms Cashion, Charleston
The Caltrain (Killtrain) / HSR monies that were approved this week by Governor Jerry Brown in Senate Bill 557 authored by the S.F. Peninsula's Supreme Hypocrite State Senator Jerry Hill's, should instead have gone to extend BART through Burlingame and into north San Mateo, as another step to the new Bay Meadows housing and other Corridor TODs, the expanding Bohanan Hillsdale Shopping Center, and Stanford University/Palo Alto enroute to its complete S.F. Bay Area loop closure at the future Santa Clara University (SCU) station.
The Headline-a-week, Grandstander-Par Excellance Jerry Hill (and to a lesser degree, other Caltrain/HSR union labor supported Democrats) are quick to submit legislation to prevent future limousine (5 dead) deaths and San Bruno (8 dead) deaths, and, even expresses concern for the suicides of 18 San Quentin Death Row murderer's. Yet, Hill has been not only served on, but also presided over, as Chair, the Caltrain killer train board of directors for years. Hill, Congresswoman Speier (a Congresswoman who has built her whole public career on sympathies that she leverages at election time from the deaths around her: her former Congressman boss, Leo Ryan in Jonestown, her first husband, a surgeon killed on El Camino by an uninsured motorist, gun deaths legislation, and, with incredible chutzpah, in the latest election year, 2012, Speier announced that she had her fetus, a baby-to-be, killed in her womb by abortion that she, a busy Congresswoman, had to have performed "for her health."
Caltrain locomotive #925 is emblazoned with her name for her years-long support--and callous disregard for the human lives Caltrain has taken over the years.
Tragic all the way around.
Indeed, the Democrat/union monopolistic lock on SF Bay Area politics, Hill, Speier, Mullin, Gordon, Eshoo, Beall, Tisser, etc. fight for the killer Caltrain, now a formal placeholder for HSR and Corridor high-density and higher property taxes, while over 200 people have been killed by this train over most of these politicians' political career's that started in the early 1990's. The Democrats consistent callous disregard for human life in this Caltrain+HSR corridor, defines political hypocrisy at its worst, creating the HSR Altar of Death on its standard gauge tracks. BART tracks have a different width than Caltrain/HSR, thus, BART is safer because of the unique BART Bay Area closed circuit high-capacity, grade-separated, electrified, intra-regional trackage.
The Headline-a-week, Grandstander-Par Excellance Jerry Hill (and to a lesser degree, other Caltrain/HSR union labor supported Democrats) are quick to submit legislation to prevent future limousine (5 dead) deaths and San Bruno (8 dead) deaths, and, even expresses concern for the suicides of 18 San Quentin Death Row murderer's. Yet, Hill has been not only served on, but also presided over, as Chair, the Caltrain killer train board of directors for years. Hill, Congresswoman Speier (a Congresswoman who has built her whole public career on sympathies that she leverages at election time from the deaths around her: her former Congressman boss, Leo Ryan in Jonestown, her first husband, a surgeon killed on El Camino by an uninsured motorist, gun deaths legislation, and, with incredible chutzpah, in the latest election year, 2012, Speier announced that she had her fetus, a baby-to-be, killed in her womb by abortion that she, a busy Congresswoman, had to have performed "for her health."
Caltrain locomotive #925 is emblazoned with her name for her years-long support--and callous disregard for the human lives Caltrain has taken over the years.
Tragic all the way around.
Indeed, the Democrat/union monopolistic lock on SF Bay Area politics, Hill, Speier, Mullin, Gordon, Eshoo, Beall, Tisser, etc. fight for the killer Caltrain, now a formal placeholder for HSR and Corridor high-density and higher property taxes, while over 200 people have been killed by this train over most of these politicians' political career's that started in the early 1990's. The Democrats consistent callous disregard for human life in this Caltrain+HSR corridor, defines political hypocrisy at its worst, creating the HSR Altar of Death on its standard gauge tracks. BART tracks have a different width than Caltrain/HSR, thus, BART is safer because of the unique BART Bay Area closed circuit high-capacity, grade-separated, electrified, intra-regional trackage.
The Senate Bill 557 $600M are only for Caltrain EU-like electrification, not grade separations, thus 100,000 motorists and even more people (passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians) continue to be delayed each day as each of the many Caltrains pass at-grade intersections, adding thousands of hours delay and adding tons of Caltrain congestion-generated pollutants into the atmosphere that we breath.
We can be sure that Caltrain cost overruns will occur as with most train capital projects. In the future, the planned San Jose Downtown "Grand Central" Station is already planned for BART, like the SF TBT, thus saving more millions by removing the need for separate station platform and amenities for the outdated surface-level Caltrain commuter train killer. The $600M and more, should be spent to extend BART south into and past Burlingame into north San Mateo, and, from the south into downtown San Jose enroute to the joint terminus SCU station.
After all, both San Mateo and Santa Clara County have sales taxes, the latter more than one tax, to fund BART now!
We can be sure that Caltrain cost overruns will occur as with most train capital projects. In the future, the planned San Jose Downtown "Grand Central" Station is already planned for BART, like the SF TBT, thus saving more millions by removing the need for separate station platform and amenities for the outdated surface-level Caltrain commuter train killer. The $600M and more, should be spent to extend BART south into and past Burlingame into north San Mateo, and, from the south into downtown San Jose enroute to the joint terminus SCU station.
After all, both San Mateo and Santa Clara County have sales taxes, the latter more than one tax, to fund BART now!
Unlike Pittsburgh or Philadelphia or New Jersey or most of Southern California, Caltrain commuter-type surface trains don't belong here any longer. Because BART around the Bay is a very realistic, safer, grade-separated, congestion-free, single-seat (fewer transfers) and more feature-rich alternative that serves many SF Bay Area residents already, completing it as the Bay Area backbone, heavy rail, high capacity closed loop railway passenger system requires only a relatively short distance remaining to be built.
With the known planning of millions of more square footage and higher density development near and adjacent to the Peninsula (now-Caltrain) Corridor each year, only BART's two-way Bay Area loop operation can meet the upcoming demand. The Peninsula's US 101 is simply too congested. US101 has reached width capacity in most communities. Major right-of way (ROW) expansion to handle this urban (Smart Growth/Sustainable Living Strategy/Agenda 21/OBAP) densification into local communities by eminent domain will likely result in significant disruption and protest.
With the known planning of millions of more square footage and higher density development near and adjacent to the Peninsula (now-Caltrain) Corridor each year, only BART's two-way Bay Area loop operation can meet the upcoming demand. The Peninsula's US 101 is simply too congested. US101 has reached width capacity in most communities. Major right-of way (ROW) expansion to handle this urban (Smart Growth/Sustainable Living Strategy/Agenda 21/OBAP) densification into local communities by eminent domain will likely result in significant disruption and protest.
History clearly demonstrates that more human (and animal) deaths will occur proportionally over time on Caltrain tracks rather than BART, if human deaths are a matter of concern at all to Caltrain+HSR bigot-advocates, such as the human-subordinating, high density development organizations like the Sierra Club, TransForm, SPUR, etc. (despite their misguided, well-intentioned efforts).
In discussing the Peninsula Corridor with a retired Caltrain engineer, many domestic and wildlife animals are slaughtered on these tracks by Caltrains as well. He estimates that the Caltrains that he has operated over the years have run over an estimated 60 dogs, other animals, and carillon-eating wildlife during his career when they, too, could not get out of the way of his fast moving surface-level Caltrain. Where are the animal activists?
Too, note that BART Around The Bay (BAB) eliminates the need to rebuild the Dumbarton Rail bridge and, better yet, enable the removal of the old, decaying former rail bridge piers that have stood since 1910 in the midst of the South Bay's Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge. Then, the Refuge can be fully restored back to its pre-1910 natural purity since BAB will serve the same communities this additional surface-level Dumbarton Caltrain Rail system would have served, but with no human or animal deaths nor new congestion along the planned route from the East Bay to Redwood City.
In discussing the Peninsula Corridor with a retired Caltrain engineer, many domestic and wildlife animals are slaughtered on these tracks by Caltrains as well. He estimates that the Caltrains that he has operated over the years have run over an estimated 60 dogs, other animals, and carillon-eating wildlife during his career when they, too, could not get out of the way of his fast moving surface-level Caltrain. Where are the animal activists?
Too, note that BART Around The Bay (BAB) eliminates the need to rebuild the Dumbarton Rail bridge and, better yet, enable the removal of the old, decaying former rail bridge piers that have stood since 1910 in the midst of the South Bay's Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge. Then, the Refuge can be fully restored back to its pre-1910 natural purity since BAB will serve the same communities this additional surface-level Dumbarton Caltrain Rail system would have served, but with no human or animal deaths nor new congestion along the planned route from the East Bay to Redwood City.
So, how much are human lives worth, particularly those by accident or those suffering a temporary depression that would not have resulted in suicide had the Killtrain been more difficult to access where Caltrain crosses at grade level at 50-75 mph, such as Charleston, Menlo Park, Sunnyvale, Burlingame, San Mateo streets?
Note that many deaths, suicide and accidents don't occur at intersections, but easy-to-access, street-level, walk-on, at-grade Caltrain tracks.
Note that many deaths, suicide and accidents don't occur at intersections, but easy-to-access, street-level, walk-on, at-grade Caltrain tracks.
Recall, that despite "the way we've already done it", i.e. Caltrain, in this supposedly Innovative Bay Area, BART would be one-seat around the Bay as Transit Mobility must accomplish to compete with the two automobile one-seat freeway loops that exist around the Bay.
I believe that the investment in BART while seemingly more expensive short-term, has huge savings and benefits long-term (all the above, plus one set of administration, equipment, and maintenance requirements), single-design capital costs, especially if the Caltrans ROW can be used. The ROW is already govt-owned. human life takings, reduced cars on the roads, reduced pollution, fewer GHG, better air quality, and better SF Bay Area Transit Mobility to handle growth with BART facilities' already huge SF Bay Area reach and proven ridership that serves so many Bay Area constituencies noted above.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Why is BART inherently better than an electrified and grade-separated Caltrain?
The above question was made In a Reply to my SF KCBS online Comment (08-29-13) about the latest female pedestrian death-by-Caltrain at Charleston Rd in Palo Alto, Ca, the third this year here, by KCBS reader, Matt Laroche
My Reply to Matt about why BART Around the Bay makes more sense is, as follows:
The above question was made In a Reply to my SF KCBS online Comment (08-29-13) about the latest female pedestrian death-by-Caltrain at Charleston Rd in Palo Alto, Ca, the third this year here, by KCBS reader, Matt Laroche
My Reply to Matt about why BART Around the Bay makes more sense is, as follows:
-One seat (no or few transfers) to get to most Bay Area near-track venues.
-More difficult for suicide prone/depressed people to access tracks, since more of BART tracks are above or below ground level. Caltrain grade crossings are generally short and the track is easier to access, e.g. fewer suicides per rider/per station, per track mileage,etc
-Frees up precious SF land that a no-Caltrain (sob, sob for Caltrain aficionados) solution affords by consolidating upper Peninsula trackage onto BART for SF Mayor Lee's desired construction in high-value SoMa area.
--Eliminates over $2Billion in scarce (currently unfunded) transit $ by no longer require tunnel to TransBay Terminal(TBT), nor one way docks or turnarounds that Peninsula-only Caltrain requires....BART is already planned in the TBT with turnarounds...and can use the now-planned Caltrain docks/stations for the increased volume--with standard BART equipment.
--Avoids the costs of a whole duplicate unique, boutique, Caltrain Peninsula train system, with its unique stations, capital needs, maintenance equipment, parts, and specially trained workers and administrative staff (admin staff eliminated!), by standardizing around BART as a holistic intra-regional core mass transit rail system, much as freeways serve cars in the road system.
--The approximate $8 Billion to close the last 28 mile gap, based on the current cost to extend BART into SJ, including intracity higher cost elements. Federal funds for rail gap closures are far easier to attain than new heavy rail starts.
--Safer, not just for suicides, but when/if HSR comes up, because BART requires a different track width, its closed circuit, closed loop single track width prohibits sharing track with the statutory nightly freight trains, the 2 speeds of Caltrain Local and Express (75mph), and the higher speed HSR, i.e., three train operations and entities running 4 different train sets on the same train tracks, especially the 2-track only sections is a prescription for real disaster. BART likely heavy passenger utilization is thus not in that deadly mix, per the recent HSR and Express train accidents that have occurred in Europe and China and other Asia countries, despite rail safety equipment (positive train control (PCT)) and procedures.
Give it some quiet-time thought for a while. Think about BART capability as a future backbone rail bay area transit efficiency project politicians need to start to study asap given the 15 year effort to make this one-seat transit solution to connect so many bay area venues while automatically adding huge two-way bay area circular capacity to the one, safe regional rail system that all counties are now paying taxes to support, indeed, both trains.
-Only BART's intra-regional single-seat transit mobility offering, covering the South Bay and Peninsula where Caltrain exclusively runs now, will make a very real difference in reducing and mitigating expected SF Bay Area automobile, truck, motorcycle, etc congestion on our roads -- make freeway and intercity roads that much safer. Recall that famed Pulitzer Prized New York author, commentator, lecturer was killed in a car accident en route from Stanford University back to UC Berkeley, in part, I am convinced, because no efficient, single seat rail transit system capability existed, as exists in New York, Boston, Washington, and other cities around the world. The SF Bay Area deserves an effective and efficient, interconnected, single inter-regional, grade-separated, non-congestion-causing, safer, electrified (already is!!!!) backbone heavy rail system as BART has demonstrated works for us already.
-BART will be getting new cars by the time Caltrain can be replaced for use on a future SJ to SF trackage.
-BART has many miles of parallel pedestrian and bicycle trails. With BART right-of-way, a safe, non-street 60 mile bikeway and trail can be built adjacent to it to connect to SF and SJ's expanding bike routes as well as with many intersecting trails that reach to the Bay, the Ocean, and City trails. Caltrain cannot do that because it is only on the Peninsula, but also these heavy trains, including future electric Caltrains (if that wasteful spending continues) raise too much dirt and dust onto any adjacent trail--as each Caltrain passes (one can see this today), unlike BART, for example, South San Francisco or El Cerrito's BART/Bicycle/Pedestrian proven configuration. Thus, BART supports Sustainable Living and Smart Growth Walkable Communities strategy (and access this funding).
[end, for now]
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Today's death at Caltrain Palo Alto, California's Charleston Road Caltrain Commuter train tracks of an elderly pedestrian has some people commenting on the web that the victims are "stupid". This is callous. It clearly indicates that such comment authors have little personal experience nor feelings about the causes and impacts of such deaths by (Democrat monopoly) government-run and subsidized outdated surface trainsets in our midst. I ask the writers to please not be so insensitive, if they can help it.
I go to some of these Caltrain death scenes afterwards to politely "picket" to raise awareness of the need to replace this inherently dangerous, unhealthy, (GHG and brake particulate) and 100k cars of daily cross-traffic polluting, noise-making, congesting, HSR placeholder trains on the 1863 vintage street-level trackway--when the Peninsula was absolutely rural. Relatives and friends of Caltrain's deceased victims--and some related to at-risk potential victims come up to me to express the reality of this deadly, outdated trains on them. Caltrain deaths are not a matter of being "stupid". Far more.
Caltrain just spent another of our $1M to re-time signals at this and other intersections "for safety". Grossly Insensitive Peninsula Democrat elected officials, many of who served on the Caltrain governing board during their careers, simply cannot bring themselves to review this dangerous train in our midst that has killed so many and will continue to until it is replaced. The worse of the worst is the hypocrite, San Bruno PG&E Blast Headline-a-week GrandStander Par Excellence, State Senator Jerry Hill, who refuses to do anything, but authorize more $$ to perpetuate this Caltrain killer train monster rather than move to consider safer BART down the Peninsula. This week Hypocrite Hill's bill to solidify electrification of Caltrain's/HSR-funded ($600Million+) outdatedness went to Gov Jerry Brown, a rail zealot at any cost. This is like "perfuming the pig" or developing a new horse-buttock attachment for a horse drawn buggy to catch its fecal outflow to make streets cleaner and "safer". The latest $1M "safety" improvement did is lengthen cross traffic and parallel road (Alma) idle wait times and GHG exhaust from delayed vehicles--but nothing to stop this carnage. Indeed, this is the third death here at Charleston in the past year, the 9th this year on the Caltrain trackage, and the 197th since 1995 when my count started.
Not one of the Democrat politicians who "care" so much has ever lifted even a pinky to investigate bringing safer BART down the Peninsula to the current planned, and safer, terminus at Santa Clara University, despite the sales taxes we pay now for BART.
Note: BART has suicides, but far fewer and far far fewer deadly accidents than this incredibly dangerous 75mph Caltrain "mini-bullet train" that kills so many on its trackage so fast, in addition to the regular, slower "local" Caltrain runs. BART's top speed is about the same as Caltrain's Express trains--but separated from people!
It is time now to start planning to replace Caltrain with BART, the last 28 miles from Millbrae south to SCU/SJ in this innovative "Silicon Valley" and stop these stopgap ineffective "safety" improvements. Caltrain has to go away and replace it with the (not perfect, but better) BART Around the Bay (my blog name, too), electric, street-separated, quieter, safer, and mutually beneficial "one-seat" (no transfer) high capacity rail solution around our Bay--true, intraregional mass transit from/to the Peninsula, East Bay, South Bay (soon) and all those sports, education, business/downtowns, shopping centers et al --without a car. Democrat voters have the upper hand to elect responsible new politicians who truly care about our safety, transit capacity effectiveness and modernization to serve us and our growth.
I go to some of these Caltrain death scenes afterwards to politely "picket" to raise awareness of the need to replace this inherently dangerous, unhealthy, (GHG and brake particulate) and 100k cars of daily cross-traffic polluting, noise-making, congesting, HSR placeholder trains on the 1863 vintage street-level trackway--when the Peninsula was absolutely rural. Relatives and friends of Caltrain's deceased victims--and some related to at-risk potential victims come up to me to express the reality of this deadly, outdated trains on them. Caltrain deaths are not a matter of being "stupid". Far more.
Caltrain just spent another of our $1M to re-time signals at this and other intersections "for safety". Grossly Insensitive Peninsula Democrat elected officials, many of who served on the Caltrain governing board during their careers, simply cannot bring themselves to review this dangerous train in our midst that has killed so many and will continue to until it is replaced. The worse of the worst is the hypocrite, San Bruno PG&E Blast Headline-a-week GrandStander Par Excellence, State Senator Jerry Hill, who refuses to do anything, but authorize more $$ to perpetuate this Caltrain killer train monster rather than move to consider safer BART down the Peninsula. This week Hypocrite Hill's bill to solidify electrification of Caltrain's/HSR-funded ($600Million+) outdatedness went to Gov Jerry Brown, a rail zealot at any cost. This is like "perfuming the pig" or developing a new horse-buttock attachment for a horse drawn buggy to catch its fecal outflow to make streets cleaner and "safer". The latest $1M "safety" improvement did is lengthen cross traffic and parallel road (Alma) idle wait times and GHG exhaust from delayed vehicles--but nothing to stop this carnage. Indeed, this is the third death here at Charleston in the past year, the 9th this year on the Caltrain trackage, and the 197th since 1995 when my count started.
Not one of the Democrat politicians who "care" so much has ever lifted even a pinky to investigate bringing safer BART down the Peninsula to the current planned, and safer, terminus at Santa Clara University, despite the sales taxes we pay now for BART.
Note: BART has suicides, but far fewer and far far fewer deadly accidents than this incredibly dangerous 75mph Caltrain "mini-bullet train" that kills so many on its trackage so fast, in addition to the regular, slower "local" Caltrain runs. BART's top speed is about the same as Caltrain's Express trains--but separated from people!
It is time now to start planning to replace Caltrain with BART, the last 28 miles from Millbrae south to SCU/SJ in this innovative "Silicon Valley" and stop these stopgap ineffective "safety" improvements. Caltrain has to go away and replace it with the (not perfect, but better) BART Around the Bay (my blog name, too), electric, street-separated, quieter, safer, and mutually beneficial "one-seat" (no transfer) high capacity rail solution around our Bay--true, intraregional mass transit from/to the Peninsula, East Bay, South Bay (soon) and all those sports, education, business/downtowns, shopping centers et al --without a car. Democrat voters have the upper hand to elect responsible new politicians who truly care about our safety, transit capacity effectiveness and modernization to serve us and our growth.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Considerations for Future BART...BART Around The Bay.
Recall that BART was originally planned and legislated to be around the Bay.
The following Comment was submitted to the Future BART page on Friday, 06-14-13:
BART's Future Plans to consider the long-range ultimate, back to the future, BART Around The Bay as originally envisioned must be resurrected due to the humongous benefit this Complete BART solution provides for bay area transit users and BART's cost-effective efficiency.
Accomplish this wise BART expansion at relatively low cost by replacing Caltrain in the Peninsula Corridor, 15 miles of which from Millbrae to SF has not even upgraded Caltrain to the standard and basic BART grade-separation, electrification, and frequency configuration that BART has.
Investing in Caltrain in the Peninsula, and its Dumbarton Rail resurrection in the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge as yet another intra-regional rail line is a huge WASTE of taxpayer transit subsidy dollars, dollars that can be better used to optimize BART around the whole Bay.
Note: HSR can fund its own needs in or near the Caltrain corridor just as BART can up the Peninsula.
That is, either directly in the Peninsula Corridor or adjacent to it, like the Millbrae, new San Bruno segment. Building three heavy rail systems in the Peninsula is a waste of precious transit dollars on the most expensive type of transit system to both build and operate. Really, only one heavy rail system is needed north of San Jose --that is, BART. HSR can stop at SJ--where Plan Bay Area documents that future growth will occur.
Please see my other blog posts here in: BART AROUND THE BAY for more detail of the advantages of studying closing the last 28 mile BART gap from Millbrae to the planned SJ/Santa Clara terminus, especially rather than more diluting rail investment in the suboptimal Caltrain.
BART efficiency and redundancy in a Complete BART one-seat two-way travel around the bay that could send trains in the opposite direction to bypass one track or tube problem area failure elsewhere, or a future Bay Bridge failure (earthquake), provides a united single backbone arterial high capacity rail system, BART, satisfies the essential transit riders' need for one-seat reliability, cost efficiency, and emergency capabilities--rather than throwing another $5 Billion+ into the wasteful, deadly, disjointed, Caltrain on the Peninsula. This $5 Billion spending of precious transit dollars for Caltrain would wastefully duplicate and delay BART service and investments already, but would be better spent on this original and ever more pressing need for Complete BART around the SF Bay.
Note, too, that Santa Clara County and San Mateo have both voted to sales tax themselves specifically for BART purposes. Santa Clara County residents are paying .375% in two ballot measures that passed, the latest in 2008 by about 67% approval in Palo Alto and Mountain View despite neither community being on a Future BART plan, BART Around The Bay -- yet!
Recall that BART was originally planned and legislated to be around the Bay.
The following Comment was submitted to the Future BART page on Friday, 06-14-13:
BART's Future Plans to consider the long-range ultimate, back to the future, BART Around The Bay as originally envisioned must be resurrected due to the humongous benefit this Complete BART solution provides for bay area transit users and BART's cost-effective efficiency.
Accomplish this wise BART expansion at relatively low cost by replacing Caltrain in the Peninsula Corridor, 15 miles of which from Millbrae to SF has not even upgraded Caltrain to the standard and basic BART grade-separation, electrification, and frequency configuration that BART has.
Investing in Caltrain in the Peninsula, and its Dumbarton Rail resurrection in the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge as yet another intra-regional rail line is a huge WASTE of taxpayer transit subsidy dollars, dollars that can be better used to optimize BART around the whole Bay.
Note: HSR can fund its own needs in or near the Caltrain corridor just as BART can up the Peninsula.
That is, either directly in the Peninsula Corridor or adjacent to it, like the Millbrae, new San Bruno segment. Building three heavy rail systems in the Peninsula is a waste of precious transit dollars on the most expensive type of transit system to both build and operate. Really, only one heavy rail system is needed north of San Jose --that is, BART. HSR can stop at SJ--where Plan Bay Area documents that future growth will occur.
Please see my other blog posts here in: BART AROUND THE BAY for more detail of the advantages of studying closing the last 28 mile BART gap from Millbrae to the planned SJ/Santa Clara terminus, especially rather than more diluting rail investment in the suboptimal Caltrain.
BART efficiency and redundancy in a Complete BART one-seat two-way travel around the bay that could send trains in the opposite direction to bypass one track or tube problem area failure elsewhere, or a future Bay Bridge failure (earthquake), provides a united single backbone arterial high capacity rail system, BART, satisfies the essential transit riders' need for one-seat reliability, cost efficiency, and emergency capabilities--rather than throwing another $5 Billion+ into the wasteful, deadly, disjointed, Caltrain on the Peninsula. This $5 Billion spending of precious transit dollars for Caltrain would wastefully duplicate and delay BART service and investments already, but would be better spent on this original and ever more pressing need for Complete BART around the SF Bay.
Note, too, that Santa Clara County and San Mateo have both voted to sales tax themselves specifically for BART purposes. Santa Clara County residents are paying .375% in two ballot measures that passed, the latest in 2008 by about 67% approval in Palo Alto and Mountain View despite neither community being on a Future BART plan, BART Around The Bay -- yet!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
CA HSR Contract issued to TPZP, with serious issues. Better to spend taxes and jobs on key CA road alternatives
This comment was posted to the Orange County Register website report of today's award of the first major contract for CA HSR in the Central Valley to Tutor-Perini-Zachary-Parsons consortium for the stretch from Madera to Bakersfield, CA.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/authority-511625-bid-board.html
Typical HSR issues in that so many if not most WW HSR projects involve bribery or other corruption. Google HSR and Bribes and Corruption. Seems like nothing new with Calif's HSR, from the pre-selection of SR152 route alignment, secret link with making it (and other CA"Trade corridors" routes) into Toll roads to help fund HSR operating cost (ala Paris-Lyon France HSR). A review of the now-ruled unconstitutional and illegal Nov 2008 Ballot Measure 1A( 3rd Appellate Court Case C060441, 1/28/11) campaign contributors is the who's who of rail project beneficiaries, including member companies of the TPZP consortium and other CA HSRA contracts.. A 2002 SJ Mercury News discusses Rod Diridon Sr's HSR shenanigans while on the Board (now USHSRAssoc Chair and Tax-gigolo funded "Mineta Transportation Institute Exec Director platform). All the ballot numbers were wrong/fraudulent. Even if this is built, the ballot "guarantees" nor intra-venously union-funded Democrats (and a few Repubs--Swearingen) in charge of, or pushing, this blue sky project have any civil or criminal penalty risk at all. Snake Oil at the expense of the taxpayer and govt. integrity. A trip from SF to LA may take 6 hours or whatever, and no one goes to jail. The project is built on fraud. Nevertheless, a recent SF Examiner article revealed the long history of Tutor-Perini cost overruns on many of their projects, with Mr Tutor making the same claims for "quality. Overruns will happen here as well--with no repercussions, just as Parsons Brinkerhoff (a 2008 campaign contributor, like Parsons et al) already got a contract $96 million addition in May 2013. What a waste of tax monies and union labor when they could be so much better for regional transit and highway improvements in:
Southern California (Metrolink, Coaster, Red Line, I-5, SRs 14, 18, 58, 74, 76, 79, 90,138, US395),
Northern California (BART around the Bay, SR152-no tolls, SRs 20, 36, 37 (urgent!), 65, 84, 102, 130, 148, 238 etc) and
Central Valley (I-5 to 6 or 8 lanes from SR99-South to SR99-North or SR138 Grapevine, SRs 43, 46, 48, 58 65(Urgent) (from SR99 to Porterville), 140, 148, 65 (Roseville), 102, I-80, etc).
Until the Calif Republican Party can update its brand and platform to serve the public, especially the Calif.car-loving motoring public/voters, including opposing any more toll roads/lanes (to fund HSR, especially), buying out all existing Toll Roads for all to use, then the CA Democrats can and will get away with all this! Mr. Tweed, Democrat, might have been quite pleased with CA HSR.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/authority-511625-bid-board.html
Typical HSR issues in that so many if not most WW HSR projects involve bribery or other corruption. Google HSR and Bribes and Corruption. Seems like nothing new with Calif's HSR, from the pre-selection of SR152 route alignment, secret link with making it (and other CA"Trade corridors" routes) into Toll roads to help fund HSR operating cost (ala Paris-Lyon France HSR). A review of the now-ruled unconstitutional and illegal Nov 2008 Ballot Measure 1A( 3rd Appellate Court Case C060441, 1/28/11) campaign contributors is the who's who of rail project beneficiaries, including member companies of the TPZP consortium and other CA HSRA contracts.. A 2002 SJ Mercury News discusses Rod Diridon Sr's HSR shenanigans while on the Board (now USHSRAssoc Chair and Tax-gigolo funded "Mineta Transportation Institute Exec Director platform). All the ballot numbers were wrong/fraudulent. Even if this is built, the ballot "guarantees" nor intra-venously union-funded Democrats (and a few Repubs--Swearingen) in charge of, or pushing, this blue sky project have any civil or criminal penalty risk at all. Snake Oil at the expense of the taxpayer and govt. integrity. A trip from SF to LA may take 6 hours or whatever, and no one goes to jail. The project is built on fraud. Nevertheless, a recent SF Examiner article revealed the long history of Tutor-Perini cost overruns on many of their projects, with Mr Tutor making the same claims for "quality. Overruns will happen here as well--with no repercussions, just as Parsons Brinkerhoff (a 2008 campaign contributor, like Parsons et al) already got a contract $96 million addition in May 2013. What a waste of tax monies and union labor when they could be so much better for regional transit and highway improvements in:
Southern California (Metrolink, Coaster, Red Line, I-5, SRs 14, 18, 58, 74, 76, 79, 90,138, US395),
Northern California (BART around the Bay, SR152-no tolls, SRs 20, 36, 37 (urgent!), 65, 84, 102, 130, 148, 238 etc) and
Central Valley (I-5 to 6 or 8 lanes from SR99-South to SR99-North or SR138 Grapevine, SRs 43, 46, 48, 58 65(Urgent) (from SR99 to Porterville), 140, 148, 65 (Roseville), 102, I-80, etc).
Until the Calif Republican Party can update its brand and platform to serve the public, especially the Calif.car-loving motoring public/voters, including opposing any more toll roads/lanes (to fund HSR, especially), buying out all existing Toll Roads for all to use, then the CA Democrats can and will get away with all this! Mr. Tweed, Democrat, might have been quite pleased with CA HSR.
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