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FW: Quick update on bikes & Caltrain
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Jim Baross
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Jul 27, 2009 10:07 PDT
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FYI
Jim Baross
San Diego, CA
-----Original Message-----
From: bikeso-@sfbike.org [mailto:bikeso-@sfbike.org]
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 10:53 PM
Subject: Quick update on bikes & Caltrain
Hello Bicyclists and Supporters,
We're gradually seeing more bike capacity onboard trains, a positive step
toward our goal of sufficient bike space to meet demand. All gallery bike
cars now carry 40 bikes instead of 32, and some Bombardier bike cars carry
24 bikes instead of 16. Some trains have one bike car and some have two,
so inconsistency is still a problem. It will be a big improvement when all
five Bombardier train sets run with two bike cars. Unfortunately, Caltrain
has had more delays, so we won't see that until fall, but at least things
are moving in the right direction!
We Need Consistency in Bike Capacity
We're still actively encouraging Caltrain to improve consistency in bike
capacity on all trains. After the increase this fall, trains will carry
40, 48, or 80 bikes. Cyclists are getting bumped on trains with only 40
bike spaces, so we need consistent 80 bikes per train to improve service
reliability. Caltrain's general ridership continues to drop, so it is
economically prudent to increase bike capacity to meet demand. Please see
our proposal to improve consistency here:
http://www.sfbike.org/caltrain_bob_propose
Make Your Bump Count!
Please report all bumps using the handy email link near the top of our web
page: http://www.sfbike.org/caltrain_bob Caltrain relies on your input
to know which trains do not have enough bike capacity, because they do not
count bumped bikes in their annual passenger counts.
Destination Tags
Caltrain's free yellow vinyl destination tags are now available. We
appreciate that Caltrain brought the tags back, because the tags are a
critical component of onboard bike service to enable orderly bike stacking
in the bike car. Caltrain stopped making the yellow destination tags last
year, so we stepped in to help by providing free green destination tags.
We still have some green tags available at the following locations, while
supplies last:
> Warm Planet Bikes, 4th & Townsend St at the SF Caltrain station
> Bike Station Palo Alto at the Palo Alto Caltrain station
> Summit Bikes, 1031 California Drive, Burlingame
> Chain Reaction Bicycles, 1451 El Camino Real, Redwood City
> SFBC Office, 995 Market St, Ste 1550, SF
Instructions are on the inside of the green tag. Please write your
destination with a Sharpie or other marker, so it's easier to read. Green
tag or yellow tag doesn't matter, just make sure your bike has a
destination tag!
BIKES ONboard Priorities
The BIKES ONboard project is a volunteer effort, sponsored by the San
Francisco Bicycle Coalition. BIKES ONboard priorities are:
1. Increase bike capacity on existing trains to meet demand
2. Ensure new rolling stock for electrification in 2015 meets cyclists
needs
3. Get bikes on high speed rail planned for SF to San Diego
If you'd like to get more involved, please let us know.
Without your support, the increase in bike capacity we're seeing today
would never have happened. We appreciate your dedication to green
commuting. Thank you!
More bikes, no bumps,
Shirley Johnson
BIKES ONboard project, SFBC
http://www.sfbike.org/caltrain_bob
Please forward to other cyclists and anyone who cares about bicycle
commuting.
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