Tag Archives: SamTrans

Caltrain is in Serious Trouble

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by current events, transportation • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

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A few days ago, I began to see news that Caltrain will face a huge operating deficit starting this summer. However, the magnitude of that deficit didn’t sink in until an article pointed out that the $30 million operating deficit will be nearly one-third of its operating budget.

According to the article, cuts on the table include:

  • Weekday trains would be reduced from 86 to 48, with service limited to commute hours.

  • No weekend service, eliminating up to 68 trains.

  • Service eliminated from Gilroy to the Diridon Station in San Jose.

  • Up to seven of 23 stations along the Peninsula closed.

    The article also made the following point:

    • Caltrain is unique in the Bay Area, as it is the only transit line that lacks a dedicated source of funding. Instead, agencies from the three counties in which it runs contribute funds to help cover operating costs.

    But the Valley Transportation Authority, SamTrans and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency all face their own budget battles and will reduce their aid by $25 million next fiscal year.

    You can read the entire article here.

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    Upcoming Bay Area Events, January 2011

    by current events, energy, transportation, Uncategorized, water • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

    Happy New Year Zero Resource Readers!

    Below is a collection of interesting events for the month of January.

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    Electric Vehicles + Smart Grid

    Dian Grueneich, Former Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission, Mark Duvall, Director of Electric Transportation and Energy Storage, Electric Power Research Institute and Ted Howes, Partner, IDEO, discuss new technologies and their implications for the future of power generation, while Anthony Eggert, Commissioner, California Energy Commission, Transportation Lead, Diane Wittenberg, Executive Director, California EV Strategic Plan, Diarmuid O’Connell, Vice President of Business Development, Tesla Motors, and Marc Geller, Co-founder, Plug-In America, discuss the future of the electric car in California. At the San Francisco Commonwealth Club, with a networking break between topics.

    Thursday, January 13,  9 – 11:30 a.m.

    595 Market St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA

    $45 member, $65 standard, and $15 student tickets

    event link

     

    A Look Ahead at California’s Clean Energy Future

    Panama Bartholomy from the CEC and Emma Wendt from PG&E discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the new report “California’s Clean Energy Future”, jointly issued by the California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission and the California Environmental Protection Agency, among others.

    SPUR Evening Forum, Tuesday January 25, 6p.m.

    654 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA

    free to SPUR and Association of Environmental Professionals members, $10 general admission

    event link

     

    Film, ‘ A Sea Change: Imagine A World Without Fish’

    The San Francisco Public library will be hosting two free screenings of  ‘A Sea Change’.  “The documentary film A Sea Change, broadens the discussion about the dramatic changes we are seeing in the chemistry of the oceans, and conveys the urgent threat those changes pose to our survival, while surveying the steps we can take to reduce the severity of climate change.”

    Wednesday, January 26, 6 p.m. and Saturday, January 29 at 2 p.m.

    Koret Auditorium, Main Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco, CA.

    free

    event link

     

    “Transforum” with Peter Calthorpe: ‘Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change’

    Highly influential urban planner Peter Calthorpe discusses his new book, ‘Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change’.

    Thursday, January 27, 6:30 p.m.

    Hosted by Transform, and held at the SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA.

    $15, rsvp recommended.

    event link

     

    “Save Our Caltrain!” Summit

    Attend this summit to learn about and discuss the severe fiscal crisis facing Caltrain, an important Bay Area transit agency that lacks its own dedicated funding, and connect with others working to find solutions. Organized by the Friends of Caltrain.

    Saturday, January 29, 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

    Samtrans Auditorium 1250 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos, CA

    free

    event link

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    Regional Bike Sharing in the Bay Area

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    by current events, energy, transportation • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

    photo: a bike sharing system in the St. Etienne metro region wikimedia commons

    Regional transit authorities have recently announced that they will go ahead with a new bike sharing program slated to start next year and  attributed as the first of-its-kind regional effort at a comprehensive bike sharing program in the nation.

    The pilot program will put 1,000 new bikes on the road, and up to 100 kiosks around the Bay Area, with approximately half the amount being placed within the City of  San Francisco, and the other half being placed along the peninsula transportation corridor that includes Redwood City, Mountain View, Palo Alto and San Jose.

    With transportation accounting for more than half of the air pollution in the Bay Area (SFMTA), the bike share project aims to reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled by encouraging people to increase bike travel for short trips in dense urban and downtown areas.

    The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) has approved an initial $4.29 million grant for the estimated $7 million project, that will be managed by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and facilitated by a regional partnership between BAAQMD, SFMTA, SamTrans, Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority, San Mateo County and Redwood City. The participating jurisdictions and transit agencies will also contribute to the funding of the program.

    When rolled out, the bike system will require users to buy a yearlong subscription and will utilize smart cards, GPS tracking and wireless technologies.

    Read more:

    San Francisco Bike Sharing Moves Ahead with Regional Plan and Funding: MTC grant to area partnership moves SFMTA plan forward, San Francisco Metropolitan Transit Authority(SFMTA) press release

    Bike sharing project expected to begin next year, SF Chronicle

    Bay Area maps out bike sharing effort, New York Times Green blog