SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA: Transit/Transportation News

[CyberEric]

Originally Posted by fflint

Just so everyone is on the same page, those maps above are not from BART or Muni--they are fantasy maps, and good ones, but they're *not* proposals or plans.

Yeah, I appreciate the conversation but these are not real proposals.

I love that people are interested and starting these conversations though, we need to work towards better public transit here.

Does anyone know a good place to see the stance the mayoral candidates have on transportation?

[drifting sun]

Well, Bevan Dufty has something on his webpage, supporting MUNI. It is not really detailed with any ideas of how to improve MUNI, but he does claim that he, himself is a frequent rider of the MUNI subway.
Even though I've been talking up BART, I do think MUNI has great potential, that is why it is so painful to watch as it continually suffers from so many operational problems. I just think that whichever agency is better poised to improve downtown's public transit situation in the near future, should be afforded the opportunity.

Edit: I am planning to make a move to San Francisco in less than ~2 years, which is why I am so interested in the public transit scene there.

Edit2: If you go to the link below the YouTube video on Dufty's site, there is some more information on his ideas related to MUNI. I read through and it didn't feel like to me that he was merely paying lip service to MUNI related issues; he sounds serious about this.

Edit3: Oooohhhh.....he supports the Central Subway, does that mean the Save Muni folks aren't going to like him?

[Clevelumbus]

So many transit agencies in the Bay Area.

I have the most experience with:

BART: Almost perfect from where I live, can get anywhere I would want to go easily. Will be even better when they get late night trains and the OAK connection. Would love some type of express train, but this requires more tracks. Wish they would offer discounts for regular commuters, it is an expensive system to ride (compared to similar systems).

AC Transit: Love the 1R for quick local trips. Hopefully Oakland/AC Transit will develop some streetcars/bus rapid transit in the future. Seems like you can get most anywhere by bus, and the 800/Transbay is awesome for getting back from 'The City' after BART shuts down.

MUNI: Haven't used too often, and don't really see the mass reliability issues I hear about because of that. I think the T and Judah line's are really good for getting places BART can't.

[northbay]

sign the petition in support of smart and in opposition of any recall efforts!:

http://www.signon.org/sign/decline-to-sign-sonoma.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=1286081

[peanut gallery]

Done......

[fflint]

Capitol Corridor trains chalk up record ridership

By Tony Bizjak
The Sacramento Bee
By Tony Bizjak

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 2B

More than 1.7 million passengers rode the Capitol Corridor inter-city trains in the last year, breaking ridership and revenue records, officials said Monday....

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/18/3986671/capitol-corridor-trains-chalk.html#ixzz1b7DhXAlW
------------------------------------------

These figures work out to about 6,500 Cap Corridor riders each work day.

[CyberEric]

Some interesting news from Curbed about new bike lanes on Polk and Valencia streets.
http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/08...ke_a_left_turn_again.php#reader_comments

[drifting sun]

Originally Posted by CyberEric

Some interesting news from Curbed about new bike lanes on Polk and Valencia streets.
http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/08...ke_a_left_turn_again.php#reader_comments

Very intriguing. At least most of the commenters in that linked article seemed willing to offer up constructive criticism, with only a couple of "commie bicyclists are crossing the line with this one!" style comments. I am a little unsure myself if taking over the entire middle of the street will be to everyone's benefit. However, bicyclists having one main conduit through the city that they dominate on is not so bad is it, considering that everywhere else is dominated by automobiles?

[peanut gallery]

^The thing about that approach that made me scratch my head is that bicyclists will have to cross through a traffic lane to enter and exit it. I thought the preferred layout is to have bike lanes at the curb, then parking, then traffic lanes. Is this stretch of Valencia basically a bike freeway where almost everyone is passing through?

[drifting sun]

Yes, it seems like this particular design would cause a lot of confusion. I think that they should stick with what has been shown to work in countless examples, that of bike lanes between the parking lane and sidewalk, with some sort of barrier streetside. Motorists just need to be reminded that there is a bike lane to their right when they (the motorist) wants to turn right. As for when a bicyclist needs to make a left hand turn, well, that one isn't as easy. The safe way would be for the person on the bike to cross the intersection (still going straight) make their way to the curb on the right hand side, swing 90 degrees to their left (paying close attention to pedestrians milling about on the same corner), and wait for the light to change their way, whereupon they either get into the formerly-perpendicular-with-respect-to-themselves separated bike lane, or, if there is not a bike lane going in the other direction, check for traffic and get out into the roadway.

[fflint]

Originally Posted by drifting sun

Yes, it seems like this particular design would cause a lot of confusion. I think that they should stick with what has been shown to work in countless examples, that of bike lanes between the parking lane and sidewalk, with some sort of barrier streetside. Motorists just need to be reminded that there is a bike lane to their right when they (the motorist) wants to turn right. As for when a bicyclist needs to make a left hand turn, well, that one isn't as easy. The safe way would be for the person on the bike to cross the intersection (still going straight) make their way to the curb on the right hand side, swing 90 degrees to their left (paying close attention to pedestrians milling about on the same corner), and wait for the light to change their way, whereupon they either get into the formerly-perpendicular-with-respect-to-themselves separated bike lane, or, if there is not a bike lane going in the other direction, check for traffic and get out into the roadway.

I'm not sure what works in Denver, but on the Valencia corridor--which I bike daily--the current parking-lane adjacent bike lane has *not* been shown to work. Motorists constantly shut down the bike lane to bikes--the CA and SF moving violation motorists call "double parking"--and the SFPD is too auto-centric to enforce the laws against that, so cyclists are *already* being forced into mixed traffic. There's no alternative to that mixing, given the widespread lawbreaking by motorists, but at least with the new proposal cars won't just slow, stop, and shut down the bike lane like they do now.

This is how a cyclist really experiences today's Valencia Street "bike lane"--all of these were taken on Valencia:


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12299.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_17385.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_13253.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12314.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12642.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12301.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12292.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12159.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_8971.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_2728.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_2727.jpeg

We clearly need infrastructural improvement--because SFPD refuses to keep the bike lanes open to bikes.

[drifting sun]

Originally Posted by fflint

I'm not sure what works in Denver, but on the Valencia corridor--which I bike daily--the current parking-lane adjacent bike lane has *not* been shown to work. Motorists constantly shut down the bike lane to bikes--the CA and SF moving violation motorists call "double parking"--and the SFPD is too auto-centric to enforce the laws against that, so cyclists are *already* being forced into mixed traffic. There's no alternative to that mixing, given the widespread lawbreaking by motorists, but at least with the new proposal cars won't just slow, stop, and shut down the bike lane like they do now.

This is how a cyclist really experiences today's Valencia Street "bike lane"--all of these were taken on Valencia:


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12299.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_17385.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_13253.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12314.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12642.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12301.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12292.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_12159.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_8971.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_2728.jpeg


http://d1nud0pthq5kwl.cloudfront.net/full_post_2727.jpeg

We clearly need infrastructural improvement--because SFPD refuses to keep the bike lanes open to bikes.

Yes, that bike lane design you have there on Valencia does not work because it is between the parking lane and the driving lane, on the inside. I was thinking of a different setup, where the bike lane is on the far side of the parked cars, (between the parked cars and the sidewalk) with some sort of low barrier in between. I know I have seen examples of such a design (probably from somewhere in Europe), I can't remember off the top of my head. Now, that arrangement may cause some consternation among pedestrians who take jaywalking for granted, because by attempting to cross a street mid-block they would find themselves slightly obstructed by first the bike lane (pedestrians that I observe on a daily basis rarely watch where the hell they are walking, some lady was even hit a couple of days ago here in Denver by an LRT, because she didn't look both ways and she was probably texting or something), and then by the low barrier that protects the bike lane from the street. Maybe they could make a barrier that is interrupted by small gaps every so often (they would have to have gaps where there is an alley mid-block anyway) or, if the parking lane is between the bikes and the driving lane, maybe this would be enough of a buffer. Oh yeah, that double parking bs has to be stopped, unless it is completely legal to do that, I don't know.

[sammyg]

Originally Posted by drifting sun

Oh yeah, that double parking bs has to be stopped, unless it is completely legal to do that, I don't know.

It's definitely not, but until they start towing immediately like they do in Chicago, it's not going to stop.

Speaking of Chicago, is this the kind of protected bike lane you're thinking of?
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/07/25/protected-bike-lane-to-be-dedicated-on-kinzie-street/

[Swede]

Originally Posted by drifting sun

Yes, that bike lane design you have there on Valencia does not work because it is between the parking lane and the driving lane, on the inside. I was thinking of a different setup, where the bike lane is on the far side of the parked cars, (between the parked cars and the sidewalk) with some sort of low barrier in between. I know I have seen examples of such a design (probably from somewhere in Europe), I can't remember off the top of my head.

That'd be Copenhagen. Having been there a few times and having friends there, that set-up works. We have both types here in Stockholm, and the Copenhagen'd bike lanes work better.

[drifting sun]

Originally Posted by sammyg

It's definitely not, but until they start towing immediately like they do in Chicago, it's not going to stop.

Speaking of Chicago, is this the kind of protected bike lane you're thinking of?
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/07/25/protected-bike-lane-to-be-dedicated-on-kinzie-street/

Yes, that is what I am picturing, with the exception of more of a permanent barrier/railing between the parked cars and the bike lane, rather than the plastic markers Chicago is using. I am assuming that they are using temporary separators to gauge driver's reactions (as if we can't guess how the majority of drivers are going to react) before they construct something permanent?

The downside for drivers is that they won't be able to pull up right next to the sidewalk curb, they may regard that as an "inconvenience" but, no system is perfect, this design is safer for both because it keeps bikers out of the driving lanes.

[ardecila]

I believe the dividers in Chicago need to be removable so that snow plows can come in. Obviously that isn't an issue in SF.

However, putting in a more beefy divider adds issues. Roads are precisely canted such that stormwater drains to the sides. Putting in a little concrete curb divider will prevent stormwater from reaching the gutters on the sides, so you need to either relocate the storm drains and basins or make the divider permeable (and thus more vulnerable to damage).

[fflint]

Minneapolis snowplows fit in that city's cycle tracks. Plowing isn't an issue in SF, but the city's street sweepers (and emergency vehicles) roll through the separated bike lanes on Market, Duboce, and the Panhandle. A proper cycle track should be wide enough to accommodate a truck, IMO, not just for safety, or plowing or cleaning, but to give two-way bicycle traffic the necessary room to ride safely at speed.

[1977]

I hadn't heard anything about this but I think it will look great.

Similar to the ambitious lighting of the Eiffel Tower for its 100th anniversary, The Bay Lights will commemorate the Bay Bridge’s 75th Diamond Anniversary at seven times the scale of the famous Parisian landmark. The installation, created by internationally acclaimed artist Leo Villareal, will live for two years, providing a stunning fine-arts experience for the entire Bay Area and its visitors. Leo began his art career in San Francisco before moving to New York. He recently installed a piece in MOMA in NYC, and his work is in many private collections.The project also has a higher purpose beyond...

Source and article: http://www.rinconhillsf.org/art/30000-led-bay-lights-art-installation-for-the-bay-bridge/

An animation of the lights in action:

http://vimeo.com/25870560

[northbay]

Originally Posted by 1977

I hadn't heard anything about this but I think it will look great.


Source and article: http://www.rinconhillsf.org/art/30000-led-bay-lights-art-installation-for-the-bay-bridge/

An animation of the lights in action:

http://vimeo.com/25870560

stunning. too bad it can't be permanent!

[CyberEric]

Yeah I saw that, should be very cool!