FSP 1.1

BART to SFO: no schedules posted

Why passengers shun SFO-BART connection

I have read a number of reports, including
one on the Mercury News (Page 1, 2004 July 04),
expressing concern about the low ridership on the BART extension to
San Francisco International Airport. Based on a few personal
attempts to use it, I find this unsurprising. It reflects on BART
and Caltrain management, but not on the need or demand for public
transportation in the Bay Area.

From what I saw, the actual BART trains work well. But the details
beyond that seem to be designed to discourage ridership.

Arriving airline passengers need to buy a ticket from a machine
which gave me $3.50 in nickels in change, after finally figuring out
how to get change at all. Passengers are then made to wait for a
BART train which, in my experience, is timed to just miss the
Caltrain connection. During some popular arrival times this can be
followed by a lengthy wait for Caltrain, after buying another
ticket. And I couldn't even find the schedule posted at the airport.

I'm happy to see a BART connection to the airport. But the
unpredictable schedule and ticketing system are making the system
unusable.

Hans-J. Boehm
Palo Alto

Published Saturday, July 10, 2004, in the San Jose Mercury News
Letters to the Editor

Ref.: [BATN]

Disgusting Train ?

BBC's survey of disgust asks if you fear a lonely, ready-to-board train or an overcrowded train.

click on image above for screenshot Source: Slide 11

Source: Slide 15

From the BBC's Science and Nature: Body and Mind series.

Commuter elasticty: London Congestion Charge

Price: up from 0 to £5.
Quantity consumed: down 30%

In most cases, the introduction of the daily £5 charge on cars
entering central London has been a great success. Traffic volume into
inner London has fallen by more than expected, and the use of public
transport has risen. There are few, if any, signs of the "rat runs"
at the edges of the zone promised by the more apocalyptic critics.
Even the perennially disgruntled London cab drivers seem to approve of
the 30% improvement in congestion since the £5 charge began.

The congestion charge's very success has seen it raise less money than
expected to fund public transport: £68m in the first year, compared
with Mr Livingstone's original projections of £140m -- although even a
£72m shortfall is relatively small beer in a total London transport
budget of £4bn. Businesses inside the zone continue to complain that
it has hurt their profits, although the evidence is mixed. And the
165,000 penalty notices sent to drivers each month for failing to pay
on time suggests administration needs to be improved.

[I'm not sure exactly what '30% improvement in congestion' means.
30 % fewer cars ? 30 % shorted delays ? 30 % shorter travel time ?
In any case, it must mean less traffic. ]

The Guardian (UK).

See previously: Commuter elasticity: Golden Gate Bridge Toll hikes raise revenue.

Waiting at EWR trainstation, Newark, NJ

Note the good lighting, sheltered waiting area, stairs and escalators
for accessing the platform, and the multiple tracks to allow overtaking
express trains to pass through at speed.

And kudos for the well-oriented train arrival information screens
visible from the platform, and inside the lounge.

Photo taken from the EWR AirTrain concourse.

Amtrak ticket machine doesn't run MS Windows

Ticket machine at Penn Station NYC, Amtrak's busiest station
tries to run MS windows, and fails.

Technical note: the extended handle of my Tumi rollaboard functions
as a great adjustable camerarest for non-flash indoor photography.

[click on thumbnail for popup-fullsize image]

Previously: MS Windows seen at Oakland Airport (OAK)

Caltrain changes-to-Schedule FAQ

Caltrain's changes-to-schedule FAQ is unusually frank and human-readable.

This FAQ presents actual data and actual reasons for schedule changes and
decisions, in place of the typical bureaucratic marketingese,
'With our world class best of breed enhancements...' nonsense or
self-congratulatory 'why we are so good' dreck of a psueduo-FAQ.

Well done Caltrain.

Actual questions answered honestly:
* Why is my station getting reduced service?
* After the "faster schedule" hype, why is my travel time longer?
* Can't you improve Limited (stops at most stations) and
Local (stops at all stations) transfer possibilities?
* Why are trains scheduled in bunches?
* If I need to use an adjacent station, can I find parking?

LIRR system, fare maps

LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) publishes various maps, some showing routes
and branches, some showing fare zones. I haven't yet found a map combining
fare zones and routes.

LIRR system 'branch' map

Also, I haven't yet found a map showing transfer points for each route.
Sure you might have to transfer at Hicksville, and Hickville is indeed shown
on the map, but Hicksville is not shown as a transfer point, so you cannot
learn from the map that your transfer will be at Hicksville.

Compare to this example map showing explicit transfer point:

Other LIRR maps: Fare zone map.

Combined map: fare zones 1 though 14 (NYC to Montauk)

JFK-AirTrain Part 2 - LIRR Access Information

The entrance to Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) from JFK AirTrain Jamaica --
this station ingress enjoys a number of well executed features.

Wayfinding:
In addition to the colour coded signs, the lighting and geometry
of the antechamber, the large logo and collection of monitors and
ticket vending machine all combine to focus attention on this corner
which leads to the LIRR tracks.

Ergonomic:
The monitors are placed overhead so passengers simply look up
rather than queue to choose a train, and to see the specifics of their
train. These monitors are tilted down to maximize readability and
reduce glare.

Task Oriented:
By positioning the monitors and the ticket vending machine together,
passengers can make an informed decision about where and
when to buy tickets, and whether to rush or dawdle to the train
platform.

If a passenger has a few minutes to spare, he can buy more
tickets. If he's about to miss his train, he can rush ahead and
buy a ticket on the train (for a service fee).

The overhead monitors list the next train to DESTINATION at
TIME on TRACK, sorted by direction
(one monitor for westbound, one for eastbound).

Each monitor is then sorted by time of departure, and the various
destinations are represented by a consistent colouring scheme.
eg Huntington is always dark blue.

The monitors also show the correct local time, so there's no asking,
I see there is an 8:44 PM train to huntington, and it's on time;
has it left yet ? Is 8:44 before of after now ?

Eastbound (aka 'Outbound') train info:
(different destinations are represented by different colors)

Note that these colors are consistent with the line/branch colours
used on the system maps.

Westbound (going into the NY City) info:

Previously: JFK AirTrain Opens Part 1: dream vs reality

No Streetcar Name Desired

A moment in Silicon Valley transit history:

One of the great triumphs of San Jose Mercury News headline writing came
when Santa Clara County supervisors attempted in 1987 to name the
light-rail system SC(s2)AT (for Santa Clara County Area Transit).
Overlooking that "scat" is a word for animal droppings, the supes were
greeted with an inspired headline by copy editor Willys Peck:
"Dung! Dung! Dung! Goes the Trolley."

A postscript: When the supervisors decided that they didn't want
SC(s2)AT as a name after all, copy editor Peck came back with an even
better headline than his first: "No Streetcar Name Desired."

JFK AirTrain opens (Part 1 of ?) -- dream vs reality

The JFK-Jamaica AirTrain, New York City's first transit link
to a city airport opened in December 2003. Here's a comparison
of some architectural drawings to what passengers actually experience.

JFK AirTrain Jamaica station: the dream from kennedyairport.com.

1. The foyer.

1. The Dream:

1. The Reality:

Analysis: It's spaceous, but not as cavernous or illuminated as hoped for.

2. The atrium:

2. Dream:

2. Reality:

Analysis: Again, not as ambiently illuminated as promised, but succeeds
as a directional beakon. If you can see the glowing globe above, you
should probably be walking towards it.

Continued: Part 2: JFK-AirTrain - LIRR Access Information.

bad map: 511.org strikes again.

This inane map of the worthy ACERail system from transit.511.org
labels cities, but

* does not indicate which cities have train stations
(According to this map, does Union City have a stop ? Does Newark ?) ; and

* does not indicate how many train stations are in each city [*]; and

* does not indicate where the stations are; and

* does not indicate which roads this rail line is near.
(Yes, those faint red lines are major highways.)

[*] Santa Clara City has two stations: Great America Santa Clara and Santa Clara.

Much better is the official ACERail map:

Compare to the ACERider collection of ACE maps.

Previously on FSP: 511.org botch map of San Francisco transit service.

511 maps

The new 511, the official transportation information website for the SF Bay area
combines
* terrible information arcitecture,
* a user-hostile interface, and
* gruesome cartography. (The Thomas Brothers' printed maps aren't half bad,
I don't know who is to blame for bungling the digital edition shown here.)

Example of the new 511: This blotchy map of SF MUNI bus route 48.
(Note the map itself has no route label)

Could you plan a trip with such a map ?

Muni (San Francisco Municipal Railway) Route: 48 - Quintara-24th Street - Ocean Beach to Potrero Hill.

And the helpful key distinguishes Ocean/Bay from mere water

See also a more vigorous critique.

Compare to

Overview:

Detail:

San Carlos transit oriented development

The City of San Calros on the San Francisco is finally getting developed
some transit oriented housing, between its downtown and the train station.
A good thing, finally.

Pacific Hacienda consists of two buildings, one at 618 Walnut Street
and one at 633 Elm Street which faces City Hall.

Locals got a chance to tour inside the project, consisting of 89
1- or 2-bedroom condominiums and additional office space at
633 Elm St. The project has been six years in the making, well-worth
the wait for Wuthmann. For him, the location was ideal as the project
is just blocks away from downtown San Carlos, the library, the City
Hall and the train station.

According to the sales office at Pacific Peninsula Group, 49 units
have already been purchased or reserved. The prices begin at $395,000
for a one-bedroom unit and $649,000 for two bedrooms.

The project also includes 13 below-market rate units for those with
low and moderate incomes. Affordability is a relative term in San
Mateo County. For the condominiums priced at $265,000, ranking at the
low end, a one-person household can make no more than $63,350.

For more info on Pacific Hacienda and BATN.

More on eligibility for low/moderate income status in California:

The 89 unit luxury condominium development will include 13 one-bedroom
Below Market Rate units priced specifically for the low income and moderate
income categories as established for San Mateo County.

The income limits for eligibility for these units are determined by family
size and are as follows:

Maximum allowable household income - Low Income

1 Person - $63,350

2 People - $72,400

3 People - $81,450

Maximum allowable household income - Moderate Income

1 Person - $76,850

2 People - $87,850

3 People - $98,800 

Better Transit Info sells more trips

17 September 2003
Research suggests that better passenger information may contribute
to a 5%-25% increase in public transport trips.

The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) examines how the sector
can enhance passenger information during its 3rd Conference on Travel
Information, which opens in Gothenburg, Sweden, today.

“In an increasingly information dominated world, intelligent travel choices have
to be marketed just as consumer products are,” stated UITP General Secretary
Hans Rat. “When a consumer buys a new product he or she will find instructions
on how to use it. Public transport products are no different, so our consumers
need to be informed and guided in their use of our product. Choosing the best
itinerary according to personal needs and preferences implies having precise
information about the transport system. It is pointless to provide a service if your
customers are unaware of it.”

Bringing opportune information to passengers can vastly improve the travelling
experience. Time spent waiting for a vehicle or connection, for example, is
perceived as shorter if the waiting time is known. A strong and coherent
communication strategy also greatly increases public transport’s visibility and
profile, which will result in a better positioning of the public transport sector.

Indeed, as privatisation and deregulation spread, the need for good information
becomes ever greater because of the complex interactions between operators
and organising authorities in competitive markets.

“Effectively, the positive aspects of travel information increase public transport
usage,” continued Mr Rat. “Information on its own cannot work miracles, but
research suggests that better information may contribute to a 5%-25% increase
in trips. A well-designed information strategy can really tip the balance between
success and failure.”

UITP is organising this Conference to drive home the message that high quality
travel information must form an integral part of the public transport product, and
to come to a better understanding of users’ perspectives and needs. The main
theme of the conference is how technology can help provide better travel
information for the customer.

On the occasion of this Conference - organised in collaboration with
InformNorden (the Scandinavian organisation for IT in public transport),
Västtrafik (the public transport authority of west Sweden) and the City of
Gothenburg – UITP is launching a good practice guide entitled Towards an
Integrated Travel Information System. This handbook examines twelve current
challenges, and provides solutions, proposals and 70 worldwide good practice
cases of how to develop and implement an efficient information strategy.

From UITP.

***
Notes for editors
• Founded in 1885, the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) is the international organisation for public transport authorities and operators, policy decision-makers, scientific institutes and the public transport supply and service industry. It is a platform for worldwide co-operation and the sharing of know-how between its 2,500 members from some 80 countries. For more information about UITP or the Travel Information Conference, contact UITP’s Communications Department: Cara McLaughlin (Tel: +32 2 6636639; Fax: +32 2 6736100; cara.mclaughlin@uitp.com) or Stéphanie Loozen (Tel: +32 2 661 31 99; Fax: +32 2 6601072; stephanie.loozen@uitp.com) or visit www.uitp.com/Events/goteborg/en/.
• The UITP Conference is being held on the occasion of the annual Public Transport 2003 Congress and Exhibition at the Swedish Exhibition Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden (18-20 September). Public Transport 2003 is being organised by the Swedish Exhibition Centre in association with the Bus & Coach Federation Sweden (BR) and the Swedish Public Transport Association (SLTF). Some 130 exhibitors from 10 countries will be showing new products and services, giving a complete and efficient overview of the market offer. For more information about the Public Transport 2003 Exhibition, please contact Lena Kidner (Tel: +46 31 708 80 00; lena.kidner@swefair.se). For more information about the Public Transport 2003 Congress programme, please contact Anita Stenhardt, SLTF (Tel: +46 8 788 08 69; anita.stenhardt@sltf.se) or Anna Grönlund, BR (Tel: +46 8 4620650; anna.gronlund@bussbranschen.se). A press centre is accessible via the entrance on Mässans gata 12. This press centre will be manned by press hostesses, and will be equipped with desks, PCs, telephones, faxes, copier and storage lockers. You will also find press material from exhibitors. It will be open from 07.30 hours, Thursday 18 September (Tel: +46 31 708 85 50). Press information: Tel: +46 31 708 80 00; Fax: +46 31 708 84 60; press@swefair.se; www.persontrafik.info.

Adam Smith on transportation

The Adam Smith Institute on transportation issues [Linked]. Extensive coverage of
road pricing and rail road organization.

And a well presented blog covering many other issues too.

Station Vicinity Map

A good transit station map shows pedestrian routes, station ingress and egress,
station in context of its neighbouring streets and buildings, and the location of
amenities, from bus stops to bike lockers to ticket vending machines. And shows
the parking facility, differentiating handicapted, kiss and ride, standing,
short term, long term, and handicapped paces.

Bad: (From ACERail)

Better:
(Click to enlarge; from LIRR)

SF Transbay Terminal

Plans for the SF Transbay Terminal linking BART and Caltrain are proceeding.

San Francisco is served by several passenger train systems, but they
miss connecting with each other by a mile. This new terminal would connect
Caltrain and BART and MUNI.

Bike racks on buses.

This example of the acrane law which governs transit in the SF Bay area
might be coming to an end. An during a week of spare the air days, too.

PUT BIKE RACKS ON BUSES - VICTORY NEAR!

Legislation that would make bike racks legal on some types of commuter
busses (AB 1409) cleared its final legislative hurdle late last week
and is headed to the governor's desk for consideration. As you may
know, 40-foot and 60-foot "urban transit" buses may be equipped with
front-mounted bicycle racks, but 45-foot "over-the-road" commuter
buses are not permitted to have these racks. AB 1409 would remove this
restriction in the vehicle code and allow transit operators to install
front-mounted bicycle racks. For more info, as well as sample letters
of support for AB 1409.

A nice wait

Santiago Calatrava's Bilbao Sondika airport terminal design almost makes waiting in line a pleasure:

Credit: June Thomas.

Compare to Penn Station, NYC.

Photo credit: lirrcommuters.org.

The BART train station in Millbrae, CA (15 miles south of SF) is BART's latest, and best station. Spacious, airy, and great lines of sight for wayfinding.

QuickMaps

QuickMap has some excellent maps.

For example, mouse over the 'full system/frequent/very frequent'
buttons on this London map.

With a good map, you can ask and easily and accurately answer,
Where can I go from here ?
To go there, where can I start from ?

For a complex system such as the London Underground,
Which line should I take ?
Where should I transfer ?

BART to SFO

In planning since 1956, the San Francisco subway system (BART)
finally (today !) reaches the San Francisco International Airport.

As Mike Neville, a San Mateo supervisor says, "There is nothing like it
west of the Mississippi."

Also of late, there's a budding price war in the parking market which will
only heat up now that a park-and-ride $2/day BART station is only three
minutes away from the airport.

Special parking also goes into effect. Several stations will provide
reserved, long-term parking for $7 a day. Also, BART will begin
enforcing its new 24-hour parking rules. Anybody not in a long-term
area who leaves his car for more than 24 hours will get a $100
ticket. Also, $2 daily parking fees will take effect at Peninsula
stations.

Picture explained:
Above, the blue Airtrain between terminals.
Below, the silver BART train goes to San Francisco, Fremont,
Pleasanton, Milbrae, Walnut Creek, and beyond.

San Mateo County Times coverage.

Transit Board rides bus (every year)

Though they oversee a bus system that provides 65 million trips a year, none of
the 14 regular or alternate board members are regular bus riders - and at least
four had never set foot on an OCTA bus before Friday.

"Ever since I've been on the board, I've made a point of taking the bus at least
once a year," said Tim Keenan, Orange County Transportation Authority Chairman
and Cypress councilman.

A great idea. Or as it's known in the software industry, eat your own dogfood.

From Orange County Register

More like this: transit blog

Full story

2003 May 03 (Saturday)
OCTA officials driven to see how bus riders fare
The board chairman decides that the best route to understanding the needs of
passengers is a ride-along.

By PETER LARSEN
The Orange County Register

ORANGE – Laguna Niguel Councilwoman Cathryn DeYoung scrutinized her bus
map and her schedule book Friday as she and seven other OCTA board members
set out on a four-hour bus trip around Orange and Santa Ana.

"In order to get around, do you need the map or the book?" she asked Art
Leahy, chief executive officer of the Orange County Transportation Authority.

"Regular users - " Leahy began.

"What do they do?" DeYoung interjected.

"They know the lines," Leahy finished.

Which is something few if any OCTA board members can claim to have
mastered.

Though they oversee a bus system that provides 65 million trips a year, none of
the 14 regular or alternate board members are regular bus riders - and at least
four had never set foot on an OCTA bus before Friday.

Chairman Tim Keenan, a Cypress councilman, said he organized the scavenger-
hunt-by-bus to get the board out and about on the system.

"Ever since I've been on the board, I've made a point of taking the bus at least
once a year," Keenan said.

He said the outing Friday was prompted by a rider at a recent meeting who stood
up and said: "When I hear the board talk, they all know the highways and
streets, but when a rider says, 'I don't like the way the new fare box takes my
dollar,' I never hear a board member say, 'Yeah, that's right.' "

To increase the board's knowledge of its bus system, the OCTA staff worked up a
scavenger hunt that required the kinds of transfers and route changes that
everyday bus riders experience. As they traveled along thoroughfares such as
Main and Bristol streets in Orange and Santa Ana, they got off at specific spots to
pretend they were running errands bus users might run for real - picking up
paychecks, visiting the doctor, making a deposit at the bank.

"It's an excellent experience because we need to know what people go through
when they ride the bus and do what we can to make it better," said DeYoung,
who some 20 years ago rode a Los Angeles bus regularly when she worked there
- but rode her first OCTA bus only Friday.

None of the drivers on the routes taken Friday - primarily 53, 70 and 57 - were
told the OCTA brass would be boarding Friday, Leahy said.

"We're a good system. We're a human system," Leahy said. "We can do better.
When the employees see that the board takes what they do seriously, that
improves service."

Problems that Leahy said OCTA continue to work on include overcrowded buses
or buses that run early or late. Regular riders on the buses Friday mentioned
those issues as well as lack of bus frequency for certain routes or lack of
benches or shelters.

Several riders said they liked that the politicians and officials in control of their
buses were out getting firsthand knowledge.

"They're able to know what people need," said Maira Torres, a freshman at
California State University, Fullerton, who uses the 57 line to commute between
campus and her home in Santa Ana.

"And they don't just sit in the office thinking, 'I think the people need this,' "
Torres said. "So it's good."

Several transit advocates who tagged along said they, too, feel that it has to be
good for the board to get any kind of experience on the buses.

"Elected officials are always riding the freeways, and they know which
interchanges are bad," said Roy Shahbazian, who no longer owns a car and uses
buses and trains to commute to work.

"But they have no firsthand experience of riding the bus - what it's like to wait for
a bus, what it's like to be on a crowded bus," he said.

"I hope this is just a first step in more regular riding of the bus."

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido said the trip left him with a few ideas to make bus
trips better for riders.

"I learned that along Santa Ana Boulevard, probably one of the most heavily
used transit stops in the county, we have a shelter that has nothing but a bench,
and if it rains, people get wet," Pulido said. "And I'm going to look into that come
Monday."

CONTACT US: (949) 454-7363 or plarsen@ocregister.com

Transit as an organizing: Grand Central bloggers

A good transit system provides both a symbol of personal identity
and pride (What station are you ?) and an organizing system for
the locality it serves. This month's example is NYC Bloggers.
And of course a good transit system is also good for transportation.

Previous example.

Good Web: StrapHangers.org

straphangers.org is a great website for NYC Subway fans.

Clean, everything above the fold, no cascading DHTML springing out at
you, no broken Javascript navigation, no images as text. A site map
up front with understandable topic labels, and several ways to drill
down and get involved, all on the front page. Much better
than most transit agency sites. Well done.

Obvious Graph

Vancouver Airport Skytrain Project has a graph:

If at-grade crossings are eliminated, there will be no at-grade crossings.
Tufte would be proud.

Caltrain fares 3

Caltrain responds

Some Caltrain riders advocated replacing the zone system with a
"point-to-point" fare system, where riders would be charged based on the
distance between two stations.

Caltrain officials said they simply did not have the ticket machines needed to
implement such a system and it could be confusing to riders. But they did not
rule out a point-to-point system down the line.

"This is as far as we can go right now," said Mike Scanlon, executive director of
Caltrain. "This is not the final version of the fare structure for this railroad, but
this is a step in the right direction."

San Mateo Independent
According to Caltrain staff, the zoning shift is designed to
be "revenue neutral" and to impact the least amount of riders, with
less then 40 percent of trips receiving hikes, while roughly 60
percent of fares decrease or remain the same.

See also Adrian Brandt

What station are you ?

A good transit system provides both a
symbol of personal identity and pride (What station are you ?); and
an organizing system for the locality it serves.

The London Tube passes both tests.

Cal Henderson's London Bloggers Tube Map

Train, Bus: unsigned

Update 2003 March 29: Palo Alto Daily News

Caltrain spokeswoman Rita Haskin sent a
handwritten apology note to Bowman.
No signs have yet been posted at the station, however.

----
Published Sunday, 2003 March 23
Letters to the Editor

Caltrain mystery

I want to complain about the treatment Caltrain metes out to
passengers on weekends. (Editor's note: Train service on the
weekends has been suspended for two years so Caltrain can repair and
improve its tracks. Buses are being used on weekends instead).

There is no information whatsoever at the Palo Alto University
Avenue depot regarding the bus that runs in place of the train.
There is no agent to ask. All is locked down. People are going
around asking each other if they know where the bus leaves from.

Once they have discovered the location, they find out they should
have bought a ticket from the machines back at the depot. One sign
with the correct information near the ticket vending machines would
have helped many of us on Sunday, March 16, during a heavy rain
shower from getting drenched, running back and forth before we
finally succeeded in boarding our bus.

Trudy Bowman
Kipling Street
Palo Alto
[Palo Alto Daily News See also: caltrain.com/news_ctx_fact_sheet ]

More data for the APTA paper.

SJC maps transit last

Public agencies should show transit lines on their maps.

Don't just show the station, show the line.
Where it comes from, where it goes to.

From SJC/Norman Mineta Silicon Valley's airport

See also SVMG's transitless maps.

Caltrain Fares 2

Caltrain is considering a fare change, as just noted.
See also San Mateo Independent.

Caltrain has the pricing all wrong.

Fare should be something like
Fare = terminal_fee + A*sqrt (distance_travelled)

where the terminal_fee covers use of boarding station, transfer station,
and alighting station, dispatching, rail yards, ticket vending or other ticket service fees.
The terminal_fee could be approximately $2.00.

Distance factor A should be on the order of 0.3, so a
9 mile trip would cost $2.90 (= $2.00 + 0.3 * 3)
16 mile trip would cost $3.20 (= $2.00 + 0.3 * 4)
49 mile trip would cost $4.10 (= $2.00 + 0.3 * 7)

The cost to provide Caltrain service is not proportional to the distance
travelled. Costs to build and operate stations and handle tickets are
just as great for a three mile trip as for a fifty mile trip.

This $2.00 fixed fare is the same amount as is charged by a typical taxi service:

Short trips are well served by local buses. Caltrain is unique in that
it offers regional service through three counties. The fare system
should not penalize riders who use it as a regional system, and
already wait through many stops before getting to their destination.

Short distance riders have alternatives: county busses from VTA, SamTrans
and Muni, or local busses. What's more, if a commuter is dissatisfied with
their local bus service, they can appeal to their local agency for improvements.
If I want to go from central Sunnyvale to north Sunnyvale, I can choose
between Caltrain, VTA light rail, and local busses. Many local cities
fill in gaps in County bus systems with their own busses, such as
Santa Clara city's BEE bus.

But for a commuter going from Milbrae to Santa Clara, there is no choice
but Caltrain. Caltrain must not penalize or discourage this captive market.

The proposed zone consolidation pricing plan is wrong by penalizing
loyal long distance riders.

Moreover, the fares need to offer discounts for off peak time usage
and reverse commute usage. There should be discounts for using
less crowded trains. Caltrain's proposed fares fail on all accounts.

Other proposed ticket changes have some merit.
One-way tickets valid for three hours is fine, but the expiry clock should
start ticking when the tickets are validated, not when they're bought.
I'd love to be able to mail out Caltrain tickets with invitations
for next month's s, or carry a few spare tickets for when
I'm running late or the ticket queue is long. ACERail and
have managed successful advance ticket sales for years.

Also, parking coupons (tickets for valid use of parking, not citations
for wrong parking) should also be sold by Caltrain ticket machines.
Adding (and paying for) parking to my train ticket should be as easy
as adding fries to my hamburger.

Existing parking vending machines are a failure: they are hard to find,
don't make change, and don't accept credit cards. Take this opportunity
to remedy this situation.

Phasing out on-board ticket sales might work, but I'd like to see a
full year of successfully functioning ticket vending machines before
on-board ticket sales are abandoned. Perhaps raise the on-board
service charge to $5 from $3 and reconsider abandoning on-board
ticket sales in January 2005.

Replacing the round-trip ticket with a Day Pass is excellent.

Submitted to:
fares@caltrain.com
and by sending postal mail to
Caltrain Board Secretary,
1250 San Carlos Ave.,
San Carlos, CA, 94070

Caltrain Fares

New Caltrain Fares: Caltrain has proposed a fair adjustment. See also comments on fare proposal.

Caltrain's presentation of the new fares:

The zones and fares are changed. Does this table show which fares
go up and which go down ? No.

A better presentation would also show which fares go up
and which go down. For example, the below ficticious
matrix shows some fares going up and others going down.

It would also be better for Caltrain to link together their
various pages about the fares.

Also, the top table was presented by Caltrain as only a .PDF file.
It would help if Caltrain would learn to publish web materials as
simple as a one page tables in HTML, instead of only in .PDF format.

stairwell canopy

Canopies over stairwell entrances would protect stairs and
escalators from snow, rain, sand, mud and debris. Storefront
entries as used by the London Underground are even better.

Subway stairs covered in snow.

Subway platform covered in snow.

Pics from NY Times and Newsday.

Compare to Russell Square Underground Station, with its Edwardian red tiled facade, is on the Piccadilly Line.

inane graphical sitemaps

Inane site maps:
from www.fta.dot.gov/index/library.html

contextual maps

Maps should show context.

For a transit station, context means what paths and streets would
be used to approach or depart from the station. Showing the
location of other, related facilities in the vicinity is important, too.
For example bus stops. And showing not just the bus stop, but
showing which busses stop is even better.

Here's a preview of the project introduced earlier: APTA 2003- IA plus wayfinding.

An example of a job well done from Vancouver, B.C.'s Skytrain
system.

[from translink.bc.ca]

Compare to this example of a terrible, useless map is from the under
construction Cross-County Metro line in Saint Louis County, MO.

Click for full size map.

[From Cross County Metro, Saint Louis, MO.]

APTA Commuter Rail

Transit nerds make the case.

APTA Commuter Rail meeting, Chicago, IL: 2003 April 13-16.
Announcement.

APTA Rail Transit Conference San Jose, California: 2003 June 08-12.
Sessions; CFP.

Planned presesntation:
Beyond Signage: Wayfinding and Information Architecture for Rail Commuters.
Check back by 2003 March 21.

Abstract:

Wayfinding is a two-stage process during which people must solve a wide variety
of problems in architectural and urban spaces that involve both "decision
making" (formulating an action plan) and "decision executing" (implementing the
plan).

User centered design of commuter facilities and systems must accommodate a
variety of users

(classes of rider: potential rider, new rider, frequent rider, choice rider, captive
rider; all with varied abilities and experiences) and tasks of both trip planning
(scheduling, routing, ticketing) and trip execution (station access: arrival, exit,
escape, driving, parking, and walking routes; and train access: boarding,
seating, alighting). Also addressable are accessory tasks such as kiss and ride
pick-up meeting, discovering and using station amenities, and facilitating trip
combining, and performance monitoring ('Is my train on time today ?').

This paper outlines a methodology for designing commuter rail systems to better
communicate with riders. Techniques such as use of personae (assembling a
collection of representative users) and use cases and heuristic task analysis help
avoid the worst blunders. Design blunders pr and discourage ridership. In
evaluating systems, a measure of efficiency is used: if a trip that met a
commuter's needs was available but not found and thus not taken, the system is
inefficient. Efficiency is key for commuter rail systems to win over choice
riders.

Importantly, necessary solutions go beyond signage. Some include architectural
aspects, and all require careful organization of information.

A research agenda for developing conventions and standards and guidelines for
providing information to rail commuters is proposed.

statistics, Amtrak style

The Capitol Corridor service that runs between Auburn, Oakland and San Jose.
It is the fastest growing line in the country.
October 12, 2002, in the Oakland Tribune.

The Capitol Corridor service is the fastest growing in the country.
September 28, 2002, in the Oakland Tribune.

We broke the record for ridership for October with over 95,000 passengers
carried. That's a 5% increase over October 2001.
Message to Riders, November 10, 2002, Eugene K. Skoropowski,
Managing Director Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority.

Seattle Sounder ridership

Week of Nov/08/2002 15,330 + 7 % month-to-month
Week of Oct/07/2002 14,382 + 16 % year-to-year
Week of Oct/01/2001 12,445 +110 % year-to-year
Week of Oct /02/2000 5,914

ism

We don't know when the trains will start running because
the schedule is so precise.

Train system experts said they can't set a precise start-up date
because of extensive testing required for the computer controls that
keep trains on schedule and spaced apart.[*]

[BATN note: Opening date was scheduled for "late 2001" in 1998.
True to form, the extension is nearly 100% over initial budget
and well over a year behind schedule.

Meanwhile, Madrid's Metro extensions, for example, have had no
problems commissioning computerized signaling systems and entering
service ahead of schedule.]

Reality: bus spotting

bus spotting

train spotting

Transit station design: best practice

What makes a good transit station ?

This question is important because the system is being
expanded from Fremont south to to Silicon Valley,
and new stations are being planned now.

1. Buses loop through the paid area,
so passengers can efficiently transfer between bus and
train. Much better than walking across a busy
parking lot, and paying a fare twice.

2. The entranceway should be conspicuous and labeled. Compare
's anonymous Union Station or Mowry entrance to the
Fremont station to a typical London Tube station.

3. An infrared data port on the platform pushes new schedules and daily specials.

4. Designated motocycle parking, fiting five motorcyles in the space
of one car, and the motorcycle exit defended by bollards so as to
pr wholesale theft of motorcyles by van-men.

5. Cross platform transfers should be easy.

6. Elevators and escalators hould be finadable from train doors.

7. Pedestrian entrances need not be sidealk obstructions with escalators exposed to
rain, blowing sand, etc. They could be in storefronts.

8. Platform canopies to protect passengers from rain and sun

Thanks to Seattle's Sounder for the illustrations.

get off the bus

SAMTRANS replaced the Caltrain rail service with
bus service and ridership plummeted 80 percent.

SF Giants fans were much happier on the train.

Meanwhile, Vancouver replaced a fast express bus with a faster train,
and cut 17 minutes off a typical commute, and in St. Louis, somebody
takes their first unaccompanied Metrolink trip.

maps without trains

The Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group produce important
s such as Projections 2002 which plan needed
transit and other infrastructure improvements.

But their map shows all freeways and no transit.

Compare SVMG's map

to the BayRail Alliance's:

Also see the MTC's regional_transit_diagram.pdf [2 mb].

Bridge Boondoggle

Thanks to Richard Mlynarik of Bay Area Transportation News
for this report on the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge
seismic rebuilding:

Caltrans' 1997 estimate of $2.6 billion to retrofit bridges and
replace the eastern span of the Bay Bridge swelled 77 percent to $4.6
billion, while completion dates stretched from 2004 to 2009.

* The new eastern span is the largest cost factor: Caltrans now puts
the price at $2.6 billion, double the original estimate.
* Caltrans' failure to include inflation in its cost estimates led
lawmakers initially to underfund the toll-bridge program.
* The Bay Area's insistence on a signature or landmark eastern span
and amenities such as a bicycle path drove up the cost.

* Motorists will pay a bigger share than initially intended: Tolls now
cover 49 percent of the program costs, up from 35 percent in the
original funding plan.

* Rising support costs, such as staff salaries and consultant fees,
account for a fourth of the overrun.

BATN note: in fact, the over overrruns have been far, far greater.
Caltrans originally promised to replace the span for $1,005 million
(April 1997 Caltrans memo justifying replacement rather than retrofit
by lower "life cycle" costs, compared to a $909 million retrofit.)
By April 1999 (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) replacement was
$1,500 million. [1]

"They've more or less confirmed what we knew all along," said Steve
Heminger, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation
Commission. "The issue that remains that neither they nor we know is
what will be the final cost."

BATN note: then-MTC Manager of Legislation and Governmental Affairs
Heminger repeatedly insisted during the "Bay Bridge Design Taskforce"
"process" of 1997-1999 that East Span replacement, as proposed by
Caltrans and the interest-conflicted consultants associated with the
panel, was the only (politically or fiscally) acceptable
alternative, and justified this by reference to Caltrans' budget
estimates, which at the time and subsequently he showed no qualms
whatsoever in portraying as "final costs". [2]

The cost of steel on the eastern half of the Bay Bridge rose $244
million. Transportation experts familiar with the project say this is
a consequence of Gov. Gray Davis' decision to start a Buy America
program on the bridge and seek federal bridge funds. Ultimately, the
federal government kicked in $642 million. [3]

View a full copy of the state Auditor's report.

paying for commuting

Meanwhile, we continue to subsidize those who drive. Experts reckon that
drivers pay only a quarter of the real cost of operating a vehicle; the
remaining costs--things like congestion, sprawl, road maintenance and
pollution--are paid for by society as a whole. Illinois gives drivers a
particularly good deal; our vehicle taxes and registration fees are nearly
30 percent lower than the national average.
as reported in The Chicago Tribune.

Now really, who pays more for congestion: somebody stuck in the middle of it,
wasting their time, or an average member of society as a whole.

Get on the bus ?

The SF Bay region's clean air plan will remain on hold until at least
October, when a panel of federal judges will consider its validity,
the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

The decision throws into limbo the summer highway construction season
and is a clear victory for environmentalists, as it means the court
finds enough merit in their case to warrant a stay. Without an air
plan, federal cash cannot flow to new transportation projects.

News: 1, 2, 3, 4 .

This is a huge ruling that says the MTC must start following the
law. Federal dollars cannot be used to make air quality worse.

-- David Schonbrunn, director of Transportation Solutions Defense and
Education Fund.

pay the toll

station

Staionmasters have good info about the Washington, D. C. Metro
stations, e.g., the Vienna Station.

Caltrain could do better.

Get on trak

Amtrak, the 1-800-USA-RAIL phone number isn't well optimized for the regular commuter to learn the status of his train -- the system asks lots of questions, and periodically Amtrak inserts new things at the beginning which make it hard to program a phone to spit out the needed information quickly and conveniently. This is a reasonable design choice to support the occasional Amtrak rider, and so I don't suggest changing it.		.
For the regular commuter, however, it would be a great convenience to be able to call a phone number, provide a train number by touch-tone, and hear the status. We know when the train is scheduled to be at our station, and don't need to be told this (so there's no need to tell what station we care about, or whether we want arrival or departure time); we're always looking for status on today's train (if long-haul trains like the Zephyr are included in this information system, the system could report on all trains that are -- or were scheduled to be -- intransit today). This should also save money on phone bills and equipment relative to 1-800-USA-RAIL, because the phone line would be in use for a fraction of the time. My ideal would be something like:		.
.	(dial special number) Hello, you've reached Amtrak blah, blah, blah; this phone number is only for getting current status of trains by train number; for general information call 1-800-USA-RAIL, blah, blah; please enter the train number followed by pound -- next time you call, you can enter this information immediately after the phone is answered" 523# "Train 523 left Davis on time at 5:44, but is 15 minutes late arriving in Martinez" (extra points for explaining why it's late and/or estimating how much later it will be)

Smug Nuts

an article in Metropolis which compares New Urbanism's affecting authentic communities
to a method actor's becoming a character.

NUTS; New Urbanist Transit Supporters

SmUG; Smart Urban Growth.

PEVERTS; Promoting Exclusion of Vehicles Except Regional Transit

TROGldytes; Transit Only Groupies

Mayor Brown, unstuck.

The -strike theatre reaches an anti-climax.

Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, who stopped by the negotiation
headquarters Tuesday, said the climate was right for a settlement,
even though negotiators packed up and left earlier Tuesday night.

"People get stuck on things and I am just hoping there is a way to
unstick things so they don't stick it to the public," he said.

-dc