SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA: Transit/Transportation News

[dimondpark]

I dont get the surprise in the comments section of this vid. Traffic in Downtown is always like this during the evening commute.
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[Pedestrian]

I couldn't tell for sure where that was but traffic didn't look unusually heavy. It's much worse on streets that feed to I-80 onramps: gridlock.

[ozone]

^^^ Ha seriously. What's the big deal? This is normal city traffic stuff whether here or another city. The person posting this must have been from Timbuktu.

[ozone]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

^^The stations are not well-maintained and the security is very poor, but even so they have a century of grime yet to accumulate to be dirty like New York or Chicago subways are dirty (did you see the A-train in NY stopped the other day and derailed by equipment left on the tracks but which incident also involved a fire in some trash between the tracks also according to one report I read?). Since I will agree the management in NY is better, by the time BART is as old as the NY Subway it will probably be in worse shape if it's still running. But that's a long way off.

Have you been following the DC metro, a system of about the same age? It has serious problems as well; maybe worse than BART. These systems just need TLC at the age they are and that will take funding. IMHO part of BART's problems is that the political managemet (BART Board) has caved in to the system's unions much too much and that has diverted funds that should have gone to maintenance and equipment replacement into personnel costs. Now we are in a pickle because they may hav rised fares to the point that further increases will decrease ridership and the BART region already has a very high sales tax rate (including the 0.5% for BART). So where can they get more money and if they do, can they keep from handing it out to employees in raises yet again and spend it on fixing the system?

Like a lot of public agencies there needs to be an audit of where the funds go. I don't begrudge someone making a good living but having to match the private sector is absurd. Mainly because the incomes of the middle and upper management in the US has become so disproportionately and absurdly high. I'm sure salaries could be adjusted across the board in order to pay for cleaners and security. But it must be across the board.

[Pedestrian]

San Francisco's Central Subway project (aka phase 2 of the T-Third St line) is making slow but steady progress (though it has fallen a bit behind schedule).

Existing T-Third line:


https://www.sfmta.com/maps/muni-metro-map

Phase 2 extention (Central Subway)

https://sf.curbed.com/2017/7/25/1601...central-subway

The Central Subway: Everything you need to know about it
San Francisco’s $1.5 billion route to Chinatown

For the future, it's largely a matter of money and somewhat one of vision (never a quantity in great supply here) but most transit-using San Franciscans hope there will be a phases 3 and 4 even though these are not yet planned--there is, however, a study underway):


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_Third_Street

[Pedestrian]

BART robberies (by 35%) and assaults (by 27%) up, but felony arrests down

[Pedestrian]

SF transit agency to vote on $21B wish list, including new subway at West Portal

. . . one section of the SFMTA’s capital plan, which is essentially a budget, expanded by nearly $850 million as the agency ramps up plans to put the M-Oceanview train line underground.

This potential new light-rail tunnel would run between West Portal and Parkmerced and see portions of 19th Avenue redesigned with a bike path and landscaping, all to the tune of at least $2.5 billion. This project, which has not yet been approved, includes a “substantial increase in the length of the tunnel” and additional underground stations, the SFMTA staff wrote in the capital plan . . . .

In a win for streetcar fans, $80 million was estimated in a potential pitch to extend the F-Market & Wharves historic streetcar line to Fort Mason, and the E-Embarcadero historic streetcar may receive its own independent track loop and terminal for $10 million . . . .

http://www.sfexaminer.com/sf-transit...y-west-portal/

And so nothing for a Geary subway (or light rail) for the next 20 years.

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

And so nothing for a Geary subway (or light rail) for the next 20 years.

Somewhere, possibly here, I recently read the new thinking is that neigbborhoods and districts refusing to accept more housing should not get priority for subway lines. They should go hand in hand; that makes sense to me. Perhaps old fashioned thinking needs to be revised and updated.

[Pedestrian]

^^Geary remains one of, if not the (I believe I once read it was the busiest bus route in the COUNTRY) busiest transit corredors in the city and I'm not sure about the notion it "refuses to accept new housing". There is probably neghborhood opposition to height in areas but it's a long street and there has been some new development. Nevertheless, the idea that only NEW development counts, not existing density, strikes me as odd.

The portion of the M route between West Portal and Park Merced is practically suburban in density. Clearly what would be driving this is SF State U and the Park Merced redevelopment and they are possibly adequate justification. But I'd like to see some facts as to projected ridership of a Geary line vs the M after Park Merced is redeveloped. My suspicion is they are avoiding Geary because the merchants don't want the disruption and it bothers me that locals are given so much power over the greater good.

[mthd]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

img]http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4323/35413038744_ea4e09a498_b.jpg[/img]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_Third_Street

it's kind of interesting - i wonder if the extremely hilly terrain heading south from union would diminish potential ridership on that option, even though i'd guess it has the greatest number of households within 5 or 6 blocks of each potential station.

the waterfront option is problematic, i think, because of the relatively low density of the marina and the fact that it's all water on one side. great for tourists and visitors, but better to extend the F out there to serve that crowd.

lombard is OK, but vallejo, broadway, and pacific all have stretches with significant numbers of 10+ story buildings that may come closer to justifying expensive subway construction than the 2-4 story fabric of the marina. the union alignment could potentially catch that .... except that it's super steep to walk back up those few short blocks.

[TWAK]

could the fort mason tunnel be used? Too cool not to be!

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

The portion of the M route between West Portal and Park Merced is practically suburban in density. Clearly what would be driving this is SF State U and the Park Merced redevelopment and they are possibly adequate justification.

When SF State is in session, it's my understanding that the M line is the busiest outside of the Twin Peaks/Market Street subway. I back that project 100%, especially with adding the Parkmerced redevelopment. Geary, unfortunately, will have to make do with BRT, if they get their act together.

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by TWAK

could the fort mason tunnel be used? Too cool not to be!

That's the plan that I've heard.

[OhioGuy]

• Video Link

[misken67]

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

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Glad to finally see some movement on this project that has been pushed back in favor of endless BART expansions.

[northbay]

SMART begins regular service on Friday, August 25.

[OhioGuy]

Looks like Phase 1 of BART to Silicon Valley has been pushed back from opening at the end of 2017 to now mid 2018.
BART Silicon Valley Update

The VTA Board of Directors received the following update on Phase I of VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Extension Project at its regular board meeting, Thursday, August 3.

The schedule for passenger service established with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is June 2018. VTA has tracked more than 6 months ahead of schedule for most of the 5 years of construction and was anticipating an opening date by the end of this year....

... Although passenger service at the end of this year is no longer possible, VTA is working hand-in-hand with BART and the Joint Venture team, Skanska Shimmick Herzog, to achieve passenger service consistent with the FTA schedule in June 2018.

[mthd]

Originally Posted by misken67

Glad to finally see some movement on this project that has been pushed back in favor of endless BART expansions.

it sounds like a great idea, and i'd be all for some kind of integrated service with caltrain (both north and south from the crossing) but the ridership projections the consultant did for this project are totally abysmal. 6,000-15,500 passengers/day in 2035. you can't (and shouldn't) spend hundreds of millions of dollars on that.

a lot of that was before the recent growth of employment at facebook, but that's not going to move the needle enough to justify a nine figure project.

[misken67]

The same crazy old NIMBY who once sued San Jose for "chemically assaulting" her property with mosquito spray is at it again:

Santa Clara County's new Measure B sales tax has already collected tens of millions of dollars for a multitude of transportation upgrades, but that money is now embargoed from being spent.

An appellate lawsuit filed by Mountain View attorney Gary Wesley on behalf of Saratoga resident Cheriel Jensen is blocking the Valley Transportation Authority from spending any of the $6.5 billion in revenues expected to come from the new tax. For local communities, this means a series of crucial projects -- such as plan for Caltrain grade separation and new bikeways -- could be on hold for up to two years before the suit is resolved.

...

Mountain View and Palo Alto leaders were banking on receiving funding from Measure B for projects to separate city streets from crossing the Caltrain rail line. These grade-separation projects are supposed to be finished by 2020, when Caltrain expects to upgrade to a faster electrified rail system.

Mountain View Voice

Aside from Caltrain station modernization and grade separation projects, Measure B would have provided funding for the BART to Downtown San Jose extension and a multitude of pothole and other road maintenance projects. Measure B was passed with over 70% of the vote in Santa Clara county.

[ChargerCarl]

That is just disgusting.