New Caltrain Car Design Directive: More Space for People Who Bike
For those of you that couldn't skip work to attend Caltrain's Joint Powers Board (JPB) meeting this morning, I have some good news to share after our call for action last week. Thanks to all of your petition signatures and comments (there was over 150 at last count), letters to Board members, in-person comments, and other outreach, the JPB voted to increase future bike capacity on electrified vehicles (coming in 2020) and commit to a minimum of $3 million for wayside bike parking improvements.Now, this isn't everything we asked for. We were hoping to get 16% of bike passengers able to bring their bike on board. The JPB decision didn't go that far, but didn't preclude it either. Basically, they decided to dictate an 8:1 seats to bikes ratio when telling train manufacturers what to design, which is greater than staff recommendation of 9:1 seats to bikes ratio. This will increase bike capacity over today's levels and allow for future increases as the cars will be designed with flexibility to take seats out. There will be further opportunities to influence the car design over the next year, so stay tuned.As for bike parking, the Board took a strong stance that this is a priority for their agency, and added a resolution to commit to at a minimum $3 million in funding for bike parking improvements. This is a great start and we will be working with other local partners to help Caltrain get this and other money so that there are safe and secure options for people who bike.There's more work to do. We want to hear from you on your ideas for the future of car design and wayside bike facilities. Stay tuned for opportunities to get involved.Read more below and send a thank you note to JPB at: board@caltrain.comFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENew Caltrain Car Design Directive:
- More space for people who bike
- Caltrain staff recommended maintaining ratios of on-board bike storage.
- The Board voted for a compromise between staff’s recommendation and advocates' requests, increasing space on new cars.
San Carlos, Calif. -- For their electric train cars scheduled to hit the tracks in 2020, the Caltrain Board today directed would-be designers to add more capacity for people with bikes than is provided on the system’s current cars. The vote discarded Caltrain staff’s recommendation not to increase space dedicated to bikes on board.On the current cars, the number of people who are “bumped,” or forced to wait for the next car for insufficient space, can exceed 300 per month, based on information provided by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. That data was collected from Caltrain riders self-reporting when they were bumped, likely underestimating the number of people not permitted to take the train they needed. Caltrain’s current schedule suggests that passengers bumped from one train wait between five and 30 minutes for the next train to arrive, on which space is not guaranteed.The number of people bringing bikes on Caltrain has risen 364 percent over the last 10 years, and continues rising.“We hear from folks all the time about how Caltrain’s current car design causes people to be late for work or to pick up their kids because there isn’t enough space for them on the train they needed to catch,” said Noah Budnick, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “When transit options don’t meet the needs of a community, you see more people turn to private autos for their commutes. That’s a fact, and the Board’s refusal to go along with the status quo is a real victory for improving regional transit.”“The redesign of Caltrain’s fleet is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve how Caltrain works for people who bike, and the leadership of the Caltrain Board of Directors on this issue cannot be overlooked,” Budnick stated.Today’s Caltrain Board vote passed a Request for Proposals (RFP) to set guidelines for how potential contractors design the future fleet. Unanimously passed, the RFP would increase the seat-to-bike space ratio from the current fleet’s 10-to-one.The RFP presented by Caltrain staff sought to maintain the status quo. Board Member Tom Nolan moved to increase space for bikes to eight seats for each bike space, earning vocal support from fellow Board Members Jose Cisneros, Ash Kalra and Ken Yeager. Nolan’s motion passed the Board.The Board’s vote to increase space for bikes on board Caltrain’s new cars was paired with a commitment to increase and improve bike parking at Caltrain stations. That motion was brought by Board Chair Adrienne Tissier. The staff had proposed $3 million for bike parking, which the Board made official by passing Tissier’s motion.“Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition is excited with this initial investment in bike parking for Caltrain stations that emphasizes the importance of bike access,” said Shiloh Ballard, President and Executive Director of Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. “At this crucial point in the development of regional transportation, we are pleased with Caltrain’s board for taking into account the growing desire of passengers to both park at Caltrain stations and bring bikes on board.”This is the first significant step by Caltrain in designing their new electric fleet amid an increasing both number of passengers who bike, as well as Caltrain's overall number of passengers. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition plan to continue advocating for improvements to the commute for Caltrain passengers who bike and increasing the number of people for whom Caltrain is a feasible alternative to commuting by private automobile. Caltrain’s modernization offers the promise of increasing capacity and reliability for everyone.
