Supervisor Ken Yeager reports: more bikes on Caltrain!

This just in from Santa Clara County Supervisor and Caltrain Board Member Ken Yeager:

Greetings-

I have good news for Caltrain riders who bring bikes aboard as part of their commute. At today’s Caltrain Board meeting, I voted to allocate $300,000 to convert 10 passenger cars into bike cars. This will guarantee that each train set will include two bike cars. This not only increases overall bike capacity, but improves consistency and lessens the likelihood that bike riders will get “bumped” from the train.

This is a satisfying resolution to a long-standing problem. I was happy that Caltrain was able to increase bike capacity in existing cars in February 2009. However, as a cyclist myself, I was adamant that Caltrain stay committed to providing two bike cars on every train. It took two years, but today’s vote fulfills that promise.

Caltrain recently began working with a new contractor who is able to covert a standard Gallery car into a bike car much more quickly than before. Riders can expect that the new bike cars will begin rolling out on trains by the end of June—perfect timing to take advantage of the good weather for summer cycling.

As always, I encourage you to contact me at supervisor.yeager@bos.sccgov.org or (408) 299-5040 with any questions or concerns. I truly believe that bicycling plays an important role in meeting both our transportation and health needs, and I promise to work hard to ensure our community is as bicycle friendly as possible.

Ken