$3 million for bike parking proposed for Caltrain
Photo credit: Andrew Boone, Streesblog SFToday, Caltrain staff gave recommendations to the Caltrain Joint Powers Board of Directors (JPB) for the future of Caltrain: the proposed configuration of new train cars, or electrified motor units (EMUs), for electrification in 2020 and a proposal to invest $3 million in wayside bicycle facilities. The JPB will be voting on July 2 on these proposals to inform the future train car design.Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition has enjoyed working with Caltrain over the years to ensure accommodation of bicycles both on-board and in bike parking. In December of last year, we joined San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) and BikeSMC to call for onboard bicycle capacity improvements and other consideration for people who bike. Due to this advocacy, Caltrain will add a third bike car to Bombardier train sets this summer, which will bring the on-board bike capacity more closely in line with the Gallery train sets.For the next iteration of Caltrain, we are advocating for an increase in on-board capacity as well as goals for bicycle access to stations and funding to match.Biking is a low-cost, healthy, and environmentally friendly way to access Caltrain and should be encouraged. As the economy on the Peninsula has grown, biking has continued to increase as a first- and last-mile solution for many people. Bike boardings have risen steadily and demand will continue to grow, and thus we urged Caltrain to increase on-board bike capacity beyond the current ratio to accommodate this growth.We are thrilled to support staff’s recommendation for $3 million in funding for wayside bike parking which is the first step in creating a modern access system. This investment is crucial to ensure that people who bike to the station are accommodated.Next steps:
Interested in getting more information as the July 2 vote nears? Contact Emma Shlaes, SVBC Policy Manager at emma@bikesiliconvalley.org.
