SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA: Transit/Transportation News - Page 29

fflint · #**561** Posted **Mar 20, 2012, 11:24 PM**

Changes like signal priority (and all-door boarding, coming in July) aren't terribly sexy, but will make a big, positive impact on hundreds of thousands of local transit riders!

Half of SF Intersections to Get Transit-Priority Signals Within Two Years
sf streetsblog
Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Two years from now, Muni buses will have traffic signal priority at 600 intersections throughout the city, SFMTA Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) Manager Julie Kirschbaum told the agency’s board of directors today.

The signals will speed buses along all of Muni’s priority “rapid” route network, making up half of San Francisco’s roughly 1,200 intersections, she said.

Transit-priority traffic signals would substantially speed up Muni trips by “allow[ing] us to extend greens and reduce the amount of time buses spend sitting at signals,” said Kirschbaum while presenting an update on the TEP.

The signals, which would use GPS to hold green lights for buses and trains as they approach an intersection, would be installed using $20.3 million from the Prop B street improvements bond measure approved by voters last November. “It really is a substantial investment,” said Kirschbaum.
...

fflint · #**562** Posted **Mar 21, 2012, 10:34 PM**

If the MTA can indeed speed up its eight busiest bus/train lines by 30%, the improvement will be huge.

S.F. transit agency's plan to speed Muni service
Michael Cabanatuan
Wednesday, March 21, 2012

A plan to speed Muni buses will bring all-door boarding this summer, synchronized traffic lights within two years and specially colored bus lanes and relocated stops by 2017.

Municipal Transportation Agency....is moving forward with plans to speed travel times on eight of its busiest lines by as much as 30 percent.

"It makes sense to focus on the routes where we'll benefit the most people," said Julie Kirschbaum, the project manager, who outlined the plan Tuesday at an agency board meeting.
....
The eight routes proposed for the so-called rapid bus improvements include: J-Church; N-Judah from La Playa to Church Street; 5-Fulton from La Playa to Market Street; 8X-Bayshore Express from Geneva and Ocean avenues to San Bruno and Silver avenues; 14-Mission from Daly City BART Station to the Embarcadero; 22-Fillmore from 16th and Church streets to Third and Church streets; 28-19th Avenue from Junipero Serra Boulevard to California Street, and 30-Stockton from Van Ness Avenue and Chestnut Street to Stockton and Market streets.

Other changes being considered include construction of new bus boarding islands and widened sidewalk boarding zones, creating right turn lanes for nontransit vehicles, prohibiting nontransit vehicles from making turns that impede buses and widening narrow lanes that force buses to use two lanes.
.....

fflint · #**563** Posted **Mar 22, 2012, 8:44 PM**

Caltrain upgrades a step toward high-speed rail

Michael Cabanatuan
San Francisco Chronicle
Thursday, March 22, 2012

Commuters arrive on a Baby Bullet train at the Caltrain station in San Francisco. Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

Bay Area transportation officials have agreed on a $1.5 billion plan to work with the High-Speed Rail Authority to electrify Caltrain and install advanced train-control systems to build a hybrid rail system accommodating both commuter and high-speed trains.

Under the proposal, released late Wednesday, the Bay Area would receive $706 million in state high-speed rail bond money, with the rest of the funds coming from local sales taxes, other state and federal funds, bridge tolls and air district money.

"This is a great leap forward for transportation in our region," said Jim Wunderman, president of the Bay Area Council, a regional business group. "Electrifying Caltrain is one of the top priorities of the CEOs we represent. Electrification will boost ridership, clean up our air and remove thousands of cars a day from Highway 101. At the same time, it lays the foundation for high-speed rail to come to the Bay Area."

Caltrain officials have long planned to electrify their rails, which they say will allow them to run faster, more frequent and quieter trains.
....

yakumoto · #**564** Posted **Mar 22, 2012, 11:35 PM**

This has been a good week for Bay Area rail!

Amtrak San Joaquin Line Could See More Ridership

STOCKTON, Calif. (KCRA) -- A spokesman with the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which runs the Altamont Commuter Express, said legislation is in the works to take over the San Joaquin's Amtrak line.

The line runs from Kern County through the Central Valley, and splits off into a Y at Stockton. One line proceeds to Sacramento, while the other heads toward Oakland.

The Joint Powers Authority would be the governing board, made up of 11 members from the counties where the Amtrak line currently runs. This would include officials from Kern County to San Joaquin Valley to Sacramento and parts of the East Bay.

SJRRC said the goal is to meet the demands of the riders by adding more services, and said the Joint Powers Authority would be better able to handle this increase in service....

fflint · #**565** Posted **Mar 23, 2012, 3:06 AM**

^They're talking about possibly tripling the number of daily San Joaquin trains--that's fantastic!

Twelve round trips daily to both points of the Y would make the new agency a true inter-urban service, from Bakersfield and the southern parts of the Central Valley to Sacramento on one end and the Bay Area on the other. That's a big boost to Northern California inter-urban rail.

yakumoto · #**566** Posted **Mar 23, 2012, 3:44 AM**

Well, I think the other biggie is that its going to be under the same agency as ACE. I'll bet this means some coordination between the two, and some better connections between the south bay and the valley.

ardecila · #**567** Posted **Mar 23, 2012, 6:01 AM**

Electrification for Caltrain is awesome. Except for the Shore Line in Connecticut, this will be the first new US electrification project for commuter rail in nearly 100 years. It will break this silly notion that electrification is only for the Northeast.

mt_climber13 · #**568** Posted **Mar 23, 2012, 6:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by fflint

Changes like signal priority (and all-door boarding, coming in July) aren't terribly sexy, but will make a big, positive impact on hundreds of thousands of local transit riders!

Half of SF Intersections to Get Transit-Priority Signals Within Two Years
sf streetsblog
Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Two years from now, Muni buses will have traffic signal priority at 600 intersections throughout the city, SFMTA Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) Manager Julie Kirschbaum told the agency’s board of directors today.

The signals will speed buses along all of Muni’s priority “rapid” route network, making up half of San Francisco’s roughly 1,200 intersections, she said.

Transit-priority traffic signals would substantially speed up Muni trips by “allow[ing] us to extend greens and reduce the amount of time buses spend sitting at signals,” said Kirschbaum while presenting an update on the TEP.

The signals, which would use GPS to hold green lights for buses and trains as they approach an intersection, would be installed using $20.3 million from the Prop B street improvements bond measure approved by voters last November. “It really is a substantial investment,” said Kirschbaum.
...

That's awesome! The city is starting to know how again.

CityKid · #**569** Posted **Mar 23, 2012, 10:47 PM**

I'm loving these updates to Muni! All-door boarding? Signal priority? I don't know if it's because of the entrance of Ed Reiskin or Ed Lee or the departure of Nathaniel Ford or Gavin Newsom or just the culmination of a lot of projects, but I'm all for it. Hopefully by the time I move back to SF, Muni will be more reliable.

fflint · #**570** Posted **Mar 24, 2012, 5:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CityKid

I'm loving these updates to Muni! All-door boarding? Signal priority? I don't know if it's because of the entrance of Ed Reiskin or Ed Lee or the departure of Nathaniel Ford or Gavin Newsom or just the culmination of a lot of projects, but I'm all for it. Hopefully by the time I move back to SF, Muni will be more reliable.

Reiskin probably has more to do with this than any other individual, but it should be noted this isn't one guy--these improvements were recommended in the epic Transit Effectiveness Project from a few years ago. San Francisco hates reform, and traditionally favors the private automobile over all other modes, but I think Muni has finally realized they're going to die if they don't improve. The TEP is a well-supported approach to a more efficient, more effective Muni.

When I was younger, Muni Metro used to melt down fairly regularly, and when I (and my boss) complained about Muni's unreliability and snail's pace, the compromised elders just laughed. They literally dared me to find a way to get around without Muni. Then came the bicycle revolution--tens of thousands of able-bodied San Franciscans who eschew Muni for bikes--and all of a sudden, the calcified ancients aren't laughing and we're looking at the most significant transit reformation in a generation.

CyberEric · #**571** Posted **Mar 27, 2012, 12:41 AM**

Signal priority!!! That is fantastic news!!!

Thanks for the head's up.

M II A II R II K · #**572** Posted **Mar 27, 2012, 1:01 PM**

A Possible Future: What a Comprehensive Regional Transit System Might Look Like.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/des...rancisco/1548/

ardecila · #**573** Posted **Mar 27, 2012, 5:01 PM**

Wow... virtually no BART expansion in SF, but one (two?) more Transbay Tunnels and some kind of RER-ization on Caltrain/Capitol Corridor/ACE?

peanut gallery · #**574** Posted **Mar 27, 2012, 5:10 PM**

You know, for the moment I'd be happy with a unified map of what exists today and an integrated fare system with which to ride it. Clipper certainly helps but you're still paying every individual system a separate fare, making some trips pretty expensive. Aside from that, I love the potential demonstrated in that map!

BTW: SMART has installed signage at future stations. Saw one at the Civic Center site in San Rafael yesterday. It's a "sign" of good things to come! Wow, that was cheezy.

rocketman_95046 · #**575** Posted **Mar 27, 2012, 5:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

You know, for the moment I'd be happy with a unified map of what exists today and an integrated fare system with which to ride it. Clipper certainly helps but you're still paying every individual system a separate fare, making some trips pretty expensive. Aside from that, I love the potential demonstrated in that map!

BTW: SMART has installed signage at future stations. Saw one at the Civic Center site in San Rafael yesterday. It's a "sign" of good things to come! Wow, that was cheezy.

Past SSP Forumer JChurch's website http://www.sfcityscape.com has a lot of great transit maps. Such as this one below.

CyberEric · #**576** Posted **Mar 27, 2012, 6:24 PM**

That's a nice map! Now if we could just get something like it installed in stations and trains. The Bay Area needs to stop the secret transit!

peanut gallery · #**577** Posted **Mar 27, 2012, 6:33 PM**

Very cool map. That's exactly what I was getting at, Eric. I'd like to see the agencies get together on this stuff and communicate a more unified message on how to get around. This map + ferry + certain intracity bus routes (if that's possible without overcomplicating matters) would paint a much better picture. Then create rate zones (similar to the London Underground) and you have a much easier-to-use regional system. Maybe the MTC can make something like that happen someday.

M II A II R II K · #**578** Posted **Mar 27, 2012, 7:08 PM**

fflint · #**579** Posted **Mar 28, 2012, 1:26 AM**

I'm already kind of nostalgic about BART's current stock, especially the "aerodynamic" front cars, but I know I'll appreciate the new cars for their modernity and cleanliness. A short conceptual video of BMW's proposed designs for the 775 new BART cars the agency is preparing to purchase:

• Video Link

ardecila · #**580** Posted **Mar 28, 2012, 1:41 AM**

Yeah, BART definitely has that Space Age modernity we're starting to re-appreciate through Mad Men and such.

I know the inter-agency conflicts in SF are legendary, but Caltrain, Capitol Corridor, and ACE should really come under a common brand and for regional rail, and a common pricing structure (Clipper). SMART is less essential to integrate because it's disconnected from the other three by substantial natural barriers.