Readers Teach Abby about Transit Etiquette

Dear Abby: Every time I politely ask someone on the train to lower their mp3 player or stop talking on the phone, other passengers feel empowered, look at me gratefully, and back me up if the rude person has a problem with my request.

Don't Feed the Addiction

The Cash for Clunkers program has run out of money. The National Automobile Dealers Association, "would like more money for the program which has been a boon for car sales" (NPR).

Click here to easily find your representative's email address and tell her that you want no more cash for clunkers.

Synchrony

Ridership Is Up, Now Raise the Gas Tax

These are real cuts affecting real people. Our most recent ridership survey showed more than half our riders use the bus to get to work and almost 60 percent do not have access to a car. Our riders tell us that we should be increasing service, not cutting it, and we agree. We simply do not have the money, and the state appears determined to get out of the business of supporting transit operations.

The San Francisco Chronicle

SamTrans is the public transit operator centered in San Mateo county, which serves a chunk of Silicon Valley and provides service into San Francisco. Their troubles represent the maddening distinction found all over the country of increased ridership during decreased funding. In such situations in the past, public transit systems have phased out their para-transit operations and "merged" them with scheduled operations. That makes no one happy.

Pedestrians on the Archipelago

Click below if you ever wanted an opinion on which Hawaiian island is best for a carfree couple.

The New York Times

As Dangerous as Driving Drunk

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decided not to make public hundreds of pages of research and warnings about the use of phones by drivers — in part, officials say, because of concerns about angering Congress. “We’re looking at a problem that could be as bad as drunk driving, and the government has covered it up,” said Clarence Ditlow.

The New York Times

The point is, distracted driving is dangerous. Yet every car commercial over the last decade sells that car's interior. Speakers, A/C, cup holders, DVD display, satellite radio, and my favorite: soundproof! What could be more detached from surroundings than a soundproof interior? Distracted driving is normal driving.

Bikes on the Interstate Bridge (D.C.)

(via Transportation for America)

Close Times Square to Cars and Solve Its Traffic Problems

Today Slate.com writes on the "anti-space" of Times Square. What is an anti-space?

"More than 356,000 pedestrians travel through Times Square on an average day, according to the New York City Department of Transportation, while the number of cars is closer to 50,000. [...] only 11 percent of Times Square is devoted to pedestrian use."

Three Views of a New Carfree Space

Below are three low-quality photos (generic camera phone) of a new, tiny, and popular carfree area on 17th Street in San Francisco.


The city simply banned cars from the Muni Metro's F line tracks at one intersection.


Then the Castro Business District laid out some chairs and tables. The effect is astounding. This is a beautiful place to have yourself a sit-down, especially at night.


Previously just another clogged intersection for automobiles. Now it's a livable space.

Mayors

Mayor Boris Johnson is a big proponent of "cycle super highways," a plan that would increase the number of bicycle-only lanes in London. On one of the rides specifically intended to scope out possible super highway routes, the mayor and two transport ministers were nearly killed by a truck driver. The footage was caught on CCTV.




In other news about mayors, the dialog below occurred recently at a bar on Mission Street.

Me: Did you hear about Berkeley's mayor? He gave up his car.

Other: Pssht. He's only carfree three days per week and only from 9-5, while his wife is away in her car.

Me: Oh.



This is related to an earlier post about the mayor of Berkeley going carfree. I want to cite a proper source for the information, but I can't find one. The Bay Area has a rumor mill. Currently the rumor is that mayor Tom Bates received a lot of publicity for "going carfree" when all he did was sell his old car. Can anyone back this up? Have I been spun?

All Mayors Should Try This

Berkeley's mayor goes carfree.



No doubt he'll become one of many who knows that AC Transit (Berkeley's bus system) needs some major improvements.

Surcharge for Passenger Drop Off

Passengers who arrive at airports via rail have always paid a surcharge for, well, being awesome, for not clogging up curb sides, for not parking in eyesores, etc. Just think of the subway to JFK airport - normally $2 per ride in Queens, it costs $7.00 to the airport. Or BART to SFO, the price spikes for the airport but dips again to Millbrae, a station further along the line. You probably know countless other examples.



Now one airport finally has the sense of fairness to charge drivers to drop off at the airport, too.

Share the Intersection

GOOD Magazine did a take on what a more "livable" street in Manhattan would look like. Unfortunately it isn't carfree, but it's worth checking out.

My favorite recommendation is the traffic light with LPI, "leading pedestrian interval," tip #7 on GOOD's graphic. My least favorite recommendation is #8, the bollard. Sidewalks in Amsterdam are an example of how bollards can be overused and obstruct pedestrians. What do you think?


(Thanks, Erica C. Barnett from The Stranger's Slog Blog for the link.)

Obama Is Jealous

...of European trains. He asks, "Why can't we have high speed rail?"



(April 3 Town Hall in Strasbourg)

Sprawl: Cause and Solution

The Complete Streets Act 2009

The goal of the Complete Streets Act 2009 is to take pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit under consideration in all new road building. Eighty cities already have something similar; this bill is for the rest of you.



Tell your representative or senator. It's on the floor of both chambers this week.

Wi-Drive?

Last Monday, sfgate said: “On Tuesday, a San Francisco company that runs luxury shuttles for the likes of Google and Yahoo will start a new, weekday bus service connecting Marin County, San Francisco and San Jose. The buses will be the same kind of tricked-out rides that Bauer's Intelligent Transportation uses for its corporate clients....” My coworker Andrew and I both attempted to register to ride the commute service online with various levels of frustration. Ultimately, I received an email response instructing me to just show up and ride the bus. (Andrew received a card in the mail but no instruction on how to use it.) On Thursday, I just showed up and rode the service, called Wi-Drive, to work.

Leaving my house at 7:24a, I waited for the 7:55a to Moffett Park at the Ferry Building. The bus arrived at approximately 8:15. We were waiting at the Amtrak stop, but the real stop is right in front of the Ferry Building. It's basically the same as the employer-provided shuttles I’ve ridden, same vehicle - a large coach with pleather seats and marble table tops.


Six TVs played throughout the bus - the news cut in and out due to "normal vehicle motion".

The Wi-fi was slow but mostly worked… surprisingly, not faster than the other shuttles I’ve ridden where 50 people are sharing it. (I thought the number of users was the reason it was slow.) Host gave me a donut; she said the coffee was cold. She offered water.



The bus arrived at Lockheed Martin Transit Center at 9:30.

Connecting with light rail, I got to work at 10. Traffic is bad this time of day. 4 people (including me) boarded at Ferry Building; 2 at the Park and Ride for a total of 6 passengers including myself. (I wonder if they are the kind of people who are riding the bus because it's free and won't once they have to pay.) Two guys waited at the bus stop with me - they rode the service home once already. They work at Lockheed Martin and live in Hayes Valley. I'm not sure they would ride normally since the Ferry Building isn't convenient for them. They didn't know about Caltrain’s bullet train. Normally they carpool. This indicates that any new form of transportation promotes awareness of all transportation options.

Andrew had a theory that Bauer's was doing this because they ended up with extra buses after the employers canceled their contracts. In support of that theory, the word on the street is that Google is phasing Bauer's out for another provider. I had another theory. Yahoo! recently canceled their Fremont and Oakland/Berkeley shuttle runs and replaced them with vanpools. Bauer's may be anticipating a shift away from employer-provided shuttles. These employees will still need to get to work and will still have the same transportation expectations. Bauer's may be looking to create a seamless transition from employer-provided shuttles to independent Bauer's-provided fare-based shuttles between basically the same locations and with the same level of amenities.

On a different note, I heard one employer pays them about $100/hour for the shuttle service. During this 4 hour shift, they can fit 3 runs (2 south, 1 north) given travel times and expected congestion levels.
Needed revenue: ~$400
Total potential revenue:
~50 seats
3 runs
$8.20 fare
50*3*8=$1,200
So, the buses need to be 1/3 full to justify the service. I wonder if people will not ride if it is more than 1/2 full and they have to share seat rows -- since it isn't free and Bauer's is catering to choice riders.

If you want to ride the bus, just show up at the bus stop at the designated time. They do not have a formalized system for reservations yet.

Having been on many sides of this phenomenon (employer/provider, commuter, public transit worker), I believe the existing system of employer-provided transportation works because of the high level of customer support that the employers provide as the interface between transportation provider and commuter.

Times Square

Part of Times Square becomes carfree. Wall Street remains the only pedestrian street in Manhattan.

Drivers Can Pay

Money is tight and social services are being cut. Britain's Liberal Democrats party has proposed to continue all services by simply stopping funding on national highways. As expected, the auto industry responds with platitudes and fear.

Saving GM Isn't Patriotic

From the Telegraph, "Mr Obama evoked patriotism to both exhort and encourage Americans, even claiming at one point that the US was 'the nation that invented the automobile.'

In fact, it was a German, Karl Benz."