San Francisco Examiner Op-Ed: Omar's Freemotorist Comments :

San Francisco's Mayor Ed Lee and others are correct about the need for innovation in the Bay Area. Innovation also applies to transportation as well as effective and optimized public budget spending and investment.  Mayor Lee and others need to take a hard look at HSR to support also extending BART Around The Bay (BAB), up the Peninsula using Federal and State funds.  This BART and Bay Area rail innovation starts with a study asap on the final 28 miles from the currently-planned BART South Bay station at Santa Clara University up the Peninsula to the existing, but underutilized BART station in Millbrae.

BAB will enable benefits of ten to 15 years of continuous construction jobs, about 2500 at least, up to additional 5 jobs for each high-paying, likely union craft, construction job that will be created as well. BART around the Bay will unite the Bay Area region's major travel, sports and other venues, downtown shopping areas, and universities while connecting San Francisco trip origination and destinations with SJ--and those cities in between on both sides of the Bay.

The above is consistent with the February 5, 2012, annual Joint Venture Silicon Valley Index outcome about improving regional.

BART around the Bay (BAB) will stop the Caltrain Killtrain deaths.  These include unfortunate, perhaps otherwise preventable suicides had early mental health intervention occurred, but it is too easy for despondent persons to simply step in front of an at street level 50 mph -75 mph racing only inches from unlimited jump off points.  As of December 31 2012, 188 persons have been slaughtered and violently but instantly dismembered on the tracks since 1995, 28 since 1/1/2011, 12 in 2012.  Others have surely died in hospital from injuries or had limb amputations or lifelong suffering from the at-grade Caltrain accidents' injuries.

BAB allow the TransBay Terminal to finish without the $2Bil gap projected currently to fund the outdated and disjointed Caltrain extension while enabling the rerouted SF Central Subway to station  there.  Replacing Caltrain with BART up the Peninsula as part of BAB, BART can expand its stations within the TransBay Terminal to handle ridership increases that result from the unified, single-ride, single-seat, single-ticket BART Around the Bay synergy.

BART is electrified, safer, quieter, more frequent, returns its surrounding area to neighborhood calmness, enables removal of the Dumbarton Rail pylons so the SoBay wetlands can restore to their natural 1910 state along with the salt flat reclamation, and most importantly, enables BART redundancy & SF access from two directions for emergencies or shutdowns (and shopping!). BART betters transit finances and allows for a 60-mile exclusive, safe Trail & bikeway between SJ to SF and interconnects with many East-West trails.  Finally, BART replacing Caltrain is fundable by the $4B from the 4 Caltrain multi-Billion$ projects, redirecting HSR funds to BART Around The Bay to close the 28 mile gap, and facilitates the sale of the Caltrain station and SF trackage for better city use so the land can be used to support the fantastic SOMa projects and growth, Warriors, AT&T Park, and even Mission Bay densification.   HSR helps none of this but bleeds Cities, unions, and so many social needs hurtfully...BART doesn't. BART is proven.  BART Around the Bay is good Innovation. Let's work on BAC and SVLG to bring BAB, replacing the outdated Caltrain Killtrain (Suicide Train?) with the magic of BAB by its 50th anniversary in 2022.

Note that in recent weeks, the TransBay Terminal or West Oakland station and other chokepoints have been intermittently not usable With BAB, BART can send its trains south via SJ and up the Peninsula to SF with minimal rider and no multi-transit, multi-transfer tumult or disruption, such as occurred on June 14 2012 and again over the past 2 weekends. 

BART Around the whole Bay (BAB) is compelling for the BART board to consider for real high-capacity transit via SF or SJ, that is, innovative public-transit. It is compelling for the opportunity to reclaim the SoBay Don Edwards Wildlife Refugefor nature and better Caltrain property use for SF growth and synergy.  Also, a complete BAB is a lasting POSITIVE legacy for all politicians, including Jerry Brown and Dan Richard and its supporters--in their lifetime!

HSR is a negative, losing legacy, like the now-failed, futuristic "SST" aka Concorde, Tupolev 144, because its cost and subsidies will drive this state into deep debt as HSR has done in Spain, Portugal, and Italy (the latter with huge 20,000 people protesting the latest extension), and not doing a darn thing for unemployment, except worsening it after construction completes. Spain = 25%!

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/2012/06/innovation-key-city-s-transparency#disqus_thread#ixzz1zWkyBfFp

This is a Comment posted to SFStreetsblog.org website, 07/03/12, about the June 20, 2012 SPUR meeting to seek funds for the SF Peninsula's deadly Caltrain electrification and HSR as the sucker's bait for their support.

Comment"

SPUR, Transform, and other Green groups should not consider electrifying the deadly, long-outdated, noisy, congestion-causing Caltrain, (congestion of the 100,000 cars and both of their sets of brake particulates and) air pollution, caused by million-pound behemoths that pass within inches of people at high-speed (appropriately-name "bullet" (express) trains, on these 1863 tracks is outragous Luddite behavior at worst. At best, it is simply 'perfuming the pig" or, as Henry Ford and Steve Jobs would say " If I asked my customers (read-Caltrain riders/supporters--at any cost) what they would have wanted, they would have said a faster horse".  The modern day Caltrain is an outdated, once-useful Killtrain. For suicide-likely persons, Caltrain Killtrain functionality is an efficient horizontal, fast, guillotine that causes enormous psychological trauma  for those nearby, train engineers, emergency staff and Caltrain employees who pick up the dismembered body parts. 186 dead since 1/1/1995, 26 dead since 1/1/ 2011; 10 dead in 2012 already. How many more must die?
BART has far few fatalities--of any cause and fits perfectly with other transit around the Bay.  We need BART to replace Caltrain, station by station, over the next 10 years, from its current planned end at Santa Clara up to existing Millbrae/SFO stations...a distance, or gap, of only 28 miles, yes, only 28 miles to start planning now, to finally wrap the whole Bay Area into one-seat regional high-capacity, fast, clean, quieter, much safer, grade separated, integrated rail modern transit system, enabling 3 other improvements: A 60 mile adjacent trail/bikeway (like BART ElCerrito or SoSF arrangement)with a single track Freight line,  no HSR (Stops in SJ--where Future growth will be most), Removal of the Dumbarton Rail pylons--restoring the SoBay waters to their natural state for the first time since they were built in 1910! since BART will serve both sides of  of the Bay, including for emergency or redundant needs (TransBay Tube/West Oakland) obstructions, and, sale of SF Caltrain Station properties to accelerate SOMa SF growth and free up the land, all the while reducing suicides, improving One Bay Area Backbone rail transit to events and increasing BART efficiency and farebox recovery and ridership benefits.  How could any Green rail organization, or Business, or TransForm be at all opposed to this dream come true opportunity for the SF Bay Area? Pass this one to Gillian and Randy, and BART's board. Let's discuss further. BAB-BART around the Bay, replacing Caltrain tracks is a no-brainer, just as BART replaced the tracks of other rail carriers over the years.  The Bay Area is for Innovation not Stagnation and replicating the past with new perfume or faster horses (locomotives). BART up the Peninsula is certainly fundable over the next 10-15 (of solid, well-paying construction jobs, too) through 2006 1B, 2008 1A (redirected HSR $), Regional Measure 2 (From Dumbarton Rail), and our blessed, powerful state and federal legislators, just as they did the absurd Central Subway funding gyrations.

When I discuss this with people, they immediately support BART up the Peninsula and thus automatically, BAB - Bart Around the Bay,  over Caltrain, won't your organization, too?
Omar
BARTaroundthebay.blogspot.com

2012=10 Killtrain kills; Since 2011=26 Killtrain kills; Since 1995=186 Killtrain kills.  Does anyone care to do anything about it?  How many more must die before Caltrain dies--and is replaced by BART Around The Bay? 

According to Caltrain, Bay Area news services from Bay Area News Group, Redwood City (and other) Patches, KGO, KCBS, KLIV, and others, Thursday, June 21, 2012 around 5pm a wheelchair bound male was hit and killed by the Caltrain in San Mateo--again.  I've labeled this outdated, noisy, dangerous, deficit-laden train, for more accuracy in my view, as the Peninsula "Killtrain".

According to the news sources this is the 10th death by Caltrain this year.  There have been others hit and injured, but without news followup to know their current status. 

This death is the 26th since Jan. 2011 and 186th since 1/1/ 1995. I don't know the Caltrain killings on this outdated, outmoded train, especially the appropriately named (Baby) Bullet Express Trains that fly through stations at 50+mph within inches of people on the train loading pads.  How many more must die before this train is phased out and replaced by the ONE Bay Area modern, high-capacity, electrified, clean, quieter, One Seat, budget surplus -- BART? How long?  What will it take to replace the politicians, most all part of the Democrat "Body Snatched" Bay Area monopoly of stultified, arrogant, complacent politicians who cannot see or understand the huge benefits of BART, not Caltrain, not HSR who only serve their narrow special interests, but cost us dearly. 

Accidents norh of BART Millbrae are so unnecessary because Caltrain is just a waste of scarce transit money that is duplicative of the more expansive, electrified, safer BART in the same 15 mile corridor. Officials and politicians just need to start a study of the final 28 mile BART gap from Millbrae down to Santa Clara where planning is underway to extend it. Caltrain can be replaced, station by station by BART over the next few years to both save our tax dollars while connecting the whole Bay Area with the "one seat" BART solution around the Bay. BART moves more people with a budget surplus, single administration and operations, cleaner, more frequently, and quieter--and freeing up the track ROW for a 60 mile SJ-SF safe, interconnected pedestrian/bike trail adjacent to BART (and a single Freight track again)--while providing thousands of jobs for the next 10-15 years!. HSR can stop in SJ, if not stopped entirely.  In addition, when BART has problems with the TransBay tube, BART can simply run longer, more frequent trains south--around the Bay to SF easily enough--when BART is around the Bay and replaces Caltrain. This would have helped last week, when BART equipment was damaged in the TOD Senior Housing construction fire adjacent to the tracks.  

This would also save about $2Bil in Transbay terminal costs since BART will already go through it and no Caltrain will exist any longer.

 For south of Millbrae, such as Burlingame, San Mateo, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, all of which have suffered fatal accidents in the past year (and before, of course: 186 dead since 1995, 26 dead since 1/1/12, and as Casandra reports, 10 this year already) extending BART to join the whole Bay Area is fundable ~$8Bil, half from the 4 "improvements" (only a "faster horse", per Jobs/Ford quotes) to Caltrain (SF Extension, Dumbarton Rail Bridge $ diversion to BART--return the SoBay/Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge to its pre-DR Bridge 1910 natural state, Electrification, Grade Crossings), and the other half from diverted HSR and other Calif bonds, 2006 1B, 2008 1A, Regional Measure 1. Recall that in the past few years, both San Mateo and Santa Clara voters have voted to tax themselves for better transit--including BART. The decades ago votes against BART are history only opponents choose to raise this non-issue. Lives and our quality of life are at stake. It is time to focus on THE Bay Area modern transit backbone, safe, clean, rail solution--and free-up/sell resources including the SOMA Caltrain station and ROW to better uses that fit SOMA's revitalization, from Warriors to Giants venues to offices (jobs), homes, and shopping (tax income). 

Politicians like Jerry Hill (well over 200 dead since he has been in public office), Anna Eshoo, Jackie Speier (who built her public ethos on so many deaths around and in her career--and has a Caltrain Locomotive emblazoned with her name, appropriately enough), Rich Gordon, etc. 

Omar. A Freemotorist.

• Caltrain has killed 182 people since 1995, 22 since 2011, and 6 already this year. How many more must die and or be hurt in accidents with this outdated, pollution-causing, deadly, noisy, taxpayer-subsidized, deficit-laden Caltrain before the Bay Area's Democrat political monopoly "cares" enough to start the 10 year planning to build the smarter, cleaner, safer, quieter, higher- farebox %, lower-profile BART--around the whole Bay finally? For South Santa Clara County, use modern, clean Santa Cruz Hwy 17 style coaches with a 8-lane US101 to Gilroy. Vote Caltrain supporters out of office to move on with effective, modern, cleaner, less obtrusive, and safer Bay Area rail transit

Steve Jobs quotes applied to replacing Caltrain's Killtrain with BART around the whole SF Bay

Freemotorist posting on Palo Alto Online today
The late Steve Jobs, who lived in Palo Alto, Calif. used to quote Henry Ford when asked about asking people, like current Caltrain-at any cost (and death) advocates to state" If I had asked my customers what they wanted they would have said a faster horse"...and today we'd still be dealing with horse fecal pollution, deaths by common 'runaway horses' etc. Electrifying Caltrain, even building more grade crossings, extending the Caltrain further into San Francisco, and building the Dumbarton Rail Caltrain extentsion (at grade) is a waste that won't come anywhere near the benefits of simply extending safer, fundable, financially surplus BART, electric, grade separated (by law), ... using those funds and more. Doing the above for Caltrain is simply "Perfuming the Pig". BART  is locally-regionally controlled, unlike HSR--which is State controlled.  Jobs also is quoted to say "Innovation distinguishes Leadership"  "Upgrading" Caltrain to accommodate HSR, is not innovation. Extending BART around the whole Bay, connecting University to University, Sports Venue to Sports Venue, community to community, downtown to downtown, airport to airport and train station to train station, is the way to go...and it has a higher farebox recovery than Caltrain, with more frequent, quieter, service, and, soon new rail cars, too

5th death on Caltrain this year, 181 since 1995, How Many More Must Die before BART comes up the Peninsula to connect the whole Bay Area-1 rail system?

The fifth person this year died on Caltrain tracks again this morning. This time in Szn Mateo.  Caltrain is outdated, dangerous, and can and should be replaced by BART up the Peninsula to connect the whole Bay Area with one, much safer, electric, grade-separated from the street level auto, truck, pedestrian, cyclist, traffic, and wandering ill-fated animal and pets.  I will be going to the Palo Alto City Council (Oral Comments) to speak again to advocate to at least start a study with neighboring Caltrain communities to bring BART up the Peninsula in an environmentally and neighborhood sensitive way.  Believe me, HSR, a state-driven project will usurp local control, just as is now happening in the Fresno-area design and soon contruction plan. Sneaky Simitian's Blended Plan, backed by die-hard, arrogant Jerry Hill and elitist Jerry Brown with Pres Obama's backing, are hell-bent to cram this HSR up the corridor. It must be stopped, or stop in SJ, with BART connecting all the Bay area--and safer, too.  "Only" one person has died on the longer BART tracks this year (most suicide attempts fail, unlike Caltrain's).  Please, let's save lives and protect our communities (including mine in SJ where one lane of Monterey Road will  be taken, just like Alma in P.A. if HSR sneaks into the "tent" with the Democrat Blended Plan. Statistics:  181 people have died on Caltrain tracks since 1/1/1995, 16 died last year, 5 in Palo Alto, 5 this year so far, the fourth month of the year.  More will die as the corridor densifies by current General Plans. Let's stop this Caltrain madness and start to end this Caltrain Killtrain carnage. In Silicon Valley, it is not "good enough" to "always have done it this way". BART is the way, and fundable during the next 10 years, with money from planned Caltrain fund-seeking for upgrades $4Billion, plus another $4Billion to get over the next 10 years (and 160 more deaths) necessary to connect BART the final 28 miles to Millbrae from its currently planned end in Santa Clara.  Please do your part to end this Caltrain danger among us to our children, now toddlers, won't have to risk their lives when they become teens, or our neighbors, friends, and visitors. How many more must die by Caltrain?

Jerry Brown asks Legislature to "Man Up" - Hey Jerry, You "Man Up" and dump HSR to use GF funds for People, not your elitist HSR toy train

Comment to KTVU article about the elitist Jerry Brown demanding the Legislature "Man Up". Freemotorist demands Jerry Brown to "Man Up" and dump his desire to have HSR funded by taxes that California's needy are desperate for:

"Yeah, right, Jerry....Jerry, the silver-spoon fed, upper-class, failed Jesuit, who forces average taxpayers/students/non-building trades union members, police/fire/library workers, needy users of vital health and human services, disabled, autistic children/adults, teachers, park users, animal shelters, and so many other tax-funded (General Fund dependent) Californians to fund his Toys for Elists Electric Vehicle chargers and the horrible High Speed Rail that is nothing more than a failed, modern-day back-to-the-future land-based SST (super sonic transport) --even though at one time 'every other developed country' had the SST. Phooey!. Jerry Brown and his special interest, corporate cronies, liars (Yes, Dan Richard listens to the HSR-bigot, Mineta Transportation Institute--Rod Diridon, it seems), and state Democrat machine leaders need to "Man Up" and abandon the HSR, redirect the funds to extend BART around the Bay (stop Caltrain deaths--5th death on tracks in 2012 occurred today, 4-16-12), improve SR99 (HR761) and improve SoCal Rail, then support the ballot measure to repeal the fraudulent and illegal 2008 ballot measure (Third Appellate Court decision for HJTA against HSR ballot language) and serve the people...if this spoiled brat "Wiley" Brown "Romanov" can humble himself...as he could not bring himself to do when he dropped out of the seminary. "

SF Peninsula needs one track-BART in an effective, efficient rail transit plan...and a highway plan, too!

KCBS (SF 740AM) reports on April 4, 2012
Calif. State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, (no friend to automobility), proposes a Statewide Rail Plan:

Freemotorist comments:
Democrat DeSaulnier is on the right track.  If his rail plan ends the current Democrat "Rail Madness", (offshoot of "Reefer Madness") that Gov Jerry Brown, Democrat earmark-funded special interest MIT Exec Director Rod Diridon rail fanatic/advocate, and Honda, Boxer, & other Dems rail addiction-- especially in the S.F. Bay Area, then that is a good thing...in moderation, without new taxes, fees, or tolls against motorists.
Imagine, 3 heavy rail systems, the most heavily subsidized, most expensive transit, yet in the low ridership SF Peninsula Corridor ridership!  Only one rail system, regional BART, is needed up the Peninsula for its electric, GHG-reducing, no-congestion at-grade crossing, reduced suicides and accidents than Caltrain, higher farebox recovery, for a complete area seamless high-capacity rail transit that connects universities, shopping areas, event venues from AT&T park (soon to SJ's) HP Pavilion, Oakland Coliseum, airports, that will naturally attract riders from our roads.  BART will free up the Caltrain station land in the developing SF SOMA area,  allow removal of the Dumbarton Rail 1911 decaying bridge support towers, returning the wetland to its 1910 natural state (along with the salt ponds), and, induce whole-region ridership onto BART when its currently-planned terminus in Santa Clara is expanded to link up in Millbrae. This gap is only 28 miles and perfectly fundable wiith planned Caltrain upgrades and other funds, providing lots of local jobs for the next 15 years!  Electrifying, and taxing for Caltrain is only perfuming this deadly at-grade Pig Killtrain. HSR is built on fraud. HSR must have a federal and State DOJ racketeering fraud investigation because of all the orchestrated false numbers starting with the illegal 2008 ballot fraud.
California cannot afford to go the way of the 3 of 5 Europe PIIGS countries that HSR has driven to financial weakness and deprived citizens of needed basic government services--as is happening now in California, Parks, Animal Shelters, Adult, Child (incl Autism) Mental Health, Medical, schools, university students, teachers, and Professors, Fire and Police, as well as sacrificing other administrative union members jobs, especially in the HSR corridor communities.
We must stop California's unaffordable "Rail Madness".  I doubt DeSaulnier will do it, since he, like Simitian and other Dem's make a lot of noise, but don't take action. Democrats in the vertical monopoly of all levels in the San Francisco Bay Area governing bodies, they depend too much on rail-oriented corporate cronies, incestuous rail/density beneficiaries and (CAJ) union-extorted dues from desperate union members for their campaigns.
Say, how about a Build Highways plan once again?  Freemotorist has a long list of urgently-need alternative highway projects. These California's UnMet Highway Needs for safety, mobility, and, financial solvency actually pays for itself without tolls.  The under-appreciated motorist-derived, golden goose of automobility funds (including trucking) taxes, fees, fines, penalties, and range of other funds cornucopia, don't require subsidies.  Look around you. Automobility funds everything.

When Assy Leader Perez and the Democrats break out from their Building Trades/CAJ/SEIU Union-Body Snatched/brainless behavior and oppose unaffordable High Speed Rail in California to kill it, then we'll know that they are serious about this education, animal shelter welfare, health, public protection, and human services, parks funding--and saving other administrative/university,/teacher union jobs that are now being cut all over California.  If the rail-fetish nutcase, Gov. Moonbeam Jerry Brown, ever realizes that the so-called "futuristic" HSR (hah!) is a fraud, and not justified by "every other country has it" constant-replay of the mouthed recording-like pro-HSR false blather, then he will realize that HSR is really simply a replay of the 1969-futuristic "SST"--SuperSonicTransport passenger airplane, that US Congress refused to fund or guarantee loans, that other countries went ahead to build, but have now ALL either crashed or are safely in museums as  relics, then California can return to greatness and compete with real world smartness, not emotional, grandiose stupidity.
JB-this old man, has not adapted to the real, modern world--even yet--and we Californians hurt for it. Many BT/CAJ jobs can be had in other SoCal and NoCal construction jobs (i.e., BART up the Peninsula, Unmet Freeway Need widenings, Dams, water and other infrastructure work, etc) as well as avoiding the upcoming $2B/year General Fund depletion for bond service payments (at current low interest rates, wait until they rise!)--that ought to go to hire and pay other state and local (mostly union) workers.  Where are these union leaders?  Why aren't they fighting HSR vigorously, especially those dependent on state and local general funds?  Crazy that they haven't seen the light on this HSR ultimately job-killing wasteful, SST-like project.

BART around SF Bay, not HSR, only 28 miles to complete seamless B.A.R.T SF Bay loop!!!

I'm back!
BART should consider non-rail, or perhaps DMU to low-population Livermore.  BART needs to refocus to get the most benefit to BART, its existing and new riders, most farebox recovery, and most environmental (including human)benefits...that means finishing the last 28 miles from the now-funded BART extension into Santa Clara up to Millbrae+SFO, the gap remaining around the Bay...hello, B.A.R.T.!  Using funds to from ending the Caltrain Killtrain (178 dead since 1995, 16 slaughtered on its tracks last year, 2 already this year) up the Peninsula ($120M/yr), redirecting Dumbarton Rail funds to BART (since BART will cover all DB Rail cities--cleaner, greener, and safer) ($1B build, xx to operate/yr), and tear down the ugly, decaying DB rail pylons to return the southern SF Bay to its pre-1910 natural state.
And, Bay Area Democrats (the bay area monopoly party) should ask Congressmen Denham, Nunes, McCarthy to amend their HR761 bill which allows the option to redirect Federal HSR funds to SR to apportion some $B of HSR$ to closing this BART gap.  Yes!
Unify SF Bay Area heavy rail service under one high-capacity transit backbone system, with more frequent, safe, electric, system. BART  is scheduled to be largely in Santa Clara by 2018.  Think of it...10-15 years of full-time, high-paying, local CAJ/BT/Rebulid CA and other construction, union and related JOBS, while providing real Berkeley-SF-Stanford-SJ -Fremont-Oakland seamless mass transit!