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PENINSULA CORRIDOR JOINT POWERS BOARD
CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Caltrain Headquarters, Bacciocco 2nd Floor Auditorium
1250 San Carlos Avenue
San Carlos, CA 94070-1306
MINUTES
Wednesday, April 19, 2006 at 6:00 p.m.
STAFF LIAISON: Robert Doty, Director of Rail Transportation
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
Suvashis Bhattacharya, Paul Bendix, Gerald Graham, John Hronowski,
Bruce Jenkins, Michael Kiesling, Sepi Richardson, Brian Wilfley
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT:
Michael Blackman
STAFF PRESENT:
Michelle Bouchard, Jon Brown, Will Hastings, Jennifer Hardie, Janet McGovern
Chair Richardson called the meeting to order at 6:06 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of March 15, 2006 were unanimously approved by the Committee.
Public Comment
Jeff Carter, Burlingame, said he was pleased to see that staff is
undertaking a survey on board the trains. However, he doesn’t
think the survey encompasses enough pertinent questions regarding
what attracts riders to the system. He also noted that the 4:27
p.m. train departing San Francisco did not have any surveys
available for riders.
(Brian Wilfley arrived at 6:15 p.m.)
Michelle Bouchard, Manager of Rail Planning & Analysis,
responded that the survey is supplemental information
to the passenger counts. The survey was not intended
for attracting new riders.
Steve Van Pelt, Menlo Park, said conductors don’t provide
information to passengers when there are delays in service,
which is frustrating for riders who have already paid their
fare but can not wait for the next train if the delay is
lengthy. He said train crews are not always aware of
alternate transportation options when there is a delay.
He also noted that other transit agencies should accept
Caltrain fare when there is a delay.
Committee member Kiesling said he took Caltrain on April 4,
when there were two fatalities, and he said there was a lack
of communication between the train crews and the central control.
(Kiesling left the meeting at 6:30 p.m.)
(Suvashis Bhattacharya arrived at 6:30 p.m.)
Ridership Report Presentation
Michelle Bouchard made a presentation on the key findings of the February 2006
Caltrain annual passenger counts. The counts are made each year to provide a
measurement relative to previous years, establish the AM boardings by county,
evaluate service changes, maximize rolling stock efficiency and identify access
issues. The county by county comparison revealed that the average trip is 28.1
miles on bullets, 21.9 miles systemwide and 19.3 miles for non-bullets. Between
2006 and 2005, the average weekday ridership increased by 21.1 percent for San
Francisco with 8,118 riders; increased by 8.1 percent for San Mateo with 10,987
riders; and increased by 12.2 percent for Santa Clara with 12,926 riders. Ms.
Bouchard said the top three boarding stations remain to be San Francisco, Palo
Alto and Mountain View. She said that weekend ridership nearly equals
pre-shutdown ridership, there is more balanced ridership between Saturday and
Sunday, and the Tamien, Broadway and Atherton shuttles have good ridership.
Jeff Carter, Burlingame, said that the recent newspaper article citing Caltrain
as the largest growth in ridership was inaccurate because express service was
offered before Baby Bullet service was implemented.
Chairperson’s Report
Ms. Richardson said she just returned from the East Coast and was able to tour
Amtrak and Penn Station in New York. She was very impressed.
Committee Comments
Brian Wilfley – Mr. Wilfley said employment in Santa Clara is starting
to turn around and he is glad to have express Caltrain service for those commuting.
John Hronowski – Mr. Hronowski said is pleased that the San Francisco Bike
Station is beginning construction. He also asked how the Port of San Francisco
rail bridges might impact freight on the Caltrain line.
Ms. Bouchard responded that she would look into the matter
and report back at a later time.
Gerry Graham – Mr. Graham said he would like to see better signage
at the San Jose Caltrain station informing customers which trains are on
which tracks. He also would like to see a method of purchasing tickets in
advance. Lastly, he recalled the fatality at Burlingame station in April.
He asked why the right of way is not fenced in order to prevent these kinds
of tragedies.
Ms. Bouchard responded that Caltrain will be launching an aggressive
education program with the cooperation of Operation Lifesaver. She noted
that although fencing may be a deterrent in some situations, it is not
necessarily a solution for those who wish to trespass.
Paul Bendix – Mr. Bendix said he has been approached by several
people questioning the latest fatalities and he asked for staff guidance
on how to respond.
Ms. Bouchard responded that she will send a memorandum to all committee
members on rail safety.
Suvashis Bhattacharya – Mr. Bhattacharya asked how Caltrain compares
to other transit agencies with regard to fatalities on the right of way.
He also asked if there was a policy regarding standing up on the second
level of a moving train car because he recently witnessed young adults
pouring drinks and blocking the pathway for other passengers.
Ms. Bouchard responded that there isn’t an official policy regarding standing
on a moving car but she said she would have staff look into that particular incident.
Staff Report
Ms. Bouchard reported:
Special Service – Caltrain continues to offer special baseball
service to AT&T Park for the San Francisco Giants home games. Special
service will also be provided for the KaBoom concert in San Francisco
on May 13 and for the Bay to Breakers race on May 21. Sunday service
will be operated on Memorial Day.
Date/Time/Place of Next Meeting
May 17, 2006 at 6 p.m., Caltrain Headquarters, Bacciocco 2nd Floor Auditorium,
1250 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos, CA
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
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