Bay Area Public Transportation (land, air, and water)

[fieldsofdreams]

That'll be something I'll watch since it could mean service cuts to people who rely on the CityBus a lot, especially for those coming from Roseland and western parts of Santa Rosa.

[612bv3]

Source: www.pressdemocrat.com

Santa Rosa increases bus fares, trims service

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 3:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 7:25 a.m.

Santa Rosa boosted bus fares and cut back service levels Tuesday in what officials called an unfortunate but necessary response to a $1 million budget gap.

The City Council unanimously agreed to a plan that raises the cash price of a bus fare from $1.25 to $1.50 Feb. 1, reduces the frequency of service mostly on lesser–used suburban routes, and tightens policies to crack down on transfer abuse.

Anita Winkler, the city's deputy director of transit, told the City Council her department took no pleasure in the changes, but said it had no other choice given the drops in sales tax the department has experienced.

Read more: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...-trims-service

[fieldsofdreams]

I may end up creating a North Bay Transit thread, owing to me living in the North Bay, yet I wonder how many people will actually be reading it to begin with. Plus, I might end up sharing my pictures there as well to have variety in it. And I'm quite sad to see Santa Rosa CityBus cut service and raise fares to cut the agency's monetary gap... Around $1 million in deficit for a small transit agency may seem to cost not that much, but it is still a deficit that needs to be filled, especially that CityBus is owned and operated by the City of Santa Rosa (similar to Muni); I wonder though if it contracts its drivers.

[Cal_Escapee]

A San Francisco "El"--do you wish we had or are you glad we didn't?

[quote]



In 1937, WPA workers undertook a city-wide traffic survey, and traffic consultant Miller McClintock suggested that routes were needed to bypass the congested downtown in his "Limited Way Plan." One component of the plan was elevated highways and train lines.



[quote]
http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2012/1...train.php#more

[612bv3]

Source: www.insidebayarea.com

New low-cost express bus service coming to California

By George Avalos
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 11/28/2012 06:58:14 AM PST
Updated: 11/28/2012 10:24:54 AM PST

Megabus.com, an express bus company that offers city-to-city service with fares starting as low as $1, is expanding into California, including service for San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco.

The company hopes to tap into angst over high gasoline prices, the West Coast proclivity toward a green lifestyle and rising interest among young people to use mass transit.

"We are providing state-of-the-art double-decker buses, with Wi-Fi on board, electric outlets, heating, air conditioning," said Mike Alvich, vice president of the New York-based company. The Wi-Fi access is a way for Megabus to cater to younger professionals who might want to travel within California yet don't want to drive and like to stay connected through their social networks.

Initial routes will connect San Jose with Los Angeles, Oakland with Los Angeles, San Francisco with Los Angeles and Sacramento with the Reno-Sparks metro area in Nevada. In addition, the company will link Los Angeles with Las Vegas.

Read more: http://www.insidebayarea.com/busines...idebayarea.com

[612bv3]

Source: www.sfgate.com

MTC building price soars to $218 million
City Insider City insider
Michael Cabanatuan and John Coté
Updated 12:58 p.m., Thursday, November 29, 2012

(11-29) 12:56 PST San Francisco -- Things are looking up for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's controversial plan to transform the old tank factory and postal facility at 390 Main St. into a suitable place for regional agencies to cohabit - particularly the price tag.
The estimated cost now stands at $218 million, which is $38 million higher than the original estimate from July 2011 but $51 million more than the most recent estimate, adopted in November 2011. (The projected cost fell after the agency bought the building at a lower price.)
The massive 1942 building, which the MTC bought last year for $93 million, will be gutted and rehabbed to house the commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and, most likely, the Association of Bay Area Governments.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...#ixzz2Dfs5dmYp

[fieldsofdreams]

[QUOTE=Cal_Escapee;97713883]A San Francisco "El"--do you wish we had or are you glad we didn't?

[quote]



In 1937, WPA workers undertook a city-wide traffic survey, and traffic consultant Miller McClintock suggested that routes were needed to bypass the congested downtown in his "Limited Way Plan." One component of the plan was elevated highways and train lines.

http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2012/1...train.php#more

The El may have beautified Market Street, but BART is actually much better as it preserves the Main Street feel of Market, with streetcars acting as the main attraction. Plus, I didn't know that San Francisco was that extremely developed as early as 1937... Looks like SF State and Parkmerced were truly recent developments, and I now understand the importance of Potrero Avenue, Third Street, and even California Street in the growth of the City. I just didn't realize the extent of the roadways back then: if they really pursued with the 1937 plan, most of the City today would remain the same, without Park Presidio though or Geary Boulevard.

[612bv3]

Source: napavalleyregister.com

Transit agency hopes new routes bring new riders
REVAMPED SCHEDULE SWITCHES DEC. 3

November 22, 2012 4:00 pm • PETER JENSEN

The Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency was set to move into its new headquarters Wednesday, but its biggest move is now less than two weeks away — the debut of new routes in Napa for its VINE bus system.

The new routes roll out Dec. 3, and have been redesigned to be quicker, shorter and more direct, with most buses operating on half-hour schedules, instead of hourly as they do currently. NCTPA’s major north-south route from Calistoga to Vallejo, the VINE 10, will split into two routes.

The first leg run, VINE Route 10, runs from Calistoga to Napa Valley College, and will overlap with the second leg, Route 11, which goes from Trancas Street to Vallejo.

Read more: http://napavalleyregister.com/news/l...a4bcf887a.html

[fieldsofdreams]

In addition, VINE will add a new Route 20 that would connect Napa and Fairfield, with an extension to Suisun City Amtrak, starting in January 2013. That would bring a new regional connector service to central Solano County.

[612bv3]

Source: www.contracostatimes.com

Recount for Alameda County transportation sales tax increase

By Denis Cuff Contra Costa Times
Posted: 11/29/2012 01:36:43 PM PST
Updated: 11/30/2012 09:50:28 AM PST

A recount of votes will be done on an Alameda County transportation sales tax measure that narrowly lost at the polls.

Measure B1 would have raised an existing half-cent transportation sales tax to a full cent and raised nearly $8 billion over three decades for roads, freeways and public transit.

The Alameda County Transportation Commission announced Thursday it is paying for a partial recount of votes.

The measure lost by 0.14 of a percent or fewer than 800 out of the 527, 403 votes cast. In need of 66.67 percent of the vote to pass, the traffic congestion fighting measure garnered 66.53 percent in the November election.

Read more: http://www.contracostatimes.com/traf...s-tax-increase

[fieldsofdreams]

Dang, that is so close indeed of passing! That is really strange indeed to see a measure narrowly fail by just around 800 votes.

[612bv3]

Source: www.contracostatimes.com

Alameda County transportation sales tax measure loses after recount

By Denis Cuff Contra Costa Times
Posted: 12/05/2012 02:38:07 PM PST
Updated: 12/06/2012 07:04:03 AM PST

A measure to increase Alameda County's transportation sales tax was defeated after a partial recount failed to reverse its razor-thin loss at the November polls.

The Alameda County Transportation Commission announced Wednesday it was conceding defeat of Measure B1, which would have doubled the sales tax to 1 cent.

The tax increase would have raised $7.8 billion over three decades for roads, freeways, transit and trails. It would have restored public service transit cuts, funded a backlog of road repairs and contributed $400 million for a BART rail extension to Livermore, among other projects.

The measure was supported by 66.53 percent of the votes, falling less than 800 votes shy of reaching the 66.67 percent needed to pass.

The final tally: 350,899 yes votes, and 176,504 no votes.

Read more: http://www.contracostatimes.com/bay-...-after-recount

[fieldsofdreams]

Then, I think that the measure has to be tweaked a little bit so that there can be more residents who will consider voting yes for it. What was the "No" campaign commenting on it, thus it lost the vote by just a small number?

[bayviews]

Originally Posted by 612bv3

Source: www.sfgate.com



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...#ixzz2Dfs5dmYp

Shame on the MTC! What a terrible waist of our taxpayer $$$$$$ for a public agency agency to desert a more than adequate HQ in the East Bay for much more costly digs in San Francisco.

[fieldsofdreams]

Muni to offer FREE rides on all routes on December 28 as part of the agency's centennial birthday. Who wants to ride Muni that day? I would myself...

Source

[612bv3]

Source: www.insidebayarea.com

Dozens of flights canceled at SFO on busy travel day

By Daniel M. Jimenez Bay Area News Group
Posted: 12/21/2012 07:49:16 AM PST
Updated: 12/21/2012 04:02:17 PM PST

SAN FRANCISCO -- With a major storm bearing down on the Bay Area on the busiest travel day of the season, airline officials canceled about 64 flights in and out of San Francisco International Airport.

The cancellations mostly affect commuter short-haul flights up and down the West Coast, and are split roughly between arrivals and departures, according to airport spokesman Doug Yakel. As always, travelers should check with their airlines before heading to the airport to find out about delays or cancellations, he said.

With an FAA-mandated traffic management program in place at SFO due to wind, rain and low cloud cover, the canceled flights act as a sort of relief valve, Yakel said. Fewer arriving and departing flights will mean fewer delays as landings and takeoffs are spaced farther apart flights will mean fewer delays as landings and takeoffs are spaced farther apart.

Read more: http://www.insidebayarea.com/breakin...usy-travel-day

[612bv3]

Source: www.mercurynews.com

Bay Area rain and Eastern storms could threaten weekend travel

By Mike Rosenberg
mrosenberg@mercurynews.com
Posted: 12/26/2012 09:10:18 PM PST
Updated: 12/26/2012 09:10:31 PM PST

Thousands of Bay Area travelers were stuck getting home late for the holidays thanks to local rains and nasty storms in the Midwest and East Coast on Wednesday -- and more lousy weather threatens to ground passengers later this week and into the New Year's weekend.

The worst of the weather on Wednesday, as usual, was outside California, as blizzards from Ohio to New England and thunderstorms in the Southeast grounded more than 1,000 flights, short-circuited power to thousands of homes and were blamed for at least six deaths.

A couple-dozen flights from Bay Area airports, mostly to New York, Philadelphia and Dallas, were grounded on Wednesday, largely because of the storms elsewhere. Those delays came on top of several days of slow air travel as a result of rain here.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci...-area-rain-and

[fieldsofdreams]

Perhaps that would mean more business for taxis because they will ferry passengers from SFO to nearby hotels to find shelter... Yet the irony could be, with less arriving passengers, the Holiday travel season for the Bay Area could be as weak as it might be perceived.

[612bv3]

Source: www.dailyrepublic.com

Capitol Corridor ridership sees slight dip

By Barry Eberling

FAIRFIELD — Capitol Corridor trains in November 2012 saw a slight decrease in ridership, but continued to meet revenue targets.

The service carried 147,845 passengers for the month. That was a 1.8 percent drop from November 2011, something Managing Director David Kutrosky in a press release attributed to a decrease in ridership during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

But the Capitol Corridor service for the month brought in $2.7 million, a 4.6 percent increase from November 2011.

Trains for the month had an on-time performance of 94 percent. That means 94 percent of the trains arrived at the end of their runs within 10 minutes of schedule. The Capitol Corridor goal is 90 percent. The service has made improvements since 2007, when the on-time performance was only 75 percent.

Read more: http://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/so...es-slight-dip/

[fieldsofdreams]

That is some good news indeed, despite a dipping ridership. What's better is the on-time performance because it is now exceeding its minimum target, which means passengers can rely on it more often than ever before. Good work!