I normally get around by bike and am not a regular CalTrain user but have a lot of experience taking trains in the Czech Republic, Germany and the Netherlands, also with a bike… or pet dogs.

Without getting bogged down into too many details (lie), here are some thoughts on bikes:

* Goal: It should be the responsibilty of the CalTrain/HSR system to provide reasonable access to bicycles. The system, not the trains themselves. Ideally, this means that in the current context there would be enough “bike slots” for everyone who gets to or from the train by bike.

Current situation/inspiration:
* The typical bi-level EMU design that includes bicycle access is common in Europe and it features lateral fold-up seating on part of the lower level of vehicles with direct access to doors, and sometimes separated by the area with normal seating with a glass partition. My understanding is that the Federal guidelines prohibit lateral fold-up seating. This is a huge problem.
* Current CalTrain + bike customers expect too much on-board access. This is not sustainable. They also don’t want to pay extra. Systems that have 15% bike-to-train share in Europe with projected increases do not solve it on-board.
* Bay Area Bike Share’s current offer is clearly not compatible with Peninsula densities/final destinations, at least in an economically-reasonable fashion.

Some ideas:
* Implement an OV-fiets type system on Peninsula stations that would work in parallel with the existing bike share. This would be used for longer range trips outside of the BABS service area. (There will need to be a solution which keeps use appropriate — e.g. a single membership for both but which requies a min. payment for the OV-type system might do it. This payment would ideally be paid by employers)
* Implement an adequate amount of bike parking which allows people to keep a bike at the station.
* Changed the Federal law about seating as necessary.
* Once owned bike parking, the OV-type system and some expanded BABS is in place:
+ Implement a mix of cozy normal seating with tables etc & fold-up lateral seating.
+ Restrict access to all full-size bikes during commuter hours, even with payment. Allow folding bikes and special bikes not available via bike share stations on board at all times.
+ The mix above should be set up so that the lateral seat spaces – typically called a multi-function space in European train design – are adequate for short-distance trips during commute hours, and for bikes (or other allowed large objects) at other times.
+ Fit in ADA required seating into the above as necessary.

Dogs:
* Taking pet dogs of any size only on leash and sometimes with a muzzle, sometimes free and sometimes half-fare is completely normal in much of Europe and there are few problems with anything from allergies to fights to soiling the floor. The multi-function section on trains is ideal for this because of open space, but dogs should also be allowed during commute hours. There will never be more than a few percentage points of people who want to take dogs, though there are a number of dog-friendly workplaces. SF Muni allows one dog per vehicle, BART seems to sometimes unofficialy tolerate it but the best examples in North America on commuter or regional trains are in NY where Metro North allows full size pets dogs as does MBTA in Boston, though the latter not during commute hours. Both for free.
* There is legislation, the “Pets on Trains Act”, introduced by rail advocate Jeff Denham (R-Modesto) that would mandate that Amtrak nationally allows pet dogs on trains, but the proposed regulation excludes 50 to 60% of individuals or families who want to bring a dog due to its 20/25 lb. size restrictions (and necessity to use a crate). There is also a 25 dollar flat fee, and a signing an indemnification every trip. I have not been able to find out exactly how they came up with all of this, but clearly a one-size-fits-all-services approach does not make sense. The main goal, however, seems to be to compete with short-distance air travel (up to 750 miles) rather than to get people out of cars (and 16-17 year olds are also excluded). There is currently a pilot on two Amtrak services in Illinois that terminate in Chicago.
To see my dogs-on-board promotion in my blog from a few years back, click on: http://greenideafactory.blogspot.com/2009/02/dogs-on-board-1-of-4.html