Caltrain studies show that customers want more secure bicycle parking at stations. But Caltrain lacks staff and funding to meet this need.
MTC data shows 20% of Caltrain riders use a bicycle from home to train and from train to work. The vast majority carry their bicycles on board.
Popular stations have problems with theft. For storage that is more secure than open lockers, Caltrain employs key lockers that need to be permanently reserved, and are severely underutilized.
While many people who use bikes with Caltrain need their bicycle for the “last mile” to their destination, a good number would consider bike parking.
Caltrain put implementation of a bike parking plan on hold in 2014 in order to conduct further study. The study concludes that despite demand, Caltrain lacks staff and funding to implement solutions.
Meanwhile, SMART service has started in Marin with bikelink lockers at its stations.
When approving the contracts for electric trains, the Caltrain board voted at that time to allocate $3 million for bike parking, since it was clear that there was not going to be enough bike space on trains to meet the needs current and expected bike users.
But with Caltrain’s most recent budget woes, even the $150,000 in the last budget was put on hold.
Meanwhile, bicycle advocates are unhappy with the amount of bicycle space being planned for electric trains, and are advocating for more bike space on trains.
On the one hand, this is yet another reason why Caltrain needs dedicated, stable funding. It is absurd that a relatively low-cost and beneficial customer need can’t be fulfilled for projects that would account for a tiny fraction of Caltrain’s budget.
On the other hand, it seems as though this issue is being made more complicated than it needs to be. Setting up additional staffed bicycle stations will take substantial staff time and money. But partnering with cities that have high bike use to install some bikelink lockers seems like a relatively small and inexpensive task that should be possible to get with modest effort and cost.
Send your thoughts to the Caltrain board, at
board@caltrain.com
dpine@smcgov.org
cheryl.brinkman@gmail.com
gillian.gillett@sfgov.org
jgee@redwoodcity.org>
rose.guilbault@yahoo.com
Dev Davis <dev.davis@sanjoseca.gov>
Jeannie Bruins <jbruins@losaltosca.gov>
Ken Yeager <supervisor.yeager@bos.sccgov.org>
monique.zmuda@sfgov.org
The lack of secure bike parking at most Caltrain stations is one of the more glaring of the agency’s many stupidities. It’s almost 2018 and Caltrain has STILL installed a total of ZERO electronic BikeLink bike lockers. Disgraceful and Jim Hartnett is the CEO.