Yet another Bay Area city faces costly road repair decisions

With recent headlines highlighting our transportation woes, we typically think of highways, bridges, and high speed rail when we speak of "infrastructure", but as I have tried to highlight in other blog posts, while the major national headlines focus on those big ticket items what is really needed is money to maintain your city streets; yes those streets right outside your widow, the residential street.

The East Bay city of Orinda has gone back to the drawing board after two recent attempts to finance a much needed road repair program. The city announced that they will be conducting a citywide survey to see if residents will support measures to fund a road maintenance program.

In a recent Contra Costa Times article ("Orinda my poll residents on how to finance road repairs") it was mentioned that "since 2000, Orinda has spent $15.5 million repaving arterial and collector streets. However, the city's residential roads remain rough. In 2006 and 2007 (Voter Information Pamphlet), bond measures of nearly $60 million fell short of voter approval. Orinda annually allocates an average of about 10 percent, or $1 million, of its $10 million operating budget to road and storm drain repairs."

In the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Report  ("The Pothole Report - Can the Bay Area Have better Roads?"), Orinda's 193 miles of roadway rank in the lowest category with a PCI (Pavement Condition Index) of 49 in 2010. At over $1 million per year that works out to over $5,000 per mile which is extremely low for road repair work. Depending on whether the city wants to maintain or improve conditions it typically takes from $8,000 to $17,000 per lane mile. With the increasing backlog the city's Citizens Infrastructure Committee has now estimated it will take as much as $95 million to keep the city's roads and pipes up to standard. If you amortize this over 10 years ($95million / 10 years) this just about equals the current city budget of $10 million; just for the city's roads!

So we can now add Orinda to the growing list of cities that are caught in that though spot of paying for road maintenance now or major road overhauls later. Stay tuned.

Detroit needs a new app - hooking our youth back on cars



By dmjarvey

 Monday, Streetsblog writer Anne Lutz Fernandez published a post titled "Getting Young People Back Into Cars is Auto Industry Job #1". During these tough economic times when California college students are protesting large tuition increases, its easy to see why owning a car is far from financially realistic. But Lutz also highlights one other factor. The utility of the automobile is being challenged by the smartphone.

Every morning, rain or shine, outside of my local coffee shop sits a group of aging car buffs, most of whom are retired who swoon when any classic car rolls by. Classic in this case refers to any car that was completely made of chrome and steel and built before smog control devices were dreamed up by some Sacramento legislator. Overhearing their conversations, I listen as they tell stories of their first cars; how they fixed them up, modified them and raced them. These cars provided them with identity, access to jobs, to fun with their friends, and to dates. The cars connected them to their world.

But as the author mentions young people now connect through the Internet, and the Internet is no longer a modem, a dial-up, sit down and wait affair. The Internet; their Internet is seamless, instantaneous, and ubiquitous. It is the Internet that gives young Americans their connectivity, not cars. Young people (and baby boomers) also prefer to live in urban areas forgoing the feeling of isolation found in the suburbs ("The Death of the Fringe Suburb" New York Times 11-25-2011). This change of status from car to phone has contributed to the decline in teen driving rates.

So Detroit, and in speaking of Detroit I mean the auto industry in general, has figured out that it is not high gas prices, not environmentalists, not transit and high speed rail that has dented sales of cars to young Americans, but the smartphone. Yes, it is the smartphone, or the iPhone that is changing the way this demographic sees freedom and connectivity, and Detroit is waking up and taking notice.

Yesterday morning the headline in my San Jose Mercury News business and technology section (yes I still read a newspaper, mainly for ceremonial reasons) was all the evidence I needed. The headline read "Toyota looks ahead to a 'smartphone on four wheels'". In the article Toyota President Akio Toyoda, speaking at the Tokyo Motor Show introduced a concept car called the Fun-vii that "works like a personal computer and allows drivers to connect with others with a tap of a touch-panel door." Now I not really sure what he meant by the personal computer comment, I mean no one under 25 years of age even will admit to using a "personal computer", but I get the idea. If you can't sell your car as a car, well sell it has a smart phone.

The auto industry has, somewhat late, begun to realize the need to lure these young shoppers back to the showrooms. And this is where they have an advantage. Although somewhat slow to respond to the trend,  industry will always respond to change faster than government and governmental agencies. Even with the renaissance of the central city, young residents will require better transportation options; better bus systems, bike networks without gaps, bus rapid transit, connectivity to the airport, and cities that recognize pedestrians on par with automobiles. Without real attention given to alternative transportation modes we may see young people abandoning their car-free and car-lite lifestyles in favor car-centric neighborhoods.

Time will tell.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Great autumn commute this morning,

The Good. Yellow leaves on Curtner.
.

The Bad. Black Holes on South First.

The Ugly. The official city tree, sycamores in fall on Meridian.

Guadalupe River bike trail improvements almost complete

For the last year contractors have been working on Reach 6 of the Guadalupe River Trail, the section just south of the 280 freeway. Here is a photo I took this afternoon where the trail is visible. San Jose City Parks officials have announced that trail is scheduled to open in December.

November 29,2011
Palm and Grant St. Looking Southwest
towards Guadalupe River

View Larger Map

Rail Highlights - Amtrak California's Capital Corridor

Capitol Corridor

The mothballed fleet in
San Pablo Bay. Viewed from
an early morning Capital Corridor train.

Reader Note: Yesterday, I posted that Amtrak California announced that it had installed a new wi-fi system on all its California trains. For more details (Amtrak California announces new on-board wi-fi service).

Although most Silicon Valley Train riders are familiar with Caltrain or the ACE (Altamont Commuter Express) train, another key line terminating in San Jose (Diridon) is Amtrak California's Capitol Corridor Train. With 14 daily (outbound an inbound) trains each day from San Jose (32 in Oakland) the line travels north to Oakland, Emeryville, and Berkeley.

I have taken this train many times before, but on the day before Thanksgiving I was able to experience the system at its capacity; yes the day before Thanksgiving is the busiest of the year.

As I have mentioned in a previous post one of the many great things about this line and all other Amtrak and Amtrak California lines is the ability to reserve train tickets through their convenient smartphone app (New Smartphone App). The app allows you to book you train in about a minute. Once you have reserved you ticket just insert you payment card into the in-station kiosks, select your train and the tickets will be printed immediately. You will need to show the conductor a government-issued photo ID card however. This is only required on Amtrak (federally funded system) trains. Capitol Corridor is slightly different than Caltrain in that you do not have to have a ticket to board the train. A conductor has the ability to sell you a ticket on the train with a small service fee. Conductors now carry automated ticket readers and printers on a handy scanning computer attached to their belts.

For those of you who are used to using the Caltrain system the first thing you will notice is the longer train used by Amtrak necessitating the use of track number 1 at Diridon Station (which is also long enough for the twice daily Coast Starlight). In comparison with Caltrain the seats on the Capital Corridor are more comfortable, the trains are quieter, and the ride is smoother. There are two dining cars on each train with a menu of reasonably priced snacks and beverages. Wi-Fi is now available on all Capitol Corridor trains.

Boarding and Train Facts
All seating is unreserved on a first come, first served basis. The seating on the first floor is for disabled passengers or those that find it physically difficult to use the stairs to the second floor. Seating is not guaranteed with the ticket, but it is highly unlikely that you will not have a seat unless you are riding on the busiest day of the year; the day before Thanksgiving.

The seating is ample and comfortable

• Big, comfortable seats
• Fold-down trays
• Individual reading lamps
• Ample legroom

Some seats have a four-person meeting table (see photo above)

There are luggage racks on the first and second levels. Passengers are limited to two pieces of carry-on baggage. Each bag must weigh less than 50 lbs. and be tagged with your name and address.

Capitol Corridor.
1st level bike parking

There is plenty of bike parking with two different types of racks. One type of rack (see picture) can be used as a luggage rack or configured to carry bikes as well.

Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA)
You will notice the the Capitol Corridor is sometimes referred to as Amtrak California or the Capital Corridor Joint Powers Authority. The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) is a partnership among the six local transit agencies in the eight county service area which shares the administration and management of the Capitol Corridor. The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) provides day-to-day management support to the CCJPA.

Through Caltrans, the State of California provides capital grants and support for station and track improvements, signaling, locomotives and passenger rail cars, connecting Amtrak Thruway bus service, and operating assistance for the Pacific Surfliner® and San Joaquin® routes.

These two California train routes and numerous Thruway bus routes, collectively referred to as Amtrak California, are funded and managed by Caltrans, but operated by Amtrak in addition to Amtrak's own interstate trains - the Coast Starlight®, California Zephyr®, Southwest Chief®, and Sunset Limited®. The State of California also provides funding for the Capitol Corridor® which is managed by the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority in cooperation with Caltrans and Amtrak.

Capital Corridor Facts
170 miles of track
32 weekly trains
Fiscal Year End: 9/30/2011 1.7 million passengers.
$70 million budget
16 stations (6 staffed; San Jose Diridon, Oakland, Emeryville, Martinez, Davis, Sacramento)
Transfer program with: AC Transit, VTA, and other Bay Area Transit Districts.

Cost per mile: The 127 mile trip to Sacramento costs $37 or about $.29 per mile. Caltrain typically runs about $.15 per mile. One could agree that the ride comfort mentioned above makes up for the price (although not the frequency of trains into San Jose).


Key Connections


On-board Poster promoting
free connecting transger passes.

 While on board the train, ask the conductor for Transit Transfer (or two, if you need to make a round trip). The validated transfer will be punched for the nextday. Use one transfer to travel to your destination, stay the night, if needed, and use the second transfer the next ay. Or, use them both on the same day.

Connections to local transit with Amtrak Capitol Corridor Transit Transfer Ticket (ask Amtrak conductor for up to two free transfers). Good on the transit systems listed below/ Passengers can ask for up to two transfers for their round-trip transportation to/from the train. Transfer is good through the following day.

You can also buy a BART 20% discount ticket ($10 value ticket for only $8), available in the Cafe car.

San Jose Diridon
San Jose Sharks
Diridon Transit Center (VTA)
ACE (Altamont Commuter Express)
MST to Monterey/Salinas
17 to Santa Cruz
VTA 22 San Jose to Palo Alto along the El Camino Real

Emeryville
Connecting Thru Bus to San Francisco

Oakland - Jack London Square
AC Transit
Jack London Square
Downtown Oakland

Oakland - Coliseum/Airport
AirBART - Airport Shuttle

Martinez
Thru bus to Vallejo, Napa, Petaluma, Santa Rosa
Six Flags Theme Park
John Muir House

Suisun-Fairfield
Rio Vista Delta Breeze
Suisun-Fairfield Transit System

Davis
UC Davis
Yolobus

Sacramento

Transit Connections with e-tran (Elk Grove Transit) and Sacramento Regional Transit.
Bus Connections to Chico (North), Placerville (South), and South Lake Tahoe (South)

The following is the Capitol Corridors policy on Bicycles.

Bikes on Board
Most connecting buses can accommodate bicycles. Bicycles must be stored underneath the bus in the luggage compartment, if space is available. Amtrak and the CCJPA assume no responsibility for your bike. Passengers must load and unload their own bikes.


Bikes on Buses

Bicycles are welcome aboard the designated lower levels of Capitol Corridor trains. Most Capitol Corridor coach cars have bicycle racks on the lower level of the car; spaces are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Please bring a bungee cord with you to secure your bike; and if the bike racks are full, please follow the train conductor’s instructions on where to place and secure your bicycle. For tips on how to secure your bike visit capitolcorridor.org.

Social Connections

Capitol Corridor Website
Amtrak Apple Smartphone App
Facebook

Twitter

Blog - "Get On Board"

Introductory video "Get On Board"

Yelp

Amtrak California announces new on-board wi-fi service

Amtrak California which operates three train lines within the state announced today that they will be offering a free wi-fi service to all riders. The train lines include the Capital Corridor, the San Jaoquin, and the Pacific Surfiner. Just in time for Cyber Monday, the online retail version of Black Friday, todays wi-fi introduction has been one of the most requested services.

Amtrak is scheduled to announce the Wi-Fi service at events this morning. The national passenger railroad already has the service on its popular Acela trains and some other East Coast routes as well as on the Cascades line in Washington and Oregon. It's also available to sleeping-car passengers on the Coast Starlight.

During the first week of the service, ambassadors will ride the Capitol Corridor trains to help passengers navigate the new Wi-Fi network, which will have a landing page, or portal, and will require users to agree to terms of service.

Coast Starlight pulls into
Sacramento Station in the
early morning hours.

The Capitol Corridor is paying for the system with $3.75 million left over from a signal project in Emeryville that came in under budget. The rail service has been working, on and off, for about nine years to offer Wi-Fi, and has tested different technologies and approaches, trying to find one that worked consistently and did not interfere with Union Pacific Railroad communications.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/28/BAHQ1M3FMA.DTL#ixzz1f1NysvIk

Some information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/

359 State St. - New Los Altos bike store now open

It seems as though it is becoming a monthly event in the valley nowadays; a new bike store opens in some local traditional business district in the process of being remade as a hipper, friendlier version of the mega-malls. Whereas the last three San Jose based mega-malls have all included the standard Panera and Panda food vendors, smaller historically centered business districts are changing their look with outdoor seating, farmers markets, and (as I mentioned in a post about downtown Campbell) bike shops.

359 State St. which just happens to be on 389 State St. in the heart of downtown Los Altos, right next to Peet's coffee, a local landmark for cyclists who use Foothill expressway as their own local highway.

Jeff in front of Palo Alto Bicycles

---

359 State Street is the latest creation of Jeff Selzer, who many bicycle enthusiasts know around the valley. Jeff is all things bicycle. Bicycle store manager, owner, bike parking fixture manufacturer and tireless bicycle advocate from local Palo Alto issues all the way to the National Bike Summit held in Washington D.C. every year.

Jeff is the General Manger of Palo Alto Bicycles located right across El Camino Real from Stanford University. He also started Bike Arc with a partner to provide a unique type of parking solutions in cities. I first met Jeff with his work at the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition where he serves as a board member as one of two bicycle retailers.

April Economides and Andrew Boone
 connect  before hearing her presentation
 on cycling in Long Beach.

In the world of bicycle advocacy and retailing Jeff brings a fresh face to the industry. With a tall and lean demeanour, he carries himself like a former road racer. The absence of any silver tinged facial hair and bright green riding ensembles however sets him apart from other advocates. In fact the ever present smile and upbeat attitude clashes with the stereotypical vision of a bike advocate. As we started the interview, it was readily apparent that he sees the ever changing cycling industry from a different perspective.

Store owner Jeff Selzer
 explaining the Bike Arc
 rack system to a customer

While speaking amongst a small group of local activists, Suzanne Ambiel a Los Altos resident asked, "Where's the shop?" Jeff replied enthusiastically, "Don't have one". Now I knew this was going to get interesting; a bike shop without a shop.

Jeff went on to state that the "store" was to entice local residents who wouldn't normally ride but wanted to use a bike for those local errands within a two mile radius from the house. With his many years in the bike business he noticed that most potential customers feel intimidated when talking with shop technicians or (typically) guys in shop shirts and aprons. I guess that's why car dealers always put their repair facilities at the back of the property. Jeff's goal is to make the traditional bike "shop" look more like a bike "store". His goal is to highlight three main products; the beautiful bikes themselves, fashionable as well as quality clothing, and the graceful racks that he sells under the name Bike Arc.



Clothes by Ibex and Rapha

 Eventually he may consider moving on to even more utilitarian bikes such as bakfiets and Xtracycles (bakfiets vs. Xtracycle), but for now traditional bikes fitted with baskets and racks will suffice. With the bright, light, and light interior its as if he took a page out of Paco Underhill's "What Women Want: The Global Market Turns Female Friendly", or took a couple of pages out of the now ubiquitous Apple store's playbook. The store is open and airy without a hint of bike grease or chain solvent.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the community welcomes Jeff's new store. Stay tuned.

A modular Bike Arc rack

View Larger Map

Caltrain Seeks Volunteers for Bicycle Advisory Committee

Caltrain is seeking four volunteer representatives for the nine-member Bicycle Advisory Committee.

The positions to be filled are: A public agency staff member representing the City and County of San Francisco; a public agency staff member representing San Mateo County; a representative of a San Mateo County bike advocacy organization; and a representative of the Santa Clara County general public.

The nine-member committee serves as the primary venue for the interests and perspectives of Caltrain bicyclists.

The BAC meets every other month at 6:45 p.m. in San Carlos, just one block from the San Carlos Caltrain Station. All meetings are open to the public.

Applications are due Monday, Nov. 21. Members will be selected by the Staff Coordinating Council of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. The council is made up of representatives of the three partner agencies – the San Mateo County Transit District, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.

Interested persons can download an application by clicking here or call 650.508.6223.

USDOT awards $21 million to Caltrans for SoCal Rail

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will receive $21 million for three projects to improve the Pacific Surfliner Corridor, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced last week.

“The projects will help relieve congestion, create jobs and help ensure the world’s eighth-largest economy continues to grow,” LaHood said in a press release.

The projects and dollar amounts include:

• $10 million for design, environmental and engineering work toward a plan to connect two sections of double track, resulting in a 10.3-mile stretch of double track. The work is part of the long-range plan to double-track the San Diego segment of the corridor to alleviate train delays and remove a capacity constraint to future intercity passenger-rail service on the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Corridor, USDOT officials said.

• $7 million for preliminary engineering and environmental work for construction of a 1.1-mile section of second main track, replacement of a timber trestle railway bridge and signal improvements. The project is designed to alleviate train delays and improve on-time performance for intercity, commuter and freight trains.

• $4 million for preliminary engineering and environmental work for the construction for second main track and replacement of an aging railway bridge over the San Luis Rey River. The project will help alleviate train delays, USDOT officials said.

BART's Fleet of the Future will employ American know-how

First transit system in the nation to adopt a "Buy America" policy.

BART’s new Buy America Bid Preference policy gives preferences to rail car manufacturers who create jobs in the U.S.A., a first-in-the nation policy unanimously adopted by the Board of Directors Thursday. Board members made the move after saying that as they look to replace BART’s oldest-in-the-nation train cars with the Fleet of the Future, they’ve heard from both their constituents and state and federal officials that putting Americans back to work should be a strong consideration.

“The Buy America policy mirrors the economic goals of federal lawmakers,” BART Board President Bob Franklin said. “Adopting this policy on a regional level demonstrates BART’s leadership in the rail industry. It will also transfer rail car technology to the U.S.”

The Buy America Bid Preference policy scores bids for federally funded procurements by using a formula that considers the domestic content level of a product. It goes into effect on January 1, 2012. To view details on the Buy America program, visit www.bart.gov/board and click on the "Board Agenda and Minutes" link. Choose the agenda for Nov. 17, 2011, and go to the PDF document attached at the bottom of the agenda titled "Buy America Board Presentation."

BART’s Fleet of the Future train car replacement project is a $3-billion capital investment. The preliminary timeline is to award a contract to a manufacturer in the coming months. For more information on the Fleet of the Future, see www.bart.gov/cars.

In another job-related vote, the Board adopted a resolution in support of requiring Project Stabilization Policies aimed to create local jobs and facilitate local economic growth as BART works to build Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) at or near BART stations. This resolution supports a partnership with local unions to achieve a mutually-agreed goal of workers on all TODs construction projects who are residents of counties BART serves.

Another Bay Area transportation agency to push for more pothole funding

In what has become a domino effect around the San Francisco Bay area, another transportation agency has decided to put a ballot measure to the voters to help fix crumbling roads along with a package of transit improvements, pedestrian, and cycling projects, and in this case a $400 million contribution to bring BART to Livermore. The proposed measure plans to double the current county sales tax portion dedicated to transportation from .5% to 1%, making it the second county in the state, after Los Angeles to seek a 1% solution.

Like other local agencies, the concern is that a failure to act will create an ever escalating backlog of projects while road deterioration accelerates with each passing year. The measure is expected to raise over $7.7 billion in new

There's no more change to be found in the sofa - Fixing San Jose's Roads

In a recent article in our local community newspaper ("Potholes, potholes everywhere and not a financial fix any time in the near future - Chances of passing parcel tax or bond measure seem unlikely") the reporter summarized a recent presentation given by Hans Larsen, Director of the City of San Jose's Department of Transportation to the regular Tuesday meeting of the city council. His presentation repeated an earlier presentation I heard him give just three weeks earlier putting a yearly price tag on maintaining the city's roadways. I summarized many of his comments in a October 28, 2011 post titled "San Jose''s DOT Director discusses the state of the city's roadways and how to repair them".

The article highlighted several responses from local residents commenting on the proposed ways to raise funds to support a $100 million a year maintenance budget. All but one respondent was opposed to spending money to support the roads. Several had stated they believed the money is there and that we should look a little closer at departmental funds. A few would like to initiate a formal look at the department's finances. As the article states "he cautions that before anything else is done, the city council and auditor should look into how DOT money is being spent."

The comments in the article share a common thread, a belief, a wish that there is money there, we just need to look harder. Somewhere there is a sofa with just the enough road repair change, just waiting to be scooped up between the sofa cushions. And somehow it seems as though these residents feel that this is only a San Jose problem; if we could just get our house in order. I doubt most of the residents surveyed for the article or most any San Jose residents realize that this is not just a San Jose problem, and certainly not just a California problem, but a growing national problem as well. Critical lack of funding in our surface transportation infrastructure is a problem, but the biggest problem may be our collective denial that a structural problem exists.

Many of you who read this blog know that I have featured James H. Kunstler and Charles Marohn of StrongTowns.org. Mr. Marohn goes on to state that the unbridled growth in suburban development at the expense of our central cities was one big development Ponzi scheme, saddling us with unbearable infrastructure maintenance costs 30 to 40 years into the future. [Podcast: The Growth Ponzi Scheme]

During San Jose's huge post war growth spurt [San Jose Population - read-only Excel file] city development moved away from an efficient grid system to a street system of cul-du-sacs, collector roads, and homes that were built far from stores, schools, and jobs. Not only did this lead to a requirement of one car for just about every adult driver but families were driving more each year just to meet basic family needs, even to make those short trips to the store just to pick up a gallon of milk. Also a cul-du-sac style roadway systems is costly to maintain than the traditional grid system (not just for roads but sewers, tree trimming, trash pick-up etc.

Flicker:TaxiDriver

But this is not just a San Jose problem. In a recent post ("The looming showdown in surface transportation funding"), I mentioned the failure of our gasoline excise tax program to adequately fund construction and maintenance of the automobile infrastructure. The tax has never been truly effective because, on "Day One" the tax has never been adequate enough and the amount collected  is reduced with each passing year due to inflation, the increasing gas mileage of American automobiles, and the recent trend of driving less during these tough economic times.

Recently the city of Napa has passed a sales tax to cover road repair as well as reallocate construction funds for road maintenance, a rather unusual request to the MTC. The city of San Francisco just passed Measure B giving that city ability to incur $248 million of bonded debt. Also other major California cities such as Los Angles and San Diego have recently garnered media attention on the deteriorating state of local roads.

So we need to move away from past myths about our local streets, local transportation funding, and the view that the motorist is the only user of our streets. Historically cities built and maintained our streets. But with the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, cities and counties which have historically used property taxes to fund roadways were now in a dilemma. With this long lasting recession impacting sales tax revenue and city budgets (along with pensions and other HR costs), less and less of the cities general fund is being used for street repair. In recent years money has also come in the form of grants, sales tax revenue from recently passed measures, vehicle license fees (VLF also which were voted in with a 2/3 vote), along with other creative means. But in Hans Larsen's recently released numbers this may only solve 15% of the problem. Very little money dedicated to street maintenance comes from user fees or gas taxes.

Typically when we speak of "mode share" we highlight whether the users are single occupancy autos, transit user, pedestrians, or cyclists, but these percentages only take into consideration commute options. Since other trips (errands, church, school, coffee shop, farmers market) typically are taken by transit, cycling or walking these numbers tend to overestimate automobiles usage. However up until now, the overwhelming amount of road funds went to add vehicle capacity and move traffic faster. Very little money was spent to make our cities streets safer, more convenient, and more accessible to pedestrians, transit users, and cyclists.

All of the local residents interviewed for the article are exclusively motorists who feel that there is money in the system somewhere; we just need to look for it. These city residents are no different from other motorists in that they are in a state of denial concerning local streets. The perception is that in the future all local roadways will continue to be in good to fair condition and it will not cost us much more than it does now, so why burden their budgets with the additional costs of gas taxes, sales taxes, property taxes or any other type of tax.

In fact, San Jose's inability to find financial support to maintain roads (also known as "kicking the can down the road") has been going on for at least eight years. In a March 26, 2004 memo to the Building Better Transportation Committee then DOT director James Helmer stated that although 70 was the citywide Pavement Maintenance Index (PMI) at that time (San Jose's PMI is currently at 63) he needed over $30 million each year but only had $3.2 million from the general fund. His concern at that time was that he was going to have to rely on capital funding to support the city's maintenance program (similar to Napa's dilemma; use funds dedicated to construct for maintenance).

So just who's job is it to wake the city up from its long dream of beautiful but underfunded streets. Hans Larsen has only been in his current position for about six months but it looks like this responsibility has fallen upon his shoulders. He has a big job ahead of him, but one that is sorely needed nonetheless.

Maybe in future presentations he can wheel around that big old sofa and just show everyone that there is no change in that sofa.

Links to recent "pothole" related stories around the state (and other references):

• The Pothole Report: Can the Bay Area Have Better Roads - Metropolitan Transportation Commission

• Roads Officially Worse Under Sanders, Report Says - Voice of San Diego

• San Jose ponders where to get money to fix pothole-ridden streets - Mercury News

• Pitfalls of Mayor Antonio Villaragosa's pothole project - Los Angles Times

• Hans Larsen Presentation
• Measure B (Santa Clara 11-11)
• Measure B (Santa Clara 3-02)
• California Proposition 42

November 16, Upcoming cycling events in the Silicon Valley and Beyond

Upcoming Events in the Silicon Valley



Thanks to Cheraylyn Willyard
for this month's hometown artwork.






Wednesday, November 16, 2011
San Jose Bike Party

Friday, November 18, 2011 8:00
This Month's Theme:
Hometown Superhero.
Location to be Announced 24 hours before the ride.

Do you remember when you were a kid riding your bike and pretending you were a superhero flying through the skies? Well thats exactly what November's theme is supposed to remind you of. Dress up and make your own costume so you can be your own home made superhero.

Unless someone makes a superhero that can actually change the weather it's time to watch the skies again and be prepared. We are in the season where rain is a possibility but we could get lucky.

Santa Cruz Bike Party - Movember
Saturday, November 19, 2011
6:30 - 9:30 PM

Tentatively meet at the Clock Tower, 101 Water St. at N. Pacific/Mission/Front/Knight Streets (map)

Movember (a portmanteau of the slang word "mo" for moustache and "November") is an annual, month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November. The event was conceived in 1999 by a group of Australian men from Melbourne. It is also known as "Novembeard". Since 2004, the Movember Foundation charity has run Movember events to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues, such as prostate cancer ...and depression.

Shaping San Francisco Bicycle History Tour: Dissent *Saturday, November 19th
12pm-4pm | Meet at Counterpulse, 1310 Mission at 9th
Covering everything from literary dissenters to urban riots and protests, this tour examines sites of conflict and unrest, the social movements and upheavals, that have shaped San Francisco since its origins. Sliding scale $15-50, benefiting Shaping San Francisco. For more info call 415.608.9035.


Climb to Saratoga Gap (Hwy 9 @ Skyline) then Chaperone a hike of 6th graders before biking home
Hosted by Nick
Saturday, November 19 · 7:00am - 3:00pm
See Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=258791560837803


Paradise Loop (35mi hilly)
Hosted by Yoshi N.
Saturday, November 26 · 1:00pm - 5:00pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189855477751122

San Francisco Bike Party
Friday December 2, 2011
Check Website for Details.
http://sfbikeparty.wordpress.com/
Modern Ohlone ride
Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Alviso, Moffet Areas
20 miles
Saturday, December 3, TBA

The "no turn" ride (33mi flat)
Hosted by Yoshi
Saturday, December 10 · 3:00pm - 6:00pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=291713184190924

East Bay Bike Party
Friday, December 11, 2011 7:30 PM
http://eastbaybikeparty.wordpress.com/

The STEEPEST climb in the south bay (Beware - serious masochists only)
Saturday, December 17 · 1:00pm - 5:00pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=243355492379460

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Too see all rides on the map click the link just below the map. Thanks.

View Upcomming Bay Area Bike Events in a larger map

Blast from the Past - Thinking of the Current Transportation System as a Health and Safety Issue

This was originally posted on my sister blog - One Less Car in the Silcon Valley. I am reposting here due to the recent increase in pedestrian and cyclists casualties. I hope to have more updates and comments later. Notice the links to fatal Silicon Valley accidents at the bottom of the post. I used to geo-track these statistics to get a sense the most dangerous Silicon Valley roadways.

All I know is that first you've got to get mad.

You've got to say, 
"I'm a HUMAN BEING, Goddamnit! My life has VALUE!" 


Three vehicular events in the Silicon Valley area this weekend highlight the fact that we are all subject to property damage, trauma, critical injury and even death from vehicles.  With this weekends death of a solo driver in Los Altos, a hit and run pedestrian accident in downtown San Jose, and a hit and run accident involving two cyclists, we need to stop and seriously consider the pain and suffering these events cause.

I am acquainted with Ashley (Ashleigh), through work and we share several mutual friends.  Ashley was riding with her boyfriend  this weekend when she was struck by a car that drove into the bike lane.  As I have written before, death and injury has visited family members, a favored author (David Hallberstam's tragic death near the Dumbarton Bridge), three high school friends, a college friend, and bike riding buddies.  Many years ago, while riding my bike, I witnessed a accident victim's final seconds as the blood from his head flowed onto the asphalt, on that early spring morning.  I was stunned and helpless.  Unable to move the truck that had just slammed his head to the ground and was now pinning his body to the roadway, all  I remember was the color of  his face, and how it seemed to change color the more his blood drained from his motionless head.

Several years after witnessing speeding and erratic behavior by a driver on a southbound San Diego Freeway, I came upon the prostrate body of the driver in the middle lane; motionless as we drove by, suddenly making the connection that the driver had met his end in his own horrific way.

With almost two years of a car free lifestyle under my belt, people often ask me; "isn't bike riding dangerous?  I'm to afraid to ride my bike.  I think I'll just go to a spin class instead."  First, bikes can be dangerous, but not many people fail to consider the large number of car accidents every year; whether classified as solo vehicular accidents, alcohol related accidents, accidents due to youth and inexperience, or just sheer and utter stupidity.  We seem to just accept, "as if that's the way it's supposed to be.   

"We know things are bad - worse than bad. They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, "Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone." 

Ask anyone who rides or walks and they will tell you horror stories of the streets.  Freeing yourself from the cocoon of your car you notice more.  In the two years since my own accident, I have witnessed four accidents involving a car running a red light ( myself  a victem as well).  Of those four, I was the first responder on three of them.  One involved a person trying to flee the scene.  Six victims required medical attention.

 In the two years since giving up my car in favor of a lifestyle involving cycling, walking and public transportation as a means of mobility, I have kept tract of most of the accidents involving cars, whether solo, with other cars, with bicycles, or pedestrians.  Also motorcycle accidents; which seem almost to be predictable in rider age and accident location are document.

We strikes me and also troubles me the most however is the continued increase in hit and run accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists.  I have read somewhere that it may approach 50%.  That would be one out of two accidents involve a vehicle leaving the scene; an absolute disgrace on any measure of moral, ethic, or civic responsibility.

Anyway here are three Google Maps so far that I have put together.
(Blue - Vehicle, Red - Pedestrian, Yellow - Motorcycle, Green - Cyclists) Dot in the marker represents a fatality.

2007

2008

2009

James Howard Kunstler

James H. Kunstler

The other evening my local city council member held one of his regularly scheduled movie nights, this evening featuring the movie "Radiant City", which IMDB.com tersely describes as "An examination of the nature of modern suburbia".  Featured in the movie was the prolific author and chief American critic of post World War II city planning and architecture, James Howard Kunstler.

After the movie the audience was able to ask questions about the themes of the movie; sprawl, placemaking, and community. This was a very timely event given that the city just adopted their 2040 General Plan after many committee meetings, workshops, and public outreach. Along with my council member the cities Planning Director, Assistant Planning Director and Director of Economic Development were on hand to answer any of the audiences questions.

What stood out most vividly was the the cities planning director had not even heard of the author James Howard Kunstler. Kunstler is the author of two highly acclaimed books, "The Geography of Nowhere" and "Home from Nowhere". He has spoken at the annual TED.org meeting (see video below), a homegrown Silicon Valley geek fest of which San Jose is the capitol. Actually I seem to recall during the 2040 General Plan process writings by Kunstler were even given to the participants to read as additional background material. In addition to his books he also keeps a website where one of his most popular posts are "The Eyesore of the Month", where he chronicles urban design failures. (Check out November's eyesore;  a blast on a street crossing in Reading, Pennsylvania.)

Any urban planning student today has read, studied, reread, and dog-eared the pages of Jane Jacob's "The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Kunstler's "The Geography of Nowhere", or William H. Whyte's "City: Rediscovering the Center". Looks like we have some educating to do.

This is just one aspect of a bifurcation of dreams, visions, thoughts, use of technology, transportation choices, and the definition, if any of that often used term of - placemaking. It seems as though gap between these ideas and experiences (James Kunstler is just one of many) that I have experienced in working with both older and younger citizens just keeps getting bigger. I plan to write on this more in the future since it is a trend that I see becoming more prevalent every day.

Here in the capitol of the Silicon Valley, in an advisory committee meeting last month we were trying to find ways to get the city's bike plan in the hand of citizens. One not so young member interjected, "How about advertising in the phone book", on which I replied, "What's a phonebook?"

 Any comments?

November 9, Upcoming cycling events in the Silicon Valley and Beyond

Upcoming Events in the Silicon Valley

Wednesday,November 9, 2011

Modern Ohlone Test Ride

Thursday, November 10 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=233397033384914


East Bay Bike Party
Friday, November 11, 2011 7:30 PM

This month’s ride will start at MacArthur BART (7:30 gathering, 8pm departure). and head north to take us on a leisurely tour through Berkeley and Oakland. The first party stop will be at Street Level Cycles, a non-profit bike shop offering free space, tools and information on repairing and maintaining bicycles. Plus, they sell parts and accessories like a traditional bike shop to help fund their work.
Get ready to see double in November, as the next East Bay Bike Party is a TWINS RIDE!!
http://eastbaybikeparty.wordpress.com/

San Francisco Bike Expo
@ the Cow Palace
Saturday, November 12 at 10:00am - November 13 at 5:00pm
http://sfbikeexpo.com/


Tall Can Tuesdays
November 15, 2011
Meet in front of the Starbucks at 8:00 PM

San Jose Bike Party
Friday, November 18, 2011 8:00
This Month's Theme:
Hometown Superhero.
Location to be Announced 24 hours before the ride.

Do you remember when you were a kid riding your bike and pretending you were a superhero flying through the skies? Well thats exactly what November's theme is supposed to remind you of. Dress up and make your own costume so you can be your own home made superhero.

Unless someone makes a superhero that can actually change the weather it's time to watch the skies again and be prepared. We are in the season where rain is a possibility but we could get lucky.


Modern Ohlone ride
Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Alviso, Moffet Areas
20 miles
Saturday, December 3, TBA

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Too see all rides on the map click the link just below the map. Thanks.

View Upcomming Bay Area Bike Events in a larger map

Napa County stakeholders forge ahead with plan for succesful road repair measure

A recent article in the Napa Valley Register ("Panel agrees on terms of road tax") highlights the third San Francisco Bay Area county that has or plans to put a measure on the ballot that help fund each counties deteriorating roadways. As highlighted in a previous post, San Francisco already has a measure on the books for this weeks election and San Jose has stated that they are in favor of holding an election as well (San Jose's DOT Director discusses the state of the city's roadways and how to repair them).

All three measures or proposed measures differ though in how they go about raising sorely needed road funds. San Jose would like to increase parcel taxes to fund their severely underfunded system. San Francisco would like to be allowed to sell bonds that would be retired through the general fund. Napa County would like to extend an existing sales tax.

In a recent Metropolitan Transportation Commision Report (The Pothole Report: Can the Bay Area Have Better Roads), Napa County roads over the last several years had some of the lowest PMI's (Pavement Condition Index) within the nine Bay Area Counties. In fact, recently the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency voted to allocate nearly $4 million in state Transportation Improvement Program funds to the maintenence of local streets. Althougn not unprecedented the request for these funds, which are earmarked for construction and not maintenence could cost the county in the long run. The MTC commision will have to approve the request.

Expect to see more news on this topic around the Bay Area in the next year. Stay tuned.

NCTPA tries new avenue to patch up roads

Funding Opportunities for Roadway Rehabilitation and Maintenence

November 2, Upcoming cycling events in the Silicon Valley and Beyond

Upcoming Events in the Silicon Valley

Wednesday,November 2, 2011

San Francisco Bike Party

Friday, November 4, 2011 7:30 PM

Location to be announced

http://sfbikeparty.wordpress.com/

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Birds and Volunteers
Don't Forget
SJBP "Homemade Superhero" Test Ride #2
Saturday, November 5 · 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Somewhere Near El Camino and Scott
check Facebook page.

Bike Soiree (Campbell, Sal's Pizza and a ride on the Los Gatos Creek Trail)
Saturday, November 5 · 6:30pm - 10:30pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=279538922068843

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Rolling Relics Livermore Ride
Sunday, November 6 · 1:00pm - 4:00pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128849827220930

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Its the small (4 floors) building.

Tall Can Tuesdays
November 8, 2011
Meet in front of the Starbucks at 8:00 PM

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 San Jose Bike Party Volunteer Mixer
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition
1922 The Alameda, San Jose near Hedding Room 105

Build community by learning & chatting with other SJBP volunteers!
Come out to our monthly volunteer meeting!
This is the place to meet & chat with other amazing Bike Party volunteers, learn how to be a better volunteer and better cyclist in general, and help play with ideas to make Bike Party better!

Bring a snack to share! The first 20 minutes (6:45 - 7:05) are a time for socializing and sharing snacks!
Bring a lock - bike parking is located in the back lot. Its also easier to enter off the back lot.

Volunteers to help clean up for a few minutes afterward are appreciated - our hosts are extremely generous in donating this time in their space.

Birds and Volunteers
Don't Forget
SJBP "Homemade Superhero" Test Ride #3
Wednesday, November 9 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm
check Facebook page.

Location: TBD (Somewhere near Lawrence Expy & Monroe)

Modern Ohlone Test Ride
Thursday, November 10 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=233397033384914


East Bay Bike Party
Friday, November 11, 2011 7:30 PM
Location to be Announced
http://eastbaybikeparty.wordpress.com/

San Francisco Bike Expo @ the Cow Palace
Saturday, November 12 at 10:00am - November 13 at 5:00pm
http://sfbikeexpo.com/

Tall Can Tuesdays
November 15, 2011
Meet in front of the Starbucks at 8:00 PM

San Jose Bike Party
Friday, November 18, 2011 8:00
Location to be Announced


Modern Ohlone ride
Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Alviso, Moffet Areas
20 miles
Saturday, December 3, TBA

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Too see all rides on the map click the link just below the map. Thanks.

View Upcomming Bay Area Bike Events in a larger map