This is good. But not the way the members of the Council for
Expanding Transit Service (CETS) think.
Karen, the letter writer, makes our point exactly. Caltrain does not
understand what business it is in.
It thinks it is in the railroad business when it should be in the
urban rapid mass transit business. Both Caltrain and BART, and VTA
and Samtrans, and all the other alphabet organizations in the transit
business ought to be folded under one umbrella, fully tax based, and
obliged to serve the entire Bay Area public with a comprehensive
transit system that works for everybody.

Martin
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Published Friday, March 30, 2007, by the Mountain View Voice

Letters to the Editor

Mussolini's spirit lives on in Caltrain

The typical rider depends on Caltrain to get to or from work or to
take care of family or civic responsibilities. So it's a shame the
typical Caltrain experience involves malfunctioning ticket machines,
rudeness and, sometimes, a $300 to $500 fine for the rider.

I had just such an experience when I took Caltrain home from work
earlier this month. Waiting with my bike at the Millbrae southbound
platform, I realized the arriving train's bike car was at the other
end of the train [BATN: the bike car is always on the San Francisco
end of the train]. I started running with my bike to reach the other
end, and the conductor saw me doing this.

Nonetheless, the train closed its doors and started moving away
before I could reach the bike car. I had an appointment near the
Mountain View station, and thanks to the rudeness of the conductor,
I was unable to keep my commitment.

I used to think these sorts of actions were necessary for timeliness.
But a Caltrain conductor happily delays a train to enforce policies,
just not for the benefit of the riders.

This recent experience reminded me why it had been a year since I
last used Caltrain. Driving my car up and down Highway 101 every
day during commute hours is a less stressful and a more humane
experience.

I have come to the conclusion that Caltrain is hostile to its
riders. Maybe one day, if we're lucky, its management will be
assumed by BART or some other transit authority.

Karen McAdams
San Pierre Way

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Martin Engel
1621 Stone Pine Lane
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650:323-1670
martinengel@earthlink.net
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