Re: Joint Study with Atherton on Grade Separations - 1/29/08 7:00 p.m.

      
      Downtown Visioning " 6:00 p.m.
      Council Chambers

Hon. Mayor and Council Members, et al:

Attached is the Caltrain Short Range Transit Plan - It speaks of many things:

Double vision is exactly what is needed with these two subjects on the Agenda.

It may be too late to dictate designs but added to discussion of congestion, pollution and grade separation please consider construction, noise and mitigation measures such as those for the Dumbarton Rail neighbors whose six trains during peak hours will meet up with the 98 already on the main line to a total of 110 trains initially, with more to come.

There was an article in the Examiner this week-end which stated that it would cost Menlo Park "hundreds of millions" of dollars to grade separate.

As pointed out in an e-mail yesterday, the Jefferson Grade Separation in Redwood City was paid for with a combination of Measure A, and Highway funding (at a time when Menlo Park was turning them down) costing Redwood City little or nothing.' A phone call should confirm.

All of Belmont and San Carlos grabbed the initial grade separation money from Measure A. How much did they contribute to all of their grade separations?

A couple of million dollars is next in line for San Bruno grade separations. How much is that city paying toward them?

The MTC Resolution at p.44 states
"An electrified Caltrain will provide the infrastructure changes and additions to Caltrain's right-of-way to run electric railway service in place of the existing diesel service An electrified Caltrain will provide passengers with shorter journey times while simultaneously reducing noise, emissions and energy consumption. The electrified project is a vital step in the modernization of Caltrain by supplying the infrastructure needed to allow the next level of service to passengers."

This will not stop train horns, but will add to them without "quiet zones" not mentioned anywhere.

It has taken over a decade of strong efforts to have Congress allow the cessation of routine horn blasting with the addition of supplementary safety measures which should be established with Measure A funds ---our share!

As to electrification and grade separations with high speed rail, there are hundreds of organizations with thousands of members who have had decades of opportunity in public forums and have voiced their views in favor of such infrastructure. Hardly undemocratic. GRCC voted thus.

Regarding El Camino whose buildings back up to the railroad tracks, the trips and tours and observation of the newly formed committee with the consultants will result in blurred vision unless it takes place during peak hours which number about six -- from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 4 or 5 pm to around 8 p.m. Not on their timetable.

Even the business people are absent most of those hours. It is the residents who bear the brunt of air/noise pollution and congestion. Mostly apartment dwellers who have no voice. This is our money you are spending on these ridiculous studies at the wrong times in the wrong places looking through rose-colored glasses.

Let's have a clear vision of the true facts and bite the bullet which is probably coming anyway,

Margaret Petitjean, Menlo Park

attached mail follows:

http://www.caltrain.com/srtp.html Received on Sun Jan 27 21:53:38 2008