Sue Lempert Speaks

I don't know quite how to read this one.

"Mark Simon, former San Francisco Chronicle columnist, and now the special
assistant to the executive director at Caltrain/SamTrans, was the
liaison between the JPB and the cycling advocates. Mark has been an
organizer of the Tour de Peninsula, a charity bicycle ride, and has
good relations with the cycling community."

Hmm... that's an interesting way to put it. Last time I heard someone describe Mark Simon of Caltrain it went like this "He is the Special Assistant in Charge of Getting People to Buzz Off, Especially Cyclists".



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The bike lobby
They may not have an expensive office on K street in Sacramento and
they are not known for their generous campaign contributions, but the
bicycle lobby is one of the best organized and most effective locally,
regionally and in the state. CalTrans now has a full-time bicycle
expert in many of its regional offices; the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission has one to handle bicycle issues in the nine
Bay Area counties and most cities in San Mateo County have a bicycle
pedestrian advisory committee in addition to the county=92s bike
commission.
As cyclists gain political clout they have become less
confrontational, as in the disruptive Critical Mass rides during
Friday evening commutes, and are more willing to work with the
authorities to accomplish their goals. What they lack in dollar power
they make up in people power. And the cyclists are smart and in vogue
as more people turn to two wheels to commute to work, to stay fit and
to drive less.
Peninsula cyclists won a major victory when they convinced Caltrain
that more space was needed on trains for bicycles and bumping cyclists
was no longer tolerable. The cyclists wrote letters, many of them
printed in the Daily Journal, sent voluminous e-mails to Caltrain
elected officials and staff and turned up at meetings of the Joint
Powers Board (the three-county board which runs Caltrain) to make
their case. They took time off from work to present a well-researched
and well-presented argument for allowing more bikes on trains. Bike
riders make up 2,400 of Caltrain customers each day out of a total
ridership estimated at 41,000. They are extremely loyal customers and
Caltrain was smart to meet them half way.
By mid-spring, bike capacity on the trains will increase by 27
percent. Gallery train sets will increase to 40 slots (versus the
current 32) and Bombardier trains will have 24 bike spaces (versus the
current 16). Of course, cyclists wanted more but this is a good first
step. Caltrain will have to find $200,000 to remove seats from
existing cars and install new bike racks. The staff also committed to
assign two bike cars to peak-period trains as operations allow.
Caltrain was a pioneer in allowing trains on board in 1992. Mark
Simon, former San Francisco Chronicle columnist, and now the special
assistant to the executive director at Caltrain/SamTrans, was the
liaison between the JPB and the cycling advocates. Mark has been an
organizer of the Tour de Peninsula, a charity bicycle ride, and has
good relations with the cycling community. But the major credit goes
to CEO Mike Scanlon who is a tough executive but knows how to listen
and when to be flexible.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday.
She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com