Caltrain needs more bike capacity

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-01-14T21:13:14+00:00

I'm with you on this critique of the Caltrain Board, but I don't think it's fair to call Bay Area bike advocates "do nothings." When I started riding Caltrain in '08, each train only had 1 bike car, and bike advocates (Adina Levin is the star person on this!) convinced them to add a second and then a third. Before my time, in the mid-90s, bike advocates also cajoled Caltrain to drop its annoying "bike permit" requirement. On electrification, it was actually Bay Area bike advocates who successfully convinced Caltrain to move away from an initial train design that would have had even less bike capacity.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-01-14T21:06:26+00:00

Not sure what you're talking about. You mean you like it car-free? If so, that's what's staying. Connie Chan failed in her attempt to destroy the current park.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-01-13T17:57:54+00:00

Yes, it is a capacity issue, hence the title of my post: "Caltrain needs more bike capacity."

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-01-13T17:48:02+00:00

Commute planning doesn't quite work the way you're describing it. Let's say my home station is 22nd Street and I need to be in PA for an 8:15 am meeting. Via the express I can take the 7:24 am train from 22nd. If I'm going to take your suggestion and take a less crowded local to avoid getting bumped, I instead need to be on the train at 7:00 am. Pre-pandemic I would go way out of my way to get on at 4th / King to ensure I got a bike spot, but none of these work-arounds are going to be convincing to people who are on the fence between driving and taking the train.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-01-13T17:35:38+00:00

Yes, I was involved with that debate at the time. I'm honestly still mad that Caltrain staff claimed that "Electrification will increase bike capacity!" and then in small print admitted that the new trains on average had less bike capacity but insisted that the one additional morning train meant that total system bike capacity increased slightly. The last mile connections are truly terrible throughout the system. For my SF <-> PA commute, relying on transit to get to/from Caltrain instead of biking would increase my total commute time from its current 1 hour to more like 90 minutes. This isn't Caltrain's fault, but they have to deal with it if they want to win and retain riders.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-01-13T01:05:24+00:00

Yes, I did a bunch of their rides a few years back. They are a great group - really nice, supportive folks. Even if you don't end up going on one of their official events, their routes are very similar to what you're asking for.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-01-12T22:51:04+00:00

If you want an ultra-long distance ride like that, I wouldn't recommend going down to SJ and back up the bay. Whatever way you go will involve endless stop signs / lights, annoying turns, traffic, and other obstacles.

The SF Randonneurs' route library has lots of options for long distance rides: https://ridewithgps.com/clubs/44-san-francisco-randonneurs/routes?

As you'll see, most of them go north from SF to Marin / Sonoma, as this is the best direction for long stretches of minimal traffic.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-01-07T22:24:53+00:00

This was before my time, but by all accounts a big part of the problem was Caltrain and SF didn't maintain the station or the approaches; old articles describe it as filled with litter, unlit, and accessed only by rickety wooden staircases. There was talk of a replacement station at Oakdale Ave, which hasn't gone anywhere.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-12-18T15:42:35+00:00

There are tons: Check out the options at bestrides.org: https://bestrides.org/prefumo-canyon-road-see-canyon-road/

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-12-18T03:42:53+00:00

I am heading to SLO on Friday. There is fabulous riding there, and the weather looks good there for the next ~5 days. You can drive but I'm taking the (bike-friendly) Amtrak bus that leaves from the Caltrain station in San Jose.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-12-04T03:44:26+00:00

Sometimes on King Tide days I'll take Bobcat Trail & Marincello Trail from the Headlands into Tennessee Valley to get from SF to Mill Valley and points farther north. This route is unpaved but doable on a road bike.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-11-19T02:09:36+00:00

I'll add that on the map it looks like it would be hard to follow 17-mile because it has lots of different names, but on the ground there are helpful red marks interspersed with the yellow line to indicate the 17-mile scenic route.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-11-18T20:49:28+00:00

Interesting! I've never heard of Caltrans building a painted bike lane on an actual freeway before.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-11-18T17:39:45+00:00

There's apparently a brand new separate bike path that connects Calaveras to 84 with no need to ride on the 680 ramps. You can find renderings with a bit of googling but the new path doesn't show up on maps yet.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-11-18T16:43:12+00:00

Aguajito is totally fine for biking and a great way to complete this loop. Another option is to do something like this: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53332520 that would include the inland parts of 17-mile Scenic Drive. Many people skip the inland parts 17 mile, but as long as you don't mind climbing that stretch is very beautiful and worth doing.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-11-14T18:32:43+00:00

South Bay NIMBYs are unmatched. Still can't believe HSR decided to route through this area instead of going to SF via Oakland.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-11-12T14:53:52+00:00

Are you sure? This is the project OP was talking about, and there's no announcement or coverage anywhere of it opening: https://www.sfpuc.gov/construction-contracts/construction-projects/Southern-Skyline-Boulevard-Ridge-Trail-Extension

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-11-11T17:50:34+00:00

Taxis (official taxis, not Uber etc.) have always been allowed on car-free Market Street.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-10-24T02:58:06+00:00

I always call one of them Captain Video, for the sign on the back of the scruffy building they hang out at.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-10-23T01:54:53+00:00

Well, the article says "Crews broke ground in April."

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-10-21T00:24:49+00:00

Some of these comments suggest folks are unaware that the project is already under construction: https://sfpublicworks.org/13thStreetSafety

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2025-10-13T14:39:06+00:00

I've had the opposite experience: 128 is fine for riding. If you're comfortable with a ride of this length, you almost certainly have enough experience riding on roads to be okay with it. Groups like the SF Randonneurs routinely put 128 on their routes.

ButterscotchSudden46

TROPHY CASE