Author: Rahman Law PC

Caltrain Increases Fares: Big Surprise

Posted on by Rahman Law PC

Firstly, fares are going up by 25 cents in each of the six zones and by 75 cents if you’re commuting between San Francisco and San Jose, making your ride $8.50. The monthly pass for these two cities is going to be $225.00, going up by $20.00.

Secondly, four weekday trains will be eliminated.
And finally, just to pour salt into the already gaping wound, service cuts will make it so that trains only arrive once an hour.

These changes are all in an effort to fix Caltrain’s $2 million budget deficit. But Caltrain riders would be interested (and infuriated) to know that even with this deficit, the administration’s payroll has increased by 14% in the past three years.
Caltrain, cover up; your greed is showing.

With Apologies to Henry David Thoreau

Posted on by Rahman Law PC
Thoreau once wrote, “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.”
Well, in San Francisco, it’s going to be rather difficult to accomplish this transcendentalist goal thanks to Junaio.
Junaio is a “mobile augmented reality browser.” And unless you work in software programming, chances are you’re going to have to google what that phrase even means.
So what does it do? Junaio “provides users with interactive web-based information and services wherever they are” as an application for the iPhone and the Android.
According to the company, users need only to point their camera and are instantly fed historical and logistical information regarding their surroundings via the web. Effectively, with Junaio, people will never be lost.
BART recently teamed up with Junaio, supplying the latter with its API (application programming interface). According to BART, this collaboration will allow for the following:

“Junaio lets users tag photos, audio and text in the real world and leave digital ‘crumbs’ behind at particular locations for others to explore. For example, a rider coming out of the Montgomery BART Station in San Francisco could see recommendations left by friends for restaurants or shops to try that are nearby that station. Or, simply by pointing the camera on her phone, a user could find the direction of the nearest BART station and get a list of estimated arrivals for the next several trains to her destination.”

An ABC article said that, “New York hasn’t done this. Chicago and Washington haven’t done this” so it would seem that thanks to BART, San Francisco is one of the first major cities to use this technology.
The act of discovering a new favorite cafe requires no more effort than the tap of a finger now. For this generation, technology is the preservation of the world, not wilderness. Sorry, Thoreau.

Biking is the New Black

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NYtimes: “The number of adult female cyclists is growing faster than that of men […] Some of these women seem to view their bikes, equipped with high-end saddle bags and bells, as a stand-in for a car […] ‘A bike in New York City is sort of what a convertible is in Los Angeles,’ said Bonnie Morrison.”

Leave it to the ladies of New York City to turn their bikes into a fashion statement. These new bike-enthused women ride around the city heeled and helmet-less. Ignoring the obvious hazards of this trend (though, these women shouldn’t), it must be noted that San Francisco has been there and done that.
Compared to New York, we may not be considered fashion forerunners, but we have been biking and doing it with style for a long, long time. And in the bay, we’ve been working pretty hard on safe biking. So a word of advice from SF to NY? Put on a helmet or get off that bike. Your bike may be chic and in right now, but I can guarantee that your accident won’t be nearly as cute.

Rule-Breaking Riding in Berkeley

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For a college town like Berkeley, it can be pretty dangerous to bike, walk, and drive anywhere. A lot of rule-breaking seems to be at the root of this road anxiety.

Drivers have to look out for swarms of jaywalking students and swerving cyclists. Pedestrians need to stay alert for cyclists coming up from behind at very quick speeds. And because cyclists in Berkeley share both the road with cars and the sidewalks with pedestrians, they are in as much danger of hitting a pedestrian listening to their iPod as they are of getting hit by hurried drivers.
So far this year, 129 bicyclists have been injured in Berkeley. President David Campbell of the Bicycle Berkeley-Friendly Coalition suggests that reckless riding might be one reason for accidents. According to Campbell in a recent Oakland Tribune article, many cyclists don’t follow road rules because they have never learned them. Because unlike driving, where a test and a license are required, cyclists need only a bike to start roaming the streets.
As a result of complaints from the community, Berkeley police have been on the lookout for rule-breaking riders with citations ready. Last Thursday, within just two hours, officers handed out 19 citations, some costing cyclists more than $200.

Berkeley police are hopeful that this crackdown will encourage cyclists to pay attention to the rules. And to aid in their mission, the BBFC is offering free classes to teach rules of riding, the basics of which are, “Stop at stop signs, yield to pedestrians, stop at red lights, don’t ride on the sidewalk and don’t ride in crosswalks.”

AC Transit’s Third Major Service Cut of the Year

Posted on by Rahman Law PC
Last March, AC Transit cut its service by 7.8%. Next up is a 7.2% cut starting October 31st. And to wrap up this year of commuting hell, last Wednesday, the board of directors approved of yet another service cut to go into effect in December.
December’s cuts will:
  • save the district 11.1 million dollars (theoretically)
  • lay off 90 union workers
  • eliminate 39 weekend routes, leaving just 17 lines

Not only have these changes been approved, but AC Transit spokesperson Clarence Johnson has said that the board directors will likely start voting on outsourcing services at their next meeting, potentially laying off even more union workers.

AC Transit’s director Chris Peeples’ stance was, “We may have to do it because of the amount of money it saves.” Meanwhile, several people are laying blame for the budget issues on AC Transit itself due to their “years of fiscal irresponsibility.”
It seems that yet another corporation has shown us that the importance of the money will always outweigh the importance of the people.

Muni Frustrations

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According to a recent survey conducted by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, only 52% of polled Muni riders have rated service as good or excellent. This percentage is the lowest approval rating in almost a decade.

Within the past year, Muni decreased service and drastically increased prices for its monthly pass from $45 to $70.
Despite the low satisfaction ratings, chief Nathaniel Ford of the SFMTA remains optimistic and believes that the changes made to Muni in the past year have caused negative impacts, but will ultimately lead to positive changes.
The SF Examiner got the opinions of two Muni riders with differing reactions. One stated that, even with the changes, Muni still “works for her.” The other rider disagreed with chief Ford’s assessment, citing issues with fare increases and the bus schedule’s undependability.
In a city, and especially a city whose residents depend so heavily on public transportation, a 52% satisfactory rating is far too low. The SFMTA needs to seek further ways to improve Muni in order to get where its commuters need to go, safely and satisfactorily.

Map My Ride – “Empowering Active Lifestyles”

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Map My Ride combines technology with exercise. In this modern age, cyclists can record and share interesting bike paths in their local areas for other exercise enthusiasts with the ease of clicking a mouse.

Though still in the early stages of development, this site could potentially be of use to cyclists looking to get off the beaten path and head for a new challenge, whether it be for hobby or sport.

AC Transit swaps paper tickets for Clipper cards

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Source: http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_16125213

For AC Transit regulars, it is important to know that starting October 31st, AC Transit will no longer sell paper tickets. This means that they will eliminate the use of both Adult local 31-day and 10-ride AND Youth/senior/disabled 10-ride paper tickets in exchange for the Clipper card.
As advertised all throughout the bay area, AC Transit has teamed up with fellow public transportation giants BART, Muni, Caltrain, and Golden Gate Transit and Ferry and created a universal transit pass called the Clipper card.
How Clipper works (from the Clipper website):

Clipper℠ is an all-in-one transit card that keeps track of any passes, discount tickets, ride books and cash value that you load onto it, while applying all applicable fares, discounts and transfer rules. This lets you customize your card for your own transit needs. The Clipper card can hold multiple passes, ride books or tickets (which are specific to the transit system being used), as well as up to $300 in cash value at one time.

You can add value (in the form of both passes and cash value) to your card as you go, or for added convenience, you can set up your card to automatically reload whenever your pass expires or your cash balance falls below $10.

Dates to remember:
  • October 1st – AC Transit starts giving out free Clipper cards
  • October 31st – AC Transit stops selling paper tickets
  • December 31st – AC Transit stops accepting paper tickets
Since July 6th, 2010, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission has been giving out free Clipper cards. Judging by this article, they will stay free of charge for the upcoming months to “aid in the transition.” But according to both the article and Clipper’s website, “This offer is available for a limited time and may be subject to change without notice” and the cards will eventually cost $5.00. So if you want to avoid the fee, hurry and get a card!