Unlike bus service, where routes can change and stops can be frequent and close to many riders, rail stations and ferry terminals draw riders from considerable distances and not all of them can walk, bicycle or ride buses to access the service. This is why Bay Area transit systems which operate heavy rail or ferries provide parking for riders. However, parking is an amenity which is expensive, and balancing access for riders against cost of space and facilities is often a source of controversy for transit agencies. The Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is currently making some major changes in its Station Access program, and has adopted new parking policies to address the needs of riders.
Until recently, the only paid parking in the BART system was at Lake Merritt Station, where a token fee of $.25 is charged, to be deposited inside the paid area of the station, as a way to ensure that BART parking spaces are not used in place of street parking in the area.
For years transit advocates and some BART directors have maintained that BART should charge for parking to accomplish several different purposes. Transit advocates have argued that free parking encourages riders to drive to stations, which is bad for air quality, rather than using connecting buses, walking or bicycling. District board members have faced the costs of building parking garages, often the only way to create enough parking spaces in areas with little available land near stations, without parking fees to offset the expense. Both groups have been concerned that providing parking for suburban riders is unfair to urban riders, who rarely use these facilities but pay for them through increased BART fares.
In May 2000, BART directors approved a policy that would allow the district to charge for parking when new services are offered. In anticipation of BART service to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the Board approved a long-term parking rate for three stations in August 2002. When the new extension opens early in 2003, air travelers riding BART will be able to reserve long-term paid parking at one station on each of the three main BART routes: El Cerrito del Norte on the Richmond line; Walnut Creek on the Pittsburg/Bay Point line; and Bay Fair on the Fremont/Dublin line. Up to 180 new spaces will be created at Bay Fair and up to 160 new spaces at the other two stations. If there is sufficient demand, BART will consider expanding the program to other stations in the system.
The spaces will be secure and staffed around the clock. The daily fee will be $7.00; by comparison, parking averages $12.00 per day at SFO and $10.00 per day at Oakland International Airport (OAK), which is also accessible by BART. If long-term parking users do not fill all the spaces, the spaces will be available for paid daily parking.
Currently, BART riders can park in BART lots up to 72 hours. This policy created the potential for displacement of parking for daily riders by SFO travelers unwilling to pay airport parking fees. Therefore, when the SFO extension opens, a 24-hour limit will be imposed at all BART station parking lots. The 24-hour limit may be waived if the Board approves a proposal to allow weekend parking at East Bay BART stations between Friday evening and the end of service on Sunday (including a Friday or Monday which is part of a holiday weekend).
Meanwhile, in November 2001, BART began a pilot program for regular riders at the West Oakland Station, allocating spaces in a lot near the station and charging $100 per month for a guaranteed parking space. The program has proven to be popular, and is now being extended to almost all stations in the system for a fee of $63 per month, beginning December 2. Monthly parking may occupy up to 25% of the spaces at each station, depending on the number of reservations sold, and will be sited in designated areas close to the station. Drivers will receive specially coded stickers valid at only one station, which must be displayed on the inside of a vehicle windshield. Monthly spaces not occupied by 10 am will revert to open parking. When the SFO extension opens, the Colma station and the new stations along the extension will also have monthly parking available for $2 per day, or $42 per month.
At approximately 200 spaces, Caltrain parking lots on the Peninsula are smaller than BART lots, which average 1400 spaces. Caltrain riders have been paying for parking for several years at many stations, although stations south of Diridon Station in San Jose have free parking. Daily parking is $1.50; monthly parking permits cost $15 and must be bought at the same time the rider buys either a monthly Caltrain pass or two 10-ride Caltrain tickets. The Caltrain board already has a policy which prohibits parking for longer than 24 hours in station parking facilities.
While ridership levels have dropped since August 2001, when Caltrain carried almost 35,000 riders a day and station parking lots were jammed, new riders will probably be attracted by the ability to transfer to BART at Millbrae and by Caltrain's new "Baby Bullet" trains planned for 2003. A parking garage in Sunnyvale, the new BART garage in Millbrae, and extra lots in other cities have been added in recent years. Some do double duty; in addition to the commuter parking fee, Caltrain opens its Palo Alto lots to general downtown parkers on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings after 5:30 pm for a $4.00 fee.
In addition to BART and Caltrain, ferries also provide transit parking. The Golden Gate, Vallejo Baylink and Oakland/Alameda ferries provide free parking except in San Francisco, where riders must use a private parking garage near the Ferry Building. Faced with a difficult financial situation, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District has discussed charging for ferry parking to help raise revenues but has not pursued this possibility yet.
When transit agencies charge for parking, there are many considerations involved in the price, from the cost of parking facilities and staff to keeping transit costs affordable for riders. Despite the popularity of the pilot program at West Oakland BART and a good initial response to the expanded program, it is unclear how many suburban riders accustomed to free parking will pay for the promise of a guaranteed parking space. Monthly parking reservations will be evaluated in Spring 2003 and again 6 months later to determine whether to increase the cost or the number of spaces in the program. BART plans to re-evaluate its long-term parking program every 6 months. The success of these programs may also determine whether other agencies which are not currently charging for parking will consider changing their policies and dipping a little deeper into riders' pockets.
Leslie Stewart
For more information:
Harley Goldstrom, BART, 510-464-6194; hgoldst@bart.gov
Jayme Maltbie, Caltrain, 650-508-6238
Online: BART, http://www.bart.gov and Caltrain, http://www.caltrain.com
After a relatively smog-free summer, Bay Area residents may be surprised this winter by a increase in the number of Spare the Air Tonight advisories. Advisories are issued when the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) predicts levels of air pollution that will exceed air quality standards. Last summer's Spare the Air program, from June 3 to October 18, predicted 7 days when high ozone levels were expected. In actuality, the national 1-hour ozone standard of 12 parts per hundred million (pphm) was exceeded on 2 days. On 16 days, the more stringent state 1-hour standard of 9 pphm was exceeded, and on 7 days, the new national 8-hour standard of 8 pphm was exceeded.
This winter the new National Ambient Air Quality Standard for fine particulate matter (PM) 2.5 microns or smaller in diameter (PM2.5) will be added to the program, which previously included forecasts only for carbon monoxide and particulate matter 10 microns or smaller in diameter (PM10). Because it is more stringent, the PM2.5 standard is expected to be exceeded more regularly than the PM10 standard was in the past.
More than a third of PM is the result of woodburning in fireplaces and stoves, about a third is from motor vehicles, and the rest is dust from roads, construction activities and agriculture, and other dust and combustion sources. Build-ups of particulates occur on cold nights with no breezes, when an inversion layer traps air pollutants at ground level and prevents their dispersal.
The Spare the Air Tonight program will begin on December 2 and continue through January 31. Advisories will be posted at 10 a.m. if a high level of PM2.5 is expected that night, signalling that woodburning fireplaces and stoves should not be used and motor vehicle use should be curtailed.
Particulate matter consists of particles of solids and liquids, small enough to be suspended in the air. The smaller the particles, the more deeply they can be inhaled into the lungs. Larger particles don't penetrate deeply into the lungs and will be coughed out, while the fine particles will penetrate so deeply that they cannot be dislodged, and will remain there. Besides being irritants, the particles may be composed of toxic materials or carry toxic substances with them, further increasing the harm they can do.
Health effects of PM can be acute—shortness of breath, coughing, or wheezing—and can contribute to infections such as bronchitis, or exacerbate chronic respiratory and cardiac conditions. Over a period of time, exposure to high levels of PM may actually cause such conditions as emphysema and cardiac and respiratory diseases to develop. Children, the elderly, and people with lung and heart disease are especially susceptible to injury. When there are high PM levels in the air, the number of hospital admissions and emergency room visits by people with cardiac and respiratory diseases increases, and the death rate from these diseases rises.
Besides PM, woodsmoke contains other air pollutants or pollutant precursors—nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other air toxics. Woodburning stoves and fireplaces contaminate not only outdoor air but indoor air as well with their emissions.
In addition to the Spare the Air Tonight program, the Air District has developed a model woodburning ordinance for cities and counties to abate the PM and other air pollutants from woodsmoke. The ordinance, affecting new construction and some remodels, prohibits the installation of any woodstove except a pellet stove or an EPA-certified stove. The sale, but not the installation, of woodstoves that are not EPA-certified is illegal. Fireplaces must be gas-fired or have EPA-certified inserts. Traditional woodburning masonry fireplaces or factory-built fireplaces are not allowed, and the conversion of a gas fireplace to woodburning is not permitted. These provisions can be enforced through the local building permit process.
An optional provision would make the observance of Spare the Air Tonight alerts mandatory rather than voluntary. Another optional provision would prohibit burning of certain unsuitable fuels, such as garbage and plastics.
To date, 21 cities and 4 counties have adopted woodburning ordinances. They are:
The Air District will provide technical assistance to cities and counties to help them adapt the model ordinance to fit the needs of their communities.
In order to mitigate its emissions of PM10 from October to March each year, the Los Esteros Critical Energy Facility in northern Santa Clara County will fund two programs to be administered by the Air District. They are a woodstove and fireplace replacement/retrofit program and a lower-emitting school bus program. The power plant will contribute $510,500 to the programs.
The stove and fireplace program will be voluntary, on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents within a 3-mile radius of the facility will be able to replace an operational non-EPA-certified stove or fireplace with a natural gas stove or fireplace insert and, in return, will receive an incentive payment of $500 from the Air District.
The school bus program will replace older, high-emitting buses with cleaner or alternative fuel buses. The program will pay at least 75 percent of the cost of a bus, and the school district 25 percent or up to $25,000. Priority will be given to the three school districts closest to the facility, and to replacing older diesel buses.
The relationship between the PM emissions from the stacks of the facility and the emission reductions from the two programs is not pound-for-pound. Instead, the amount of PM from the stacks that would have to be offset was estimated from the height of the stacks, the velocity of the emissions as they leave the stacks, and the amount of mixing and dilution that could be expected before the PM reaches ground level. The woodstove and fireplace program and the school bus program were then calculated to offset this amount of PM, based on woodburning patterns in north Santa Clara County and the state Air Resources Board guidelines for emissions from school buses.
Adelia Sabiston
For more information about the model ordinance, contact the Air District public information officeat (415) 749-4900.
For information about the Woodstove and Fireplace Replacement/Retrofit Program, contact Ralph Borrmann at rborrmann@baaqmd.gov or (415) 749-4791.
For information about the Lower-Emitting School Bus Program, contact Michael Murphy at mmurphy@baaqmd.gov or (415) 749-4644.
Any driver who has reached a freeway ramp and faced a solid wall of taillights knows the dilemma. Take the next exit? or hope that the problem disappears in a mile or two? Traffic maps available online or in commute-hour TV reports can provide quick and valuable information to travelers as they leave home or work, but are virtually useless once those travelers are on their way. Radio traffic reports may help, but the best answer may prove to be a new three-digit phone number, 511, dedicated to transportation information. When 511 debuts in the Bay Area early in December, it will be the first step toward making real-time traffic reports available on a constant basis.
The 511 number was set aside for transportation information two years ago by the Federal Communications Commission, and is already in use in several other areas. In the Bay Area, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) had already established a local transportation information number for most of the region's area codes, 817-1717. MTC anticipates that the overall volume of calls will increase as the 511 availability is publicized and the 817-1717 number is phased out.
The 511 system will be a one-stop source of transportation information, including not only traffic congestion but also transit, bicycle and rideshare information. According to MTC's Carol Kuester, "The phone system has been vastly improved by interactive voice recognition technology and structured prompts." Kuester says this feature is particularly popular with seniors who have tested the service, because it eliminates the need to remember a complicated menu of choices and then press the correct button. Common questions can be answered by the system's computer, and others can be forwarded to specific agencies such as transit agencies or Caltrans. For example, while a driver may need information on local traffic conditions, another caller may want information on how to sign up for a carpool. The first question can be handled by the computer based on traffic monitoring, while the second would be referred to a RIDES for Bay Area Commuters operator. As transit agencies begin using Global Positioning System technology to determine speed and location of buses, some agencies may also make this real-time transit information available to 511 callers whose calls are forwarded to agency operators.
Online, a new Website, http://www.511.org, will become the single entry point for transportation information in the Bay Area, replacing TravInfo.org; it will link TransitInfo.org, the RIDES Website with its online ridematching tool, and two new sites, one for traffic information and one for bicycles. Kuester notes that "the emphasis is on disseminating information in a way that is meaningful."
Real-time traffic monitoring will become an important feature of the Bay Area's 511 service during the coming months. Currently, MTC's 817-1717 service relies on CHP reports and Caltrans data, which is compiled from traffic cameras at key congestion points and from pavement monitors in new or repaved roadways. A new and promising source for 511 real-time traffic data will use the FasTrak transponders already present in many Bay Area cars. While the transponders now trigger only the toll collection devices on the region's bridges, a new system of detectors will be able to sense a transponder, give it a temporary identification number in the real-time system, and then record how long it takes that transponder to pass another detector in the system. Information will not be associated with individual drivers because of the temporary nature of the codes assigned to the transponders, although drivers who don't wish to participate in the data collection can obtain Mylar bags from the agency issuing their transponders to shield their units. By using data from many transponders, traffic speeds in various areas can be calculated, determining which automated messages will be played for callers using the 511 information number. Data collection from transponders will begin in January 2003 on I-80 between Oakland and Vallejo and then expand to other highway corridors during the year. Soon callers will be able to get immediate, up-to-the-minute information on how traffic is moving on a particular part of the region's highway network.
Transportation in the region will continue to be complex and constantly changing, but 511 will make transportation information will simpler and better coordinated, online and by phone, with 511 as the starting point.
Leslie Stewart
For more information: Carol Kuester, MTC, 510-817-3253
In June 1999, the Port of Oakland became the first major US West Coast container port to restrict the discharge of ballast water originating in foreign ports, a measure taken to decrease the introduction of potentially invasive, non-native species to the waters of San Francisco Bay (see March/April 2000 issue). At the same time, the Port was undertaking a multi-stage expansion, designed in part to bring more and larger ships into the Bay (see May/June 1998 issue).
The Port's regulation of ballast water discharge was one means of addressing the concern that increased Port traffic could also mean an increased risk of introducing invasive species into the Bay. One of the first lines of defense against non-native species is to cut off the stream of ballast water carrying them into the Bay. Ballast water is used by ships to provide stability and to compensate for cargo loads. It is often taken on in a port or coastal region, where the water may contain many organisms. It may be released at sea, along a coast, or in another port. If conditions are right, the organisms may transplant themselves to the new habitat and flourish where they are not wanted.
San Francisco Bay already has a substantial number of non-native species, many of which arrived in ballast water or on hulls and anchors of ships. Conditions in the Bay are much more favorable than the open sea for these "hitchhikers" from other ports, while organisms contained in the ocean water are less likely to survive being transferred to the Bay environment. By requiring ships to discharge water at sea from locations other than the West Coast and exchange it with water from the deep ocean, the Port regulation substantially decreased the risk that any invasive organisms would be in ballast water subsequently discharged into the Bay.
Some environmental organizations were concerned that the Port expansion would overwhelm the effects of the exchange requirement, and increase the risk of ballast water impacts. The Port's 50 Foot Dredging Project was planned to accommodate new container ships which are deeper and wider than "Panamax class" vessels, which must be relatively narrow to navigate the Panama canal. With a 50 foot channel and deeper berths, the new vessels could come into port without reducing cargo to ride higher in the water or waiting for favorable tide conditions. The Berths 55-59 Project, part of the Port's modernizing effort, also included new container terminals.
The US Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) is partially funding the dredging project, and issued a permit for the new berths project because part of the work was done on submerged lands. As part of the environmental review for the permits, the Corps consulted with both the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Two organizations, San Francisco Baykeeper and the Center for Marine Conservation, sued the federal regulatory agencies —the Corps, FWS and NMFS—over approval of the 50 Foot Dredging Project and the Berths 55-59 Project. The suit focused on whether these agencies had adequately examined the risks of invasive species introductions which could be posed by ballast water discharges when the two projects are completed.
The environmental documents prepared for the two projects, beginning in May 1998 and concluding in September 1999, determined that the dredging project would not increase vessel traffic to the Port. In fact, because of the larger size of the post-Panamax ships, cargo volume would increase slightly but the number of ships entering the Port would decrease. The berths project would increase the number of ships, and the volume of ballast water discharged would increase by 5%. The combined effect of the two projects would be a decrease in the anticipated net volume of ballast water discharged. Another factor is that the different dimensions of the post-Panamax ships add stability and mean that less ballast water is usually carried and discharged from these vessels. Together with the Port's regulation prohibiting discharge of un-exchanged ballast water, the result would be a lower risk of impact from invasive species introductions after the projects were complete. In August 2002, the court upheld the agencies' analysis and dismissed the suit.
The Port's ballast water exchange regulation was reinforced and largely superseded by passage of a similar state law in 1999 which required ballast water exchange for all ships calling at California ports from outside the US; similar laws now exist in other West Coast states although they are not entirely consistent. The California law expires in December 2003 and renewal is anticipated. At the federal level, the Coast Guard has just recommended that voluntary ballast water controls become mandatory; the federal law on invasive species is due for renewal next year, which may present other opportunities to standardize ballast water management throughout the country. The International Maritime Organization is working on a draft plan for control of ballast water and sediments to be considered in 2003.
Although many groups, including those which sued over the Port projects, would like to see new controls include some form of ballast water treatment, there are still problems in determining the effectiveness of the many treatment methods now being tried. Any successful treatment technology will probably need to operate on board ship rather than onshore, for reasons of economy, since offloading water to an onshore treatment facility could slow turnaround time in port, and ships sometimes need to discharge ballast water before arriving at the terminal. While ballast water exchange can be up to 85-95% effective at removing undesired organisms under ideal circumstances, variations in size, configuration and equipment of various types of ships make it difficult to obtain accurate results. The same factors affect tests for treatment methods. In addition, many treatment methods work well on some organisms and less well on others; standards must be developed for which organisms are of most concern, and which can serve as indicators for the overall efficacy of a given treatment.
The Port is currently researching the effectiveness of ballast water exchange for container ships, which have received less attention than bulk cargo carriers and oil tankers. This research is being performed by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, with a portion of the work occurring at the Romberg Tiburon Center of San Francisco State University. The research will also look at organisms which are transported on ship hulls. In addition, the Port has funded work by the State Lands Commission to install and test an experimental ballast water treatment system on a container ship. This work should be completed within the next year.
Ballast water is not the only way that non-native species find their way into San Francisco Bay—other culprits include private recreational vessels, bait fisheries, intentional introductions, and aquarium dumping—but it is a primary source of invasive organisms. The Port has been an important part of a cooperative effort by the maritime industry, regulators, researchers, and environmental groups to protect the environmental integrity of the Bay through trend-setting regulation and other measures. All the interested parties now face the challenge of designing and funding the research needed to add effective treatment methods to the existing ballast water exchange programs.
Leslie Stewart
For more information:
Jody Zaitlin, Port of Oakland, 510-627-1179; jzaitlin@portoakland.com
Karen McDowell, California Sea Grant, 510-622-2398; kdhart@ucdavis.edu
West Coast Ballast Outreach Project, http://ballast-outreach-ucsgep.ucdavis.edu/
For more information on any of these measures, see the October/November 2002 issue.
(dates for previous relevant articles are noted at end of each item)
In October the East Bay Municipal Utility District completed the Southern Loop Pipeline Project, a key element in the District's Seismic Improvement Program to strengthen, upgrade and retrofit its treatment, distribution and storage facilities. (November/December 1998)
Caltrain's new rail cars, which will be used for its "Baby Bullet" express service, are being introduced to the system, although the new Baby Bullet engines have not yet arrived. Three sets of cars are already in service on a midday run, utilizing Caltrain diesel engines. The cars have a distinctive color scheme and special features such as lower floors and more doors. The new engines will arrive early in 2003, and express service is scheduled for mid-2004.
SamTrans has introduced new articulated buses for service on its heavily-used El Camino routes. The state-of-the-art vehicles feature Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking, computerized communications with dispatchers, cleaner fuel, quieter engines, video security cameras and automated announcements for each stop. The 55 new buses will be in service by the end of the year. Older SamTrans buses will also receive GPS equipment, a component of "intelligent transportation" systems. (Aug./Sept. 2001, "Techno-Traffic").
A fleet of almost 100 express buses began arriving in the Bay Area in September. The buses are low-emission and equipped with amenities such as reclining seats and video screens; they are intended for use on longer routes, especially those using the HOV lane network in the region. Funded by state Traffic Congestion Relief Funds and allocated by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, they will be distributed among area transit agencies over the next year, including AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit, SamTrans, and others. County Connection will use some on its successful BART Express route to Bishop Ranch Business Park in San Ramon. Others will go into service on a new route across the San Mateo Bridge to be operated by AC Transit. (May/June 2000)
The Smart Growth Alternative Vision, the product of the Smart Growth Strategy process, was presented at ABAG's Fall General Assembly in October. Policies related to the Alternative Vision have been approved by the Smart Growth Steering Committee and the ABAG Executive Board, and are recommended for adoption by the five regional agencies: ABAG, MTC, BAAQMD, RWQCB and BCDC. The policies will be the basis for projections used to guide regional decision-making by the agencies. (August/September 2002, April/May 2002, August/September 2001, August/September 2000)
The Capitol Corridor, operated by BART for the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, has added a new roundtrip, bringing the service to 20 weekday trips between Auburn, Sacramento, the East Bay and San Jose. The popular rail service also offers 18 weekend trips. The newest roundtrip allows riders to reach Sacramento at 7:35 am on weekdays, and to return from Sacramento at 6:40 pm.
Monterey-Salinas Transit opened a connecting service, Caltrain Fast Track, which serves as an extension of Caltrain from the Gilroy station to Monterey and Salinas. Three mini-buses, one from Monterey and two from Salinas, now provide the service, but four large buses should be in place by January 2003. Currently, three round-trips per day are offered between Monterey and Gilroy, and five round-trips per day between Salinas and Gilroy. (March/April 1999)
Contractors are beginning installation of a safety railing on the Golden Gate Bridge which will run between the sidewalks and the roadway. The railing will be installed first on the west sidewalk. Most work on the heavily traveled east sidewalk will take place at night after it is closed to pedestrians. Work should be completed by May 2003. (May/June 1996)