Caltrain drops the ball for riders at late-night events
Q I support public transportation so I thought I was being clever last Monday when I took Caltrain from the Lawrence station to attend the Electric Light Orchestra concert at SAP Center. It was quick, cheaper and more convenient than driving and paying to park. SAP Center is a short walk from the station. I even had time to eat before the concert started at 8 p.m.
— Denise Howard, Santa Clara
A But the trip home was another story.
Q Imagine my frustration when I emerged from the concert at 11 p.m. and discovered that the last northbound Caltrain had left at 10:30 p.m. I wasn’t the only surprised concertgoer scrambling for alternatives, either. There was a family of four who had come from San Carlos, and others. We’d all paid for round trips. There were no taxis available and no buses in service. I called my husband to pick me up, but I still had to stand out at the curb by myself at the station late at night and wait for 30 minutes.
Our public transportation services wonder why more people don’t ride, but then they can’t see fit to ensure that services are available at the conclusion of large events like this. SAP Center hosts concerts year-round, as well as Sharks games. The schedule for these events is known months in advance.
Why not have a northbound train ready at the end? Some might suggest that people taking the train should plan on leaving a concert early. Sorry, no. I paid close to $200 for my concert ticket, so I’m not leaving halfway through the headline performance.
— Denise Howard A Your beef is warranted. Caltrain says providing late-night special event service is difficult right now due to construction during the night. But the agency is developing a plan to provide more service for these kinds of events. Details to come. Q Lots of great discussion about turns on red lights. How about turns on green lights? In San Mateo at Bovet Road and El Camino Real, there is often a backup. Some drivers on Bovet seem to believe that drivers making a left turn onto El Camino from the other direction have the right of way. I was taught that drivers making right turns on green and those making left turns on green from the other direction have to use the “zipper” technique, safely.
What’s legal and proper? — Robert Whitehair, San Mateo
A Drivers making a right turn should go first and turn into the far right lane.
Q The park-and-ride lot at Interstate 280 and Black Mountain is awful again with garbage everywhere. Is there somewhere I can call about this?
— Joyce Leopardo, Burlingame A I’ve alerted Caltrans. Next time go to Caltrans’ webpage and submit a maintenance request.