Big projects such as the BART extension to downtown San Jose and connecting high-speed rail between San Francisco and Los Angeles get a lot of attention. But there’s plenty more going on in the transportation world these days and we want to give you recent updates on projects big and small. Here’s a roundup of transportation news you can use:
Don’t start me up — If you’re headed to the Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds Tour stop at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on July 17, consider not starting up the gas-guzzling car for the trip to see Mick, Keith and Ronnie. Private M Ride concert shuttles leave San Francisco at 3:30 p.m., which gives you plenty of time to get to the 6:30 p.m. show. Round-trip tickets start at $75 and the shuttle departs from 2036 Lombard St. Public transportation is another good option to get to the show. The Valley Transportation Authority’s orange line connects with BART at the Milpitas station and with Caltrain at the Mountain View station.
Christmas in July — Heatwave or not, both BART and the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) have rolled out their ugly sweater line for the holidays. BART is urging shoppers to preorder the new holiday goodies before the sled sails. The pre-sale is open on Railgoods.com now and will close July 31. Pre-sale items will ship in early November. Need more than one piece of reindeer-themed BART merchandise? You’re in luck — the agency is also selling holiday vests, beanies and scarves. The MTA is also getting in on the action for the first time this year. Their Icons of San Francisco ugly holiday sweater celebrates the city’s unique charm and flair with a fun transportation twist. It features iconic San Francisco landmarks such as seals, crabs, wild parrots, the iconic cable cars, Coit Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid in a wrap-around design. Pre-sale items ship in October.
Green and clean buses — SamTrans is gearing up to buy more than 100 new zero-emission buses to replace its aging fleet of diesel vehicles in San Mateo County thanks to $15 million from the California State Transportation Agency. SamTrans says it hopes to have its entire diesel fleet replaced with zero-emission buses in the next 10 years. And SamTrans is not alone in its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. The Federal Transit Administration awarded AC Transit in Alameda County $15 million to help purchase 25 additional hydrogen fuel cell buses and establish a third hydrogen fueling station.
Warming solutions — Caltrans has awarded $51.4 million in state- and federally funded planning grants for 89 sustainable, climate-resilient transportation projects statewide. Money will be used to help communities with projects that must withstand the impacts of extreme weather events fueled by climate change. The projects will help reduce planet-warming pollution, improve the state highway system, enhance access to safe walkways and bike paths, and expand natural disaster preparedness. Caltrans says 92 % of the projects will benefit disadvantaged communities. The city of Alameda, for example, was awarded nearly $500,000 to study how ships and boats use the estuary connecting Alameda and Oakland. It’s a first step in potential plans to build a moveable bicycle and pedestrian bridge on the island city.
BARTist creates BARToons — A Concord artist who rides BART every day from the East Bay to San Francisco for work is gaining notoriety for drawing passengers she sees on the trains. Joanna Sokua has drawn more than 170 cartoonish BART illustrations since 2017 and she has no plans of slowing down. Her drawings show Scooby Doo and Shaggy waiting for a train; Van Gough seated near the doors with a pipe and bandage over his ear; Doc Brown and Marty McFly from “Back to the Future” standing on a train and Clark Kent looking at his phone with his Superman suit peeking out. People don’t usually know Sokua has used them in a drawing but sometimes they find out when their picture pops up on her Instagram page.
Rolling in the money — Oakland has begun distributing debit cards loaded with $160 to low-income West Oakland residents and workers to use on public transportation. It’s part of the city’s West Oakland Universal Basic Mobility Pilot. To get a card, you must live or work in West Oakland and earn less than the area median income — $103,500 annually for a single person, up to $192,250 for an eight-person household. One thousand cards are available, but recipients must first take a brief survey. After using the funds, people can take a second survey to have another $160 loaded onto their cards. Funds can be transferred to Clipper cards or used to ride most Bay Area public transportation.