Editor,
This is in regards to the Feb. 17 article “Belmont leaders push for El Camino Real bike lanes” and the rejection of the dedicated bus lane option, which the council rejected because we do not have “so many buses that you really benefit from a dedicated bus lane.”
Imagine we have a bus-only lane. Buses will travel more quickly, cheaply and conveniently than cars. In which case, why travel by car? Many folks will shift trips from car to bus. We’ll need to add buses to the route. Rinse, lather, repeat. Over time, we’ll have buses running every few minutes.
Cars are the least efficient travel mode, and we have to fix that. I’m a transit advocate, and often speak to the council about cycling infrastructure. But mass transit must be the backbone. Bike lanes without bus lanes will fail to get folks to shift modes. Indeed, bus lanes can be used by cyclists, providing much of the benefit of bike lanes. During the latest “listening session” for midcounty cyclists and pedestrians, every single one of whom prefers cycling to car trips, every single one preferred to prioritize the bus lanes. It’s actually possible to have both bus and bike lanes, but that’s a separate discussion.
Tom and the other councilmembers are friends. They made a mistake. I hope they will fix this. And, hopefully, SamTrans will listen to the folks who actually cycle and use transit, not councilmembers who do not.
Giuliano Carlini
Belmont
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(1) comment
Bus Lanes would be perfect along ECR especially since they can be used by all kinds of Emergency Vehicles and the discussions could stop right there. But there is another huge advantage of bus and bike lanes. All these "Car-Lobbyists" don't understand that only a bus or bike lane can make their congestion-riddled commutes better.
The difference between amateur city-leaders (what we have here in San Mateo County) or professionals (what they have in other cities) is knowledge of the "Downs-Thompson Paradox" or the "Braess's Paradox".
And yes, they call them "paradox", because the amateurs won't understand the math behind it - only professionals do.
https://youtu.be/Z_HybPDShUQ
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