Welcome to Monitor Notes, a weekly roundup of news items, event announcements, and updates on past Bay Area Monitor articles.
On the Rails
Do you ride Caltrain? You can take the rail provider’s Bike Access Survey, which is open until this Sunday. The feedback will help inform Caltrain’s Bicycle Parking Management Plan and be used to shape bike parking and bike-share options at stations. Caltrain said it carries over 6,000 bikes per day and hopes to start offering amenities to better manage demand for on-board bike capacity. We wrote about similar concerns to modernize service leading up to the launch of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit.
Taking Reservations
The National Park Service is holding a public meeting on Monday, December 3 in Mill Valley to recap the first 11 months of the parking and reservation system at Muir Woods National Monument. Updates about Muir Wood’s approach to transportation and visitor management could shed new light on parking reform, a persistent regional issue we covered in 2015 when exploring local pilot parking projects and policy analysis. In the meantime, reservation systems may become more common at popular spots. The Mercury News recently reported Point Lobos State National Reserve also will require peak-time reservations.
Garden of Opportunity
Alameda County officials are taking comments about the forthcoming “Stormwater Resource Plan” that identifies potential green infrastructure projects in the county’s 17 jurisdictions. Green infrastructure — a landscape design approach to improve water quality, prevent flooding, and replenish groundwater — can be found in rain gardens, permeable pavement, and stormwater curb extensions that capture street runoff. Read our 2016 article for more examples. Feedback about Alameda County’s draft plan is welcome before Friday, December 7. And if you’re curious about capturing your own stormwater, attend Flows to Bay’s next rain barrel workshop on Saturday, December 1 in Half Moon Bay.
Clean Cut
Carbon-pricing policies like cap-and-trade that are designed to slow climate change don’t have to cost taxpayers, nor do they seem to hurt economic growth. That’s according to new research from The Fletcher School’s Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University. It reviewed carbon pricing policies in 15 jurisdictions, including California, to see how they work “in the real world, not just in theory.” Read more about their findings for California and other states. Then step into coverage from the Monitor’s Leslie Stewart for in-depth background on cap-and-trade and California’s reduction goals.
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