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There is a huge transportation problem that well extend beyond our lifetimes. Concerns about <br />cost today will have far greater impact on future generations, quality of life and the environment. <br /> <br /> Ms. Ayala said options are already being limited since the Policy Advisory Committee <br />only presented four options for review. <br /> <br />Mayor Pico said those were the most realistic options for transit. <br /> <br /> Mr. Sullivan felt Council was further limiting those options. He understood the concept <br />of politically infeasible options, but did not want to take that so far to limit the options to a very <br />nan'ow window where an oppommity may be lost. <br /> <br />Mr. Brozosky felt Council should present more options than those in the report. <br /> <br />Ms. Ayala pointed out the Committee has been meeting for two years already. <br /> <br /> Vaughn Wolffe, 1798 Peru Court, wanted an analysis of what the same amount of money <br />would accomplish if applied entirely to the ACE train service. He believed it would do more to <br />relieve traffic congestion than BART. The BART Board believes that no option will relieve <br />traffic congestion, but he felt that was because BART could not compete with cars because of the <br />speed at which it runs. Real trains can mn at 110 mph. With fewer stops and express service it <br />can compete with the automobile. BART costs about $100-200 million per mile. A previous <br />speaker said $170 million is cheap for his proposal. He noted the ACE train carries 3,500 for <br />less than $100 million. If one applied $170 million to ACE, it could have another ten to twelve <br />thousand riders. The CalTrain service from Gilroy to San Francisco will spend $1.5 to $2 billion <br />to create four-track, electrified, 90 mph service with express service for an 80 mile route and <br />with trains all day long. It is 85 miles from Stockton to San Jose. The real estate along that <br />route is much cheaper than on the Penninsula and there are far fewer stations along the route. <br />For $1.2 billion there could be a really decent rail system. If it were extended across the <br />Dumbarton Bridge, one could get from Livermore/Pleasanton to SFO or San Francisco faster <br />than on BART. These things could be done incrementally, but that consideration is not being <br />considered in this EIR. He felt EIRs get stuck with what comes from political committees. The <br />Federal government accepts that an alternative is not feasible because there was no political <br />support. If Council wants to add an option it should drive the effort. One of those options <br />should be the improvement of ACE service. That, combined with bus rapid transit, would <br />provide all the benefits this plan proposes and remove much of the cut-through traffic in <br />Pleasanton. He said there is no place where DMU is mn at high frequency. All light rail <br />systems are electrified because the costs are so prohibitive. The only place to run DMU at high <br />frequency would be in high density areas and that is not a good thing. BART was good when it <br />started, but he felt it was a mistake in using technology suited for subways and short routes and <br />applied it to the countryside. He believed the options presented are unnecessary, should be done <br />another way, and exclude entirely any consideration of the ACE system. ACE is far less <br />expensive and he felt projects could be done incrementally. He felt once funds are commited to <br />a BART project, it will stay there no matter what happens to ridership, and those Federal funds <br />will not be available for anything else. He urged Council to direct its representative to the <br />Committee to include funding for ACE service improvements. He noted in Chicago, Union <br /> <br />Pleasanton City Council 12 08/05/03 <br />Minutes <br /> <br /> <br />