MEDFOHD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFOBD. OREGON
SUNDAY. DECEMBER 9, 19S2
Bay Area
By JOHN BARNETT
United Pr.. !.....; .
San Francisco - U'PH - The
commuters were upset.
"When." they moaned, "nre
sve going to get a decent
night's sleep?"
-Members of the citizens
committee for rapid transit
couldn't help being a little
mug.
"Listen to us," they said,
"and you won't have these
problems."
The problem of the moment
was a storm, a full - blown
gully washer that rained out
the world scries for three days
running, tore up streets and
buildings in several cities -nd
plugged up a tunnel that
runs through the low moun
tains rimming the eastern
edge of communities on the
Inland side of San Francisco
Bay.
The commuters were the
unfortunate ones who lived
on one side of the mountains
and worked on the other. For
more than a week after the
storm, they lost two hours'
sleep in the morning and cot
home two hours late for din
ner because they had to drive
over or around the mountains
to get to work.
Voted on System
The citizens conmiitlre's
admonitions apparently struck
home. These commuters and
thousands of others in the Ray
area went to the polls Nov. fi
and put themselves $792 mil
lion in drbt for a rapid transit (He will get his
ystem.
The margin of approval
wasn't overwhelming - only
one per cent more than the
two-thirds needed - but it was
enough to launch work on
America's first entirely new
rail transit system in nearly
half a century.
And, as a climax to more
than 10 years of planning and
studying and arguing, it marie
San Francisco a pace-setter in
the worldwide struggle of
metropolitan areas to unsnarl
the traffic jams in which they
are becoming more and more
enmeshed.
II will take nine more years
of planning and building, but
hy the early in70's the Bay
area will have a completely
new 75 - mile network of
streamlined electric trains
that will whisk travelers
around a three-county area at
a speed of nearly a mile a
minule including slops.
Initial Plans
Initially, there will be 37
stations in nearly .10 commu
nities in San Francisco, Ala
meda and Contra Costa coun
ties, all lines feeding into the
major business and industrial
cenlrrs of San Francisco and
Oakland. Eventually, its plan
ners believe, the system will
expand into al least three oth
er Bay area counties.
At the heart of the system
will be a computer that, like
the -model train hobbyist with
his layout, will operate every
train in the system simulta
neously.
The suburban
l ro&isiit
'J
hit vy
! mKft i ::,-f i'v-
ft A jLp
System
DO
F .-sr
PROPOSED SUBWAY This rross-seclion cutaway is a
photo-rendering of the Market si. subway planned for down
town San Francisco. The multi level complex will be untiliz
ed by pedestrians and shops (upper underground level);
streetcars (center); and high-speed transit trains (lower).
(UPI)
bill al the such an idyllic life would he
end of the month, the fare per automotive chaos and that
trip ranging from 25 cents to traffic on Bay area streets and
struction of a massive elevat
ed expressway along the wa
terfront. Then one newspaper
(The Chronicle) suggested that
the next logical step was to
dynamite it, since it didn't go
anywhere. (It still stands, how
ever, although it reaches far
short of its original goal, the
Golden Gate Bridge.)
If any one man deserves
recognition as the "father" of
Bay area rapid transit, it is a
New York engineer named
Walter A. Douglas. He is a
member of the engineering
firm of Parsons, Brinckcrhoff,
Quade & Douglas, which de
signed and built the original
New York City subway sys
tem, opened in 19U4.
The transit plan developed
by Douglas and his associates
involves some radically new
ideas, combined with cautious
regard for the old tried and
true methods.
Automatic Basis
The most revolutionary con
cept is that of operating the
system on an entirely auto
matic basis, all control rest
ing in an electronic computer
system.
"It is fundamental," said a
report by the engineers, "that
this rapid transit system in
clude a fully integrated auto
matic control system, assuring
the highest degree of safe and
reliable service."
The central computer will
start and coordinate all trains,
and if anything goes wrong it
will correct the situation.
"In the design of all con
trol functions," the report
said, "the 'fuil-safe' principle
of operation is observed to in
sure complete safety. The
failure of any control element
causes a train to react in a
safe manner, including stop
ping tile train."
The implication of the Bay
area's rapid transit plan are
immense, both locally and to
metropolitan areas every
where. "I don't think the people
realize what they've done."
said Clair W. MacLeod, a di
rector and tormer president
of the rapid transit district.
"I don't think anybody is
really able to grasp the scope
of this. It's incredible."
i With interest and the cost ,
of associated projects and roll- j
! ing stock, the $792 million
bond issue will mushroom I
' into a total bill of more than j
$2 billion. I
An average of 3.000 work-.
ers will spend most of the j
next nine years on the system, :
and at times their number j
'will swell to 8,000. They will I
erect 310,000 tons of steel,1
pour 3.5 million barrels of
i concrete and use 00 million .
i board feet of lumber and $H0 '
million worth of electrical
materials and equipment. I
j The $792 million bond issue i
! will pay only for construction !
: of the rail network, including
i ground - level track in the i
I suburbs, elevated track in;
j some urban areas and sub- j
ways under San Francisco's
' famed Market st. and down- j
; town Oakland.
Earthquake-Proof Tub
' The key link in the system j
1 w ill be an earthquake proof J
j tube under the Bay helwren j
San Francisco and Oakland, j
Tins will cost $133 million,!
all to come from excess toll I
revenues of the Bay bridge,
The big question, of course,
is whether the people will use
the system once it's built.
"We believe they will use
It," said B. R. Stokes, infor
mation director for the tran
sit district. "The basic idea of
rapid transit is to complement
the freeway and municipal
transportation systems - but
at the same time we must
compete with the automobile.
"We're convinced we can
compete. W'e will offer speed,
convenience, comfort and
economy -and no traffic
jams.'
The Implications are almost
certain to be felt elsewhere
loo.
"Cities all over the world
have been watching us," Mac
Leod said. "New York, Chi
cago, Cleveland, Boston, At
lanta - even Tokyo and Paris
were watching to see if we
could persuade the Bay area's
citizens that they need rapid
transit,
"The nlher cities figured
that if we could do it, maybe
Ihey could too. Well, we did
it."
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Attendant Aboard Car
In case he's nervous about
putting full faith into the
electronic computer that runs
the train, he'll find an at
tendant aboard his car.
Chances are the attendant
won't do anything, but he will
be able lo stop the train in an
emergency.
Settled in a comfortable
seat, gazing out wide windows
if he wishes, the commuter
will zip along in air-conditioned
ease at speeds up to 70
miles an hour. There will be
no crossroads; exclusive right
of way belongs to his train. In
50 minutes or so, depending
on where he lives, the train
will glide into a station in
downtown San Francisco or
Oakland, and the commuter
will go to work. He won't
even have to find a parking
place.
Without rapid transit, the
experts say, the alternative to
Moforcycle-Aufo
Collide in City
A Medforri man was injured
slightly Thursday in a molor-eycle-car
collision in the city,
according to city police.
Hurl was Antonio Alberto
Valentin Tillel. 22. of 1R0
White Oak dr. He was oper
ating a motorcycle which col-
rommuter 1 "cpcl wil'1 a car driven hy Leo
will get perhaps another hour
of sleep in the morning before
walking, driving or riding a
feeder bus to the nearest tran
sit station. He won't have to
worry about, timetables; dur
ing rush hours a train will he
available every 90 seconds,
and the rest of the time he
won't have to wait more than
JS minutes.
From the platform of his
attractive neighborhood sta
tion, he will step aboard a
sleek, streamlined railroad
car of lightweight aluminum
or steel, and slick a coded ; Minor damage was dime to
credit card into the slot of an 1 the pole, officers said. Weitzel
electronic accounting gadget.! was not cited.
Clears Automatically . . .
yet makes air-tight seall
Arno Young, 75, of 1557 Slew-
art ave., according to police
reports. The mishap occurred
about 7:50 p.m. at Crater Lake
ave. and East Main si.
Young was cited for failure
to yield the right of way.
Tillel did not require hospital
ization, officers said.
In an accident early Friday,
Elmer Norman Weitzel, 33,
Talent, reported to police that
his car had hit a signal light
pole about 2: 1 1 a.m. as he was
attempting to turn on to East
Main st. from Almond st.
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S333
highways would come to a
honking halt by 1985.
Right now there are nearly
4 million persons in the area
and they drive a million and
a half cars. By 1985, the plan-,
ners say, there will be 7.4 mil-'.
lion residents and 3.4 million :
cars.'
Most of the people will
settle in the suburbs - but
most of the new job opportu
nities will develop in the
cities.
The highway system al
ready is deficient In its ability
to handle the area's traffic,
particularly at peak commute
hours, and no matter how fast
they build new highways, the
planners say, the situation
will get worse.
A commuter trip that al
ready takes an agonizing hour
may take twice that long -or
more.
Besides the Inconvenience,
there would be the ugliness.
Freeways would slash
across more and more neigh
borhoods, driving the resi
dents away and blighling oth
erwise pleasant communities.
In the cities, still more build
ings would fall to (he wreck
er's hall lo make room for
more parking lots. Air pollu
tion would get worse.
Freeway Revolt
San Francisco has always
haled freeways. Three years
ago, in a celebrated""freeway
revolt." San Franciscans
forced the slate to halt con-
4-H News j
Antelope Club '
Members of the Antelope
4-H Clothing and Cooking
club will provide cookies for
members of the Veterans
Domiciliary for Christmas.
Each girl is to take her
rookies lo little Butte Grocery
Dec. 10.
! Mary Ellen Wallis demon
j st rated how to make a quick-
every day cake after the conk
! ing club meeting at the home
of Margie Lehman Dec. 1.
i One of the new members,
j.lanis- Pritchard. took Deanna
Grissnm's place as song lead-
rr. Other new members are
.Julio and Eva Mnrey and
I Laura Waddell. Jan. 5 is the
date sel for the next meeling.
lo lie held at the home of
Grrlchen Ousterhout.
Grrtfhen Ousterhnut,
Reporter
Desert Pfgasm
The Desert Pegasus 4-H
Horse club held its regular
meeling Dec. 1 m the Com-
i munity building in Eagle
I Point. Two new members
j were introduced. Eddie Raker
j and Delmar Robertson.
Dale West tiave a demon
stration on how to give a re
, port, and Ronnie P ck gave
a 1 tlk on his horse.
Plans were made fnr a
Christmas party lo he held
! Dec, 22 at Dale West's home.
Each boy brings a gift for a
j hoy and each girt brings a
! gilt for a girl. There was a
50 cent limit put on the gift
Mr Dunn talked on record
books.
i Thr re were Ihrre visitor?
Leslie Krambeal furnished
refreshments.
Regina Krambeal,
Reporter
Corner 6th and Fir St.
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