School District Considerations for High-Speed Rail Impacts

1. High Speed Rail San Mateo Union High School District March 11, 2009

2. CARRD -Californians Advocating Responsible Rail Design Grassroots volunteer organization • Process focus  • Engage community and encourage participation • Watchdog for transparency • Do NOT advocate for a particular implementation or route Founders • Nadia Naik, Elizabeth Alexis, Rita Wespi, Sara Armstrong • We are not train experts, we are not lawyers • Contact info  • website: www.carrdnet.org • email: info@carrdnet.org

3. Considerations for School Districts Focus areas for schools • Noise Pollution & Vibration Impacts • Safe Routes to Schools & Corridor Safety • Construction Impacts • District Budget Impacts Officially Participate in Environmental Process • Ensure your districts unique characteristics and concerns are part of the planning • Consider mitigations needed and costs to District Start planning now for how to accommodate the project • Independent analysis and experts where needed

4. Deadlines Program Level EIR • 45 days to respond starting today! Project level • Expected release April 11 • 45 days to respond

5. Noise Pollution - Impacts on Learning Excessive Noise negatively impacts learning Children are more sensitive to noise than adults Documented Critical effects • Speech Interference • Disturbance of information extraction  • e.g. comprehension & reading acquisition • Message communication • Annoyance • Other health issues (high blood pressure) - weaker correlation

6. Noise Pollution & HSR Benefit: Grade separation should eliminate/reduce horn noise Benefit: Engine noise reduced by electrification Potential negative changes • Air frame noise increased • Rapid onset of noise with higher speeds more disruptive Number of trains/hour (tph) will increase • 2035 Peak: 12 Caltrain + 18 HSR tph = 30 tph Elevated alignment = noise propagates twice as far as at grade 

7. Noise Pollution - Resources Quite Classrooms: www.quiteclassrooms.org ANSI - Classroom Acoustic Standards WHO - Guidelines for Community Noise • Inside Classroom: 35 dB LAeq • Outside playgrounds: 55 dB LAeq FRA, FTA, OSHA, EPA all have guidelines, mitigations, etc

8. Vibration Impacts Generally considered together with noise, but • more complex and harder to measure • less research has been conducted Characteristics • Physical rattling, shaking, rumbling noises • Critical Effect on Humans = Annoyance • Typically only perceptible indoors  • Scientific instruments are more sensitive than people Vertical alignment may reduce/increase vibration

9. Safe Routes to School & Corridor Safety Benefit: Grade Separations dramatically increase safety! Benefit: Improved access control of corridor Consider implications of different vertical design alternatives • road underpass tunnels may have an isolation effect • road overpasses may result in loss of turning movement • changes in bike lanes, sidewalk availability Traffic volumes and flow analysis should consider all modes • Vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian  • Special concern if mode shift occurs due to changes

10. Construction Impacts Average 3-7 Years of construction Caltrain & Freight Service will continue to operate • possible temporary "Shoofly" tracks adjacent to corridor  • example: San Carlos grade separation at Holly Street Traffic flow and heavy equipment Noise, vibration, dust, debris from construction • air quality Soil safety

11. Engagement With HSRA • Officially  via comments to the Environmental Review process • As a CSS Stakeholder With your community • PTA, student body • each City has liaisons for HSR   • Peninsula Cities Consortium www.peninsularail.com

12. Thank You! www.carrdnet.org info@carrdnet.org

13. Backup Slides

14. Noise Pollution - Measurement Intensity of sound - decibels (dB)  • Logarithmic scale = NOT linear • 30 dB to 40 dB is TWICE the perceived loudness Proximity to source Frequency (Hz) Noise level over time (LAeq)

15. Mitigating Noise Pollution Source Treatments • Vehicle Design • Track design & maintenance • Operational Restrictions (eg limiting nighttime operations) Path Treatments • Sound Walls Receiver Treatments • Building insulation • Windows, but requires A/C

16. Noise Pollution in EIR Submit comments to the Program and Project EIR process Provide inventory of all your schools near the corridor • assume elevate structure • 900 feet on either side of tracks • 1/4 mile radius from Stations Be Specific • document location, student population, hours, layout • reference standards (ANSI, WHO, etc) • request specific analyses and mitigations Consider independent assessment

17. Safe Routes to School EIR Submit comments to the Program and Project EIR process Identify schools that include the corridor w/in their boundaries • traffic flow at schools can be impacted by changes upstream • describe all corridor crossings, including bike/ped  Be Specific • how many students cross the corridor to get to school • provide maps if available • identify schools where on site flow is at capacity • request impact study - construction and final

18. Side-Bar: Program Level EIR Revised Draft of Program Level EIR released March 11 • www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/library.asp?p=9274 • CHSRA requested comments focus only on revised material • CARRD encourages stakeholders to submit comments on the *full* record to provide up-to-date information How to Comment - Anyone can comment! • Subject: “Bay Area to Central Valley Revised Draft Program EIR Material Comments”  • Attn: Dan Levitt, California High Speed Rail Authority • 925 L Street, Suite 1425 Sacramento, CA 95814 • comments@hsr.ca.gov • fax to (916) 322-0827

19. HSR Overview November 2008 - Prop 1A authorized State Bond Funds • plan, construct and operate a High Speed Train system from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim High Speed Rail Authority • 9 appointed Board members • less than dozen state employees • 4 tiered web of consultants / contractors do the bulk of the work Funding • Estimated cost of backbone system (SF-LA/Anaheim): $42.6 B  • State bonds: $9 B • Federal ARRA funds: $2.25B  • additional funds from Federal, local cities, and private companies are anticipated

20. Caltrain Corridor – top speed 125 mph • Requires 2 additional dedicated tracks on right-of-way • Freight is expected to run only at night • All intersections with rail must be grade separated • Elevated • At-grade (road goes over or under) • Trench • Tunnel • Continuous Operations Local Implementation

21. SF-SJ Segment • Program Level Environmental Impact Report (EIR) • Bay Area - Central Valley - initially certified Jun 08 • Decertified Dec 09 – must be re-circulated • Potential route change • Project Level EIR • Upcoming “Alternatives Analysis” • Committed to Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) as preferred process

23. Federal Grants $17 - $19 billion • State Grants $9 billion • Local Grants $4 - $5 billion • Private Investors $10 - $12 billion • Total: $42.6 billion • Awarded $2.25 billion stimulus funds • Plan calls for $3 Billion in Federal funding every yr for 6 yrs Funding Plan

24. What is Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS)? • Collaborative approach • Involves all stakeholders • Works by consensus • Balance transportation needs and community values • Proven Process