SAN CARLOS, Calif. — A new poll shows strong general support for Caltrain, as well as support for funding for the commuter rail operation in the wake of its launch of electrified operation.
The poll, presented on Wednesday, Feb. 26, to a meeting of Caltrain’s Advocacy and Major Projects Committee, shows 82% of likely voters polled in Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco counties have a favorable view of the transit operator. Among occasional riders, that rose to 84%, while 91% of frequent riders show a favorable view.
The poll also found 73% agreed there is some need or a great need for additional funding for public transit, while a majority of respondents in all three counties indicated they would support a Caltrain funding measure. That included 65% of those in San Francisco County and 63% in San Mateo County.
“Caltrain is proud to see that the people we serve are overwhelmingly in support of the services we provide up and down the Peninsula,” Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard said in a press release. “The results of this survey reveal that Bay Area residents understand the need to support public transit, and they are seeing the results of the service improvements we have been able to deliver through electrification.”
Said Caltrain Board Chair Steve Heminger, “These results show strong public support for transit funding and we as a region need to work together to find a way to make that a reality,” said Caltrain Board Chair Steve Heminger. “We must ensure that the promise of electric service is fulfilled, now and in the decades to come.”
The poll of 1,500 likely voters in the three counties was conducted Jan. 8-23 by EMC Research.
It would appear that a poll needs to be made for possible other routes to become electrified and speeded up. That would show how Caltrain’s success spills over to potential voters in other districts.
Two questions, then.
(1) Q. Is it a good and needed service? A. Absolutely! That’s beyond dispute.
(2) Q. Do you support the funding measure? A. Why do you ask? Is it that the service is not now adequately funded, and taxes need to be raised.
Push poll.