High-speed rail needs to extend to downtown San Francisco

It exciting that California is moving forward with its high-speed rail system.  This is part of a national effort to build high-speed rail in densely populated regions and thus to expand use of effective public transportation and reduce auto congestion/pollution.  (http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/09/18/high-speed-rail-routes-and-the-looming-choice-among-megaregions/)

Unfortunately, some people think that the LA-SF high-speed rail should stop at 4th and Townsend Streets, at the current CalTrain station.  (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/23/BAMJ19QIMR.DTL)  This would be a huge mistake.  Yes, it will cost more to extend the system to downtown SF — namely, to the future Transbay Transit Center — but one of the key components of an effective system is to make it as convenient as possible for people.  Having downtown-to-downtown service will go a long way in making the system as convenient and usable as possible and thus will increase ridership.

If there’s one thing we know about public transportation, it’s that you have to make it convenient and easy for people.  Every inconvenience that you add to it, from a bad location to requiring additional connections, etc., makes people less likely to use it.  We’re making a massive public investment in this system, and now isn’t the time to be penny-wise and pound foolish.