The San Mateo County Transit District family lost one of its own this month, when Art Lloyd, a longtime member of the SamTrans and Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which oversees Caltrain, passed away at his home in Menlo Park. He was 91. As the longest-serving director in the history of both the SamTrans Board of Directors and the JPB, Lloyd left a monumental impact on both agencies. He joined the SamTrans board in 1988 and the Caltrain board in 1993, serving on those bodies until he stepped down in 2014, at the age of 89. Lloyd acted as the Transit Expert on the SamTrans board and a San Mateo County representative on the Caltrain board. During his lengthy tenures, he helped modernize both systems, advocating for transportation policies that adapted to changing commuting trends and passenger demographics. Lloyd was an early and outspoken supporter of the Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project, a transformative undertaking that is set to be finished by 2021. That project will increase carrying capacity and service frequency on Caltrain, while reducing emissions and noise pollution. Lloyd also provided valuable input to the SamTrans Service Plan, which was rolled out in 2013 and amounted to the most dramatic reworking of bus service on the Peninsula in a generation. Lloyd was a lifelong lover of public transportation, collecting Muni schedules as a child growing up in San Francisco. He spent more than 40 years working for Amtrak, before retiring in 1991. Along with his involvement with the Caltrain and SamTrans boards, Lloyd served on a committee for California’s Operation Lifesaver, a national non-profit organization dedicated to reducing rail-related deaths. Showing his deep and abiding love for the railway, Lloyd also sat on the Board of Directors for the Golden State Railroad Museum and the California State Railroad Museum Foundation. While he possessed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of regional transportation issues unmatched by few in the Bay Area, Lloyd’s greatest gift may have been his warm personality. He was a genial, welcoming figure who always wore a smile and never turned down an opportunity to engage in a good conversation, particularly if it was about transportation. To view a video of Lloyd speaking about the old 3rd and Townsend station in San Francisco, click HERE. On Wednesday, December 7, the SamTrans Board of Directors convened in memory of Lloyd, who passed away on Sunday, December 4. Lloyd will be missed tremendously by his many friends, colleagues and associates at the San Mateo County Transit District. Lloyd’s services will be held at 10:30 a.m. this Saturday at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 178 Clinton St., in Redwood City. Mourners will be given round-trip tickets on the 12:09 p.m. train from Redwood City to Palo Alto, where a reception will be held at MacArthur Park restaurant. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-cqzUwoFBY]
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