Getting to Maker Faire Maker Faire Bay Area 2013
WHERE
San Mateo County Event Center 1346 Saratoga Dr. San Mateo, CA 94403
INFORMATION
MOBILITY IMPAIRED ACCESS INFORMATION
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION
TRAFFIC
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
BICYCLING
RIDE TO MAKER FAIRE WITH UBER
RIDESHARE
PARK AND PEDAL
PARKING AT MAKER FAIRE
MOBILITY IMPAIRED ACCESS INFORMATION
ADA ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION
Take Caltrain to the faire! The free Blue line ADA accessible shuttle departs from Caltrain’s Hayward Park station.
Instructions from Caltrain to Hayward Park station: Exit east side of track. Find our free Blue Line ADA-accessible shuttle to the Event Center, which runs continuously from 9:30am, until half an hour after the event ends. Shuttles will be at Hayward Park every hour on the hour. From downtown San Francisco (4th and King St.) it is approximately 33 minutes to the Hayward Park Station. The blue line shuttle route is available here.
ADA BY CAR
If you are driving to the faire, subscribe to our traffic twitter feed: http://twitter.com/fairetraffic
Maker Faire is very well attended! Disabled parking is available for $20 at the faire and fills up fast. Overflow disabled parking is available at the Crossroads parking lot and will also fill up. The area around the faire is extremely congested, especially in the afternoon. It could take up-to one hour moving through event traffic, finding parking, and getting to the faire. Disabled guests may be dropped off at the Guest Services tent at East 25th Ave. and South Delaware St. while your party parks the vehicle. The ADA Blue line shuttle route is available here and connects the Hayward Park Caltrain, Crossroads, and Franklin Templeton parking lots.
AT MAKER FAIRE
Limited wheelchair rentals are available for $10 – cash only – at the East and West gate Guest Services Centers. A valid photo ID is required for deposit. Availability is on a first-come first-served basis.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION
This year, we’ve taken your suggestions and made it easier than ever for you to travel to Maker Faire—traffic free! There are many choices that make it easier to get to the San Mateo County Event Center.
Come to Maker Faire by Caltrain, BART, bus, car share, and bike. There’s a free ADA accessible shuttle from Hayward Park stations, with connections through the Crossroads parking lot. Free shuttles will run from Oracle and College of San Mateo. A dedicated ride share lot is available for fully occupied cars. And there is free monitored bike parking for 2,000 bikes!
We’re eager to hear your unusual travel stories that might inspire future Maker Faire attendees. Don’t forget to take pictures!
TRAFFIC
To minimize traffic and use the optimal routes and exits, use:
- Twitter – http://twitter.com/fairetraffic
- 511 traffic phone service and http://511.org
- Radio traffic reports on KCBS 740 AM and FM 106.9, and KGO AM 810
- Real time peer to peer route updates http://www.waze.com/, http://glympse.com/
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Caltrain + Walk
Take Caltrain to the Hillsdale station. Cross the platform and go down the steps to the parking lot, on the east side. Walk left (north) along the fenced-off bike/pedestrian path, continuing north to the Event Center. It’s a 10-15 minute walk. You must have a ticket before you board the train, we recommend that you purchase a round-trip ticket at the station. For further information, fares and schedules visit: www.caltrain.com or call 1-800-660-4287.
BART + Caltrain Or Samtrans
Take BART to the Millbrae station. At the Millbrae station transfer to Caltrain and take Caltrain to the Hillsdale or Hayward Park stations, as above. BART information is available at: www.bart.gov Or Take the ECR bus from the Millbrae or any BART station between Daly City and Millbrae to the 25th Ave stop in San Mateo. Walk east on 25th for one block. For the ECR route and schedule time see SamTrans ECR Route and Schedule.
SamTrans Bus service to the Faire.
SamTrans – Check for Saturday and Sunday schedules.
For fares seehttp://www.samtrans.com/fares/farechart.html
The Samtrans ECR bus is the lowest cost and most convenient way to the faire. And it drops you within three blocks walking distance of the west gate. Catch an ECR bus from anywhere on El Camino Real, including all the BART stops in San Mateo, to the 25th Ave stop in San Mateo. Walk east on 25th for two block. For the ECR route and schedule time see SamTrans ECR Route and Schedule.
To get to the ECR bus, or any public transit, from a transit hostile location, see our note on ridesharing below. Or try the park and ride lots near El Camino Real.
The Route KX bus from downtown San Francisco, or anywhere on El Camino south to Palo Alto, is a 50-minute ride to the Hillsdale Caltrain Station. See the schedule here: Route KX Schedule. From here it’s an easy 15 minute walk to the faire http://g.co/maps/fpqga.
Route 292 bus from downtown (Mission Street) San Francisco is an 80-minute ride to the east side of the Faire. Schedule here: Route 292 Schedules and Maps.
The Route 250 bus from College of San Mateo is a 30 minute ride to El Camino Real and Hillsdale. From here you can walk about 20 minutes to the Faire on the trail that parallels the tracks http://g.co/maps/fpqga For the Route 250 schedule here: Route 250.
If you transfer to the ECR bus (mentioned above) note that in San Mateo you will have to pay again. For additional information, visit http://www.samtrans.com or call 1.800.660.4287.
TRANSIT
For connections through other transit agencies like Amtrak see Transit Unlimited.
BICYCLING
Ride your bike and get free monitored bicycle parking at Maker Faire! The bike corral is located at the southwest corner of the faire on the west side of Delaware about 500 feet south of the intersection of 25th Ave. Bike valet hours are as follows:
Saturday May 18th 9:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Sunday, May 19th 9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Get your bike parking patch and jump the line at the entrance! Make sure to buy your ticket online; and bring a print out with you.
To ride from San Francisco: Try out the San Mateo County North-South Bicycle Route. This is a flat route, which closely follows the Caltrain route. It starts on Tunnel Avenue, then uses Bayshore Boulevard through Brisbane and then a series of different streets through South San Francisco to get to Delaware Street in San Mateo. Follow Delaware Street south to the Expo Center. It takes about 1.5 hours to ride this route at an easy pace.
Get a map of the route at http://bikesiliconvalley.org/files/nsroute/nsroutemap.pdf. NOTE: This is a schematic map to define the route; use it with a good local street map if you’re not familiar with this area.
Fifth Annual Dolores Park to Maker Faire Social Ride with Rock the Bike: Join the Saturday, May 18th social ride from Dolores Park in SF to Maker Faire. Organized by Rock The Bike, the same group that puts on the Pedal Powered Stage at the Faire, this is a great chance to leave the car behind and ride with other Faire goers, musicians, and volunteers. The ride is mostly flat, 21 miles long. Gather at Dolores Park’s 19th St. It starts at 8:30am. Riding by 9:15am! Facebook link for the Dolores Park ride.
Second Annual San Jose City Hall to Maker Faire Social Ride with Bike Silicon Valley: Join the Saturday, May 18th social ride from City Hall in San Jose to Maker Faire leaving 10am. Organized by Andrew Boone, the ride picks up enroute at Sunnyvale Caltrain, Mountain View Caltrian, Lytton Plaza Palo Alto, and Courthouse Square RWC. The ride is mostly flat, pace is no one left behind. Gather at City Hall’s northern plaza at 9:30am. Riding by 10:15am!
Facebook link for the San Jose to Maker Faire ride
Rail + Bike
Use Caltrain and/or BART to cover most of the distance, and then bike the final leg.
Caltrain allows bikes on board. Take your bike on board Caltrain and get off at the Hillsdale station; then bike the short route. See the route here: http://g.co/maps/fpqga. Note that the route will be crowded with pedestrian, please ride safely.
BART allows bikes on board, however, not in the first car. Get off at the final Millbrae station; from there it’s a 5-mile (30-40 minute) ride to the San Mateo Expo Center. Exit on the west side of Millbrae station, onto California Avenue. Bike south on California. Get a map of the route at http://bikesiliconvalley.org/files/nsroute/nsroutemap.pdf
For more information on using your bike on Caltrain and BART go to: http://bikesmc.org/bikesontransitReleasedJuly2012.pdf
RIDE TO MAKER FAIRE WITH UBER
Trying to figure out transportation to and from Maker Faire? Try Uber, Everyone’s Private DriverTM. All you have to do is request a ride through Uber’s iPhone/Android apps or at m.uber.com, and in just minutes a driver will be curbside and ready to take you wherever you need to go.
If you’ve never used Uber before, use the promo code RIDESV20 and signup at uber.com/go/RIDESV20 to get $20 off your first ride!
To learn more, checkout www.uber.com or contact us at t.uber.com/support.
RIDESHARE
Share rides to the festivities! Travel together and save on gas, avoid traffic, share ideas, reduce your carbon footprint, and make new friends. Find friendly Maker Faire Bay Area attendees to share rides with. There are many popular services where you can register as a driver, or rider, to the Faire. Try RideJoy, Avego, SideCar, etc. Go to one of the sites and register your pick-up information for the event day then look for matching rides to the event or linkages to transit.
Some like ridejoy are web based while others like Avego are smart phone enabled.
Another option is to look for a shared ride with Side Car who will let you share a paid ride with other patrons.
PARKING AT MAKER FAIRE
Subscribe to our twitter feed to be updated on availability of parking spaces at the lots around Maker Faire. Maker Faire is very well attended! The area around the Faire is extremely congested, especially in the afternoon. It could take up-to one hour moving through event traffic, finding parking, and getting to the Faire. We have free parking options that will cut your time in traffic by half through fast, free and convenient shuttles. Each parking lot offers either a pedestrian friendly walking route to the event center or a free shuttle. See Parking Lot Information At the bottom of this page.
PARK AND PEDAL
Maker Faire attendees coming on US Route 101 can park their vehicles for free at 520 Oracle Parkway, Redwood City. Follow signage to the parking lot then pedal the rest of the way to Maker Faire. Download the bike route map: http://g.co/maps/pdgbd.
PARK AND RIDE
Maker Faire attendees coming on US Route 101 can park their vehicles for free at 520 Oracle Parkway, Redwood City. Shuttle buses will be available from 9:30am to half an hour after, to provide rides. Follow the signs for the Red Line shuttle which will pick up in front of 500 Oracle Parkway.
Maker Faire attendees coming on US Route 280 or 92 can park their vehicles for free at College of San Mateo, San Mateo. Shuttle buses will be available 9:30am to half an hour after event close. Follow the signs for the Purple Line shuttle which will pick up in front of Health and Wellness Center.
PARKING LOTS
College of San Mateo Parking Lot
1700 West Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo
Shuttle Lot; Regular shuttle directly to event site; follow signage and direction to shuttles
Ample free parking
30 minute ride to the Faire- This is the fastest way to Maker Faire.
Franklin Templeton Parking Lot
Park and Walk Lot/ 10-15 minute walk to event center
Free Parking. Be prepared, this lot fills up early
Crossroads Parking Lot
Park and Walk/ADA and carpool reserved/hourly ADA shuttle/15 minute walk
Free Parking
Cornerstone Parking Lot
Park and Walk Lot / 20 minute walk to event center – limited shuttle access
Free Parking
Oracle Parking Lot
520 Oracle Parkway, Redwood City
Park and Bike/Shuttle Lot
Ample free parking; Regular fifteen minute shuttle directly to Maker Faire
San Mateo Event Center Parking Lot
1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo
Park and Walk/less than 5 minute walk
$20 to Park
2121 Palm Parking Lot
Park and Walk Lot/ 10 minute walk to event center
$20 to park
