Fall is season for Bus Rapid Transit in Berkeley, Oakland, San Leandro
Planning for the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project has been under way for several years, and many observers of the process have complained it's been too slow. This fall things are speeding up. Meetings are being held, and decisions are being made.
A main motivation is to complete the environmental review process so that the East Bay BRT project remains competitive for federal funding. Delays in AC Transit's application for BRT funding may cause the money to be awarded to other projects. AC Transit also recently announced it is facing a budget crunch and plans to reduce service system-wide by 15%, with some routes facing even deeper cuts. Both conditions threaten funds already committed to the BRT project.
As this article went to press, heated discussions were under way about whether regional funding for the East Bay BRT project could legally be shifted from capital projects to operations. According to Kent Lewandowski, chair of the Northern Alameda County Group, "The Sierra Club remains firmly committed to BRT and opposes diversion of BRT funding to operations. This band-aid approach jeopardizes the Bus Rapid Transit project without addressing the underlying issues that are causing AC Transit's budget problems."
Part of the reason for AC Transit's financial distress has been unprecedented cuts in state funding and loss of sales-tax revenues. Nevertheless, AC Transit Board member Greg Harper, speaking before the Berkeley Transportation Commission at its September 2009 meeting, cautioned that "many on the Board believe we cannot cut our way out of this deficit. The proposed cuts could lead AC Transit into a death spiral of reduced ridership and reduced revenues from which the agency will not be able to recover."
Berkeley Transportation Commissioner Sarah Syed also expressed concern about AC Transit's fiscal decision making. "AC Transit management can and must find other ways to save money in their operating budget," she said.
Depending on the outcome of the budget discussions, a key next step for Bus Rapid Transit will be votes in the three cities along the 14-mile route - San Leandro, Oakland, and Berkeley - about their Locally Preferred Alternatives. Each city's LPA is a detailed statement about the possible routes, dedicated lanes, station configurations, and proposed mitigations to identified issues if BRT is approved and built.
Joel Ramos, a community planner for TransForm, a leading regional transit-advocacy organization and Sierra Club partner, has been observing the BRT design process since its inception. "The ultimate objective is to make sure this project really contributes to a more walkable, livable city and will provide a truly competitive alternative for people who currently drive," he says. "We need better transit service to attract more riders to transit."
Berkeley, where the project has stirred the most controversy, is introducing its LPA in a series of "stakeholder" meetings during the early fall. Stakeholders include business groups, neighborhood groups, UC Berkeley, bicyclists, the disability community, senior citizens, and the Sierra Club. The other cities are also holding stakeholder meetings.
Well ahead of the fall meetings, AC Transit convened a Policy Steering Committee (PSC), which meets regularly and publicly. It is made up of elected officials from each of the three cities, two representatives of the AC Transit Board of Directors, and a representative of Caltrans.
The 2007 Draft Environmental Impact Report for the project included several alternatives. A key PSC agreement was to adopt the "combined service option", which would consolidate local service into more BRT stations than other options, with stations spaced 1/3 - 1/4 mile apart. According to this plan, BRT would stop more frequently than the current "1R" line but less frequently than the "1". AC Transit believes this option will attract the highest level of ridership.
"We have confidence that AC Transit and city staff are working to address issues raised by the Draft EIR," says Ramos. "We're eager to see their work in the fall. If planned right, BRT will offer a viable transportation alternative to cars for local trips. It has the potential to be part of an improved transit infrastructure to better accommodate the increased growth we know is coming to downtown San Leandro, East Oakland, UC Berkeley, and the Bay Area as a whole. The important thing to remember is that every BRT bus filled with passengers will be the equivalent of 100 cars that won't be on the roads."
WhatYouCanDo
To learn about the Locally Preferred Alternative in your city, attend your locally scheduled public meeting on BRT, or visit your city's web site. The Sierra Club has been a supporter of the BRT project throughout the process. Please plan to attend your local meetings and reiterate the Club's support for the project.
The Sierra Club meeting on the Berkeley LPA will be held Mon., Oct. 5, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, at the Chapter Office, 2530 San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley.
The Berkeley stakeholder meetings will culminate in a major community meeting on Sat., Oct. 17, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm in the community room of the Berkeley Central Library. This "open house" will enable the public to view and comment on Berkeley's proposed LPA. It will be followed by special BRT meetings of the Transportation Commission on Thu., Oct. 19, and the Planning Commission on Wed., Nov. 18. A City Council vote is likely in the late winter, perhaps in February. For information specific to Berkeley, or to comment, please visit www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=27038
If you have specific questions about Berkeley's process for evaluating BRT or if you would like to submit a comment in support of the project, please send an e-mail to brt@cityofberkeley.info
The main public meeting to review the LPA for San Leandro will be held Oct. 22, 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Main Public Library, 300 Estudillo Ave.
As this issue went to press, the main public meeting to review the LPA for Oakland was tentatively planned for the evening of Wed., Nov. 18, at 6:00 at City Hall, 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. To confirm, please contact Joel Ramos of TransForm at (510)740-3150, ext. 318, or visit the BRT Advocacy page on the TransForm web site
You can view a video simulation of the project along its entire route, at www.actforme.org/about/future.php