Transportation (News)
BRT Proposal Raises Questions, Fewer Answers at Commission
Dateline:
09/25/2008
Planning commissioners Wednesday confronted what Chair James Samuels called “a chicken/egg problem”: How to define a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route without knowing its full impacts.
The controversial proposal from AC Transit would create a new bus route from Berkeley to San Leandro—running (possibly) from Berkeley’s downtown Bay Area Rapid Transit station to Bayfair BART.
But, as the report from city transportation planners Beth Greene and Kara Vuicich made clear, a great many questions remain unanswered, especially when four different governments are involved.
While the project belong to AC Transit—a public agency with its own elected board drawn from both Alameda and Contra Costa counties (the A and C in its name)—the cities of Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro must all sign off on the final plans.
Related stories:
Transit agencies reel from budget cuts
Dateline:
09/25/2008
Bay Area transit operators were still trying to assess Wednesday the impact state funding cuts would have on their agencies, which come as they continue to grapple with higher fuel costs and a growing number of riders.
More News
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used his line-item veto power to cut an additional $100 million from state transit programs before signing the state budget Tuesday.
The governor and California lawmakers diverted funding earmarked for transit agencies to help close the budget deficit. The so-called state transit assistance budget ended up at $306 million - $663 million less than transit agencies around the state believed they were due under a voter-approved funding formula.
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When Public Transit Ceases to Be Public
Dateline:
09/19/2008Last week, the BART Board considered whether—given the huge spike in demand, and certain future increases to come—to charge higher fares during rush hour. Yesterday’s SF Chronicle editorialized in favor—deceptively calling it “congestion pricing” (which until now meant charging motorists a fee for driving Downtown.) Never mind that more commuters on BART means less cars on the street. Now that the public is finally taking public transit, why do we want to actively discourage the public from riding it?
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Small Band Fights Big Development
Dateline:
09/18/2008
A group of San Leandro residents who don’t support the construction of hundreds of new housing units as part of the Transit- Oriented Development (TOD) has banded together to fight the project.
Estudillo Estates resident Frank Lynn started a group called “Save San Leandro” to protest the San Leandro Crossings project that is part of the TOD plan. They say city officials don’t listen to the public’s opinion.
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Statements Stricken from AC Transit Challenger’s Ballot Statement
Dateline:
09/04/2008An Alameda County Superior Court Judge has taken the first vote in the 2008 local general election, ruling that certain portions of AC Transit At Large Board challenger Joyce Roy’s submitted ballot statement were either false or misleading, and ordering them removed.
Judge Frank Roesch’s ruling last week was in response to a lawsuit filed by Alameda County resident William Rowen. Rowen was represented by Oakland attorney David Stein, while Roy represented herself.
Roy, a retired Oakland architect and public transportation advocate, is challenging AC Transit Board President Chris Peeples for Peeples’ At-Large board seat.
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Teens show their urban planning prowess
Dateline:
09/01/2008DEVELOPERS, PLANNERS, city officials and community members have tried for years to devise a cohesive and appealing plan for the area along San Pablo Avenue at the Del Norte BART station in El Cerrito. Now, 10 students from Kennedy High School in Richmond have come up with their own ideas for the area as the culmination of their summer internship in a program sponsored by the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee.
This is the second year WCCTAC has held the program, which focused "on transportation and urban planning, with an added emphasis encouraging students to examine and explore their own local environment."
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Caltrain considers raising fares to cover fuel
Dateline:
08/28/2008Caltrain commuters, many of whom were lured out of their cars to save money at the gas pump, may be paying higher fares to help offset the commuter rail agency's own rising fuel costs.
In April 2007, when Caltrain last raised fares, a gallon of diesel fuel to run the trains was almost $2.30; at the end of last week, the price was $3.39. In early July, the cost skyrocketed to $4.25, showing the volatility of fuel prices.
During the last fiscal year, Caltrain spent almost $11 million on fuel; this year's fuel budget was set at $14.4 million - but even that may not be enough, officials say.
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VTA Strike Avoided For Now
Dateline:
08/27/2008“We have requested that they have come back to the bargaining table and they have agreed… that’s good news. We hope that we’ll be successful in collective bargaining and coming to an agreement.”
Burns says a strike would be catastrophic and would potentially shutdown the entire transit system.
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SMART train critical to green transportation strategy
Dateline:
08/27/2008MY FRIEND and colleague Hal Brown listed some great ideas for reducing car trips in his Marin Voice column ("Some real alternatives to SMART," Aug. 17).
Providing financial incentives for employees to carpool, walk, bike or take public transit is a necessary step to get cars off the road and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and it has been working well since the county introduced the Green Commute program last year.
Allowing and encouraging more telecommuting also can be an effective tool for employers to reduce vehicle trips by their employees.
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Eliminating California's suburban sprawl
Dateline:
08/26/2008For 30 years, as California's growing population led to sprawling suburbs, traffic jams and fewer farms, attempts to craft statewide laws to stop it have failed again and again.
City councils worried about losing local control. Property rights advocates bristled. And the ranch house with a backyard — the centerpiece of Sunset magazine and the Brady Bunch lifestyle — proved a powerful symbol.
But now, in what many observers are calling the most significant environmental bill of this year's state legislative session, builders and environmentalists have found common ground on a compromise they hope will limit global warming by changing where homes are built.
