Keep
Telegraph Moving with Rapid Bus Plus
Since one of our customers brought it to our attention
last summer, we have been following AC Transit’s Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT). Briefly, the plan is to create two exclusive bus-only lanes
on Telegraph, leaving a single lane in each direction for cars, trucks
and bikes. Mini BRT stations would be built every 1/2 mile or so along
Telegraph, changing the streetscape for decades to come.
Looking Glass supports AC Transit’s efforts to
improve bus service in Berkeley and increase overall transit ridership.
However, the draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) has raised many
concerns with neighbors and merchants. Increased congestion, reduced
parking, restrictions on left turns and the fact that the EIR promises
no net reduction in emissions or fuel consumption are just a few of
our concerns.
We don’t fault AC Transit. The City of Berkeley
had paid little thought to the proposal and has failed to give AC Transit
meaningful input as to the needs of the community. And frankly, we
are disappointed that some environmental groups have endorsed the plan
without even reading the EIR.
We’ve helped to form an organization of Berkeley residents to
work on a greener and more neighborhood-friendly alternative.
We have drafted a letter to
the Berkeley Planning Commission with specific suggestions on how to bring bus service in Berkeley in line with the
needs of 21st century. We believe that an approach that improves the
service and decreases the cost of transit will naturally attract riders,
while leaving auto transport a viable (if more expensive) option for
people whose activities require an automobile.
Additionally, to put pressure on the Mayor and council to pay attention
to this important matter, we have started a drive to put the plan on
the November ballot. This would give Berkeley residents the right to
approve or reject and proposal that dedicated lanes in the City of
Berkeley to a transit project. We feel that this measure will force
the city to more carefully design a proposal that works for everyone.
We have already collected more than 1500 signatures, including the
heads of the Willard, LeConte, Claremont/Elmwood neighborhood associations
and former mayor Shirley Dean. Please read the 3-page letter to the
Planning Commission and if you agree with its points, come into the
store and sign our petition to get the measure on the ballot.
What
You Need To Know about the BRT project on Telegraph
Ave. in Berkeley
AC Transit plans to build a massive new
project along Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley and Oakland. It’s
called Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). BRT would reduce traffic to a single
lane each way on the entire length of Telegraph Avenue
and create two bus lanes in the middle of the street exclusively for
AC Transit buses. All cars, trucks, and regular buses would be restricted
to a single “mixed-flow” lane. We would lose 75% of the
parking spaces on Telegraph in Berkeley. Except at signalized intersections,
left turns off Telegraph would be prohibited, and cars could not cross
Telegraph or turn left onto Telegraph.
How would Telegraph Avenue neighbors and businesses be affected?
AC Transit admits that the congestion would cause major traffic delays
and spillover traffic. Hundreds of cars and trucks would spill out
into quiet, family neighborhoods near Telegraph, and would clog streets
and intersections in other neighborhoods.
The long-term plan is to replace single-family neighborhoods with high-density
neighborhoods, and to replace businesses that need auto access with
pedestrian-oriented businesses. AC Transit doesn’t care what
happens to existing neighborhoods or businesses. AC Transit did not
study the business or neighborhood impacts of the loss of hundreds
of parking spaces and the permanent congestion of a major thoroughfare.
We believe that restricting access to businesses such as ours will give
people another push towards big box stores like Target and Best Buy (they
have parking, after all) and internet retailers. We've already seen the
effects of these forces on businesses such as Cody's books. We don't
want to be the next to go! Nor do we want to be forced to go to Contra
Costa county in order to find a location that is viable. We have been
doing business in Berkeley since 1971.
Different types of bus transit thoroughfares have been tried in other
cities in the U.S. Their success depends on local conditions. Some
of them (such as the bus-only mall on State Street in Chicago) were
so damaging to merchants that they were changed back to mixed-use streets—at
great cost.
Is BRT “green”?
No! AC transit hopes that making it inconvenient for drivers will force
people to ride the bus. But AC Transit studies show that few drivers
would switch to buses. Instead, most BRT riders would just switch from
other buses or BART. This $400-million project ignores the real reasons
people don’t ride buses.
Proponents argue that BRT would help stop global warming by reducing
greenhouse gas emissions. But studies show that this project will NOT
reduce air pollution or carbon monoxide gases. or save energy. In fact,
particulate air pollution would increase in the areas surrounding the
transit stations. That’s because BRT would use large, diesel-powered
buses, not cleaner hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles. This plan continues
a commitment to harmful, fossil-fuel technology. We can do better!
Who would benefit from this project?
Bus riders would save about one minute per mile, or about five minutes
on a trip from downtown Berkeley to downtown Oakland. But BRT stops
would be much farther apart, reducing this time savings and inconveniencing
passengers. So who really benefits?
AC Transit would get an expensive, showy project and exclusive use
of 50% of a major thoroughfare, crowding cars and bicycles to the side.
The University of California could expand much more in Berkeley. But
the main goal of BRT is to benefit the developers of “transit
oriented development.” They would receive funds and special zoning
privileges to build large, high-density developments up to _ mile from
Telegraph Avenue. BRT is a Trojan horse, taking away our rights to
protect our neighborhoods.
How can I learn more about BRT?
Stay updated by contacting berkeleyBRTalert@mail.org. Read a copy
of the BRT study (called the Draft Environmental Impact Report) at
your
library, or request a free CD copy of the DEIR from your city council
office or from AC Transit at planning@actransit.org. Even better,
hold a neighborhood meeting and invite speakers for and against BRT. Looking Glass's Position on BRT
Operating
a retail camera store is challenging. We lose more than a million dollars
in
revenues
to
online
merchants
who
have the advantage of not having to pay or charge state sales tax. We
do not want to give potential customers another reason to shop online.
Like any responsible citizen, we are in favor of better public transporation.
But we do have some thoughts on how to get some of the benefts of the
BRT
without
having
an adverse
effect on merchants like Looking Glass:
1. Pre-sell passes for faster on and off
2. Increase bus frequency
3. Give buses signal priority
4. Do not create bus only lanes or remove street parking
It seems to us the BRT is redundant with the East
Bay BART route. We would rather see BART strengthened with feeders
buses to
the BART station and more frequent BART service.
The project is already funded and a draft Environmental Impact Report
has been created. AC Transit feels it is a done deal--they have $400
million riding on it and
lots of jobs. The only people who can mitigate the plan's
effects in Berkeley
is the Berkeley City council.
Several customer have written with different points of view on the
BRT. I do appreciate the comments we've received and your support
as a customers.
We sincerely
want
to be
good citizens,
but
need to
earn
a living to
do so.
We have gathered different links below,
so that you can make up your own mind about BRT. --Bruce Kaplan
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