To attract the needed 60,000 to 100,000 riders a day, AC Transit’s transbay bus service would have to get better all along parts of all lines, some of which run to as much as 30 miles from start to finish. To make the transbay bus service attractive to people who can afford to drive and park would require at least the following:
A relatively small number of high frequency transbay “trunk lines” say, 6 to 8, instead of today’s 29 separate lines emanating from 29 separate parts of the East Bay.
When Caltrain is finally extended into downtown San Francisco, it will attract enough new Caltrain riders to take tens of thousands of automobiles off the highways and city streets. Even so, there will still be a need for beefed up bus services including a contingent of privately-operated buses. However, an ever-growing number of these over-sized vehicles are crowding and congesting San Francisco’s neighborhoods and interfering with San Francisco’s Muni bus operations. We had previously suggested that there be satellite transfer points between the big long-distance buses operating on the highways and Muni buses ready to convey them along city streets. It now appears that this proposal may not be practical. BATWG continues to urge San Francisco’s government, the County of San Mateo and MTC to take whatever steps are necessary to minimize the damage caused by privately-operated buses, including in particular the consistent and vigorous enforcement of all safety and other shuttle bus regulations.
1.) Oakland – Become more involved in rail and highway freight movement. Continue to focus on Oakland’s lack of traffic signal synchronization, Oakland’s highly deficient street rebuilding program and Oakland’s costly and often counterproductive street “improvement” programs. Identify one-way streets that could be returned to two-way traffic. (All)
2.) San Francisco – Support SaveMuni in its attempts to accelerate the construction of the downtown Caltrain extension. Continue to oppose ill-conceived and wasteful pet projects. Continue to advocate for improved public transit in San Francisco. (Cauthen/Feinbaum)
BATWG Position published in the Bay Area East Bay Times on May 21, 2016:
Part of what makes a city appealing to visitors, businesses and residents are well maintained and well-functioning streets and boulevards.
The city of Oakland, struggling to find its place in an affluent and dynamic Bay Area, is sadly lacking in this regard. Here are four examples of unsatisfactory street conditions of long standing that warrant attention and priority:
California Rail News Publishes Article by BATWG Member Jerry Cauthen discusses DTX extension. Read the full article, SF Mayor’s Railyards Study Sidetracks DTX.
On Tuesday, February 23, 2016, San Franciscans received their first look at City Hall’s heretofore secret RailYards Alternatives/I280 Boulevard Study (RAB). The revelations were eight months late in coming and yet still contained no engineering analysis, no traffic congestion figures and no cost estimates. In fact the presentation was limited to the same set of fanciful Mission Bay rearrangements that were floated by the Lee Administration early last year.
What was presented at the Potrero Hill Recreation Center last week was billed as concluding the first of a five-phase planning process that is expected to take at least “7 to 10 years”.
Bay Area Transportation Working Group 