BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:Indybay-18320750 SEQUENCE:18326662 CREATED:20061016T215700Z DESCRIPTION:From: Robert Raburn [mailto:robertraburn@ebbc.org] \n\nSubject: Important Discussion of BRT Tues\n\nNext East Bay Bicycle Coalition Meeting begins on Tuesday, October 17 at 7:30pm at\nMosswood Park Community Center, 3612 Webster at West Grand, only a block from\nTelegraph Ave near MacArthur BART. \n\nAt 8:30pm our special guest speaker will be Jim Cunradi, AC Transit Planner, who\nwill offer a glimpse into the future configuration of Telegraph Avenue where Bus\nRapid Transit (BRT) is being planned to co-exist with space for bicyclists. We have\nalso invited AC Transit directors to attend. Come welcome Mr. Cunradi, meet your\nelected transit directors, and learn how you can promote the innovative BRT project\nalong with the long overdue extension of the Telegraph Bikeway.\n------------------------------\n\nBACKGROUND\nBus Rapid Transit (BRT) is proposed to link the East Bay's most heavily used bus\ncorridor. The project is designed to serve Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro by\noperating from downtown Berkeley to Bayfair BART and Mall along Telegraph Avenue,\nInternational Boulevard and East 14th Street.\n\nWhat is BRT?\nBRT is a new and cost-effective way of providing high-quality transit service with\nbuses. The buses operate primarily in bus-only transit lanes with light rail-like\nservice characteristics and station spacing. Traffic signals are modified giving\nbuses priority, helping them move more quickly and reliably. BRT stations are\nsimilar to light rail stations, each with a boarding platform, shelter,\nproof-of-payment ticket validation, ticket vending machines, security features, and\nreal-time vehicle arrival information. BRT is much less expensive than light rail to\nconstruct and operate and retains the flexibility to operate in conventional traffic\nlanes.\n\nBRT and the Community\n* Improved Travel Times - Current bus trips from Downtown Oakland to UCB that take\n25 to 30 minutes will average 15 to 20 minutes.\n* Improved Transit Reliability - The ability to operate in bus-only lanes reduces\nthe unpredictability of typical city traffic.\n* Increased Transit Usage - Projections show weekday ridership would increase 35%.\n* Improved Quality of Life - Automobile dependence leads to residential and\ncommercial corridors typically forsaken by passing motorists. Improved transit\nservice makes the community more attractive to new development and brings about more\nopportunities to meet the community's current housing and retail needs.\n\nBicyclists and BRT\n* BRT buses running in bus-only lanes in the center of the roadway reduce the\nbus-bike conflicts inherent on traditional bus routes.\n* BRT does not create hazardous rail track crossings that cause solo diversion crashes.\n* BRT's increased service frequency and faster travel may attract additional\nbike-on-bus passengers for medium-distance trips. Bicyclists traditionally eschew\nwaiting for buses for shorter trips in favor of pedaling. Most current bike-on-bus\ntrips involve transbay travel; longer express bus trips; access to destinations that\ninvolve steep climbs; or emergency travel necessitated by inclement weather, bike\nbreakdowns, or situations like getting caught out after dark without lights. \n* With BRT stations spaced farther apart, the bicycle becomes relatively better\nsuited than walking for some passengers to access transit.\n* How the BRT buses and elevated platforms at stations will accommodate loading\nbicycles on-board buses or bus racks remains uncertain.\n* Not all bicyclists will need to travel with their bike on-board a bus rack. Making\n a secure bicycle storage option available at all BRT stations, such as the BikeLink\neLockers, would help appeal to existing bicyclists and help lure motorists from cars\nto convenient bike-bus trips.\n* Bicyclists benefit from increased room on popular arterials where parking is\nremoved (yippee, no door zone!) and faster implementation of the stalled Telegraph\nAvenue bike lanes with Federal monies.\n* Improved signal interconnection, reduced speeding, better lighting, more shopping\nopportunities and increased foot traffic will enhance traffic safety, personal\nsecurity and the make opportunities to create bicycle-friendly communities on BRT\ncorridors.\n\n\nBicyclists are encouraged to consider and make preliminary suggestions. Once the\ndraft plan for the BRT is released, a formal "45-day Public Comment Period" will\nbegin.\n\nTo be notified about public meetings, call Joel Ramos of the Transportation and Land\nUse Coalition at 510-740-3109 (joel@transcoalition.org). \n\n\n -Robert Raburn, Executive Director\n********************************************\n East Bay Bicycle Coalition www.ebbc.org\n PO Box 1736 tel:(510)530-3444\n Oakland, CA 94604 fax:(510)336-1604\n info msg:(510)433-RIDE (7433)\n********************************************\n"To promote bicycling as an everyday means\nof transportation and recreation"\n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/16/18320750.php SUMMARY:East Bay Bicycle Coalition Meeting LOCATION:Mosswood Park Community Center, 3612 Webster at West Grand, only a block from\nTelegraph Ave near MacArthur BART. URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/16/18320750.php DTSTART:20061017T023000Z DTEND:20061017T043000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR