Update on Proposal for New Transbay Service
News Articles
05/23/2005
AC Transit received extensive comment from riders on the proposal for new service using funds from RM2, the $1 bridge toll increase bill. Over 300 riders commented via email, the phone hotline and the public hearing on April 20. Planners have been reviewing the comments and will submit a revised proposal incorporating rider suggestions to the Board of Directors.
Many of the changes to the proposal are a direct result of rider comments. Line H will have it’s frequency increased from every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes, and the new Line J route will shift to Ashby Ave. to service current Line H riders boarding in that area. Transbay riders overwhelming agreed on these two changes.
Line LA will see an increase of trips that will effectively create all-day service between San Francisco and Richmond Parkway. Part-time workers, riders needing to return home early and employees working late will now have service available arriving in SF as early as 6:50 am and departing as late as 9:00 pm. Morning and evening commute trips will operate every 10 minutes, mid-day trips will operate every 2 hours between 9am and 3pm, and a new 9pm trip will be available that will also serve Line L.
The proposed new Line MR will operate from the Union City BART station instead of the Bayfair station and the name will be changed to Line MA. Riders told us that more Redwood Shores employees live in the Union City corridor than in the Hesperian corridor.
One area where riders didn’t agree was on the proposal to restructure the routes of Lines S, SA and SB. Many riders did not like aspects of the restructured routes, but there was no real consensus among them. Staff is now planning to realign service in this corridor by terminating Line SA at Hesperian and Paseo Grande, and operating the revised Line S from I-880 and Hesperian via Hesperian to Eden Landing Loop. In response to public comment, Line SB would not be revised but service would be increased.
In addition to changes suggested by riders, one proposed new route will be dropped because of input from another transit agency. Westcat had also proposed to run transbay service from the Hercules Park and Ride Lot, so AC Transit’s proposed new line LH will be dropped from the final proposal.
When the revised proposal is ready to be reviewed by the Board of Directors, riders will be notified through AC Transit eNews, this webpage, and at the next Transbay Taskforce meeting. Below is the original service proposal for your reference.
SERVICE INCREASES
Lines C, CB, E, and P–Oakland to San Francisco: Selected bus trips would be added to marginally increase service. Examples are one or two extra trips at the peak of the peak, and earlier first trips and later last trips.
Lines NX, NX1, NX2, NX3, and NX4–Oakland, San Leandro, Castro Valley to San Francisco: A proposed service level increase would provide 15-minute service frequencies during peak periods.
Lines O and OX–Alameda to San Francisco: Line O currently operates on a 10- to 12-minute service frequency during peak periods. Line OX operates on a 15-minute service frequency. A proposed service level increase would provide 8- to 10-minute service frequencies on Line O and 12-minute frequencies on Line OX during peak periods.
Line V—Park Boulevard (Oakland) to San Francisco: Line V provides service from Oakland with 20-minute service frequencies in the AM peak period and 10-minute service frequencies in the PM peak period. A proposed service level increase would provide 15-minute service frequencies during the AM peak period and 8-minute service frequencies in the PM peak period.
SERVICE EXTENSIONS FROM EXISTING ROUTES
New Line LH—Hercules/Richmond Parkway to San Francisco: The proposed Line LH is a new route that would operate every 20 minutes in the peak periods from the Caltrans I-80 park-and-ride facility in the city of Hercules, with one stop at the Richmond Parkway Transit Center, to San Francisco, using the same route as existing Line LA. Line LA would continue to operate, also on 20-minute service frequencies, resulting in a combined 10-minute service frequency between the two routes at the Richmond Parkway Transit Center.
New Line MR—Bayfair BART (San Leandro) to Redwood Shores via San Mateo-Hayward Bridge: Line MR provides service across the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge to work centers in San Mateo County. The route would operate from the Bayfair BART Station in San Leandro, via Hesperian Boulevard, State Route (SR) 92 (San Mateo-Hayward Bridge), southbound on U.S. Highway 101, Hillsdale Boulevard, El Camino Real, Ralston Avenue, Twin Dolphin Drive, Oracle Parkway, Marine World Parkway, and Twin Dolphin Drive, to San Carlos Airport. The proposed service by AC Transit from the East Bay would be an addition to existing commuter transit service to the area, and would provide connections to the Caltrain peninsula rail service.
Line NL—Eastmont Transit Center (Oakland) to San Francisco: Line NL is currently a limited stop service operating with 15-minute service frequencies along MacArthur Boulevard and Grand Avenue in Oakland. This route is proposed to be extended to the intersection of 106th Street and MacArthur Boulevard in east Oakland, with 12-minute service frequencies.
SERVICE CHANGES AND REROUTINGS
Line H—Barrett Avenue (Richmond) to San Francisco: The proposed new Line H is a reroute of the existing Line H onto a segment that is not currently served. The route would operate from Barrett Avenue in Richmond and Arlington Boulevard in El Cerrito through Berkeley via Marin Avenue, Monterey Avenue, Hopkins Street, Gilman Street, and Interstate (I-) 80 to San Francisco with 30-minute service frequencies.
New Line J—North Berkeley BART to San Francisco: If Line H is rerouted, replacement service on Sacramento Street in Berkeley is proposed to be served by the new Line J. This route would operate from the North Berkeley BART Station, via Sacramento Street, Alcatraz Avenue, San Pablo Avenue, 65th Street, Christie Avenue, Powell Street, Frontage Road, and I-80, to San Francisco. The route is proposed to operate in the peak direction during peak periods only with 20-minute service frequencies.
Line S/SA/SB/SD—Fremont, Newark, Hayward, San Leandro to San Francisco: Lines S/SA/SB would be rerouted, service would be increased, and express zone boundaries would be changed. Service would be discontinued on Turner Court and Calaroga Avenue, but would be established on Hesperian Boulevard between Turner Court and Tennyson Road. The proposed changes would reduce route overlap and increase service by creating four lines:
Line S: From the intersection of Horner Street and Union City Boulevard to San Francisco (Union City/Hayward to San Francisco) via Union City Boulevard, Hesperian Boulevard, Eden Landing Loop, Hesperian Boulevard, Winton Avenue, I-880, and I-80 to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal.
Line SA: From the intersection of Winton Avenue and Hesperian Boulevard to San Francisco (Hayward/San Lorenzo/San Leandro to San Francisco) via Hesperian Boulevard, Paseo Grande, Washington Boulevard, Lewelling Boulevard, Farnsworth Street, Purdue Street, Wiley Street, Spruce Avenue, Merced Street, Marina Boulevard, I-880, and I-80 to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal.
Line SB: From NewPark Mall to San Francisco (Fremont/Newark/Union City to San Francisco) via Stevenson Boulevard, Cedar Boulevard, Central Avenue, Newark Boulevard, Ardenwood Boulevard, Union City Boulevard, Smith Road, Union Landing Transit Center, I-880, and I-80 into the San Francisco Transbay Terminal.
Line SD: From the intersection of Lewelling Boulevard and Wicks Boulevard to San Francisco (San Leandro to San Francisco) via Lewelling Boulevard, Wicks Boulevard, Farallon Drive, Doolittle Drive, Fairway Drive, Aurora Drive, Williams Street, Doolittle Drive, Davis Street, I-880, and I-80 to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal.