Public Hearing on Dumbarton Express Expansion Plan Set for April 11
News Articles
04/05/2012
On Wednesday, April 11, the AC Transit Board of Directors will hold a public hearing at 5:00 p.m. at AC Transit’s General Offices in downtown Oakland to receive comments on a proposed expansion and restructuring plan for the Dumbarton Express bus service. The public is invited to submit comments before or at the hearing.
Background
The Dumbarton Express service currently consists of two lines, the DB and DB1, and is overseen by the Dumbarton Bridge Regional Operations Consortium (DBROC), comprised of AC Transit, BART, SamTrans, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and Union City Transit. As of December 2011, the Dumbarton Express service is now operated and maintained under contract with MV Transportation, with AC Transit administering the service on behalf of the Consortium. In January 2012, Regional Measure 2 (RM2) funding originally allocated to the proposed Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project was temporarily reassigned to the Dumbarton Express service, to expand and support bus service connecting the East Bay with the Peninsula via the Dumbarton Bridge.
Proposed Changes
The proposal to restructure Dumbarton Express lines DB and DB1 is intended to expand and improve service. New NextBus and wi-fi equipment would also be installed on DB Express buses. The proposal includes:
- Line DB route and schedule changes: Proposed route changes to Line DB involve segments south of the Palo Alto Caltrain station only. (See map.) This section of the route would be discontinued, with the line extending instead to the Stanford University Oval. The eliminated route segments between Caltrain and Page Mill Road would continue being served by VTA’s Line 22, which runs every 10-12 minutes, and the eliminated route segments along Page Mill Road would be covered by the proposed route revision and increase in service frequency of Line DB1. This rerouting would provide added service from the East Bay to the Stanford campus and help relieve overcrowding on AC Transit’s Line U. The proposed DB schedule also includes minor timepoint adjustments, with additional trips starting earlier and ending somewhat later than currently.
- Line DB1 route and schedule changes: The proposed route would now serve the entire Page Mill Road/Deer Creek Road loop. Service frequency would increase from two to three buses per hour, more than quadrupling the number of westbound trips and more than tripling the number of eastbound trips. The proposed Line DB1 schedule includes buses leaving approximately every 20 minutes during peak travel periods. Passengers would also have additional express trips to and from the VA Hospital in Palo Alto.
The proposed schedule adjustments for both lines would work in concert with BART schedules to minimize wait times for passengers making connections. Also, see background details of the proposal in the March 14 General Manager’s Memo.
How to Comment
Individuals, organizations, and agencies may submit comments on the proposed changes by:
- Speaking or submitting written comments at the public hearing
- Submitting written comments no later than the close of the public hearing, Wednesday, April 11:
- by mail to AC Transit Board of Directors, 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612
- by fax to (510) 891-7157
- by e-mail to planning@actransit.org - Leaving comments in a voicemail message no later than the close of the public hearing, Wednesday, April 11, at (510) 891-7201 (English), (510) 891-7291 (Spanish), or (510) 891-7292 (Chinese).
Board of Directors’ Decision
Staff will compile all comments received prior to the hearing and present them to the Board of Directors on April 11. Following the hearing, the board is expected to consider all public comments on April 25, and may accept, modify, reject, or defer any of the proposed changes. Any changes adopted will likely go into effect on May 29, 2012.
Getting to the Public Hearing
All AC Transit bus lines serving downtown Oakland stop within walking distance. The 19th Street BART station is also one block away. For trip-planning assistance, visit www.511.org or call 511 and say, “AC Transit.” The location is wheelchair accessible.
Translation Services
Sign language and non-English language interpreters can be provided, at the hearing, if needed. Please contact the AC Transit District Secretary’s Office, (510) 891-7201 by 5:00 p.m., Friday, April 6, to make arrangements. For TDD for hearing impaired, call 711, California Relay Service, and specify (510) 891-4700.
AC Transit Marketing & Community Relations, March 2012