Is Bus Rapid Transit Coming to Your Neighborhood?
You Decide!

As part of its East Bay Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, AC Transit is proposing to upgrade transit service in downtown Berkeley and the city's southside. This project would construct bus-only lanes and light rail-like station structures along an 18-mile long stretch from downtown Berkeley and UC Berkeley in the north to Bay Fair BART in the south. The system would allow buses to offer riders a rail-like transit experience that operates more quickly and reliably than regular bus service today.

AC Transit is currently in the midst of preparing an EIR/EIS (Environmental Impact Report / Environmental Impact Study) for this project. AC Transit will present several BRT options and outline how the project may affect streets in downtown Berkeley and the city's southside. This may include building a bus-only facility in the middle of Shattuck Avenue as well as a pedestrian and bus mall on upper Telegraph Avenue. AC Transit wishes to obtain the City of Berkeley's Planning Commission's feedback on its proposed BRT system and concurrence on the set of BRT alternatives to carry forward and evaluate in the EIR/EIS.

See a presentation (360KB) of BRT options under consideration.

See photographs and computer renderings of before and after shots at certain Berkeley intersections:

Webster Street & Telegraph Avenue
Before - Two traffic lanes in each direction with left turn lanes. Buses stop at the curb.
After - Webster Street & Telegraph Avenue with Bus Rapid Transit Bus lanes in the median. One traffic lane in each direction and left turn lanes would be maintained. Buses stop at BRT station located in the median.
Shattuck Avenue at Bancroft
Before - Two traffic lanes each direction. Wide landscaped median. Diagonal parking bays with parking access lane buffered by narrow medians. Buses stop at the curb.
After - Shattuck Avenue at Bancroft with Bus Rapid Transit
Two traffic lanes each direction. Narrowed landscaped median. Diagonal parking bays are retained but parking access lane and narrow buffer medians removed. Buses stop at BRT station located in the median.

AC Transit wants your input regarding a proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to serve the cities of Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro. This service would operate along Telegraph Avenue, International Boulevard and the East 14th Street corridor. Read background information about the BRT project. A map with general corridor information is also available.

Read more information about the San Pablo Rapid.

Bus Rapid Transit Study Reports
The decision to pursue BRT was reached following completion of a two-year Major Investment Study (MIS) that examined light rail transit, low-cost bus improvements, in addition to BRT. Follow the links below to read more about the study.

You require Acrobat Reader to read the reports. If you don't have Acrobat Reader, download it for free by clicking the link below. Otherwise, click the blue link to open the report.

Summary Report
A good introduction to the project with an overview of the Berkeley-Oakland-San Leandro Major Investment Study. Includes evaluations and a concise summary of findings.

Background Report
Presents travel patterns and behavior. Discusses demographics and travel markets in the Berkeley-Oakland-San Leandro corridor. Also see maps for the following in the Berkeley / Oakland / San Leandro MIS Corridor: Estimated download time on a 56K modem equals approximately one minute.

Development of alternatives Report
Documents how transit options were created and summarizes public input. Evaluates various transportation technologies such as bus and rail. Also includes an evaluation of various streets as potential route alignments.

Evaluation of alternatives Report (Executive Summary and Introduction)
Contains detailed comparisons of ridership, capital & operating costs and environmental impacts. Comprehensive evaluation of each of the transit technology/route alignment alternatives. Additional sections of the report are listed below. Estimated download time on a 56K modem equals approximately four minutes.

Next Steps
In Fall 2002, AC Transit will begin environmental clearance for the BRT project through a joint NEPA/CEQA Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR). To permit the quick implementation of traffic signal priority and stop relocations, a Categorical Exclusion (CE) will be prepared prior to completion of the EIS/EIR. The CE will be completed in nine months.

Resources

Bus Rapid Transit Projects Around the Country
http://www.fta.dot.gov/brt/

US Government General Accounting Office Evaluation of Bus Rapid Transit
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d01984.pdf

Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Map (1.17 MB Adobe Acrobat file)