Stop, Drop and Roll

24 February 2009 | Alameda, Alameda Community, Transportation | John Knox White

Tomorrow, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) will be voting on how to spend the stimulus money approved last week by President Obama. It’s not often a government or we have a chance to see the actions of the highest office in America translate so quickly and action in our local community. There is very little direction that has been given and how this money must be spent, it has been left up to the regional planning bodies to make that decision. Based on the MTC staff report, this decision will have a large effect on transit in Alameda and the East Bay.

When President Obama addressed the National Governors last week he summed up the need to use this money wisely:

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MTC’s staff is currently proposed using 21% of the money allocated for transit ($70 million out of $340 million) on a single project in the East Bay that provides almost no benefit for transit users. At a time when Bay Area riders are looking at fare increases and service cuts because of diminished sales tax returns, decreasing property values, and a slashing of transit operations money the state budget, the stimulus money should be used to maintain (dare I say create) jobs that will most definitely be lost.

MTC is proposing building the Oakland Airport Connector, a half billion dollar, 3.2 mile rail connection between Oakland Coliseum BART and the Oakland airport. Currently two different bus lines served this route, providing a 16 minute trip from BART to the airport at a cost of between $1.75 and $3.00 per ride.

The Oakland Airport Connector project will use an as yet determined the technology to provide the same connection to riders at a current estimated cost of $5.00 each way. This ticket price is based on an estimated 13,500 riders per day, which is 35% higher ridership van BART to SFO. Keep in mind that riders to SFO on BART to not have to pay an extra fare.

When Alameda County voters passed a Measure B in November 2000, the Oakland Airport Connector was estimated to cost $130 million, $64 million of which would come from agencies like the MTC. The current proposed project is now estimated to cost $529 million of which $442 will come from agencies like MTC. That’s a seven times increase in eight years!

This project is not “shovel ready!” Even if you are willing to look beyond the inherent problems of spending over half a billion dollars on a project that at best saves Bart riders 5 to 10 minutes and getting terminals one and two (it won’t connect to the new terminal three or the Amtrak station) will cost riders an extra $10 per person round-trip on top of their BART ticket, this project is not ready to roll.

• OAC estimated ridership numbers are so in accurate, they are currently reevaluating them
• whether or not this project is a private public partnership were not is still up in air
• proposed ticket prices are based on the inaccurate ridership numbers and will almost certainly go up
• the current proposal for a public-private partnership fell apart last October due to the infeasibility of the project.
• Under the current proposed structure, it is extremely possible that existing BART service could suffer cuts due to an underperforming Oakland Airport Connector

Last October, Linton Johnson, BART spokesperson, told the Contra Costa Times that, “it’s back to square one,” when the proposal fell apart. Since that time, there has been no public discussion on how to move a revised program forward.

By allocating the stimulus money to the Bay Area’s regional transit agencies, AC transit may be able to stave off cuts that will have a direct effect on transit riders in Alameda. While avoiding fare increases may not be possible, directing stimulus money for transit to protecting current service will have long-term benefits not only for the operators who retain their jobs, but for the riders who maintain their cost effective links to employment, health, and the rest of the world.

MTC should be encouraging the Oakland Airport Connector project to come back with a cost efficient rapid bus proposal that would offer a no-cost transfer between BART and the Oakland airport. By not rushing a decision on this project in the face of unexpected money, MTC will show its commitment to current transit users in this highly tumultuous time.

More information can be found here.

Attend the MTC Meeting tomorrow at 10am. If you can’t make the meeting, email your comments to John Goodwin at MTC now at jgoodwin@mtc.ca.gov

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