AC Transit proposes changes to Alameda service
Last Friday, AC transit released its proposal for service adjustments in light of the fiscal emergency that has been declared for the District. Those who have been following this issue know that there were public workshops held in May in which AC transit outline their overall methodology for dealing with immediate 15% reduction in current operating hours. District planning staff decided to look at this fiscal crisis with an eye towards creating a network that is stripped down but possibly stronger operationally, at least within the services offered.
What this means is that unlike past service reduction or increase exercises, changes to the District service were looked at holistically as opposed to line by line. While Alameda will lose service of much of its north side, and a direct connection to Fruitvale BART for the far East End, many of the proposed changes offers significant enhancements to existing services. Let’s look it by line:
Line 19:
Current: operates in Alameda between Fruitvale BART and downtown Oakland along Buena Vista.
Proposed: entire line will be discontinued in Alameda. Marina Village shopping Center to be served by new West End line travelling from Alameda Point, to Marina Village, to downtown Oakland (including weekends)
Line 50:
Current: operates in Alameda between Fruitvale BART and the Oakland Airport along Park Street town Center, down Otis, up Island Dr. across to the ferry terminal, through Harbor Bay Business Park to airport. 15 minutes daytime service during weekdays.
Proposed: 30 minute service along Fruitvale Avenue connecting Fruitvale BART and Alameda Towne Centre via Park Street and continuing down Otis, up Island, along Robert Davey to the HB Ferry Terminal, and looping back along Mecartney to the Harbor Bay shopping Center.
Line 51:
Current: operates on Webster, Santa Clara, Broadway between downtown Oakland and Bridgeside Shopping Center. Line continues past downtown Oakland to downtown Berkeley (via College Ave.) and the Berkeley Amtrak station.
Proposed: line 51 would be split into two lines at Rockridge BART in Oakland. Starting at Rockridge BART the new line would follow the existing route through Alameda but would now continue past Bridgeside Shopping Center to Fruitvale BART. Same Frequency.
Line 63:
Current: operates between Fruitvale BART and downtown Oakland via High Street, Encinal, Park Street to Alameda Towne Center, Otis, West line, central, Webster. (30 minute service)
Proposed: 30 minute service along Fruitvale Avenue connecting Fruitvale Bart and Alameda Towne center via Park Street and continuing up Shoreline to Grand, Westline to Central to Webster and straight into downtown Oakland.
Line O.:
Current: operates between Broadway (Alameda) and downtown San Francisco along Santa Clara and Webster.
Proposed: operate along High Street and Encinal before joining current route. (The same as it currently runs on limited morning runs).
Line OX and W.: Possibly fewer buses (1-2), confirming this.
Quick thoughts on what it all means to riders:
Cons:
- Less service to Bay Farm
- No Airport Connection
- No direct connection to Fruitvale BART for much of the East End
- No service on North Shore
- Less connectivity to Alameda Ferry Terminal
- Less service west of Webster (Loss of 63 route via Lincoln)
Pros:
- Line 63 moves to Shoreline (no contested stops on Otis)
- All-day/Weekend connection from East of Broadway to Downtown SF
- Weekend service from Alameda Point to Downtown Oakland
- 15-minutes service from Fruitvale BART to Park St and Towne Centre on weekends
- Transit Service to BART and Ferry along Robert Davey Jr.
- More direct route from South Shore area to Downtown Oakland (no Alameda Point loop) and to Fruitvale BART
- High frequency connection to Fruitvale BART for center of Island
All in all, as it represents a service reduction of 15% over the entire district, it’s probably better than we could have hoped for. There will be a public hearing in September on this proposal.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Jon Spangler
June 22nd, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Is there a link to on-line maps of the proposed changes?
What happens to the 63’s Alameda Point service?
And what happens to all the people living along the 19 who live in some of Alameda’s most under-served neighborhoods?
It seems like these cuts in service are going to affect those living in our lowest-income neighborhoods the most, adding to existing inequities…
John Knox White
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Alameda Point, and the Ralph Appezato corridor will be covered by a “new” line that runs from the Point to Downtown Oakland. This new line will include new weekend service, the number one request from APC residents.
No maps yet that I know of.
eastender
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:20 pm
This is HORRIBLE. It assumes wealthier neighborhoods don’t need transit. I live just off High St and the 63 is a godsend. I take it to BART to work every single day and there are always people waiting at my stop or people getting on after my stop. What a stupid, stupid idea. This line is needed.
I also sometimes take 50 into Alameda then walk home because the 63 doesn’t run often enough. And they’re going to reduce frequency on that line??? Unbelievable. Does AC Transit realize they’re just forcing people who have a choice to drive instead of taking the bus.
Congratulations, AC Transit. If you implement these changes, you’ve lost a regular, PAYING customer who has a choice to use your service or to drive.
eastender
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Oh, I forgot to add – there are older people in my neighborhood who don’t drive and need a direct connection to South Shore and grocery shopping, as well as other services. This is a stupid, ill-conceived plan on AC Transit’s part. I am LIVID.
Lucy Gigli
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:00 am
I agree with your pros and cons, except I am missing where you get the “15-minutes service from Fruitvale BART to Park St and Towne Centre on weekends” or “High frequency connection to Fruitvale BART for center of Island”.
Currently the 50 runs at 15 and the 63 at 30 minute intervals, but they are scheduled to come at the same time. I hope this means that the arrival times for Southshore will be offset, so there might be 15 minute service between Fruitvale and ATC.
Is the expectation that Alameda to Rockridge will be faster that it currently is on the Line 51?
John Knox White
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:53 am
The revised line 50 and the revised line 63 are proposed to interleave so that each line runs every 30 minutes from Fruitvale to Towne Centre, but they are offset so that there is 15-minute service along Park Street. At Towne Center, one head West to Webster, the other East to HB Ferry.
Eastender, I can’t argue that the loss of the 63 to Fruitvale is a problem. Faced with the budget issues, the 50 people a day that used the Line 63 between Blanding and Park Street (that’s in both directions) weren’t enough to make the cut. I was involved in getting AC Transit to run the 63 on High, losing it is disappointing. In these times, when the state legislature has cut 100% of state transit operating funds, tough choices are having to be made.
For those who can walk, there will be 15-minute service to Fruitvale BART on Park, and 10-minute service on Broadway/Blanding/Tilden. Otis will have 30-minute service to Fruitvale BART via Towne Centre. Not claiming that this is a great situation, just outlining the situation as it stands.
BC
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:03 am
The 19 along Buena Vista in rush hour seems to have quite a lot of ridership to and from downtown Oakland. It’s very predictable. The 51 may be a viable alternative but the service is extremely unreliable, especially in the evenings towards Alameda, plus it’s often packed. The 19 is less well used on weekends. I understand the budget problems, but might there not be a better way than cutting the well-used service completely?
Michael Krueger
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
One small consolation for the East End is the fact that local riders are allowed on the extended Line O, which will cover most of the old Line 63 route in the East End. This doesn’t help with getting directly to Fruitvale BART or South Shore, but it will provide all-day, every-day service to the Park St. and Webster St. business districts and the opportunity for transfers to all other Alameda lines, including those that serve BART and South Shore. Granted, this is not very convenient, but at least it provides a bare minimum of service for those in the area who cannot drive.
I agree that the cuts are outrageous, but given the budget situation, there is no alternative. Service has to be cut somewhere, so if it is not cut in the East End, where should it be cut?
By the way, if you are livid, I suggest you contact your representatives in Sacramento, since it was the State Legislature that cut off all State funding for transit operations.
Michael Krueger
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:51 pm
One more thought: Yes, losing Line 19 is a setback. Yet another small consolation, though, is that the splitting of the Line 51 into two lines is supposed to address the line’s severe reliability problems. In particular, the split line means that Alameda service will no longer suffer from delays and bunching caused by congestion on College Ave. Also, the extension of Line 51 to Fruitvale BART will make it a better substitute for the Line 19 service that is being eliminated.
BC
June 24th, 2009 at 9:09 am
While I’m grumbling, I want to mention the loss of airport service. The 50 is very useful for getting there, and the alternative of bus-BART for one stop-bus is too much of a hassle with luggage. I’ll be driving or taking a cab if they get rid of the 50 to the airport. Incidentally, I think AC Transit undersold the airport service in Alameda. People I’ve mentioned it to were unaware of it and then used it and liked it–buses every 15 mins and only $1.75.
Gesine
June 30th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Hi all,
I live on High Street and assure you that many folks are NOT middle class, on High Street in Alameda!
I’m an old hippie and don’t drive.
I take the 63 a lot, to get to Fruitvale BART and also to get around — it moving off High will affect me.
Having the O operate on High & Encinal would help.
From 1971-1993 I lived in Pasadena/Los Angeles area, and saw them run their transit system into the ground — there’s a “death spiral”, wherein you reduce service til the only folks taking the bus are poor people and stubborn hippies.
Thanks for keeping up with this!
Gesine
AC Transit: West End Service Changes | Stop, Drop and Roll - mindfulness in the face of a challenge
July 20th, 2009 at 5:58 am
[...] in operations funding from sales tax collection and the State Transportatio Account (STA). A brief overview I wrote up is here. Current and proposed service [...]
Debbie Pollart
September 9th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
I’ve commented on the AC Transit website, but am still not sure if the 631 ’school bus’ that runs from Bay Farm to ultimately Encinal HS is affected by these proposed changes – Do you know?
John Knox White
September 9th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Word is that Line 631 will not only remain, but possibly be enhanced. Many of us working on the issue have asked that they have some info on the topic ready to present on Saturday, I’m not clear whether it will be.