3.0 Transportation Analysis This chapter describes existing transit, traffic, and parking conditions within the East Bay BRT Project corridor and discloses the transportation impacts of the No-Build Alternative and Build Alternatives. It includes the following four sections: 3.1, Transit Conditions; 3.2, Vehicular Traffic; 3.3, Non-Motorized Transportation; and 3.4 Parking.

Section 3.1, Transit Conditions, describes existing and future transit facilities and services in the project corridor between Downtown Berkeley and the San Leandro BART station in San Leandro. Future conditions cover both the No-Build Alternative and the Build Alternatives, thereby allowing comparisons of the changes between No-Build and Build conditions. Impacts of the Build Alternatives relative to the No-Build Alternative are highlighted and focus on bus operations, including travel times, speeds, and patronage. As described in Chapter 2, Alternatives, there are two Build Alternatives under consideration. The first Build Alternative is the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) with service throughout the corridor from Downtown Berkeley to the San Leandro BART station. The second Build Alternative considers a shorter option to the LPA, designated the Downtown Oakland to San Leandro (DOSL) Alternative. It begins at the Uptown Transit Center in Downtown Oakland and continues along the same alignment as the LPA to San Leandro BART.

The analysis of transit conditions and impacts of the Build Alternatives first describes the effects of the LPA, followed by effects of the DOSL Alternative. As many effects of the DOSL Alternative are the same as the LPA in the corridor segment from Downtown Oakland to San Leandro BART, the discussion of the DOSL Alternative is limited to its differences from the LPA. This approach is used throughout this document when discussing potential environmental effects. The intent is to avoid being repetitive and to make clear the differences between the Build Alternatives, in particular their impacts relative to the No-Build Alternative.

Section 3.2, Vehicular Traffic, describes the existing and future roadway networks and how the future network will be changed and is expected to operate under the Build Alternatives. Operations are analyzed in terms of intersection operations as they are the key points in the roadway network with respect to traffic operations, including potential travel time delays. The non-motorized transportation discussion in Section 3.3 focuses on existing and planned pedestrian and bicycle conditions and identifies anticipated changes to future pedestrian and bicycle facilities, including access that will result from the proposed East Bay BRT project. The final Section 3.4, Parking, describes existing and future parking conditions along the project corridor and changes in parking facilities and access that are expected under each of the Build Alternatives.

Time Horizons for Assessing Impacts Future conditions for all alternatives are expressed—as best they can be estimated—for 2035, the horizon year for impacts assessment in this Final EIS/EIR. Because 2015 is the projected completion date of project construction and the opening of revenue service to the public, traffic and transit conditions in 2015 are also described. This provides the reader with a perspective on project effects when it opens (near term) and after 20 years of operation (long term). Travel

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.0-1 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report forecasts of auto and transit trips have been developed based on the transportation network and land uses, the latter expressed in terms of population and employment, in both 2015 and 2035. Traffic and transit operations are similarly discussed for both years. To be consistent with the chronology, 2015 impacts are presented first and followed by 2035 impacts.

Accompanying the discussion of the environmental effects of each Build Alternative is a summary of mitigation measures for eliminating or moderating adverse impacts, where warranted, in both 2015 and 2035.

It is to be stressed that 2035 is the accepted time horizon under NEPA for assessing project effects and establishing mitigations that will become part of any approved project. However, in certain instances mitigations are proposed that address 2015 effects and do not address fully 2035 effects. Where this occurs it is noted along with a determination that the mitigation is not sufficient under NEPA (CEQA) to reduce the impact to below the threshold set to define adverse impact (level of significance).

Information Sources The transportation analysis of existing conditions in the project corridor is based on data provided by the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro and by regional transportation planning and operating agencies, including AC Transit. The data are supplemented by surveys conducted by the Final EIS/EIR project team during preparation of this document. Future 2035 conditions are based on forecasts using a modified version of the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC)1 Alameda Countywide Travel Demand Model that was also used for the project’s 2007 Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIS/EIR) and the 2008 and 2010 Small Starts submittals to the Federal Transit Administration. Land use data is obtained from the metropolitan planning agencies (Metropolitan Transportation Commission [MTC], Association of Bay Area Governments [ABAG]), supplemented by data provided by corridor cities.

The modified Alameda Countywide Model includes updated future year land use based on ABAG Projections 2009 (P2009) – the latest land use data set available for the region—and land use allocations by traffic analysis zone from ABAG Projections 2007 (P2007) –also the latest allocations that were available at the time travel forecasts were begun, in late 2009. Transportation modeling approaches, assumptions, and projections are described in detail in the AC Transit East Bay BRT Transit Patronage and Forecasting Methodology Report (2010) and the AC Transit East Bay BRT Traffic Analysis Report (2011), which are available for review at the AC Transit District office.

1 Formerly called the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (ACCMA)

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.0-2 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report 3.1 Transit Conditions 3.1.1 Existing Transit Services The primary transit services in the East Bay BRT corridor are bus services provided by AC Transit and heavy rail services provided by BART. Other supportive and specialized transit services in the broader study area for this Final EIS/EIR include intercity commuter rail by the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (and managed by BART), intercity/interstate passenger rail service by Amtrak, and various dial-a-ride, student and commuter shuttle services provided by a host of other operators including University of California Berkeley Bear Transit, Emery Go Round, San Leandro Links and FLEX Shuttle paratransit, AirBART, and the East Bay Paratransit Consortium. Details on these other transit operators in the corridor are provided in Section 3.1.1.2 Other Transit Services.

3.1.1.1 Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District is the third-largest public bus system in California, serving 13 cities and adjacent unincorporated areas in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. AC Transit provides local, express, and commuter bus service in western Alameda County and western Contra Costa County on 107 bus lines, operating over 25 million bus vehicle miles annually. Average weekday boardings on fixed-bus services systemwide in fiscal year 2008/09 were approximately 236,000. This includes the District’s boardings on its Transbay services.2 Transbay services connect the AC Transit service area in Alameda and Contra Costa counties with San Francisco and other points on the San Francisco Peninsula.

(Note: Transit system statistics are first reported for 2008/09 as early 2009 is the baseline relative to which future travel demand in 2015 and 2035 is estimated. Transit ridership at that time was not markedly distorted by the recent recession and the transit service cuts imposed by AC Transit and other operators. As the local economy improves it is assumed AC Transit and other operators will be able to restore service to at least 2009 levels. More current ridership numbers are nonetheless provided when helpful to establish trends.)

AC Transit buses connect with nine other public and private bus systems, 21 BART stations, six Amtrak stations, and three ferry terminals. Of the 107 bus lines there are 74 local lines within the East Bay (these include arterial Rapid services, which are express in nature) and 33 Transbay lines to San Francisco and the San Francisco Peninsula.

2 Boardings refer to unlinked passenger transit trips. Bus transit data provided by AC Transit. .

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-1 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-1. AC Transit Service Characteristics 107 Bus lines (113 including “all nighter” routes Bus stops 6,500 (approx.) Annual bus miles 25.1 million Annual bus hours 2.1 million

Source: AC Transit, 2010, and National Transit Database, 2009

Table 3.1-2. AC Transit Ridership—FY 2008-2009 Daily (weekday) 236,000 Annual 69 million Paratransit (annual) 689,000

Source: National Transit Database, 2009.

Existing AC Transit Service Operations in East Bay BRT Corridor Nine routes offer service along identical or adjacent alignments for the East Bay BRT Project between Berkeley and San Leandro. These routes are the 1, 1R, 12, 18, 40, 51A, 51B, 800 and 801. Route descriptions are provided below and route alignments are shown in Figure 3.1-1, which also displays other routes in the study area as of summer 2011.

x Route 1: Berkeley BART to BayFair BART via Telegraph Avenue, International Boulevard, and East 14th Street. This route has 15 minute headways during peak hours, 20 minutes off-peak on weekdays and weekends, from 5:00 a.m. to midnight. This core service operates on the East Bay BRT alignment from Downtown Berkeley to the San Leandro BART station. x Route 1R: Downtown Berkeley/Berkeley BART and UC Berkeley to BayFair BART via Telegraph Avenue, International Boulevard and East 14th Street. The 1R is a limited stop express service operating on 12-minute headways from 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays, 7:30 a.m. to 6:17 p.m. weekends. This is also core service along the East Bay BRT alignment from Downtown Berkeley to the north side of Downtown San Leandro. This service was designed to be the predecessor of and ridership builder for the BRT project. x Route 12: Downtown Berkeley to Downtown Oakland via Martin Luther King Jr. Way, 51st Street, Grand Avenue and Broadway. Service headways are every 20 minutes peak and midday periods and every 30 minutes evening to approximately 10 p.m. weekdays. Weekend service is every 30 minutes to approximately 10 p.m. x Route18: University Village, Albany, to Montclair in Oakland via Solano Avenue, Shattuck Avenue, MacArthur BART, Martin Luther King Jr. Way, and Broadway to

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-2 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report downtown Oakland, then along Park Boulevard to the Montclair district. Headways are 15 minutes peak and midday periods and 20 minutes in the evening to about 11:30 p.m. Weekend service is every 15 minutes to 11:30 p.m. x Route 40: Downtown Oakland to Bay Fair BART via Foothill Boulevard, Eastmont Transit Center and Bancroft Avenue. Service headways are every 10 minutes peak and midday periods and 20 minutes later evening to approximately midday. Weekend service headways average 10 minutes and also extend to midnight. x Route 51A: This is a new line formed by splitting the previous Route 51 that extended from west Berkeley into the city of Alameda. Route 51A operates from Rockridge BART to Fruitvale BART in East Oakland via College Avenue, Broadway in Oakland, Webster Street-Santa Clara Avenue-Broadway in Alameda, then Fruitvale Avenue in East Oakland to BART. Headways are every 8 minutes during the peak, 12 minutes midday, and 10 minutes in the evening to around midnight. Weekend headways are every 15 minutes to midnight. x Route 51B: This is a new line formed by splitting the previous Route 51 that extended from west Berkeley into the city of Alameda. Route 51B operates from the Berkeley Marina to Rockridge BART via University Avenue, Durant Street/Bancroft Way and College Avenue. Every other weekday trip begins at Berkeley Amtrak. Service headways are 8 minutes during the peak, 12 minutes midday, and 20 minutes in the evening to around 12:30 a.m. Weekday headways are every 15 minutes all day to approximately 1 a.m. x Route 800: Provides all night service from 12:30am to 5 am (“owl” service) when all other service has ended, extending from Richmond BART to Market Street and Van Ness in San Francisco via Telegraph Avenue and downtown Oakland. Weekday owl service is on 60-minute headways and weekend headways are 30 minutes. x Route 801: Provides all night service from 11:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. from Downtown Oakland to Fremont BART. In the East Bay BRT corridor, buses follow International Boulevard and East 14th Street and stop at BART stations along the route. Headways are hourly during the week and every 30 minutes between BayFair BART and Downtown Oakland on weekends.

The key routes relative to the East Bay BRT alignment, which follow the same streets as the proposed project, are Route 1, Route 1R, Route 800 and Route 801. Additional detail on the characteristics of these routes is provided in Table 3.1-3. For context when comparing changes that could result from future implementation of an East Bay BRT project to San Leandro BART, the table also shows characteristics of Route 1 and Route 1R service to that general location.

The other AC Transit routes identified above enter the project corridor and follow the alignment for the East Bay BRT for a few blocks but are not considered to be providing parallel service in the corridor. Additionally, a number of crosstown routes intersect the corridor at key transfer points in Downtown Berkeley, on Telegraph Avenue, Downtown Oakland and along International Boulevard. BART stations along the proposed East Bay BRT alignment offer convenient transit centers for bus-to-BART, BART-to-bus, and bus-to-bus transfers. Overall, the study corridor has extensive fixed-route bus service reflecting the fact both physical land uses and demographics make it an attractive transit market in the greater East Bay.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-3 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-3. Existing AC Transit Service in the Project Corridor (Spring 2010) Weekday Headway in Weekend Headway in Minutes Minutes Evening Evening 1 Peak Travel Midday Midday Peak Peak Segment Route Stops Owl Owl Time (min)

97 a.m. Downtown Berkeley to BayFair BART Route 1 106 15 20 20 - 20 20 20 - 108 p.m. 80 a.m. Downtown Berkeley to San Leandro BART Route 1 91 15 20 20 - 20 20 20 - 90 p.m. Downtown Berkeley to BayFair BART Route 78 a.m. 37 12 12 12 - 15 15 15 - Express 1R 86 p.m. Downtown Berkeley to Davis St. (San Route 70 a.m. 32 12 12 12 - 15 15 15 - Leandro BART) Express2 1R 74 p.m. All Nighter. Richmond BART to Downtown Route Varies 79 owl - - - 60 - - - 30 Oakland via Telegraph Ave. 800 All Nighter. Downtown Oakland to Fremont Route 60 Varies 99 owl - - - 60 - - - BART via International Blvd., E. 14th St. 801 & 303

Notes: 1 Number in southbound direction; northbound has similar number of stops and locations but total can differ. 2 Route 1R (Rapid) does not stop at San Leandro BART. Nearest stop is downtown San Leandro, E.14th at Estudillo Street. Not included in the total is the Berkeley layover stop at Oxford Street and Berkeley Way. 3 60-minute headways Fremont BART to Bay Fair BART and 30-minute headways Bay Fair BART to Downtown Oakland Yellow highlight show links to San Leandro BART. Source: AC Transit District. Stop list is spring/summer 2010 while run time data are from winter 2009

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-4 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-5 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-6 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Connectivity and Transfers to Other Bus Lines The Telegraph/International/East 14th Street corridor has long been a core route for AC Transit. As such, there are multiple local and transbay bus routes that intersect the corridor and “feed” Route 1 and Route 1R services. Table 3.1-4 details the local routes that intersect the proposed project alignment.

Table 3.1-4. Intersecting Local Bus Routes by Stop Location

Stop Location Line – Connections

7 - The Arlington, El Cerrito BART 12 - Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Ashby BART 18 - Solano Avenue (NB), Shattuck Avenue (SB) 25 - Colusa Avenue, South Albany, North Berkeley 49 – West Berkeley, Ashby BART, South Berkeley 51B – University Avenue and Berkeley Amtrak/Marina (NB), South Downtown Berkeley Berkeley and College Avenue (SB) 52 – North Berkeley BART, UC Village 65 – Berkeley Hills via Euclid, Lawrence Hall of Science 67 – Berkeley Hills via Spruce, Tilden Park 88 – University Avenue, Sacramento Street Transbay F – Bay Street via Adeline, Ashby BART, 40th Street Ashby Avenue 49 – West Berkeley, Ashby BART, South Berkeley

51st/55th Street 12 – Temescal, Piedmont Avenue, Grand-Lake 26 – 40th/San Pablo, East Bay Bridge Center 40th Street Transbay C – Piedmont (EB), Bay Street (WB) MacArthur Boulevard Transbay CB – Montclair (EB) 11 – Grand/Harrison, Adams Point, Piedmont 12 – Grand-Lake, Piedmont Avenue 51A – Broadway destinations (NB and SB) 72 – San Pablo Avenue (NB), Jack London Square, Oakland 20th Street Amtrak (SB) 72M – San Pablo Avenue (NB), Jack London Square, Oakland (Uptown Transit Center) Amtrak (SB) 72R – San Pablo Avenue Rapid (NB), Jack London Square (SB) Transbay BA – Grand-Lake, Trestle Glen Transbay NL – Grand-Lake, Eastmont Mall via MacArthur Boulevard 11 – Grand/Harrison, Adams Point, Piedmont 14th and Broadway 12 – Grand-Lake, Piedmont Avenue (Downtown Oakland) 14 – San Antonio Neighborhood via 18th and 21st Streets

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-7 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Stop Location Line – Connections

26 – West Oakland Neighborhood via Peralta, Bay Street, Emeryville Amtrak (NB), Alameda Point (SB) 40 – San Antonio Neighborhood via Foothill Boulevard 51A – Broadway Destinations (NB and SB) 58L – Lakeshore Avenue, MacArthur Boulevard, Eastmont Mall 72 – San Pablo Avenue (NB), Jack London Square, Oakland Amtrak (SB) 72M – San Pablo Avenue (NB), Jack London Square, Oakland Amtrak (SB) 72R – San Pablo Avenue Rapid (NB), Jack London Square (SB) 88 – Lake Merritt BART via 11th/12th Streets 314 – West Oakland Shopper Shuttle to Alameda 62 – San Antonio Neighborhood to Highland Hospital, Laney 5th Avenue College 14th Avenue 11 – Highland Hospital via 14th Street, Dimond Business District

23rd Avenue 62 – San Antonio and Fruitvale Districts via 23rd Avenue 20- Fruitvale Avenue to Dimond District (NB), Park Street, Shoreline Drive in Alameda (SB) 21 – Fruitvale Avenue to Dimond District (NB), Park Street, Bay Farm Island in Alameda (SB) 39 – Fruitvale Avenue to Dimond District, Lincoln Avenue Destinations, Joaquin Miller Park, Skyline High School Fruitvale Avenue 51A – Fruitvale Bridge to Broadway/Blanding, Santa Clara in Alameda 62 – San Antonio and Fruitvale Districts via 23rd Avenue 339 – Fruitvale to Dimond District, Joaquin Miller Park, Chabot Space Center Transbay O – Alameda East End 35th Avenue 54 – Merritt College via 35th Avenue, Redwood Road

High Street 14 – High Street to Laurel Neighborhood

Bancroft Avenue 47 – Maxwell Park 45 – Mills College via Seminary, Hillmont Neighborhood (EB), Seminary Avenue Coliseum BART, East Oakland Neighborhoods (SB) 73 – Eastmont Transit Center via 73rd Avenue (EB), Coliseum 73rd Avenue BART, Oakland International Airport (WB) 356 – East Oakland Shopper Shuttle, 73rd Avenue (EB), Edgewater

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-8 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Stop Location Line – Connections

Shopping, Doolittle Drive to Alameda 98th Avenue 98 – East Oakland Circulator, Elmhurst Neighborhood

104th Avenue 45 – Foothill Square (EB), Sobrante Park (WB)

89 – North San Leandro Circulator to Bancroft Avenue (EB), Dutton Avenue Washington Manor (WB) 75- Two-way loop: San Leandro BART to BayFair BART 85- San Leandro BART to South Hayward BART San Leandro BART 89- Two-way loop: San Leandro BART, to BayFair BART Station 801- All Nighter. Downtown Oakland to Fremont BART via International Blvd., E. 14th St. and Mission Blvd.

Current Transit Ridership in the BRT Corridor Weekday boardings on Routes 1, 1R, 800 and 801 which follow the East Bay BRT alignment are shown in Table 3.1-5. They are shown by direction and for the route segment to San Leandro BART (the terminus for the LPA) and then to BayFair BART (the terminus for the existing bus routes).

The highest number of weekday boardings occurs in Downtown Oakland, the largest activity center along the alignment, followed by East Oakland, an area of high transit dependency and growing neighborhood commercial districts.

Table 3.1-5. Average Weekday Boardings in 2009 Boardings in Additional Segment Boardings to Total Weekday Boardings Berkeley to San Route Description Bay Fair BART Leandro BART NB SB NB SB NB SB Total 1 Local 4,657 5,339 935 251 5,592 5,590 11,182 1R Rapid 5,173 6,231 1,148 95 6,321 6,326 12,647 8001 All-Nighter 53 61 - - 53 61 114 8012 All Nighter 61 154 118 63 179 217 396 Totals: 9,944 11,785 2,304 456 12,145 12,194 24,339 Notes: 1 Berkeley to Downtown Oakland only 2 Downtown Oakland to San Leandro or Bay Fair BART as indicated Source: AC Transit boarding and alighting counts, 2009

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-9 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Ridership in the Corridor by City Table 3.1-6 shows current Route 1 and 1R boardings in the corridor by city for Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro. As would be expected, the number of boardings by city reflects the dominance of Oakland in the project corridor with more than three times the number of riders as in Berkeley and five times more riders than in San Leandro. However, it should be made clear that many trips cross city boundaries and these are not distinct rider groups. These boarding data only show where riders board the bus, not where they alight.

Table 3.1-6. Average Weekday Boardings on Route 1 and 1R by City (2009) Existing Ridership Berkeley Oakland San Leandro Route NB SB NB SB NB SB 1- Local1 448 1,389 3,812 3,749 1,075 709 Total (%) 1,837 (16.4%) 7,561 (67.6%) 1,784 (16.0%) 1R- Rapid1 469 2,050 4,455 4,081 1,217 375 Total (%) 2,519 (20.0%) 8,536 (67.5%) 1,592 (12.5%) Notes: 1 Includes all boardings between Berkeley and Bay Fair BART. Refer to Table 3.1-5 for the number of boardings that occur only within the limits of the proposed BRT corridor by route.

Existing AC Transit Travel Speeds The average bus travel speeds during peak periods on Route 1 are 10.7 mph in the a.m. peak, 9.8 mph midday, and 9.6 mph in the p.m. peak (2:30 to 6:00 p.m.). On Route 1R bus travel speed are somewhat faster: 12.3 mph in the a.m. peak, 12.1 mph midday, and 11.7 mph during the p.m. peak. These average speeds include dwells at bus stop but not bus layover time at the ends of the line.

Existing AC Transit Fares As of summer 2011, the base (Adult) cash fare for AC Transit local service is $2.10. The Youth (age 5-18), Senior (65 and over) and Disabled fare is $1.05. 31-day passes are also available (e.g., $80 for adults; $20 for Youth, and $20 for Seniors and the Disabled). The pass is in the form of the Clipper regional Smart card. Bus-to-bus transfers are $0.25 for all individuals paying cash fares. These fares apply to the local and express services operated in the study area.

AC Transit Transbay (to-from San Francisco service) fares are $4.20 for Adult cash and $2.10 for Youth, Seniors and the Disabled. A 31-day Clipper pass for $151.20 is also available. Transfers are free from and to the local bus system to the Transbay bus system.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-10 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Transfers from BART to AC Transit buses save patrons $0.25 per trip from the full base fare. There is no fare discount for bus to BART transfers.

3.1.1.2 Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) The Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) provides heavy rail passenger service in the metropolitan San Francisco Bay Area. BART operates five lines, listed below, with a description of the services falling within the general limits of the proposed BRT corridor.

x Richmond-Fremont Line: Provides service between the Downtown Berkeley and San Leandro BART station; x Richmond-Daly City/Millbrae Line: Provides service between the Downtown Berkeley and Oakland City Center/12th Street BART stations; x Fremont-Daly City Line: Provides service between the San Leandro and Lake Merritt BART stations; x Dublin/Pleasanton-Daly City Line: Provides service between the San Leandro and Lake Merritt BART stations; and x Pittsburg/Bay Point-SFO/Millbrae Line: Provides service between the Rockridge and Oakland City Center/12th Street BART stations.

These five lines and the entire BART system are shown in Figure 3.1-2.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-11 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Figure 3.1-2. BART System Map

Existing BART Service Operations in East Bay BRT Corridor BART trains run on 15 minute directional headways from the a.m. peak through the p.m. peak on the Richmond-Fremont, Richmond-Daly City/Millbrae, Fremont-Daly City, and Dublin/Pleasanton-Daly City lines. On the Pittsburg-Bay Point-SFO/Millbrae Line, peak hour service is more frequent, on average every five to 10 minutes, while midday service is every 15 minutes. Evening and weekend service varies and frequencies are generally less than during weekday midday periods.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-12 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Ridership Systemwide, BART has approximately 374,000 boardings on an average weekday (September 2011, based on BART published ridership statistics). There are 87,799 average weekday boardings for the 11 BART stations within one mile of the project corridor (Downtown Berkeley to Bay Fair BART, including Rockridge BART).

Existing BART Travel Times and Average Speeds BART service within the project area operates at average speeds of 35 mph, with stations approximately every two miles. As a result, BART patronage is weighted heavily toward interregional travel between Bay Area counties as opposed to intra-corridor trips. Travel time between the Downtown Berkeley and Bay Fair BART stations is 30 minutes on the Richmond- Fremont Line.

3.1.1.3 Other Transit Services Capitol Corridor Intercity Passenger Rail The Capitol Corridor is an intercity passenger train system that provides an alternative to traveling along the congested I-80, I-680 and I-880 freeways by operating intercity rail service to 16 stations in eight Northern California counties: Placer, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, and Santa Clara, a 170-mile rail corridor. There are stations in Emeryville, Jack London Square and near the Coliseum BART station in the project study area. Service is provided on weekdays from 4:30 a.m. starting from Oakland, with the last train arriving at 11:33 p.m. in Sacramento. An extensive, dedicated motor coach network provides bus connections to serve urban centers along the Capitol Corridor that do not have station stops, including San Francisco.

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) is a partnership among the six local transit agencies in the eight-county service area which shares the administration and management of the Capitol Corridor. BART provides day-to-day management support to the CCJPA.

Amtrak Amtrak California, a partnership between Amtrak and Caltrans, provides intercity rail and bus service within California, including the Capitol Corridor.

Other Amtrak intercity rail services in the study area include: x San Joaquin, offering seven trips daily each direction between Oakland, the Central Valley, Los Angeles and San Diego x Coast Starlight, offering one trip daily each direction between Seattle and Los Angeles, with study area stops in Emeryville and Oakland. x California Zephyr, offering one trip daily each direction between Chicago and the Bay Area, with a study area stop in Emeryville.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-13 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report San Leandro Links San Leandro Links is a free shuttle service funded by businesses along the route through the Business Improvement District Tax and a partnership with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The LINKS shuttles are maintained and operated by M.V. Transportation. The shuttles link the San Leandro BART Station with west San Leandro employment centers. Service is provided Monday through Friday mornings from 5:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. and afternoons from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., except for national holidays. During the morning and afternoon commute hours, the system’s two shuttle buses provide service every 20 minutes or less.

Emery Go Round The Emery Go Round provides free shuttle service connecting Emeryville’s employment and shopping centers with the MacArthur BART Station and Emeryville Amtrak station. It has three lines, one running seven days a week, with more limited service on weekends, and two running five days a week (Monday through Friday), except holidays. The Emery Go Round is funded by commercial property owners in the citywide Emeryville Property Improvement District and is a service of the Emeryville Transportation Management Association.

On weekdays, service is provided from 5:45 a.m. until 10:30 p.m., with a frequency of 10-15 minutes during weekday commute hours. The “Hollis Loop” begins and ends at the MacArthur BART Station, running primarily along 40th Avenue and Hollis Street. The “Watergate Express” begins and ends at the MacArthur BART Station, running primarily along West MacArthur Boulevard and Powell Street. The “Shellmound-Powell Loop (Shopper)” runs between the MacArthur BART Station and shopping destinations on 40th Avenue, Shellmound Avenue, Christie Avenue, and Powell Street. On Saturdays, only the Shopper route operates, with reduced service hours of 9:24 a.m. to 10:40 p.m. and Sundays the service is from 10:04 a.m. to 7:17 p.m.

UC Berkeley BearTransit BearTransit is UC Berkeley’s shuttle system that serves the Berkeley campus and vicinity and is available for use by students and the general public. BearTransit is operated by the UC Berkeley Parking and Transportation Department.

Several routes provide daytime shuttle service between points on campus, the Downtown Berkeley BART Station, parking lots, Clark Kerr campus, the Lawrence Berkeley Lab complex, and residence halls. There is also a service between the main campus and the City of El Cerrito, the Richmond Field Station, and points in between. Fares for the general public range from $1.00 to $1.50 for daytime shuttle service; service is provided free to passengers with a valid University of California ID.

The Night Safety Shuttle service is an extension of BearTransit daytime service, and provides safe nighttime transit to and from the campus for classes, study, research and meetings. Night Safety shuttles are operated in partnership with the UC Berkeley Police Department. Routes run from points on campus to BART, Clark Kerr campus and residence halls. Night Safety Shuttles

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-14 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report are free to all, including non-campus affiliates, and operate specified routes from approximately 7:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Door-to-door service is provided within the service area boundaries from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. 365 days a year.

UC Berkeley student IDs serve as semester-long passes for AC Transit buses, thus, the AC Transit bus routes effectively supplement and expand the services available to students at no out- of-pocket cost.

AirBART AirBART operates between Oakland International Airport and the BART Coliseum/Oakland Airport station daily, approximately every 10 minutes, until midnight. Service begins at 5 a.m., Monday through Saturday, and at 8 a.m. on Sundays and holidays. There is a single shuttle stop for both terminals, located between Terminal 1 and 2 at OAK's third curbside.

The one-way regular fare is $3.00; One-way fare for Seniors (age 65+), Children (age 12 and under) and Disabled passengers with I.D is $1.00. Fares can be paid on-board bus with exact change only or prepaid with a BART or AirBART ticket.

Under construction is an automated people mover between the Coliseum BART station and Oakland International that will replace AirBART. It will offer two stops similar to AirBART. More detail is provided in the description of 2035 no-build transit conditions in the study area.

Paratransit Services Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit services for persons with disabilities are provided by the East Bay Paratransit Consortium, which is a partnership between BART and AC Transit. ADA paratransit offers a complementary service to AC Transit’s fixed-route services and BART’s train service and operates in the same area, on the same days and during the same hours. Before using paratransit, a person must be determined eligible because their disability prevents use of regular buses or trains for some or all of the trips. Riders who need extra assistance beyond what the driver provides may bring an assistant—or "attendant"—with them at no additional charge. The paratransit service has a graduated fare depending on the length of the trip, in the East Bay from $4.00 for 0-12 miles, up to $6.00 for a distance of greater than 12 miles and less than 20 miles, and $7,00 for a distance greater than 20 miles. The fare for service to and from San Francisco is $6.00-$8.00 for destinations up to the Civic Center BART station and $7.00-$9.00 for destinations beyond the Civic Center BART station, depending on the zone of origin. Reservations for a trip must be made before 5:00 p.m. the previous day, and are accepted as early as three days in advance.

The City of San Leandro offers transportation for seniors and people with disabilities through the FLEX Shuttle service, funded by Measure “B” funds. There are two shuttle buses: North Route and South Route. Each route runs separately around North and South sections of San Leandro. The North provides an interface with the San Leandro BART station, where the BRT will terminate. Bus routes operate Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This service is

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-15 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report free of charge. However, trips for medical purposes are charged $4.00 per ten miles of travel each direction and riders are charged an annual registration renewal fee of $20.

3.1.2 Future Transit Services – No Build Conditions (2015 and 2035) The future no build condition provides a basis against which to evaluate the impacts of proposed build improvements: the LPA and the DOSL alternatives. Whereas 2035 is the NEPA time horizon for evaluation of impacts, transit impacts in 2015, the proposed first year of East Bay BRT operations, are also described in this section. The 2015 analysis provides the reader a short term context for understanding how AC Transit bus service will be affected by the proposed project.

Transit systems in the study area will evolve and incorporate both service (i.e., operating) and capital improvements. It can be difficult to predict just which improvements will be in place by 2015 or 2035. To establish a reasonable picture of future conditions absent the proposed East Bay BRT project planned and programmed improvements of transit operators and other sponsors of transit services were evaluated and “added” to the picture of existing transit in the study area, described above. Planned and programmed improvements include only those service changes and capital projects that are well defined and are either funded and scheduled for implementation or have a reasonably high likelihood of being funded and implemented.

3.1.2.1 Transit Service Changes In the study area, the extent of service changes is best described in general terms as the details of changes at the route or line level cannot be determined with confidence. Service changes result from various factors, including changing demographics and development patterns; funding for and costs of service; changes in ridership; community input; and other factors. Given these considerations, the following assumptions have been made in defining the 2015 and 2035 no- build condition:

x AC Transit bus service coverage and levels in the study area will reflect approximately the coverage and levels of 2009, prior to the major service cuts that were necessitated by falling revenues from the 2008/09 recession. AC Transit is expected to restore most services to 2009 or higher levels as the local economy improves and employment and population resume their growth. x Along the East Bay BRT alignment, the frequency and hours of Route 1 and Route 1R bus service will be essentially the same in 2035 as in 2009. There is expected to be growth in transit demand over the 2010-2015 and 2015-2035 periods; however, this growth can be accommodated by operating high capacity buses at 2009 frequencies. x BART heavy rail service will also reflect current levels of operation, with the same lines continuing to operate through the study corridor with one important change. BART service will have been extended into Santa Clara County by around 2018; additional service on the Richmond-Fremont and Fremont-Daly City lines will be provided by both expanding train lengths and increasing service frequencies, when feasible. x Service frequencies on other lines can also be expected to increase to accommodate growth in demand. Thus, a few more trains per hour during commute periods on high

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-16 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report volume lines or line segments are anticipated. However, due to the capacity constraints of the Transbay Tube to San Francisco and lines junctions in Oakland, the number of additional trains will be limited. x Intercity rail, local shuttles, and paratransit services will be modified to respond to changes in demand.

3.1.2.2 Transit Capital Improvements Within the study area there are relatively few planned and programmed capital improvements to bus and rail systems that would substantially change future bus and rail networks. Most improvements will be to existing facilities. Additionally, vehicle fleets will be updated with the retirement of older buses and rail cars that have met their useful lives. Future buses are expected to be more fuel efficient and incorporate propulsion technologies less dependent on fossil fuels such as diesel. These technologies could include electric vehicles, hybrid electric-diesel/gas; hydrogen fuel cell or other. At this time the potential change in vehicle fleet mixes cannot be ascertained although the physical characteristics (e.g., size, seating, floor heights, etc) of vehicles are likely to be similar to current vehicles. As for the vehicle technology used on the 1/1R corridor for the No Build condition, it is assumed that AC Transit will be purchasing a fleet of 3- door hybrid diesel-electric buses.

The one exception where an entirely new transit facility will be implemented in the study area is the Oakland Airport Connector, mentioned above, which is in progress and to be completed by 2014. This roughly $400 million people mover between the Coliseum BART station and Oakland International Airport will provide a convenient connection from BART, bus and other modes at Coliseum BART to the airport, serving airport employees, air travelers, and visitors to the airport.

Other planned capital projects will improve existing BART and bus infrastructure. Transit area development proposals, although not involving transit network changes, will influence future transit demand. Specifically:

x MacArthur BART Area Transit Village; x Fruitvale BART Transit Village Phase II; and x San Leandro BART Transit Center and Access Improvements.

Each project is focused on the adjacent BART station and is expected to enhance the attractiveness of the station areas as well as generate transit use.

It is against this backdrop that improvements under consideration for an East Bay BRT project are compared.

3.1.3 LPA Transit Service and Changes to the No-Build Alternative This section describes how the future of AC Transit services in the corridor will differ if the proposed LPA is built (Build LPA condition) from the future if the BRT project is not built (No Build condition). Of particular note is for the vehicle technology used on the BRT corridor in the

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-17 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report build alternative, it is assumed that AC Transit will be purchasing a fleet of 5-door dual sided door hybrid diesel-electric buses. The analysis compares the year 2015 and the year 2035 Build conditions against the No Build conditions.

Specific design elements of LPA are described in Chapter 2. A summary of LPA features by city is provided below:

Berkeley (Downtown Berkeley to approximately Woolsey Street and the Oakland city limit) x Buses operate in mixed-flow lanes through the city. x Southbound service begins at Shattuck Avenue and Center Street, follows Shattuck Avenue to Durant Avenue, to Dana Street to Dwight Way to Telegraph Avenue to Oakland. x Northbound service follows Telegraph Avenue to Bancroft Way to Shattuck Avenue to a terminus just north of Shattuck Avenue at Center Street. x Six sidewalk stations, curb level, with shelters, real time passenger information signs, and ticket vending machines at: o Shattuck Avenue at Center Street (Downtown Berkeley station). o Shattuck Avenue at Bancroft Way/Durant Avenue (Bancroft/Durant station). o Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue; Durant Avenue at Dana Street (Sather Gate station). o Telegraph Avenue at Dwight Way (Dwight station). o Telegraph Avenue at Ward Street (Ward station). o Telegraph Avenue at Webster Avenue (Ashby station).

Oakland (Berkeley City Limit, Downtown Oakland, and East Oakland to San Leandro city limit) x Buses operate in median-running dedicated lanes on Telegraph Avenue, from approximately the Berkeley city limit to 20th Street/Thomas Berkley Way; mixed-flow operation on Thomas Berkley Way and Broadway. x Southbound service turns from Broadway on 11th Street, uses a side-running dedicated lane next to the parking lane or curb and continues to a merge with 12th Street south of Oak Street; northbound service follows 12th Street in a side-running dedicated lane. x Both southbound and northbound service follow 12th Street in mixed-flow operation to approximately 1st Avenue located east of Lake Merritt; southbound service continues on East 12th Street, becoming side-running in a dedicated lane to 14th Avenue, continuing on 14th Avenue to International Boulevard. Northbound service becomes side-running in a dedicated lane along International Boulevard between 1st Avenue and 14th Avenue. x South of 14th Avenue, BRT buses operate in median-running dedicated transit lanes to the San Leandro city limit at Durant Avenue. x A total of 36 stations: 27 in the roadway median and nine as curb extensions or sidewalk plazas. x All stations have the following features: o Raised platforms (approximately 13 to 15 inches above top of pavement) with the exception of the existing Uptown Station, which is curb level.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-18 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report o Canopies and passenger amenities (seating, message signs, information kiosks, emergency phone and closed circuit camera monitoring of platforms). o ADA-compliant routes of access; tactile warning bands (approximately 24 inches wide) incorporated into the platform edge. o Ticket vending machines for off-board fare collection, allowing for Smart Card technology and proof-of-payment ticketing. o Real time passenger information signs and kiosk static information bulletins.

San Leandro (Oakland City Limit to San Leandro BART Station) x Buses operate in median-running dedicated transit lanes on East 14th Street, from the Oakland city limit to approximately Sunnyside Drive southbound and Georgia Way northbound. x Beginning at Georgia Way, BRT vehicles operate in mixed flow lanes along with regular vehicular traffic. This configuration continues to Davis Street, where the alignment would shift west along Davis and south again on San Leandro Boulevard, ending at the San Leandro BART station. x A total of five stations: one in the median, three as curb extensions, and one in the San Leandro BART transit center. o East 14th Street at Durant Avenue o East 14th Street at Georgia Way o East 14th Street at Begier/Lorraine o Downtown San Leandro station at Davis Street and Hays Street o San Leandro BART x All stations have the same features as listed for the stations in Oakland.

Advanced transit signal priority will be provided throughout the alignment from downtown Berkeley to San Leandro BART. This is an enhancement of existing transit signal priority (TSP) for Route 1R buses in the corridor. The parameters of the transit signal priority system will be developed during the preliminary engineering phase of the project.

Figure 3.1-3 shows the locations of mixed flow, median running, and side-running along the LPA alignment. Table 3.1-7 lists the segments and their lengths where BRT operates in dedicated lanes. Table 3.1-8 lists the type and location of BRT station by city. Figure 3.1-4 shows the geographic locations of stations along the corridor.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-19 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Figure 3.1-3. Transit Way Configuration and BRT Operations AC Transit East Bay BRT Project

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-20 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-7. Extent of Proposed Dedicated Lanes

Total Extent of Length Dedicated From To (miles) Lanes Shattuck at Center Shattuck at Allston 0.07 0% Shattuck at Allston Shattuck at Bancroft/Durant 0.15 0% Bancroft/Durant at Shattuck Bancroft/Durant at Telegraph 0.47 0% Telegraph at Bancroft/Haste Telegraph at Dwight 0.22 0% Telegraph at Dwight Telegraph at Woolsey 0.85 0% Telegraph at Woolsey 20th at Broadway 3.10 100% Broadway at 20th Broadway at 11/12th 0.49 0% 11/12th at Broadway 11/12th at 14th/Lake Merritt 0.61 100% 11/12th at 14th/Lake Merritt 11/12th at 1st 0.27 0% 11/12th at 1st International at Fruitvale 2.32 100% International at Fruitvale International at 40th 0.50 100% International at 40th International at 41st 0.06 100% International at 41st International at 44th 0.20 100% International at 44th International at 45th 0.07 100% International at 45th International at 64th 1.12 100% International at 64th International at 65th 0.07 100% International at 65th International at 66th 0.06 100% International at 66th International at 67th 0.10 100% International at 67th International at 68th 0.05 100% International at 68th International at 81st 0.67 100% International at 81st International at 99th 1.05 100% International at 99th E 14th at Bristol 0.50 100% E 14th at Bristol E 14th at Georgia 0.43 100% E 14th at Georgia San Leandro BART 0.94 0% TOTAL 14.38 76% (10.92 miles) Source: Cambridge Systematics, 2011.

As shown in Table 3.1-7, approximately 76 percent of the total 14.38 miles of LPA alignment will be operating in dedicated lanes, providing substantially improved travel times and schedule reliability over the existing Route 1 and 1R service in the corridor. Of the miles of service operating in Oakland, 93 percent of the transitway will be in dedicated lanes. San Leandro will have 31 percent of its route in dedicated lanes and there will be no dedicated lanes in Berkeley City limits based on Berkeley’s local decision making process.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-21 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-8. Proposed BRT Stations Distance to Station Location (North to South)1 Station Name Type Prior BRT Stn (miles) City of Berkeley: LPA Shattuck at Center/Allston Downtown Berkeley Sidewalk Stop Shattuck at Durant/Bancroft Bancroft/Durant Sidewalk Stop 0.26 Durant at Dana (Bancroft at Telegraph) Sather Gate Sidewalk Stop 0.40 Telegraph at Dwight Dwight Sidewalk Stop 0.29 Telegraph at Ward Ward Sidewalk Stop 0.32 Telegraph at Webster Ashby Sidewalk Stop 0.37 City of Oakland - North: LPA Telegraph at 65th Alcatraz Median 0.28 Telegraph at McAuley/59th 59th Median 0.36 Telegraph at 56th 56th St Median 0.32 Telegraph at 47/48th Temescal Median 0.45 Telegraph at 43rd 43rd St Median 0.20 Telegraph at 39th 40th St Median 0.23 Telegraph at 32nd/Hawthorne Pill Hill Median 0.52 Telegraph at 28th 28th Ave Median 0.26 Telegraph at 24th Koreatown Median 0.26 20th at Broadway2 Uptown Sidewalk Stn. 0.33 Subtotal North Corridor (LPA Only) 16 stns. 4.85 City of Oakland - South: LPA & DOSL Alternative 20th at Broadway2 Uptown Sidewalk Stn. Broadway at 14th 14th St Sidewalk Stn. 0.41 11th (12th) at Broadway City Center Curb Ext. 0.15 11th (12th) at Harrison Harrison Curb Ext. 0.22 11th at Madison (12th at Oak) Madison Curb Ext. 0.21 E.12th (International) at 2nd 2nd Ave Curb Ext. 0.51 E.12th (International) at 5th 5th Ave Curb Ext. 0.21 E.12th (International) at 10th 10th Ave Curb Ext. 0.33 14th at International (International at 14th Ave Curb Ext. 0.31 14th) International at 20th 20th Ave Median 0.42

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-22 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Distance to Station Location (North to South)1 Station Name Type Prior BRT Stn (miles) International at Miller 24th Ave Median 0.35 International at 28th 28th Ave Median 0.34 International at 31st 31st Ave Median 0.22 International at 34th Fruitvale Median 0.19 International at 39th 39th Ave Median 0.29 International at High High Median 0.28 International at 48th 48th Ave Median 0.31 International at 54th 54th Ave Median 0.29 International at 58th Seminary Median 0.32 International at 66th 66th Ave Median 0.43 International at 72nd 73rd Ave Median 0.35 International at 77th 77th Ave Median 0.25 International at 82nd 82nd Ave Median 0.30 International at 87th 87th Ave Median 0.31 International at 94th 94th Ave Median 0.37 International at 98th 98th Ave Median 0.25 International at 104th 104th Ave Median 0.32 City of San Leandro: LPA and DOSL Alternative E 14th at Durant Durant Median 0.35 E 14th at Georgia Georgia Curb Ext. 0.31 E 14th at Begier/Lorraine Begier Curb Ext. 0.25 Downtown San Davis at Hays Curb Ext. 0.31 Leandro San Leandro BART San Leandro BART Transit Ctr. 0.36 Subtotal South Corridor 32 stns. 9.52 TOTAL CORRIDOR (NORTH AND SOUTH) 47 stns. 14.38

1 Southbound stop location listed with northbound stop shown in parentheses when operating on different streets. When southbound and northbound service operates on same street, northbound stop could differ by a block or two. 2 Uptown Transit Center is assumed terminus for DOSL. It is counted just once for LPA and total BRT stations. Source: AC Transit BRT station inventory, September 2011

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-23 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report There are a total of 47 stations proposed along the East Bay BRT corridor for the LPA, including six stops in Berkeley, 36 stations in Oakland, and five stations in San Leandro. Other than in the line segment on 12th Street proceeding around Lake Merritt and on Telegraph Avenue crossing under I-580, no stations are more than 0.45 miles apart; 90 percent of stations are less than 0.4 miles apart (which equates to approximately five blocks between stations). On average, stations are 0.3 miles part (which equates to approximately four blocks between stations).

Nearby land uses, employment/educational centers, and connections to other transit providers were considered in the selection of the preferred route, and in the placement of stations. Stations are placed in locations that can generate ridership, either to or from the immediate area. Regarding specific station locations, potential candidates for BRT stations were identified using passenger on-off count data collected by AC Transit. There is a strong correspondence of proposed BRT stations and existing high volume stops on Routes 1 and 1R. Stations were also located where transfer activity to other transit providers would be high or should be facilitated. This is discussed further in Section 3.3, Non-Motorized Transportation.

Additionally, walking distance to/from BRT stations was also considered in locating stops. The objective was to limit walk distances to/from transit even in corridor segments where existing transit boardings and alightings are lower than elsewhere. Finally, pedestrian and traffic circulation and operational safety were also considered in selecting station locations. Traffic includes bus operations as well as auto and truck traffic. If a station location would pose difficult access or an unsafe condition for pedestrians or traffic, the station was moved to a better location, typically still nearby.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-24 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-25 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-26 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-27 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report 3.1.3.1 LPA Service Plan East Bay BRT service under the LPA is proposed to provide frequent service all day and also include night, or owl, service every day of the week. The service plan ensures transit coverage 24 hours every day of the year along the alignment.

Table 3.1-9 summarizes the No-Build service plan and Table 3.1-10 summarizes the LPA service plan by segment of the corridor for both 2015 and 2035. Peak and mid-day weekday frequencies of five minutes are proposed for BRT service throughout the corridor in 2015. Five-minute peak headways are necessary to accommodate estimated peak hour, peak direction demand at the maximum load points along the alignment. In 2035, additional peak period, peak direction bus trips are proposed to supplement the five minute background headways in the maximum load segment between downtown Oakland and East Oakland. These trips, to downtown in the a.m. and from downtown in the p.m. are assumed to begin (a.m.) or end (p.m.) near International Boulevard and Seminary Avenue. The additional peak trips increase the peak vehicle requirement by three buses, from 31 in 2015 to 34 in 2035. Elsewhere in the LPA corridor, service levels in 2035 would be the same as in 2015 although allowed load factors (persons per bus, both seated and standees) would be somewhat higher. Load factor assumptions are the same as for the No-Build Alternative.

The LPA operating plan proposes that weekend/holiday service will also increase relative to combined Route 1R and Route 1 service. A split weekend schedule is proposed to reflect the differing levels of demand in the north and south segments of the corridor (demand tends to be relatively higher on weekends in the south). A split schedule of 7.5 minutes between downtown Oakland and San Leandro BART and 15 minutes between downtown Oakland and downtown Berkeley BART provides for every other bus from San Leandro BART continuing through downtown Oakland to Berkeley and returning on the same route. It also means the every other bus originating at San Leandro BART would terminate in downtown Oakland, and then return on the same route.

Throughout the week, weekdays and weekends, owl service will be provided between San Leandro BART and downtown Berkeley on 60-minute headways. On weekends this results in several fewer trips than operated on Route 1 (which under the Baseline/No-Build incorporates current service on Routes 800 and 801) but is adequate to meet demand. This is the only instance where BRT service levels would be lower than the No-Build.

Hours and Miles of Service; Peak and Total Fleet Overall, higher frequency weekday and weekend service results in an increase in bus hours of approximately 6 percent and total bus miles of 18 percent in 2015 relative to the No-Build Alternative. This is shown in Table 3.1-11, which translates the service plan detailed in Table 3.1-10 into bus hours, bus miles, and peak buses of service. While the total number of peak vehicles remains constant, with the use of dual-door buses in the LPA to allow for boarding on both the left- and right-side of the bus, a special fleet will need to be procured for this service. In developing Operations and Maintenance resource requirements and annual costs of service, the

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-28 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report number of BRT stations also is a factor as AC Transit will need to operate and maintain new facilities.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-29 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-9. No-Build Alternative Service in Project Corridor, 2015 and 2035 Weekday Headway in Weekend Headway in Minutes1 Minutes1 Evening Evening Midday Midday Peak Peak Owl Owl

Route/ Segment Year Stops 1 R / 2015 & Berkeley: Downtown Berkeley (Shattuck Avenue at 5 12 12 122 - - - - - 2035 Center Street) to Alcatraz Avenue at Telegraph 1 / 2015 & Avenue 15 15 20 20 603 20 20 20 603 2035 1R / 2015 & North Oakland: Telegraph Avenue at Alcatraz 7 12 12 122 - - - - - 2035 Avenue to Downtown Oakland (14th Street at 1 / 2015 & Broadway) 25 15 20 20 603 20 20 20 603 2035 1R / 2015 & 10 12 12 122 - 15 15 15 - Central/East Oakland: 2035 14th Street at Broadway to High Street 1 / 2015 & 22 15 20 20 603 20 20 20 303 2035 1R / 2015 & East Oakland/ 10 12 12 122 - 15 15 152 - 2035 San Leandro: 1 / 2015 & High Street to San Leandro BART 29 15 20 20 603 20 20 20 303 2035 32 Route 1R stops including Oxford St. in Berkeley 91 Route 1 stops Notes: 1 Typical headway during the period cited. For O&M cost estimates, including estimates of hours and miles of service, the definition of peak, midday, evening and owl periods, the total span of service by route, and the number of one-way bus trips by route by period for 2015 is assumed to match 2010.Service ends at approximately 7 p.m. Route 1 provides extended evening service 2 Operated on Route 800 between Berkeley and Downtown Oakland and Route 801 between Downtown Oakland and San Leandro BART. Source: Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-30 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-10. LPA Service along Project Corridor, 2015 and 2035 Weekday Headway in Weekend Headway in Minutes1 Minutes1 Evening Evening Midday Midday Peak Owl Owl Peak Route/ Segment Year Stops Berkeley: Downtown Berkeley (Shattuck Avenue at Center 2015/2035 7 5 5 10 60 15 15 15 60 Street) to Alcatraz Avenue at Telegraph Avenue North Oakland: Telegraph Avenue at Alcatraz Avenue to Downtown Oakland (14th Street at 2015/2035 10 5 5 10 60 15 15 15 60 Broadway) Central/East Oakland: 2015 14 5 5 10 60 7.5 7.5 15 60 th 14 Street at Broadway to High Street 2035 14 5*2 5 10 60 7.5 7.5 15 60 East Oakland/ 2015 16 5 5 10 60 7.5 7.5 15 60 San Leandro: High Street to San Leandro BART 2035 16 5*2 5 10 60 7.5 7.5 15 60 47 stops total Notes: 1 Typical headway during the period cited. For O&M cost estimates, including estimates of hours and miles of service, the hours by period are assumed to be approximately the same as for the No-Build. 2 Basic peak period headway is 5 minutes. Additional peak period, peak direction trips (10 one-way trips inbound in the a.m. and 8 one-way trips outbound in the p.m.) will operate between downtown Oakland and Seminary Avenue to provide extra capacity to meet forecast demand. Average headway on this segment would be 3.7 minutes in the a.m. and 4 minutes in the p.m. peak period. Source: Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-31 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-11. Operating Resources Required for No-Build and LPA in Project Corridor1 Alternative No-Build Operating (Routes 1R and 1 Parameter Local) East Bay BRT—LPA Percent Percent Increase over Increase 2015 and 2035 2015 No-Build 2035 over No-Build 65,930 Rapid Annual Platform 82,585 Local 158,000 6% 163,000 10% Hours2 148,515 Total 757,581 Rapid Annual Vehicle 805,513 Local 1,800,000 18% 1,900,000 22% Miles3 1,563,094 Total 17 Rapid Peak Vehicles 14 Local 31 0% 34 10% 31 Total 31 Rapid Stops/Stations 102 Local 474 52%5 474 52%5 110 Total4 Notes: 1 This is net change comparison. Routes 1R and 1 service will be replaced by BRT in whole or in part. All Route 1R service is replaced, Berkeley to BayFair BART; Route 1 service between Berkeley and San Leandro BART will also be replaced but remain between San Leandro BART and BayFair. The hours, miles, vehicles, and stops shown represent the service to be replaced by BRT and do not include service that will remain post BRT. 2 Platform hours include all hours a bus is in revenue service, laying over at the end of the line, and proceeding to/from the operating division. This is equivalent to the elapsed time from when the bus leaves the operating division until it returns. 3 Total miles operated, including while the bus is in revenue service and going to/from the operating division. 4 Bus stops served by Routes 1R and 1 and BRT stations served by East Bay BRT. Rapid and Local stops share the same general location although there are fewer designated Rapid stops. 5 The percent change is the number of BRT stations compared to total number of Route 1R stops. Source: AC Transit route performance statistics, Winter/Spring 2008; Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-32 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report As shown in Table 3.1-11, in 2035, platform hours increase by 10 percent and vehicle miles by 22 percent under the East Bay BRT Alternative. Miles increase more than hours due to the faster average travel time of BRT buses compared to both Route 1R and Route 1 buses and the fact that more one-way and round trips through the corridor would be possible during a given time period.

3.1.3.2 Connectivity and Transfers to Other Bus Lines (Access to BRT) The connectivity currently provided to Routes 1 and 1R in the project corridor will be maintained with the replacement of Routes 1 and 1R with the BRT. See Table 3.1-4 for a list of AC Transit bus routes that will feed BRT service and allow convenient interline transfers.

3.1.3.3 LPA O&M Costs The annual costs of operating and maintaining LPA service as proposed are discussed in Chapter 8, Financial Analysis. Holding everything else constant except for the fact that BRT service will replace existing Route 1 and Route 1R service in the corridor, the LPA operating plan described above is estimated to increase AC Transit’s total system operating costs. However, the increase would be less than 2 percent. Increased fare revenue from higher transit demand is expected to offset a substantial share of the added costs.

3.1.3.4 Transit Travel Speeds and Times The LPA is expected to substantially improve bus travel time and speed in the project corridor, compared to the No-Build Alternative, by incorporating the dedicated transitway, rail-like stations, and advanced transit signal priority. (Transit signal priority already exists in the corridor for Route 1R buses but is uneven and the technology is becoming out-of-date.) As shown in Table 3.1-12, average bus travel speeds would improve by over two-three mph (22-28 percent) throughout the day in 2015. Over the course of 14.38 miles, the improved bus speed is a substantial improvement, saving several minutes of travel time. Also as shown, end-to-end travel times along the proposed East Bay BRT corridor are expected to improve under the LPA by 14 to 18 minutes, or 18 to 22percent.

Most users will not travel the entire corridor on BRT; however, for trips of several miles the times savings are several minutes and average roughly one minute per mile traveled. The speeds vary by segment of the alignment, with the slowest speed in Berkeley and the fastest speed possible in East Oakland and San Leandro. Possibly more important is that the average speed of BRT buses is expected to be very consistent, the same for each trip during the referenced time period. This is possible because of operations in dedicated transit lanes and advance transit signal priority. Travel speeds, and therefore schedule adherence, of Routes 1 and 1R are highly variable and uncertain due to operation in mixed traffic and limited transit signal priority.

Speeds shown are the average for BRT buses only. Times are shown for travel on the full length of the project corridor, Downtown Berkeley to San Leandro BART. The project will not affect travel times or speeds for BART or other transit operations.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-33 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-12. Average Bus Speeds and Travel Times between Downtown Berkeley and San Leandro BART, No-Build Conditions and LPA Alternative, 2015

No-Build Conditions (2015) 2015 LPA

% % Average Average Increase Travel Decrease Time Speed Travel Time Speed over No- Time from No- Period (mph)1 (minutes)1 (mph) Build (minutes) Build AM Peak 11.2 77.1 13.7 22.5% 62.9 18.4% Midday 10.8 79.5 13.5 24.5% 63.8 19.7% PM Peak 10.3 83.4 13.2 27.6% 65.4 21.6% Notes: 1 Weighted average speed of Route 1R and Route 1 Source: Kimley-Horn and Associates, December 2011.

Representative average speed and travel times of the LPA relative to the No-Build Alternative for Year 2035 are shown in Table 3.1-13. The benefit to transit travel time and average speed with the LPA is noticeably increased in 2035 compared to 2015 due to forecasted increases in auto congestion along the project corridor.

Table 3.1-13. Average Bus Speeds and Travel Times between Downtown Berkeley and San Leandro BART, No-Build Conditions and LPA Alternative, 2035

No-Build Conditions (2035) 2035 LPA

% % Average Average Increase Travel Decrease Time Speed Travel Time Speed over No- Time from No- Period (mph)1 (minutes)1 (mph) Build (minutes) Build AM Peak 9.3 92.8 13.2 42.1% 65.3 29.6% Midday 9.1 95.1 13.0 43.5% 66.3 30.3% PM Peak 8.6 99.9 12.7 47.3% 67.9 32.1% Notes: 1 Weighted average speed of Route 1R and Route 1 Source: Kimley-Horn and Associates, December 2011.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-34 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report 3.1.3.5 Normal, Failure and Emergency Operations When in revenue service, BRT buses will normally operate only in their designated lanes. As is standard for mixed traffic, buses would operate on the right side of a bidirectional median transitway or next to the right side parking lane or curb when in a one-way side-running transitway. Buses normally will not pass. However, in the event of a breakdown in operations, for example a bus blocking the normally used BRT lane, other buses could pass the blockage by moving to the transitway lane or traffic lane to the left, as long as there was no oncoming bus (median transitway) or other conflicting traffic. Buses in a median transitway could also leave the transitway and move to the right side adjacent mixed traffic lane in order to bypass an obstacle. A bus stalled in the station could be bypassed similarly, although passenger boarding and alighting will be allowed only at stations or designated curb stops where right- or left-side access would be safe. All failure operating procedures for East Bay BRT service would be incorporated in a bus operations plan and operator rules would be established by AC Transit.

In the event emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, police cars, or fire engines, need to move quickly through the BRT corridor they will be allowed access to the dedicated BRT lanes and thereby avoid any congestion or obstacles in the mixed-flow lanes. Motorists would be prohibited from driving in the bus lane. However, if the adjacent traffic lanes are blocked by double parked vehicles, accidents, road work or other incidents, motorist will be permitted to drive in the bus lane for the distance needed to pass the obstruction.

3.1.3.6 Future Fares There are no special fares planned for BRT service at this time. The fare policy for the BRT is expected to be the same as on other AC Transit buses operating in the corridor. Therefore, the adult cash fare on BRT buses would be the same as on other East Bay local services, currently $2.10. Transfers will operate between BRT buses, other buses and BART similar to how transfers are handled now in the rest of the system.

Fare collection for the BRT system will differ from the current bus system. Fare payment will be self-service and on the honor system. Cash fare receipts for the BRT rides will be available at all current AC outlets. AC Transit riders will be able to pay for a BRT fare at ticket vending machines located on station platforms, which will issue a receipt verifying payment. This provides evidence of payment to fare inspectors. Stored value Clipper cards, referred to as Smart cards as they have the fare payment deducted electronically and can be set up to recharge stored value automatically, provide another medium for fare payment. Single ride, daily and monthly passes in the form of Clipper cards are all valid payment methods and payment can be validated electronically by fare inspectors. Free fare zones (for example for local trips within a downtown or campus area) could be considered by the AC Transit Board. At his time, however, there are no specific proposals to implement fare free zones.

The AC Transit Board decides fare level policies. Fares are a function of the overall operating cost of the system and represent a small portion of the total operating budget. AC Transit could for various reasons change (e.g., increase) fares systemwide in the future.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-35 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report 3.1.3.7 Transit Patronage AC Transit Future transit patronage in the project corridor is expected to increase from current levels primarily because of population and employment growth in the project corridor. Current corridor boardings are approximately 23,500. Under the No-Build Alternative, as shown in Table 3.1-14, AC Transit boardings on Rapid Bus or other bus services operating along the proposed BRT alignment are projected to increase to 33,969 on the average weekday by 2035, a 44 percent rise from current levels and 38 percent higher than forecast 2015 No-Build levels. This equates to a gain of about 420 new riders per year or nearly 2 percent increase in ridership per year. Systemwide, AC Transit weekly boardings are projected to increase to 324,375 by 2035, a 33 percent rise from current levels.

Table 3.1-14. Average Weekday Transit Patronage: 2015 and 2035 No-Build Alternative and 2015 and 2035 LPA 2015 2035 Final EIS/EIR Ridership No- 2015 No- 2035 Results Build LPA Increase Build LPA Increase BRT Alignment Average Weekday Boardings 24,600 41,700 17,100 34,000 61,800 27,800 AC Transit Average Weekday Boardings 244,000 251,100 7,100 324,400 338,100 13,700 BART Average Weekday Boardings1 269,600 266,700 -2,900 340,300 337,900 -2,400 Average Weekday Linked Transit Trips (New Riders) 3,700 9,000 Notes: 1 BART boardings includes only those riders going to/from/thru Alameda County Stations Source: Cambridge Systematics, October 2010 Travel Forecasts

Implementing the East Bay BRT Project will increase route corridor boardings, AC Transit systemwide boardings, and region wide transit trips as compared to future No-Build conditions for the following reasons:

x Improved transit travel time; x Improved service frequency; x Improved reliability; and x Improved amenities and convenience.

There would be approximately 61,800 average weekday BRT boardings in 2035 under the LPA, an increase of 82 percent over the No-Build Alternative (see Figure 3.1-5). AC Transit systemwide average weekday boardings will be approximately 338,100, an increase of 4 percent compared to the No-Build. Although a substantial portion of the ridership increase on BRT would be due to riders shifting from other AC routes, approximately 9,000 new riders would use

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-36 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report BRT and/or possibly other transit services in 2035. Most of these new users would have formerly traveled by auto.

Figure 3.1-5. LPA and No-Build Transit Boardings Corridor Transit Boardings with LPA 70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000 No-Build 30,000 LPA

20,000

10,000

0 Existing 2015 2035

BART Patronage Improved corridor bus service also would cause a shift in BART ridership. The three largest effects would be:

x Increased BART trips between San Francisco and the corridor. Because the combination of BART and BRT improves transit service to major activity centers in the corridor, some travelers will choose to ride BART, rather than using other modes (such as auto) from San Francisco, and transfer to BRT to reach their final destination in the corridor. x Increased BART trips between central and southern Alameda County and the corridor. Some travelers will choose to use BART and BRT to travel between central and southern Alameda County and the corridor. x Decreased BART trips along the corridor. Because East Bay BRT stations will be located near or adjacent to key activity centers in the corridor, such as UC Berkeley,

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-37 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Oakland Temescal, and Downtown San Leandro, among others, and BART stations are located somewhat farther away, some travelers will choose to use BRT instead of BART.

The net effect on BART of the LPA will be a small reduction, approximately 2,400 fewer boardings systemwide on an average weekday in 2035. This is less than 1 percent of future riders.

Other Transit Patronage Other transit systems are not expected to experience any substantial change in boardings or alightings with the implementation of BRT service.

3.1.4 DOSL Transit Service and Changes to the No-Build Alternative This section describes how AC Transit services in the corridor will differ in the future under the DOSL Alternative (Build DOSL condition) and the No-Build. The analysis years are the same as for the comparison of the LPA and No-Build conditions. As the DOSL Alternative has many of the same features—and also effects—of the LPA where the two alternatives overlap, the discussion of the DOSL Alternative focuses on effects of the DOSL Alternative that differ from those described for the LPA.

Specific design elements of DOSL Alternative are described in Chapter 2. The DOSL begins at the Uptown Transit Center in Downtown Oakland and continues along the International Boulevard/E. 14th Street corridor into San Leandro, terminating at San Leandro BART. General features include:

Downtown Oakland and East Oakland to San Leandro City Limit x Buses operate in mixed flow in the segment of 20th Street/Thomas Berkley Way between Telegraph Avenue and Broadway. The existing Uptown Transit Center is the north terminus of DOSL Alternative service. Buses continue in mixed-flow along Broadway and follow the LPA alignment to San Leandro BART. x A total of 27 stations: 18 in the roadway median and 9 as curb extensions or sidewalk plazas. Refer back to Table 3.1-8 for a list of station types by location. x All stations are the same as proposed under the LPA Alternative.

San Leandro (Oakland City Limit to San Leandro BART Station) x Buses operate along the same alignment as the LPA. x A total of five stations: one in the median, three as curb extensions, and one in the San Leandro BART transit center. x All stations have the same features as listed for the LPA.

Figure 3.1-6 shows the locations of mixed flow, median running, and side-running along the DOSL Alternative alignment. Table 3.1-15 lists the areas of dedicated lanes and mixed-flow lanes. Approximately 82 percent of the corridor will have dedicated transit lanes. Figure 3.1-7

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-38 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report shows the geographic locations of stations along the corridor. Altogether there are 32 stations, including the north and south termini, on the DOSL Alternative alignment.

Table 3.1-15. Extent of Dedicated Lanes along DOSL Alternative

Total Extent of Length Dedicated From To (miles) Lanes Telegraph at 20th Broadway at 11/12th 0.54 0% 11/12th at Broadway 11/12th at 14th/Lake Merritt 0.61 100% 11/12th at 14th/Lake Merritt 11/12th at 1st 0.27 0% 11/12th at 1st International at Fruitvale 2.32 100% International at Fruitvale International at 40th 0.50 100% International at 40th International at 41st 0.06 100% International at 41st International at 44th 0.20 100% International at 44th International at 45th 0.07 100% International at 45th International at 64th 1.12 100% International at 64th International at 65th 0.07 100% International at 65th International at 66th 0.06 100% International at 66th International at 67th 0.10 100% International at 67th International at 68th 0.05 100% International at 68th International at 81st 0.67 100% International at 81st International at 99th 1.05 100% International at 99th E 14th at Bristol 0.50 100% E 14th at Bristol E 14th at Georgia 0.43 100% E 14th at Georgia San Leandro BART 0.94 0% TOTAL 9.52 82% (7.82 miles) Source: Cambridge Systematics, 2011.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-39 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Figure 3.1-6. Alignment of DOSL Alternative AC Transit East Bay BRT Project

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-40 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-41 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-42 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report 3.1.4.1 DOSL Service Plan DOSL Alternative service will be most frequent during weekday commute and business hours and also include evening and owl service. Service will operate every day of the week. As such, the service plan for the DOSL Alternative is the same as for the LPA between Downtown Oakland and San Leandro BART.

Table 3.1-16 summarizes existing (and assumed 2015 and 2035 No-Build) conditions covering Route 1R and Route 1 service in the project corridor. Table 3.1-17 summarizes the DOSL Alternative service plan by segment of the corridor for both 2015 and 2035. Table 3-1.18 translates the No-Build and DOSL Alternative operating plans into resource requirements.

Supplemental peak period, peak direction service proposed for 2035 will be provided between Downtown Oakland and Seminary Avenue along International Boulevard to accommodate peak loads in this line segment. It will be on the same frequencies as proposed for the LPA during the peak commute hour (e.g., every 15 minutes from 7:30-8:30 AM. and every 20 minutes between 4:00-5:00 PM.) but would not include as many supplemental trips during other hours because demand is somewhat less under the DOSL Alternative compared to the LPA. This is because the DOSL Alternative ends in Downtown Oakland and requires riders to continue north in order to transfer to other routes, which has a slightly negative impact on total boardings.

The operating plan for the DOSL Alternative proposes increases in both weekday and weekend service in the corridor from Downtown Oakland to San Leandro BART relative to combined Route 1R and Route 1 service with the exception of owl service on weekends will be hourly instead of every 30 minutes. That is the only instance where DOSL service levels would be lower than the Baseline/No-Build.

In the study corridor between Berkeley and Downtown Oakland, no change in transit service is proposed. Route 1 and Route 1R services will remain as they currently exist although both services will terminate in Downtown Oakland under the DOSL Alternative.

Hours and Miles of Service; Peak and Total Fleet Overall, higher frequency weekday and weekend service results in an increase in bus hours of approximately 1 percent in 2015 and 3 percent in 2035. Total bus miles are projected to increase by 8 percent in 2015 and by 11 percent by 2035. Peak bus requirements of the DOSL Alternative are somewhat higher than the replaced Route 1R and Route 1 service due to the splitting of the existing Route 1R and Route 1 service into the remaining Route 1R and Route 1 service north of Downtown Oakland and the DOSL from Downtown Oakland to San Leandro. In addition, the DOSL Alternative includes use of dual-door buses, allowing boarding and alighting to occur on the left-side of the bus at median stations. Therefore, the DOSL Alternative will require the procurement of a special fleet.

As is the case for the LPA, miles increase more than hours due to the faster average travel time of DOSL Alternative BRT buses compared to both Route 1R and Route 1 buses.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-43 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-16. No-Build Alternative Service in Project Corridor, 2015 and 2035 Weekday Headway in Minutes1 Weekend Headway in Minutes1 Segment Route Stops Peak Midday Evening Owl2 Peak Midday Evening Owl2 Central/East Oakland: 1R (Rapid) 20 12 12 12 - 15 15 - -

Uptown TC at Broadway to 2 High Street 1 (Local) 54 15 20 20 [60] 20 20 20 [30] East Oakland/ 1R (Rapid) 5 12 12 12 - 15 15 - - San Leandro: High Street to San Leandro 1 (Local) 15-16 15 20 20 [60]2 20 20 20 [30] BART Route 1R = 25 stops total Route 1 = ~70 stops total

Notes: NS = no service provided. TC= transit center 1 Typical headway during the period cited. For O&M cost estimates, including estimates of hours and miles of service, the definition of peak, midday, evening and owl periods, the total span of service by route, and the number of one-way bus trips by route by period for 2015 is assumed to match 2010. 2 There is currently no owl service on Route 1 and Route 1R; it is provided on Routes 800 and 801. In 2015 and 2035, owl service is assumed to be incorporated into Route 1 and is shown accordingly under the No-Build Alternative. Owl service operates from approximately 12 midnight to 5:00 a.m. and therefore provides for 24-hour service coverage in the corridor. Source: AC Transit Route Schedules, Spring/Summer 2010.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-44 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-17. DOSL Alternative Service, 2015 and 2035 Weekday Headway in Minutes1 Weekend Headway in Minutes1 Evening Evening Midday Midday Peak Peak Route/ Owl Owl Segment Year Stops Central/East Oakland: 2015 16 5 5 10 60 8 8 15 60

Uptown TC at Broadway to High 2 Street 2035 16 5 5 10 60 8 8 15 60 East Oakland/ 2015 16 5 5 10 60 8 8 15 60 San Leandro: 2 High Street to San Leandro BART 2035 16 5 5 10 60 8 8 15 60 32 stops total Notes: 1 Typical headway during the period cited. For O&M cost estimates, including estimates of hours and miles of service, the hours by period are assumed to be approximately the same as for the No-Build. 2 Basic peak period headway is 5 minutes. Additional peak period, peak direction trips (10 one-way trips inbound in the a.m. and 8 one-way trips outbound in the p.m.) will operate between downtown Oakland and Seminary Avenue to provide extra capacity to meet forecast demand. The average headway on this segment would be 3.7 minutes in the a.m. and 4 minutes during the p.m. peak period. Source: Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-45 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-18. Operating Resources Required for No-Build and DOSL Alternative Service in Project Corridor1 Alternative No-Build (Routes 1R and 1 Local) DOSL Alternative Percent Percent Increase Operating Increase over over Parameter 2015 and 2035 2015 No-Build 2035 No-Build Annual 65,930 Rapid Platform 82,585 Local 149,000 1% 153,000 3% 2 Hours 148,515 Total 757,581 Rapid Annual 805,513 Local 1,690,000 8% 1,730,000 11% Vehicle Miles3 1,563,094 Total 17 Rapid 12 1/1R 13 1/1R Peak Vehicles 14 Local 22 BRT 10% 25 BRT 23% 31 Total 34 Total 38 Total 31 Rapid 40 1/1R 40 1/1R Stops/Stations4 102 Local 32 BRT 35%5 32 BRT 35%5 110 Total 72 Total 72 Total Notes: 1 This is net change comparison. Routes 1R and 1 service will be replaced by BRT in part. All Route 1R service is replaced from Downtown Oakland to BayFair BART. Route 1 service between Downtown Oakland and San Leandro BART will also be replaced but remain between San Leandro BART and BayFair. The hours, miles, vehicles, and stops shown for both the No-Build and DOSL Alternatives include planned service in the project corridor between Downtown Berkeley and San Leandro BART. For the DOSL Alternative this includes a combination of the DOSL BRT and Route 1 and Route 1R between Downtown Berkeley and Downtown Oakland 2 Platform hours include all hours a bus is in revenue service, laying over at the end of the line, and proceeding to/from the operating division. This is equivalent to the elapsed time from when the bus leaves the operating division until it returns. 3 Total miles operated, including while the bus is in revenue service and going to/from the operating division. 4 Bus stops served by Routes 1R and 1 and BRT stations served by East Bay BRT. Rapid and Local stops share the same general location although there are fewer designated Rapid stops. With the DOSL, Rapid and BRT stops would be adjacent at two locations in Downtown Oakland. 5 The percent change is the number of BRT and remaining Route 1R stations compared to total number of Route 1R stops in the No-Build Alternative. Source: AC Transit route performance statistics, Spring/Summer 2009; Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-46 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report 3.1.4.2 DOSL Alternative O&M COSTS The annual costs of operating and maintaining DOSL Alternative service as proposed are discussed in Chapter 8, Financial Analysis.

3.1.4.3 Transit Travel Speeds and Times The DOSL Alternative will substantially improve bus travel time and speed along the BRT alignment between Downtown Oakland and San Leandro BART. As shown in Table 3.1-19, average bus travel speeds would improve by 25 to 27 percent and travel times by 20 to 22 percent throughout the day compared to the No-Build for Year 2015. Speeds shown are the average for BRT buses only. Travel speeds in the northern portion of the corridor, north of Downtown Oakland, would not improve with the DOSL. Somewhat larger improvement in average speed and travel time is shown for Year 2035 in Table 3.1-20 as congestion in mixed flow lanes along the corridor increases.

As for the LPA, a major benefit of the DOSL is expected to be consistent, higher average bus speeds and high schedule reliability due to dedicated transit lanes and advance transit signal priority. However, the DOSL will not improve transit performance in the northern portion of the project corridor, north of Downtown Oakland.

The project will not affect travel times or speeds for BART or other transit operations.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-47 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-19. Average Bus Speeds in Corridor, No-Build Conditions and DOSL Alternative, 2015

No-Build Conditions (2015) DOSL Alternative (2015) % % Average Travel Average Increase Travel Decrease Time Speed Time Speed over No- Time from No- Period Segment (mph) (minutes) (mph) Build (minutes) Build 1 10.6 29.8 10.6 0% 29.8 0.0% AM North Peak South2 11.5 47.3 14.5 25.7% 37.6 20.5% North1 10.3 30.9 10.3 0% 30.9 0.0% Midday South2 11.2 48.7 14.3 27.3% 38.2 21.5% 1 9.7 32.6 9.7 0% 32.6 0.0% PM North Peak South2 10.7 50.7 13.6 26.2% 40.2 20.8% Notes: All times include station/stop dwells. 1 North corridor extends from Downtown Berkeley to Uptown Transit Center in Downtown Oakland. In both No- Build and DOSL Alternatives, numbers presented are a weighted average of Route 1R and Route 1. 2 South corridor extend from Uptown Transit Center in Downtown Oakland. In the No-Build Alternative numbers presented are a weighted average of Route 1R and Route 1. In the DOSL Alternative it reflects the DOSL Alternative BRT. Source: Kimley-Horn and Associates, December 2011.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-48 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Table 3.1-20. Average Bus Speeds in Corridor, No-Build Conditions and DOSL Alternative, 2035

No-Build DOSL Alternative (2035) Conditions (2035) Average Travel Average % Increase Travel % Decrease Time Speed Time Speed over Time from No- Period Segment (mph) (minutes) (mph) No-Build (minutes) Build 1 9.3 33.9 9.3 0% 33.9 0.0% AM North Peak South2 9.3 58.9 14.1 51.7% 38.8 34.1% North1 9.1 35.0 9.1 0% 35.0 0.0% Midday South2 9.1 60.1 13.8 52.5% 39.4 34.4% 1 8.6 37.0 8.6 0% 37.0 0.0% PM North Peak South2 8.7 62.9 13.6 56.4% 40.2 36.1% Notes: All times include station/stop dwells. 1 North corridor extends from Downtown Berkeley to Uptown Transit Center in Downtown Oakland. In both No- Build and DOSL Alternatives it is a weighted average of Route 1R and Route 1. 2 South corridor extend from Uptown Transit Center in Downtown Oakland. In the No-Build Alternative it is a weighted average of Route 1R and Route 1. In the DOSL Alternative it reflects the DOSL Alternative BRT. Source: Kimley-Horn and Associates, December2011.

3.1.4.4 Normal, Failure and Emergency Operations BRT buses will operate along the DOSL Alternative alignment in the same manner as described for the LPA except service will terminate and buses will turn back at the Uptown Transit Center in Downtown Oakland.

3.1.4.5 Future Fares Fare levels and policies are assumed to be the same for both the DOSL Alternative and LPA (see Section 3.1.3.6).

3.1.4.6 Transit Patronage AC Transit Future transit patronage in the project corridor is expected to increase both under the No-Build and build DOSL Alternative conditions, but will increase more under the latter. In 2015, the DOSL Alternative is forecast to generate approximately 36,000 boardings along the entire project corridor from Downtown Berkeley to San Leandro BART, an increase of 11,400 (46 percent) over the 2015 No-Build Alternative. By 2035, the DOSL Alternative is forecast to generate approximately 53,300 transit boardings along the entire project corridor from Downtown Berkeley to San Leandro BART, an increase of 19,300 (56 percent) over the No-

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-49 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Build Alternative. Table 3.1-21 summarizes DOSL and No-Build Alternative boardings by year, and Figure 3.1-8 shows graphically the change in boardings.

New transit trips in the East Bay resulting from project implementation are approximately 2,500 in 2015 and 6,700 in 2035. Most of these trips will be former auto trips diverted to transit by the improved travel speed and convenience of BRT service in the corridor.

Table 3.1-21. Average Weekday Transit Patronage: 2015 and 2035 No-Build Alternative and 2015 and 2035 DOSL Alternative 2015 2035 FINAL EIS/EIR No- 2015 No- 2035 Ridership Results Build Build Increase Build Build Increase Total Corridor Average Weekday Boardings1 24,600 36,000 11,400 34,000 53,300 19,300 North Corridor 7,300 10,700 South Corridor2 28,700 42,600 AC Transit Average Weekday Boardings 244,000 249,800 5,800 324,400 336,900 12,500 BART Average Weekday Boardings3 269,600 268,800 -800 340,300 340,200 -100 Average Weekday Linked Transit Trips (New Riders) 2,500 6,700 Notes: 1 Corridor boardings include transit boardings on the entire project corridor, extending between Downtown Berkeley and San Leandro BART. For the No-Build, this includes boardings on Route 1 and Route 1R between Downtown Berkeley and San Leandro BART. For the Build Alternative, this includes boardings on the segments of Route 1 and 1R to remain north of Downtown Oakland and the DOSL. 2 BRT Alignment boardings include transit boardings on the project corridor between Downtown Oakland and San Leandro BART. For the No-Build, this includes boardings on that portion of Route 1 and Route 1R. For the Build, this includes all boardings on the DOSL. 3 BART boardings includes only those riders going to/from/thru Alameda County Stations Source: Cambridge Systematics, November 2010 Travel Forecasts

AC Transit systemwide average weekday boardings will be approximately 249,800 in 2015 and 336,900 in 2035 with implementation of the DOSL Alternative. These totals are slightly less than the total forecast system boardings under the LPA.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-50 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Figure 3.1-8. DOSL Alternative and No-Build Boardings Corridor Transit Boardings with DOSL 60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000 No-Build DOSL

20,000

10,000

0 Existing 2015 2035

BART Patronage The net effect on BART of the DOSL Alternative will be approximately 100 fewer boardings systemwide on an average weekday in 2035.

Other Transit Patronage Other transit systems are not expected to experience any substantial change in boardings or alightings with the implementation of DOSL Alternative BRT service.

3.1.5 Safety and Security Safety and security for transit customers and the general public can be improved with the implementation of the East Bay BRT project, where safety and security are defined as:

x Safety – freedom from hazards, as demonstrated by reduced accident rates, injuries, and improved perception of safety. x Security – the actual and perceived freedom from criminal activities and potential threats against customers and property.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-51 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report Data measuring the difference in safety and security of BRT systems as compared with the rest of the respective region’s transit system are rarely collected. Drawing conclusions about the efficacy of BRT elements in promoting safety and security is therefore premature. Data from other cities3 suggest that BRT operations on exclusive transitways have fewer accidents per unit (vehicle mile or vehicle hour) of service than conventional local transit operations in mixed traffic. Customer perceptions of “personal safety” or security reveal that customers perceive BRT systems to be safer than the rest of the transit system.

Experiences in other cities indicate the need for significant attention to collision prevention where buses intersect with general automobile traffic during the first few months of operation. To mitigate for potential accidents, the East Bay BRT system is being designed with a majority of the project in dedicated lanes where there is no conflict with other vehicles, and left turns will be allowed only at signalized intersections with left turn pockets. BRT and left turns will operate on separate signal phases. Additionally, there will be warning signs and flashing signals where appropriate warning motorists not to turn against the signal. After drivers have learned to drive in the transit corridor, other cities show that accident rates do go down.

Dedicated lanes for the BRT are restricted to buses and emergency vehicles only. Violators will be ticketed by local law enforcement agencies. The dedicated lanes will be clearly demarcated with signage, striping and rumble strips so they will not be confused with general travel lanes. AC Transit recognizes that removing traffic lanes for BRT in congested corridors may create a bottleneck hindering access by emergency vehicles. Therefore, emergency vehicles may use the dedicated lanes whenever needed. Response times for emergency vehicles will not be degraded in the corridor.

3.1.5.1 AC Transit’s Security Policy AC Transit has a security contract with the Alameda County Sheriff. The Sheriff’s office enforces bus stop parking restrictions, handles all law enforcement issues on the bus, and performs other security responsibilities. The relationship between the Sheriff’s office and possible fare inspectors will be determined at a future date. It is assumed that the Sheriff would enforce bus lane restrictions in addition to their existing duties although the legislation to permit this has not yet been created.

In addition, AC Transit does not have its own security staff but does contract for security guards at some of their facilities. As part of AC Transit's ongoing effort to ensure safety and security, AC Transit has provided training to nearly 300 first responders in Oakland and the surrounding communities. AC Transit does have roving supervisors for the transit system who report on security issues they find along the transit routes and on the buses. In addition, when the East Bay BRT project begins operation, there will be additional inspectors hired to check for validated tickets on-board the buses. The roving ticket inspectors will be additional “eyes on the scene” who can report security issues to the local city police departments and back to AC Transit administration.

3 “Characteristics of Bus Rapid Transit for Decision-Making,” Federal Transit Administration Office of Research, Demonstration and Innovation, February 2009

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-52 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report AC Transit has adopted policies to prevent crime by raising passengers’ awareness of potentially dangerous people or packages and providing a call-in number to report potential problems. In partnership with several regional transit agencies the District has placed signs and brochures on buses to remind passengers to stay alert and have a plan of action in case they notice suspicious activity or packages while waiting for the bus. Onboard brochures include tips for identifying potential problems and for being prepared in the event of a dangerous or unusual situation. Related to transit stations, following are some of the most important areas that will be addressed during the project design phase:

x Providing enhanced lighting at BRT stops and stations x Use of graffiti resistant surfaces in reachable areas, including glass surfaces x Use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras with recording capabilities at BRT stations x Emergency telephones/call buttons at BRT stations x Continued use of cameras and emergency equipment on buses x Appropriate use of landscaping (e.g., does not block CCTV cameras or provide areas of concealment, etc.) x Clear sight-lines for employees and patrons to observe and be observed through the majority of the station x Pre-paid ticket area with enforcement x Proactive anti-terrorism design such as wall typologies, location of bollards, garbage cans, etc. design/location to make it difficult to deposit explosives and incendiary devices x Protection of pedestrians as they cross through bus zones or other access points x Other safety and security features as determined during detailed design in consultation with corridor cities.

AC Transit East Bay BRT Project January 2012 3.1-53 Final Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report