Responses to Questions About the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Project and Draft Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA)
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Item 12 - Attachment 6 Attachment B1-E Responses to Questions about the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Project and Draft Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) Following is a list of questions about the East Bay BRT Project and the City of Berkeley’s staff proposal for a draft LPA compiled from written comments received through November 9, 2009 and questions submitted by the Willard Neighborhood in September 2009. Questions and answers are arranged into the following subject areas: 1. Traffic Impacts 2. Parking Impacts 3. Pedestrian and Bicycle Impacts 4. Land Use, Economic and Business Impacts 5. Transit Ridership/Demand 6. Route and Stops 7. Project Costs 8. Local Bus Service 9. Transit Fare 10. Other Questions 1. Traffic Impacts 1.1 What are the potential traffic mitigations that could be implemented in the Willard neighborhood? [Response from AC Transit.] To ensure an effective BRT project, consideration of trade- offs related to the movement of persons in the corridor is required. Dedicated use of a travel lane for the BRT system will likely result in traffic diversion from Telegraph onto local streets. To understand the likelihood, magnitude and specific locations of this effect, neighborhood traffic analysis will be conducted as part of the FEIS/R. To address potential adverse effects to local streets, AC Transit is considering implementing a neighborhood traffic protection program. The neighborhood protection program would assist in paying for the installation of devices to reduce traffic volumes or reduce traffic speeds on local streets, should they be adversely affected by the BRT project. AC Transit and the cities will need to establish criteria for when a local street is considered adversely affected and action is warranted. Possible criteria include traffic volume increases above a certain threshold; traffic speed increases above a certain threshold; number of collisions, injuries, and fatalities; and proximity to sensitive uses such as schools, senior centers, libraries, hospitals, etc. 1.2 How will the potential for traffic diversion into neighborhoods adjacent to Telegraph Avenue be studied? How will it be determined if a neighborhood has been impacted? 1 Item 12 - Attachment 6 Attachment B1-E [Response from AC Transit.] A neighborhood diversion analysis will be conducted to evaluate the effects of increased intersection and roadway congestion on adjacent neighborhoods. Based on findings from the neighborhood diversion analysis, AC Transit will work with stakeholder agencies to develop a policy addressing potential neighborhood diversion impacts due to the proposed BRT project. The neighborhood diversion study will comprise the following: • Comparison of travel times on major arterials and local streets in the vicinity of congested intersections and roadways. This information will be used to assess the attractiveness of local streets as alternate routes. • Assessment of travel patterns where local street and major arterial travel times are similar. Trip origins and destinations will be used to determine the likelihood of diversion to local streets. • Evaluation of potential diversion using established criteria to determine if a neighborhood is impacted. AC Transit will establish criteria in cooperation with the cities. 1.3 What provisions are being made to prevent an increase in traffic cutting through Willard and Le Conte since Telegraph will no longer be an arterial? (question from Willard Neighborhood) Other than the Ashby intersection, no changes have been proposed along College. However, additional traffic analysis will be done as part of the FEIS, and the City will have an opportunity to review and comment on that analysis. Additional stop lights or other improvements could be added to the proposal. See LPA pages 4-2 through 4-7 and 4-9. 1.4 What will be done to facilitate a safe and timely left hand turn onto Telegraph Avenue from Ashby Avenue during rush hours? Perhaps, a dedicated left turn lane or turn signal? (question from Willard Neighborhood) A left turn lane from Ashby has not been proposed in the draft LPA. Signal timing at all intersections along the BRT corridor will be optimized as part of the project and should facilitate turn movements. 1.5 If Dwight Way between Prospect and Martin Luther King was made a two- way street would this decrease the number of vehicles cutting through the neighborhoods? Haste could also be made into a two-way street so that traffic going north on Telegraph would no longer have to drive into the commercial district to go east on Haste. (question from Willard Neighborhood) This question is outside the scope of what was considered in the draft LPA. Please see the Draft South Side Plan (http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=420) for a discussion of traffic circulation in the South Side area. 2 Item 12 - Attachment 6 Attachment B1-E 1.6 How will the BRT project impact vehicle congestion and total person throughput on Telegraph Avenue? [Response from AC Transit.] For the DEIS/R, AC Transit developed information on vehicle delay at individual intersections on Telegraph Avenue and other roadways in Berkeley. This information is reported in the DEIS/R and the draft LPA. Using this information, AC Transit estimates that automobile travel times on Telegraph Avenue will increase somewhat in the year 2025, taking 7.1 minutes to drive during the afternoon peak hour from Telegraph and Alcatraz to Telegraph and Bancroft with the BRT in place versus 5.3 minutes without. The travel time increase during other times of the day would be less. In contrast, bus travel time between the same two points would decrease, from 6.5 minutes without BRT to 4.9 minutes with. If waiting time for buses is included, the decrease is from 12.5 minutes to 7.4 minutes. Person delay at individual intersections is a measure that accounts for delays to all travelers, including those in private vehicles and those in buses. AC Transit is planning to develop person delay information for intersections throughout Berkeley for the FEIS/R. 1.7 Will all traffic diverters in the areas near the BRT be removed to make room for increased traffic on neighboring streets? (question from Willard Neighborhood) No, the draft LPA does not propose changes to traffic diverters. City staff has asked AC Transit to strengthen their analysis of potential increases in traffic on neighborhood streets and to actually monitor traffic in the event that the project is implemented and to add additional calming devices if needed to reduce unanticipated impacts on neighborhood streets. See LPA page 4-9. 1.8 If the city approves BRT and traffic through neighborhood streets increases significantly as a result, would we be able to have traffic diverters installed as mitigation? (question from Willard Neighborhood) The City is very concerned about impacts on neighborhood streets and staff have asked AC Transit to both strengthen their study in this area and to monitor traffic in the neighborhoods in the event that the project is implemented. The draft LPA lists mitigation strategies recommended by city staff, such as proposing that AC Transit pay for a monitoring program, including set-asides for additional improvements, should they prove necessary. See LPA pages 4-2 through 4-7 and 4-9. 1.9 Are AC Transit’s traffic projections objective? Has the city considered getting a second opinion on this critical issue from an objective source tasked to study it (where there is no conflict of interest)? (question from Willard Neighborhood) 3 Item 12 - Attachment 6 Attachment B1-E The traffic analysis was conducted by an independent consultant, not by AC Transit itself. In addition, the City has asked for more detailed analysis which will be conducted as part of the final environmental review. The City will have an opportunity to review the results of this updated traffic study prior to considering the merits of the BRT project. 1.10 I travel the Telegraph Ave. route north between Ashby and Haste regularly and have found that cars in the left lane on Telegraph often turn onto one or another of the side streets, holding up the left lane until the opposing traffic breaks. If there is no right lane for cars wanting to continue on Telegraph to move into, will this cause a tie-up? Will Telegraph Ave. still be a convenient travel route for cars going north-south? (question from Willard Neighborhood) The draft LPA proposes that wherever left turns are allowed, there will be left-turn lanes, which should avoid the back-up you have identified. No left turns will be allowed at any intersection that does not provide a dedicated left turn lane, facilitating through movement. 1.11 What will be the increase in traffic on College Avenue and on Shattuck Avenue, particularly during rush hours when the traffic is ‘diverted’ from Telegraph? What will be done to mitigate the effects of this traffic? It will be more difficult to cross Shattuck and to make left turns onto Shattuck and for pedestrians to cross the street. Would it help to install a stop light at the intersection of Derby and Shattuck and have no left turns onto or off of Carleton, Parker and Blake Streets without a signal during rush hours? (question from Willard Neighborhood) During the PM peak hour a 3% increase is projected on Shattuck and a 17% increase on College. AC Transit is proposing improvements to the intersection of College and Ashby, and other intersections could be similarly improved using adjustments to signal timing or new turn lanes. Significant additional traffic analysis will be done in the FEIS including refining mitigation measures if traffic congestion is projected to increase beyond City standards. The City will have an opportunity to consider the updated traffic data prior to considering the overall project.