BRT IN DOWNTOWN BERKELEY DISCUSSED ON KQED’S FORUM

Matt Taecker, principal city planner for Berkeley, was interviewed about plans for downtown Berkeley on KQED’s Forum with Michael Krasny on Sept. 27, 2006.

Listen to the interview (Downtown Evolutions) at:

http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R609270900

Matt Taecker makes several references to BRT and transit:

“BRT, which is a lot like light rail, is projected to be
coming to downtown Berkeley.”

“Now the fact that the Hotel/Conference Center,
University Art Museum, and Bus Rapid Transit are
coming...”

"Transit is going to play a very key role, with Bus Rapid Transit and the BART station..."

“Put incentives for Eco-Pass in place.”

"One of the best ways to save energy in the future and to encourage walking and alternatives to the car is to capitalize on transit..."

New Survey Finds San Francisco Backs BRT

According to a front-page story in yesterday's San Francisco Examiner, an overwhelming majority of San Francisco voters favor creating a Bus Rapid Transit network, with dedicated bus lanes, throughout the city.

Though there is vocal opposition to BRT in San Francisco from residents who claim it will worsen traffic congestion, a recent poll found that the great majority of San Francisco voters back BRT.

In Berkeley, also, the opponents of BRT make lots of noise. But I suspect that, if we had a survey here, it would find that they are a small minority, just as they are in San Francisco.

Here are some excerpts from the Examiner article:

"A new survey of San Francisco voters shows support for the idea of rapid-transit bus-only lanes on two of The City’s busiest corridors.

Supporters of the proposed bus lines, along Van Ness Avenue and Geary Boulevard, say the transit-only lanes would speed Muni along since the buses wouldn’t get stalled behind other vehicles or stopped at traffic lights."

"The survey, conducted by David Binder Research on behalf of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, a public policy organization, revealed that 78 percent of local voters polled supported the creation of a BRT network in The City.

Even when asked specifically if there was interest in a BRT line on Geary that would 'use center lanes for a dedicated bus-way instead of for car traffic,' 46 percent of those surveyed 'strongly' supported the public transportation proposal, with another 19 percent indicating they 'somewhat' support plan. Less than one-fourth, or 22 percent, opposed the plan, and another 13 percent said they 'didn’t know.'"

"Cities around the country are starting to use BRT lines to increase transit use on busy traffic corridors, American Public Transportation Association official David Hull said. Although initially traffic congestion could increase, he said, eventually it would decrease as more people opted for the convenience of a faster bus line, he said."

The entire article is available at:
http://www.examiner.com/a-303409~Poll_finds_S_F__voters_back_rapid_transit_bus_lanes.html