Bus Changes Coming

Did you head downtown yesterday to voice your concerns about and enthusiasm for the upcoming Port Authority changes? Neither did I. But you still have at least one more chance to let your voice be heard - Monday night in Oakland.

Among the proposed changes:

1.) Eliminating some of the 15,000 stops. Currently, the bus stops are way too clustered. The new plan: "On some routes, the proposed changes call for stops a quarter-mile apart -- a 15-minute walk at a moderate pace." (I know they're accounting for Pittsburgh-level fitness and terrain here but a "moderate" pace makes you walk a 20-minute mile - or about 5 minutes for a quarter mile - a very reasonable time to be expected to walk for public transportation.)

2) Reducing the ridiculous and confusing route variations. "For instance, the 46G Elizabeth route, which currently has 36 variations, would have just two."

3) Making the 28X an actual airport express by eliminating the time-consuming detour through Robinson. This one deserves the most mention because it could make the service a lot more appealing to every level of airport rider. I'll happily pay extra (it's only $2.60 right now to get to the airport) for more added convenience.

To see how you could personally be effected, check out: Concept 1 & Concept 2

Personally, I'm a big fan of Concept 2 which puts a highlights on our existing light rail services and increases the frequency of existing light rail service. We barely have any light-rail in our city, and as it stands now we're barely using it. Let's maximize what we have, integrate the new North Shore Connector into existing routes, and keep building.

If all goes well, these changes could be voted on as soon as September.

See you Monday!