Friends of BRT

Home

Beier Vs. AC Transit
Claire Risley,
Berkeley Daily Planet, 10/31/2006

Editors, Daily Planet:

So, is George Beier running against AC Transit? You might think so, based on the misleading campaign flyer that recently arrived in District 7 mailboxes. While George never uses the words "Bus Rapid Transit" (BRT), that's what he's talking about when he falsely claims that bus-only lanes on Telegraph will lead to more traffic. Beier says BRT will cause gridlock on Telegraph. How does he know this? AC Transit says that, based on their analysis, BRT will reduce traffic overall and won't cause major problems to traffic flow on Telegraph. There will still be turning lanes at intersections and will be room for both cars and buses.

AC Transit will soon be releasing their BRT EIR, complete with a detailed traffic analysis, soon. Please, George, read that. It makes sense that BRT will reduce traffic. Dedicated lanes will allow buses to move faster and not get stuck in traffic; it will help them stay on schedule. Faster, more reliable service will attract new riders from among those who currently drive. That's what happened in Los Angeles with their new BRT line; the faster service attracted people who had formerly driven to work.

So with BRT, traffic will decrease. As a result, less pollutants, including greenhouse gases will make it into the air. Is Beier not concerned about global warming? We know that in California, cars and trucks are the single biggest source of the emissions that cause global warming. Don't we want to encourage people to use transit? Don't we want our council members to work with AC Transit to improve transit? And what about District 7 residents? BRT is not only good for people commuting to Berkeley. District 7 has more transit-dependent residents than any other part of the city. Students make up more than half the residents and a sizeable majority of them don't own cars or, at least, don't bring them with them when they live in the dorms and apartment buildings. Should these students have to put up with slow, unreliable bus service?

Based on the latest campaign filings, Beier's Council campaign has spent more than any other City Council campaign in Berkeley history. He has spent about 50 percent more than incumbent mayor Tom Bates--and Bates is running citywide in all eight districts. It's a shame that Beier is spending his campaign money on misleading flyers about crime and transit. In addition, the Chamber of Commerce PAC, which is headed up by a Republican, is putting out disgusting hit pieces trashing Kriss Worthington, Beier's opponent. Like Beier's own campaign materials, these flyers are full of statements that just aren't true. Beware of last minute negative campaigning. Talk is cheap; look at each candidate's record. What has Beier actually ever done besides putting out misleading campaign literature that would make him a good choice for council?

Claire Risley

Bus Rapid Transit
Steve Geller,
Berkeley Daily Planet, 10/31/2006

Editors, Daily Planet:

Bus-only lanes have become a political football. The planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is supposed to reduce the car traffic on Telegraph, but we hear fear that a bus-only lane for the BRT will generate gridlock and spill traffic onto side streets. During the recent District 7 debate at the City Club, a representative of the Telegraph merchants wanted both candidates to solemnly swear they'd never allow a bus-only lane.

District 7 Council candidate George Beier just sent out a mailer in which he claims that the BRT will cause gridlock on Telegraph. Beier has long been opposed to making a traffic lane into a bus-only lane. Beier's mailer offers no facts to back up his claim of gridlock. AC Transit's Jim Cunradi, who manages the BRT project, says that no BRT system anywhere has caused gridlock. Cunradi has documentation for numerous BRT examples. Beier should read some of this stuff. A bus-only lane makes bus trips faster than car trips, so that a substantial number of people will choose to commute by bus instead of clogging Telegraph with their cars. If a BRT is properly deployed, there are actually fewer cars on the road. People like Beier seem to think that nobody would ride a bus to work in progressive Berkeley, but would rather contribute to gridlock, air pollution and global warming. AC Transit will soon release the environmental impact report (EIR) on the BRT. Perhaps this will clear up the confusion generated by the politics. I hope Beier reads the EIR.

The anti-bus hysteria has also fixated on fear of a "Transit mall" which supposedly would create a bus-only zone on Telegraph, north of Dwight. Cars would not be allowed north of Dwight. I don't think there are any plans for a "transit mall," beyond the existing group of bus stops on Bancroft at the end of Telegraph, but there are definitely proposals for a bus-only lane on Telegraph, perhaps only during the commute hours.

AC Transit hasn't decided whether a bus-only lane on Telegraph is needed for the BRT project. The EIR will include a traffic analysis. I wish we could read it now, instead of Beier's uninformed hysteria. Berkeley is supposed to have pledged to do something effective about air pollution and global warming. Are we going to have leadership, or will our politicians purvey hysteria?

Steve Geller

Beier's Fear-Mongering
Len Conly,
Berkeley Daily Planet, 10/31/2006

Editors, Daily Planet:

George Beier recently sent out a campaign mailer that attacks AC Transit's proposal to improve bus service on Telegraph Ave via implementation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). His brochure presents a distorted picture of BRT, contains statements that are clearly false--especially his assertion that it will mean "more traffic."

Beier says that BRT's dedicated lanes will "cause gridlock on Telegraph and route cars through Bateman and Willard". This is simply untrue. What is the source for this misinformation? In tiny print at the bottom of the mailer, it says: "check the facts" and then refers people to an article in the Daily Planet from Jan. 30, 2004. Does this article from 2004 report on the results of a traffic study or provide some other evidence that BRT will cause "gridlock"? It does not. The vast majority of people who receive Beier's misleading mailer will not check this alleged source. You can check it out yourself on the Daily Planet's website. Beier's mailer also states, again with no evidence, that BRT "would send thousands of cars through LeConte [neighborhood west of Telegraph]."

The details of how BRT will impact traffic in Berkeley will be revealed as soon as AC Transit releases its environmental impact report, which is expected by the end of the year. The EIR will contain a detailed traffic analysis and will show intersection by intersection what the impacts of BRT will be.

But rather than waiting for the facts, Beier has decided to engage in fear-mongering. Do District 7 residents want to be represented by someone who tries to scare them with unsubstantiated assertions? Do they want a councilmember who makes decisions without carefully evaluating the real facts?

Bus Rapid Transit will reduce traffic along the Telegraph corridor. BRT will reduce bus travel time and improve reliability of service, and, by doing so, will attract new riders who currently drive. One of the primary reasons that people give for choosing to drive instead of using public transit is that buses take too long and often don't stay on schedule. A well-designed BRT system will simplify boarding for disabled passengers. AC Transit is estimating that ridership will increase by 30-40 percent. This will mean a reduction of trips by automobile and a reduction in global warming emissions. The more people who decide to switch to transit as a result of improved service, the more traffic along Telegraph will be reduced. Beier, in his campaign, is not talking about local initiatives to address global warming or about sustainable development. In California, the transportation sector is responsible for over 40 percent of global warming emissions. Instead of working to improve transit and reduce emissions, Beier is making assertions that have no factual basis and seems to be trying to get elected by bashing AC Transit. Beier also falsely implies that a transit mall on Telegraph between Dwight and Bancroft is the only option for that segment of the proposed BRT route. In fact, it's only one of the options being considered and evaluated in the EIR. AC Transit and the city may opt to leave those blocks as they are. Policy-making should be based on a careful evaluation of the best available information. Let's wait for the traffic analysis to be released instead of rushing to judgement.

Len Conly