Welcome to the City of Berkeley Bus Rapid Transit Information Site!
BRT-LPA Overview
AC Transit has proposed a new transit project for the Berkeley-Oakland-San Leandro corridor: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The BRT project would be similar to light rail, as it would have lanes dedicated for buses and stations with raised platforms to allow easy boarding. Please click the image for a larger view. 
The City Council directed the Planning and Transportation staff to evaluate the proposed East Bay BRT (EBBRT) project and determine how the project might affect the City. Staff has studied the AC Transit alternatives and developed a draft Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) to show potential impacts and benefits and to open discussion.
The primary purpose of the LPA process is to collect community comments on this proposal. There are two reasons for this:
- To develop a route design that the citizens of Berkeley would like AC Transit to study; and
- To determine major issues of concern for AC Transit to study.
Most Recent Actions
At the April 29th meeting, the City Council decided to forward two LPAs to AC Transit:
- The Rapid Bus Plus option developed by a community group; and
- The Reduced Impact Alternative developed by Mayor Bates.
Neither option has dedicated lanes, nor converts the one-way portion of Telegraph Avenue to two-way traffic. The Mayor’s proposal incorporates raised passenger platforms (at the sidewalk) for level boarding, while the Rapid Bus Plus proposal does not. Please click on this link to view the May 6, 2010 letter to AC Transit.
NOTE: A June 22nd Council Meeting was proposed to reconsider the April 29th decision, but no additional hearing was held.
AC Transit will incorporate the LPAs from Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro into its Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report (FEIS/R) for the BRT project. After the FEIS/R is released in Summer/Fall 2010, each city will make the final decisions on BRT as they relate to use of the public right-of-way within their jurisdiction.
Where are we now?
LPA Background
Staff evaluated AC Transit’s general alignment concepts and the proposed benefits and impacts studied in the Draft Environmental Impact Study/Report (DEIS/R). Using this information, as well as additional information from AC Transit and studies conducted by the City and its consultants, staff developed a draft LPA for discussion. This LPA was presented to community stakeholders, such as neighborhood and business organizations, along the proposed route. It was also discussed at the November 19, 2009 Transportation Commission meeting and at the December 9, 2009 Planning Commission meeting. Both meetings were preceded by an hour-long information session to provide the community with an additional opportunity to learn about BRT and the draft LPA.
In February, each commission had a second meeting to review LPA changes recommended at the 12/9/09 Planning Commission meeting. On February 10, 2010, the Planning Commission forwarded a Build Alternative (rather than the term “LPA”) for study to the City Council.
In April 2010, the Council held two meetings to consider an LPA for the BRT project: April 20th and April 29th. The agenda and staff report for these meeting is posted on the Council web site.
Additional Links of Interest
Documents that informed about Berkeley's LPA Process:
"BRT for Berkeley: A Proposal for Consideration, City of Berkeley Staff Proposal for a Locally Preferred Alternative of the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Project, September 8, 2009 - Chapter 5: Next Steps"
For More Information
Please take some time to review the information on this site by clicking on the various links. If you have specific questions about the City’s process for evaluating BRT or if you would like to submit a comment about the project, please send an e-mail to brt@cityofberkeley.info.
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