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 purpose of developing an LPA is to focus on a specific route design that the City feels could work best for Berkeley.

Where are we now?

Staff has 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 has developed a draft LPA for discussion. This LPA was presented to community stakeholders, such as neighborhood and business organizations, along the proposed route. It has also been 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.

The next meetings regarding the LPA are: Transportation Commission, February 2, 2010, and Planning Commission, February 10, 2010 (see LPA meeting schedule). Agendas and staff reports for these meetings will be posted on this site as they become available.   

The primary purpose of the LPA process is to collect community comments on this proposal.  There are two reasons for this:

1. To develop a route design that the citizens of Berkeley would like AC Transit to study; and
2. To determine major issues of concern for AC Transit to study.

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.

Draft LPA Documents and Handouts 

February 4, 2010 Transporation Commission Meeting

• Staff Report: BRT Draft Locally Preferred Alternative 
• Attachment 1: Motion from 12-9-09 Planning Commission meeting 
• Attachment 2: Evaluation Matrix of segment options 
• Attachment 3: Description of alignments studied in the matrix 
• Attachment 4: Revised graphics based on Planning Commission direction (large file, approx. 13MB. Individual figures below)
  • Figure B: BRT Southside Area Overflow - Variant 1
  • Figure C: BRT Southside Area Overflow - Variant 2
  • Figures 1-4: Telegraph Avenue - Woolsey Street to Ashby Avenue; Ashby Avenue to Ward Street; Ward Street to Dwight Way; Dwight Way to Bancroft Way 
  • Figures 5-8: Bancroft Way - Telegraph Avenue to Ellsworth Street; Ellsworth Street to Shattuck Avenue; Shattuck Avenue - Durant Avenue to Center Street; Shattuck Avenue - Allston Way to Addison Street 
  • Figures 9-A: Durant Avenue - Shattuck Avenue to Ellsworth Street; Ellsworth Street to Telegraph Avenue; Southside Area Overflow 
• Attachment 5: Drawing of corner of Bancroft and Telegraph 
• Attachment 6: Correspondence received at or after the 12-9-09 Planning Commission meeting 

November 19, 2009 Transportation Commission Staff Report:

• Staff Report 
• Attachment A: October 14, 2009 letter from AC Transit re LPA process 
• Attachment B: Comment cards from stakeholder meetings 
• Attachment C: E-mail correspondence regarding BRT and draft LPA Attachment D: Letters and petition regarding BRT and draft LPA
• Attachment E: Response to questions memo 
• Attachment F: Options for the current draft LPA 

For a list of Frequently Asked Questions, please visit the Berkeley Bus Rapid Transit FAQs! This page will be updated as more questions are presented, so please check back frequently.

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Documents that informed 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 

LPA Meeting Schedule

The Locally Preferred Alternative will be discussed at the following meetings.  More information will be added as additional meetings are scheduled.

• Transportation Commission meeting – Thursday, February 4, 2010, 7:00 PM, North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Avenue
• Planning Commission meeting – Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 7:00 PM, North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Avenue

Background of the EBBRT process: How did we get here?

• City Council Resolution 61,170-N.S. supporting BRT and Telegraph alignment
• City Council Item 27 on Developing a City-Preferred Alternative for Bus Rapid Transit. October 23, 2007
• Past City of Berkeley meetings relative to the BRT:
  • December 16, 2008 - City Council Item #32, Status Report on the Development of City Preferred Alternative for BRT 
  • September 24, 2008 - Planning Commission Item #10, BRT for Berkeley information and next steps 
  • September 18, 2008 - Transportation Commission (please see September 24, 2008, above)
  • June 25, 2008 - Planning Commission Item #11, Process for determining Berkeley's preferred alternative for Bus Rapid Transit 
  • June 11, 2008 - Joint Planning Commission/Transportation Commission, Item #7, Discussion of steps and background information to develop Bus Rapid Transit alternatives for City Council 
  • October 23, 2007 - City Council Item #27 on Developing a City-Preferred Alternative for Bus Rapid Transit 

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