AC Transit Board of Directors Candidate Responses

At Large

Nancy M. Skowbo

Ellis Jerry Powell
[No Response]

Joel B. Young
[No Response]

Dollene C. Jones

At Large

Nancy M. Skowbo

Ellis Jerry Powell
[No Response]

Joel B. Young
[No Response]

Dollene C. Jones
1. In London, Paris, and some Latin American countries, there are bus lanes that bicyclists are allowed to share with buses. When the bus approaches, the bicyclists move out of the way. Do you feel this approach could be implemented in the East Bay with bus rapid transit? Please explain (300 words or less)

Since I am a Bus Driver of 21 yrs. and bicyclist we all know that bikes don’t move out of the way all the time, when the bus approaches. Due to the narrower streets where parked cars, buses and bikes all share the road; we have to be EXTRA CAREFUL if the BRT ever becomes a reality. SAFETY should be FIRST!!! for all parties.

2. San Francisco Muni drivers are trained to safely share the road with bicyclists. Do you support dedicating AC Transit funding for bus driver training of bus-bike conflicts? Please explain. (300 words or less)

Yes, I support all SAFETY training funding for buses,bikes and pedestrians. DMV should have a page or two in this effort as well.

3. Transit systems in other US cities, such as Phoenix for example, allows bicyclists to bring their bikes onboard buses when the front racks are full of bikes. This is particularly needed late at night. Do you support AC Transit implementing such a policy? Please explain (300 words or less)

Well do to the up coming SERVICE CUTS there are going to be alot of people onboard and LIABILTY plays a factor when a bike falls on a baby. If late policy was enforced I see no problem. More disscusion on the subject is needed.

4. The Bicycle Coalition is working with many cities to stripe bike lanes on roadways where it is necessary to remove a lane of travel for cars to make room for the bike lanes, leaving one lane of travel in each direction for cars and buses. Example of these types of roadways are Foothill Blvd and 40th Street in Oakland, and Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley. AC Transit is concerned about bus delays and the associated added expense of having to run more buses to maintain on-time bus service. What do you see as the solution to this challenge? Please explain (300 words or less)

Solutions to this problem can be reached if (measurements of parked cars, bikes, buses and pedestrians) worked together. As I mentioned before SAFETY for all should be Number One!! On-time bus service goes out the window when someone hits a pedestrian,bicyclist or small/ big animal. Going out to different sites to see what works best is a good idea too!

5. Few bus shelters in the East Bay have bike racks installed. What can AC Transit do to help increase bike racks at AC Transit bus stops? Please explain. (300 words or less)

I would have to do more research on bikes racks at the bus stops, what it would cost and what are the SAFETY factors involved.

6. There is great potential to increase transit usage in the East Bay by making our communities more walkable and more bikeable. How should AC Transit and pedestrian and bicycle-advocacy organizations work more closely together to achieve these common goals? Please explain (300 words or less)

ABSOLUTELY!!

Elsa Ortiz
1. In London, Paris, and some Latin American countries, there are bus lanes that bicyclists are allowed to share with buses. When the bus approaches, the bicyclists move out of the way. Do you feel this approach could be implemented in the East Bay with bus rapid transit? Please explain (300 words or less)

Local municipalities and transit agencies must allow for bicycle and pedestrian paths when planning for housing development or transit projects. AC transit believes in the importance of encouraging the use of bicycles as a form of transportation. Based on the Oakland Bicycle Master Plan and in further collaboration with the city of Oakland, we have included bike lanes on the Oakland-Telegraph segment of the BRT project as well as on International Blvd, from 54th Avenue south to the border with San Leandro.

I do support such training. AC has had such training for many years and it is part of our operators’ yearly refresher course. My colleague, Chris Peeples, arranged for the trainers from EBBC and Cycles of Change to spend time with our training department last winter. Those meetings were very productive and resulted in a number of videos that are used in AC’s training. I do not know if they are being used by EBBC and Cycles of Change.

I would be willing to consider it. As stated in our Operator User Guide:
“On non-MCI coaches only between the hours of Midnight and 5:30am [sic.] weekdays and Midnight to 9:00am [sic.] weekends and holidays, customers are allowed to board the coach with their bicycles when the front rack is full and room is available inside the coach. Bicycles are allowed as long as there is sufficient room for them to be stowed so that they do not block the aisle.”

I have not heard any reports of how that is working. I have heard of disputes among passengers and between passengers and operators in San Jose where VTA allows bikes on buses at night. One of the concerns expressed by Local 192 (our Operators Union) is the possibility of disputes between our passengers. Also, during peak hours most of our buses are quite full and some lines are quite full all day and most of the night.

4. The Bicycle Coalition is working with many cities to stripe bike lanes on roadways where it is necessary to remove a lane of travel for cars to make room for the bike lanes, leaving one lane of travel in each direction for cars and buses. Examples of these types of roadways are Foothill Blvd and 40th Street in Oakland, and Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley. AC Transit is concerned about bus delays and the associated added expense of having to run more buses to maintain on-time bus service. What do you see as the solution to this challenge? Please explain (300 words or less)

As you imply, the way the changes on Foothill were implemented was a disaster for AC Transit. They have slowed the traffic down so much it takes us 3 more buses to maintain the headways (time between buses) on the 40 line. That costs us about $1,100,000 a year. It also makes it impossible for us to run limited service on Foothill because there is no safe way for the limited bus to pass the regular bus.

The good news is that, on many streets, it is possible to balance “traffic calming,” bicycle lanes and bus service.
We have published “Designing with Transit,” a manual on how to design with bus transit in mind. We are rewriting that manual. EBBC members and other bicycle organizations should be consulted in the rewrite of that. We have begun a “speed protection” program. As that is developed, it should also involve consultation with EBBC and others. We hope to work with the 12 other cities, 9 unincorporated areas and 2 counties in our District on bicycle/bus issues.
I am not a traffic engineer and can’t suggest specific proposals SINCE they tend to be location specific. I can say that both our staff and my fellow board members appreciate the contribution that bicycles make to our transportation system and that we will try to work with EBBC and other bicycle groups.

5. Few bus shelters in the East Bay have bike racks installed. What can AC Transit do to help increase bike racks at AC Transit bus stops? Please explain. (300 words or less)

The bus shelters in Oakland and the City of Alameda are controlled by their respective cities. The shelters in the rest of Alameda County are controlled by a joint powers authority that is administered by AC Transit. Now, all of them, except those in Alameda are operated by Clear Channel. Clear Channel is responsible for maintenance and they decide on and would implement changes, such as more bike racks. All of the other “street furniture” at bus stops that do not have shelters is controlled by their respective jurisdictions – city, unincorporated area or county.
I would be happy to support efforts by EBBC or others to lobby Clear Channel and the local jurisdictions to increase the number of bike racks at AC Transit bus stops.

AC Transit and the pedestrian and bicycle advocacy organizations should work within the context of Senate Bill 375, authored by my boss Senator Darrel Steinberg, the Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act. SB 375 requires MTC (the Metropolitan Transportation Commission), like every other MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) in California, to develop a sustainable communities strategy (“SCS”).
Components of local municipalities’ transportation systems (bikeways, pedestrian walkways and the bus system) as well as policies encouraging transit oriented developments are necessary to achieve the goals of increasing the use of bikes and walkable paths.

AC’s Planning Department monitors revisions to the general plans of all the jurisdictions we serve. AC uses “Designing with Transit” to comment on proposed changes. Our Planning Department should work with the pedestrian and bicycle-advocacy groups to make sure those groups know when general plans are being revised and coordinate with those groups in their respective responses to general plan revisions.
Thank you for this opportunity to respond to your questions

Nancy M. Skowbo

1. In London, Paris, and some Latin American countries, there are bus lanes that bicyclists are allowed to share with buses. When the bus approaches, the bicyclists move out of the way. Do you feel this approach could be implemented in the East Bay with bus rapid transit? Please explain (300 words or less)

From a safety standpoint, I would prefer dedicated bike lanes, or bike-pedestrian paths, to the “sharrow”-style construct described above. This is particularly true for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scenario, where speeds of the buses are projected to be faster than cars in the “mixed-use” lanes. I should note that the East Bay BRT project does not include dedicated lanes for the full length of the corridor. This means that the BRT buses will operate on dedicated roadways for a portion of the route, but will also merge into mixed-use lanes in other segments. If bicyclists have to perform the same maneuvers as the buses, I would assume a greater risk of bus-bike conflicts. Given the higher bus speeds on BRT lines, I would also be concerned at the prospect of greater physical injury to bicyclists, when such conflicts occur.

On an annual basis, all AC Transit drivers are required to return to the Training Department for 8 hours of “refresher” training. Training Instructors have a full day to reinforce safe driving techniques with drivers, and to provide reinstruction as needed. I support dedicating a portion of this training day to bus-bike issues. In addition to reinforcing road issues with drivers, this is also an opportunity to review procedures for safely loading/unloading bicycles on the bike racks installed on AC Transit’s buses.

Currently, AC Transit allows patrons to carry their bikes inside buses, from midnight to 5:30am weekdays, and midnight to 9:00am on weekends and holidays. This is allowed if the bike rack is full, and provided there is space available inside the bus. I should note that this practice is only allowed on buses with 2 or more doors, meaning that if the “commuter” style bus (one door, narrow aisle) has been assigned to a late night line, bikes are not permitted on board. However, the commuter style buses are equipped with an “undercarriage” storage option, where patrons may place their bikes (again, assuming that the front bike rack is full). I support the continuation of this policy. Additionally, I would support a policy that allows patrons to bring their bikes on board the buses (again, vehicles with 2 or more doors) during the “off-peak” periods, assuming that there is space available.

Where possible, it is best to install bike lanes on streets that parallel major corridors. For example, the City of Berkeley has designated some parallel streets (e.g., Hillegass Avenue) as bike routes. From a safety standpoint, there is less potential for bike-auto or bike-bus conflict on parallel streets.

However, I don’t think there is any one solution that completely addresses the challenge of providing enough space for smooth bike and auto travel. Certainly, there is more concern about the impact from bike lanes on AC Transit “trunk routes,” which run the most frequently, and carry the most passengers. On-time performance is a challenge for these routes, and can be affected by anything from an accident, a detour, or a delay in boarding passengers. Bike lanes on main streets can also contribute to delay.

When installation of a bike lane is contemplated, one decision point should be the Level Of Service (LOS), particularly at major intersections. For example, the bike lane that was installed on Foothill Boulevard in the vicinity of Fruitvale Avenue contributed to increased bus delays. The Foothill/Fruitvale intersection is already congested by autos, as well as by trucks delivering goods to the merchants in the area. The bike lane added to the congestion, and thus increased the running time for AC Transit buses using the intersection. From a transit perspective, it would have been preferable to use parallel streets for the bike lane in this area.

As a Board member, I would be open to the discussion of alternative solutions to accommodate the positive flow of bus, bike and auto travel on city streets.

5. Few bus shelters in the East Bay have bike racks installed. What can AC Transit do to help increase bike racks at AC Transit bus stops? Please explain. (300 words or less)

There have been efforts to identify “bike hubs,” where patrons could lock their bikes and then board buses to complete their trip. These kinds of securement areas work well for patrons who wish to bike to the bus, but do not need their bike to complete their trip on the other end. For example, a bike hub at a transit center would work well. However, I am aware that potential patrons have expressed concerns about theft or safety at certain locations. Clearly, people would be more likely to leave their bikes in racks where they felt they were secure. As a Board member, I would advocate for increasing both the number of available bike racks or other bike securement areas, as well as identifying safe places for riders to leave their bikes for a period of time.

Opportunities abound for AC Transit, bicycle and pedestrian advocacy groups to encourage transit use. For example, making real-time bus arrival predictions available system-wide encourages transit use; for a bicyclist who has the option to wait for a bus or bike to his/her destination, knowing how far away the bus is can inform that decision.
Signage is another important option to encourage prospective transit use. For example, maps showing local or “hot” attractions, complete with walking/ transit directions, could be posted at bus shelters or in other public information areas. Similarly, posting bikeway maps in prominent public locations provides the public with information to make choices. All “wayfinding” information is useful in encouraging people to use some combination of transit, walking or biking.

Safety is a major consideration in peoples’ decisions to take public transit, or to walk or bike in an area. Bus stops and shelters should be well-lighted and safe. Installation of more bike racks near bus shelters can increase transit use, as would racks located near major destinations, although discussion of this topic would necessarily include city stakeholder groups, along with bike advocacy groups and AC Transit.

In recent years, there have been a number of improvements that promote walkability or bikeability in the East Bay. For example, Google Transit now provides users with step-by-step directions using a number of modes, including transit (bus/BART/train), auto, walking, and bicycle. This is another example of how bike and transit use can be encouraged.
Additionally, more bike routes have been installed in the various cities, and Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) have been constructed. In downtown Oakland, for example, the Uptown area is both a residential area as well as a destination. Residents in the Uptown housing area have great access to transit, and can also walk or bike to many destinations.

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