Crosstown Bus Service Last Glitch For BRT

At a workshop Monday night the City Council heard three options for San Leandro's participation in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that AC Transit has been pushing for a decade.

The BRT is a trolley on wheels. It was originally conceived to run from downtown Berkeley through Oakland to Bayfair BART.

But Berkeley dropped out of the project and San Leandro didn't want the BRT to run to Bayfair.

So as currently planned the BRT would run from Oakland City Center to San Leandro's downtown BART station -- coming into town on East 14th and turning right down Callan/Davis Streets.

The main questions for San Leandro have been:

• how far into the city should AC Transit run "dedicated lanes" that would limit cars from making right- and left-hand turns off East 14th; and
• what happens to bus riders who travel north or south through the city on East 14th if the BRT replaces the 1R.

City staffers put three options before the city council Monday:

1. run BRT dedicated lanes from the city limit to Georgia Way;
2. end dedicated lanes at Broadmoor Boulevard;
3. withdaw from the project and let it end at the Oakland border.

San Leandro resident Peggy Combs expressed concern that current bus riders would lose out. Estudillo Estates Neighborhood Association president Mike Pretto worried that the project might impact surrounding neighborhoods.

In the end a majority of the council indicated a preference for option two which calls for the shorter dedicated line.

City staff recommended that, in addition, San Leandro should ask AC Transit to run a bus from Bayfair all the way along East 14th.

The council will make a final decision next Monday at its regular meeting.

AC Transit officials, including board president Elsa Ortiz and general manager David Armijo, turned up to urge the project forward.

Armijo said the roughly $150 million project was considered the nation's top priority BRT plan in terms of funding.

If AC Transit gets the final details nailed down BRT construction could begin in 2014 and be completed in 2016.

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