West Contra Costa Transportation Commission
High-Capacity Transit Study — fact sheet (English)
The study summarised in four pages.
Fact sheet · Summary · 2017 · 2 figures · about 4 min to read
The study summarised in four pages.
Current — In force. This is the version to rely on. A short version of a longer document.
| WINTER 2017 | |
|---|---|
| RETHINK YOUR COMMUTE! WEST COUNTY HIGH-CAPACITY TRANSIT STUDY The I-80 corridor is one of the most congested in the Bay Area. Better transit options could provide West County residents with more convenient, reliable, and faster access to destinations throughout the Bay Area. The West County High-Capacity Transit Study is evaluating options for potential transit improvements along important transportation corridors where people live and travel now and will in the future. The options include Express Bus, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Capitol Corridor/Amtrak, and BART. | WHAT IS HIGH- CAPACITY TRANSIT? High-capacity transit provides substantially higher levels of passenger capacity with typically fewer stops and higher speeds than local bus service. |
| 1 – 5 YEARS | »» More frequent service »» New service to Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland »» Bus priority improvements (such as signals and “queue jumps” to let buses move through intersections more quickly) |
|---|---|
| 5 – 15 YEARS | »» More parking at Richmond Parkway and Hercules Transit Centers |
| 15+ YEARS | »» Freeway ramp improvements for buses at transit centers so buses can get on/off freeway faster »» Transit center at Macdonald Avenue and I-80 so riders can transfer between Express Buses and Bus Rapid Transit service |
Express Bus service makes a few stops to pick up passengers and then travels non-stop to its final destination. The Express Bus alternative would offer service between the Hercules Transit Center and Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland. On its way, the Express Bus would stop at the Richmond Parkway Transit Center and at a potential new transit center near Macdonald Avenue and San Pablo Avenue in Richmond.
Express Bus Benefits:
- Fast, direct service between West County and San Francisco, Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland
- Buses every 10 to 12 minutes during commute hours and every 30 minutes during non- commute hours
- New, direct access to carpool lanes to bypass freeway congestion
Express Bus Service: Potential routes and stops
EXPRESS BUS
Timeline:
Original PDF, page 2
| 1 – 5 YEARS | 5 – 15 YEARS | 15+ YEARS |
|---|---|---|
| »» Bus priority treatments (such as signals and “queue jumps”) to let buses move through intersections more quickly »» Bus-only lanes in limited locations »» Improvements extended to Richmond Parkway Transit Center (BRT on San Pablo Avenue/ Macdonald Avenue only) | »» More bus-only lanes and priority treatments »» Improvements extended to Hercules Transit Center | »» Improvements extended to new Hercules Intermodal Transit Center »» Bus-only lanes between 23rd Street and Richmond Parkway Transit Center »» Transit center at Macdonald Avenue and I-80 so riders can transfer between Express Buses and Bus Rapid Transit service (BRT on San Pablo Avenue/Macdonald Avenue only) |
BUS RAPID TRANSIT (BRT)
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a specialized service that lets buses move through congested streets more quickly. It gives priority to buses at traffic signals, can include bus-only lanes, and makes it faster for passengers to get on and off buses.
Other improvements can include sidewalk extensions or more visible sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrian safety. Changes can be made quickly and customized to local needs, so riders get benefits sooner.
BRT on San Pablo Avenue and Macdonald Avenue
This alternative includes two branches of BRT service that would run on San Pablo Avenue between El Cerrito and Hercules and on Macdonald Avenue between Point Richmond and El Cerrito. Both of these routes also include service to San Pablo and Pinole. The service is similar to AC Transit’s existing Route 72R and is consistent with AC Transit’s future plans for San Pablo Avenue in Alameda County.
BRT on 23rd Street
This alternative would provide BRT service on 23rd Street in Richmond to Contra Costa College and Hercules via San Pablo Avenue. This alternative would connect the new Richmond ferry service and the UC Berkeley field station with the Richmond BART station, Contra Costa College, Hilltop Mall, Pinole, and the Hercules Transit Center.
BRT Benefits:
- Faster travel time and greater reliability due to priority at traffic signals and bus-only lanes
- Provides more bus stops for access to more destinations
- Changes can be made quickly and customized to local needs, so riders get benefits sooner
- Frequent service − every 10 minutes throughout the day
- State-of-the-art buses for a more comfortable ride
Potential route: BRT on San Pablo & Macdonald Ave. Potential route: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on 23rd St. & San Pablo Ave.
Timeline:
Original PDF, page 3
| 1 – 5 YEARS | 15 – 25+ YEARS |
|---|---|
| »» Preliminary engineering design and environmental review to select alignment and potential station locations »» Early right-of-way acquisition (with environmental clearance) | »» Final design and construction |
BART
BART provides faster travel time because it runs on its own track. Passengers also get more direct access to Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, and soon Santa Clara Counties. But it is expensive and would take a long time to build.
This BART alternative would extend service from the existing Richmond BART station to a new station near the I-80 and State Route 4 interchange in Hercules.
There are two potential routes, each with the possibility of one to two stations in between. Potential station locations include: Contra Costa College, Hilltop Mall, Richmond Parkway Transit Center and Appian Way.
Route Option #1 runs along the northern segment of Rumrill Boulevard. It has stations at Contra Costa College and the Richmond Parkway Transit Center. This option serves the city of San Pablo and supports city plans for new housing development in the vicinity of Contra Costa College. It could allow for BART stations at Hilltop Mall and Appian Way. In total, only one to two stations between the existing Richmond BART station and Hercules would likely be built.
Route Option #2 shows BART stations at Hilltop Mall and Appian Way. Hilltop Mall is a viable site for transit oriented development. This option reduces the potential impacts along Rumrill Boulevard, but would not allow a BART station at Contra Costa College. This option could accommodate a BART station at Richmond Parkway Transit Center. In total, only one to two stations between the existing Richmond BART station and Hercules would likely be built.
BART Benefits:
- Faster travel time and greater reliability due to dedicated trackway
- More direct access to other parts of the greater Bay Area, such as Alameda,
San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties Potential BART extension and stations for Route Option #1. Only one or two stations would be constructed.
Potential BART extension and stations for Route Option #2. Only one or two stations would be constructed.
Timeline:
Original PDF, page 4
| CITY | DATE | TIME | ADDRESS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | Tuesday, February 28 | 6:30 PM | City Hall 440 Civic Center Plaza |
| San Pablo | Monday, March 6 | 6:00 PM | City Hall 13831 San Pablo Ave |
| Pinole | Tuesday, March 7 | 6:00 PM | City Hall 2131 Pear Street |
| El Sobrante | Wednesday, March 8 | 8:00 PM | Elks’ Lodge, 3931 San Pablo Dam Road |
| Hercules | Tuesday, March 14 | 7:00 PM | City Hall 111 Civic Drive |
| El Cerrito | Tuesday, March 21 | 7:00 PM | City Hall 10890 San Pablo Ave |
WCCTAC is an association of cities and transportation agencies in West County and one of four Regional Transportation Planning Committees in Contra Costa County.
WCCTAC serves the residents of El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond, San Pablo, and unincorporated areas of West County. Find out more about WCCTAC at WCCTAC.org.
CAPITOL CORRIDOR FARE SUBSIDY
Commuter rail offers transit between downtowns/city centers and areas outside of these cities, such as suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of daily commuters.
Amtrak provides commuter rail service on its Capitol Corridor route serving the Bay Area between San Jose and Sacramento, with stops in Richmond, Martinez, West Berkeley, Emeryville, and Jack London Square. Due to dedicated track, trains can provide a quicker trip than congested roadways, but rail is not currently priced competitively for local travel.
This study is looking at a potential three-year pilot to subsidize fares on the Capitol Corridor route. This subsidy would reduce train fares by 50 to 75 percent for West County travelers.
For example, with a 75 percent subsidy, one-way travel from Richmond to Martinez could be reduced from $12.00 to $3.00. We want to know how you would prioritize transit improvements to best suit your current and future travel needs.
- Take our quick online survey at http://westcountytransitstudy.com/
- Scan the QR code to the right to access the online survey
- Attend a council presentation* $4.5 billion $3.5 billion $228 million $219 million
BART Extension, Option #1 Express Bus to Alameda County NOT TO SCALE Bus Rapid Transit on San Pablo/Macdonald $123 million Bus Rapid Transit on 23rd Street BART Extension, Option #2 CAPITAL COST YEARS TO CONSTRUCT $5.0 billion $2.5 billion
- Check your local council agenda to confirm meeting date and time
- Submit a formal comment at http://westcountytransitstudy.com/ contact-english/
- Visit WestCountyTransitStudy.com to check out what we’ve learned:
- How West County residents and employees get around
- What are the most common destinations for West County residents and employees
- What transit options were studied
LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE
If you need language assistance services, please call (510) 464-6752. Si necesita servicios de asistencia de idioma, llame al (510) 464-6752.
如需語言協助服務，請致電 (510) 464-6752。 Kung kailangan mo ang tulong ng mga serbisyo ng wika, paki tawagan ang (510) 464-6752. Nếu quý vị cần dịch vụ trợ giúp về ngôn ngữ, xin vui lòng gọi số (510) 464-6752.
통역이 필요하신 분은, 510-464-6752 로 문의하십시오.
CONSTRUCTION COST AND
IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINES
Big changes in transportation take time and money. Improvements require making choices that balance trade-offs between various options. The chart below shows (1) how long the alternatives may take to build and (2) cost estimates to build them.
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
In the same set
The original file
Everything above is the content of the original document, published here as a web page so it can be read, searched, translated and used with a screen reader. The original PDF is kept as the authoritative record.