[dimondpark]

Oakland begins BRT meetings today

Tonight, the City of Oakland will kick off a series of community meetings about AC Transit's proposed BRT system.

Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, is a often described as light rail without the rails. In BRT systems, buses run in a dedicated lane to ensure speed and reliability, so the bus does not risk getting delayed in traffic. Passengers board the buses from raised platforms level with the bus door, and purchase tickets in advance from fare machines at the station, allowing them to board and exit the bus on any door, without standing in line to pay.

AC Transit is proposing a BRT line that will run from downtown Telegraph Avenue from Berkeley, then through downtown Oakland, and then up East 14th to San Leandro. As part of the planning process, each City that will host part of the BRT line must identify their preferred street design, route, and station locations.

The meetings being held over the next few weeks give Oakland residents an opportunity to weigh in on these questions. And with seven meetings to choose from, everyone should be able to find at least one that fits into their schedule:

Monday, January 11th: 6-8 PM, Fruitvale Senior Center, 3301 E. 12th Street, Ste. 201

Tuesday, January 12th: 6-8 PM, Eastside Arts Alliance, 2277 International Boulevard

Thursday, January 21st: 6-8 PM, East Oakland Youth Development Center, 8200 International Boulevard

Tuesday, January 26th: 6-8 PM, Faith Presbyterian Church, 420 49th Street

Wednesday, January 27th: 11 AM - 1 PM, Oakland City Hall, Hearing Room 2, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza

Wednesday, January 27th: 5-7 PM, Oakland City Hall, Hearing Room 4, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza

Thursday, January 28th: 6-8 PM, St. Louis Bertrand Church, 1410 100th Avenue

More information on the BRT project can be found at Oakland's BRT website and from AC Transit.

Posted By: V Smoothe (Email) | January 11 2010 at 09:00 AM

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/...#ixzz0chllSKKw

some pics.