With more than 430,000 daily rides including 95,000 that start in Oakland and 77,000 that end in Oakland, BART provides a critical service to Oakland and the whole Bay Area. BART’s system was designed over 40 years ago to carry a fraction of the people and service it now delivers on a daily basis. Like all infrastructure, BART’s components need replacement and modernization after a long life of use. The proposed $3.5 billion bond identifies effective expenditures that will deliver a fix-it-first approach to maximize the potential of the new fleet of rail cars (roomier, quieter, and a third set of doors!) that will start arriving in 2017. These are not the glamorous ribbon-cutting cutting projects the media craves, but they are essential to keeping our regional transit backbone from falling apart, and Transport Oakland strongly supports Measure RR.
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Author: ruthmiller
Our endorsements for AC Transit: Chris Peeples and Greg Harper
With a combined thirty-three years of service on the AC Transit Board, incumbent AC Transit Directors Chris Peeples and Greg Harper were easy choices for our endorsement.
Climb the Tribune Tower with TO
The 22-story Tribune Tower is Oakland’s most recognizable landmark. It’s housed a radio station and a newspaper, and today its neon facade celebrates our sports teams. And at 10 AM on Saturday, August 13, you can join its resident neon sculpter John Law on an exclusive two-hour tour of its clock tower. We’ll explore behind the clock faces, learn about the tower’s early plans for a Zeppelin landing port, and experience the value of preserving infrastructure for generations. Read more
16th Street Station Recap
A hearty thanks to the 50 infrastructure enthusiasts who joined our walking tour of 16th Street Station on July 10. Special thanks to our our tour guide Gene Anderson and the elected officials who joined us: BART Director Robert Raburn and AC Transit Directors Chris Peeples and Elsa Ortiz.
Volunteers Needed for Council Endorsements
We are seeking volunteers to interview candidates in fall’s Oakland City Council races: Districts 1, 3, 5, 7, and At-Large. Do you enjoy asking tough questions, and want to see transportation become a headlining issue this fall? Help us determine the right candidates to lead Oakland’s transportation priorities.
Fill out this brief form to get started.
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Grand Avenue Bike Lane Celebration – May 26
The City of Oakland is making this Bike Month one to remember with an unprecedented project implementation spree. The City unveiled its first parking-protected bike lanes Tuesday on Telegraph, and cut the ribbon yesterday on continuous bike lanes on Grand Avenue.
Let’s celebrate this historic month! Join Transport Oakland and our special guest, Piedmont council member Tim Rood, for a toast to Grand Avenue’s bike lanes on Thursday, May 26 at Grand Tavern. Read more
Endorsements: Rebecca and Lateefah for BART
First Endorsements of 2016: Rebecca and Lateefah
Transport Oakland is opening its 2016 endorsement season early, and we’re throwing our support behind two candidates for the BART Board of Directors who understand that great transportation makes great cities. Join us at our 2016 kick-off party and get to know these two women who will represent Transport Oakland’s vision for a vibrant, equitable Oakland on the BART Board.
Supporting Rebecca Saltzman for a second term on the BART Board of Directors was an easy decision for us. Rebecca has a been a star Board member, pursuing smart policies that address existing BART needs and thoughtfully focus on the long-term health of the agency. We’re also especially pleased by her recent actions to address a major policy gap: requiring 20% affordable housing of any residential development on BART property.
Meet Lateefah Simon and you’ll understand why we’ve endorsed her to represent us on the BART Board of Directors. Lateefah brings a much needed focus on BART riders and station access, particularly for transit-dependent riders and riders with disabilities. And Lateefah shares Transport Oakland’s vision for prioritizing investments in system-wide state of good repair and in the core of the system.
Meet Rebecca and Lateefah on March 22
Join us from 5-7 PM on Tuesday, March 22 to hear more from Rebecca and Lateefah about their vision for BART and how they’ll represent Oakland on the next BART Board of Directors. Transport Oakland is hosting a happy hour at Mad Oak (135 12th Street, near Lake Merritt BART) to help kick off their campaigns. Meet these terrific candidates and other Oaklanders excited about a more resilient and accessible BART network. Hear more from Transport Oakland’s leadership about our roadmap through November 2016 (endorsements for Oakland City Council and AC Transit Board coming later this year). Suggested donation $20-$100. Donate in advance (preferred) or at the event. RSVP on Facebook to see who else is attending, and we hope to see you there.
Let’s start the search for a DOT Director
This Tuesday, the Oakland City Council will decide whether now is finally the time to recruit a Director of Transportation to lead the new Oakland Department of Transportation. We say: absolutely. It’s been time to start this process for some time now, and we fully support the approval of this item as amended by the Public Works Committee. Read more
EBX: Oakland Favors Bank Over Bus Riders
A commercial bank got a bus stop removed, even though it served riders headed to medical appointments, was identified in the neighborhood’s specific plan and would serve a future grocery store. This shouldn’t happen. Transport Oakland Board Member Kenya Wheeler helps explain.
EBX: Want more affordable housing? Require less parking.
The East Bay Express explores the connection between inflated parking requirements and the cost of housing. Read more: A Green Solution to Oakland’s Housing Crisis.