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Editors, Daily Planet:  

Upon reading Matthew Artz’s article “Neighbors slam LBNL expansion”, Berkeley Daily Planet of Nov. 21-24, 2003, some corrections concerning traffic congestion need to be made. 

Centennial Drive does not go through the City of Berkeley at all. It is entirely within the boundaries of the university and LBNL properties. The concern of the Panoramic neighborhood is the Rimway road. Portions of it go through that neighborhood and are used by LBNL personnel and visitors. It is very narrow and dangerous. The neighborhood feels it is at its capacity now and any increase in its use will be impossible. The Northside neighborhood has similar concerns. Cyclotron road is the main gateway into LBNL, it starts and ends in the neighborhood. The Warren-Derby corridor and Ashby Avenue in the Claremont/Elmwood neighborhood are a continuous parking lot during the commute hours. Everyone knows all of this—the planners at LBNL, University of California, and the City of Berkeley. Yet all of this planning and expansion goes on without concern or proposals of what to do about the congestion. 

All of the streets into and out of LBNL that are in the City of Berkeley are too old and small to safely accommodate the existing parking and traffic loads. Now LBNL wants to add 1,200 more employees with 600 more new parking spaces. The neighborhood and the entire city cannot possibly absorb the additional 900 cars the long range plan will bring with it. When you consider the long range plan of the university and the new downtown hotel plan the mayor and university have apparently agreed to, it makes matters worse. 

I have been a resident of Berkeley since 1963. Over the past 40 years I have seen Berkeley transform into a city of congestion. As a member of the Transportation Commission I have supported the anti-car interests of Berkeley even though I believe the car it here to stay and no matter what we do or say, its use will continue to grow. 

The point is, if those who plan and control our future refuse to bring meaningful solutions to our congestion problems along with their projects, we are all losers. 

This is also true of those who want a denser Berkeley. On the surface it seems high rise development and apartment buildings will help us solve our congestion problems by putting more people on public transit. While it may be somewhat true, the fact is, it will bring more traffic (cars). All of the large cities are congested with cars no matter what kind of public transit is provided—and congestion is getting worse, not better. 

I have tried to suggest to LBNL and the university that they begin planning an Eco Pass program for their employees. Both organizations reject the idea. They would rather the city be responsible for their part of the congestion problems. 

The Draft Environmental Impact Report transportation/traffic element will study the increased traffic load and the capacity of the street system, as well as other factors. What seems strange about this is that our city streets are already at their capacity during the commute hours and during special events. Yet it can be predicted that the study will give a green light to more cars at the lab. 

Our problems have become so severe that solutions need to be offered in detail before these projects are brought to the public. Only then will they get the support from the community they may deserve. 

Dean Metzger 

Chair, Transportation Commission