Would you prefer to speed up the 51 bus line, or preserve parking spaces? AC Transit will hold two public meetings at which Line 51B/A riders and neighbors can comment on this trade-off:
Mon., Aug. 26, 6-8 p.m.
La Quinta Inn (Continental Room, 2nd Floor)
920 University Avenue (@ 8th Street), Berkeley
Thurs., Aug. 29, 6-8 p.m.
Julia Morgan Center for the Arts (Studio 1)
2640 College Avenue (@Derby), Berkeley
You can also submit written comments by Friday, Sept. 13, 5 p.m., to: Tammy Kyllo at planning@actransit.org.
You'll find detailed proposals on pages 38-51 of this 2008 report, with pages 45-49 focusing on Berkeley:
http://www.actransit.org/wp-content/uploads/planning_focus_1.pdf.
Some proposals involve significant trade-offs:
* Removing parking spaces to create peak-hour bus lanes on some blocks of University Ave. This could remove up to several dozen parking spaces, from 12-7 p.m. or 4-7 p.m.
* Removing several bus stops -- which could speed up the bus, but require riders to walk further.
* Replacing stop signs with traffic signals at College/Russell and College/Bancroft Way.
* New turn restrictions on southbound College Ave., near Claremont Ave.: No left turn into the Safeway parking lot; no right turn into the Bank of America lot.
* "Bus bulbs," which could displace right-turn and bicycle pockets.
Other proposals are low-impact: better signal timing and coordination, new bus shelters and benches, and moving several bus stops to an intersection's "far" side, to help the bus clear traffic lights.
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