AC Transit Bus Rapid Transit: Oakland should see New York and Seattle

New York, NY - On Tuesday night, the Oakland, California City Council passed a resolution to study configurations for, but not build, an AC Transit Bus Rapid Transit system through Oakland's spine from Telegraph Avenue to along International Blvd. Even though the resolution was supported by the Oakland City Council, it was not without a fire-breathing argument from legendary Oakland City Councilmember Larry Reid.

Reid and his constituents feared that a dedicated bus transit lane set would turn International into a kind of "freeway" that divided East Oakland. Reid said that people from North Oakland would not travel down to East Oakland to spend money anyway. I watched the City Council hearing from a distance back east and with sadness because it looked like a terrible racial issue, with older African Americans arguing that their neighborhood was essentially being invaded and destroyed by AC Transit.

This blogger completely understands Larry Reid's fears, but urges that he and his staff look at what's being done in Seattle and New York. The code-word is flexibility. In Seattle, BRT is used as part of its new light rail system, the Central Link. In New York, there's an ambitious plan to created a "greener, pedestrian-friendly" 34th street, and Bus Rapid Transit is a central part of the idea.

According to The New York Times, transit advocates and residents don't have the concern that the neighborhood will be divided. The point is, Oakland AC Transit BRT could be a way to encourage a more pedestrian-friendly International Boulevard, perhaps even a car-free one along some stretches.

AC Transit BRT's study should be seen as an open-door to consider ways to reshape International Boulevard into the kind of street that helps, not harms, the East Oakland neighborhood.