- AC Transit line 53/53A
- Line 53/53A map
- David Raich
- Steven Lavoie
- Louise Nathe
- David Raich
- Ann Hutcheson-Wilcox
- Ken Woolfe
- MarySue Fisher
- Tim Chapman
- Louise Nathe
- Joyce Roy: Candidate for AC Transit Board
- David Raich
- Niccolo De Luca: Assistant to Councilmember Spees
- Gregory Shiffer: AC Transit
- David Raich
- Gregory Shiffer: AC Transit 10/21/00
- David Raich 10/21/00
- Leslie Ann Jones 10/16/00
- Tim Chapman 10/21/00
- David Raich 11/30/00
- MarySue Fisher 12/3/00
- Ann Hutcheson-Wilcox 6/19/01
- Tim Chapman 6/19/01
- Line 53/53A map
David Raich The new bus route passes through the neighborhoods on lower Lincoln but
does not serve them -- there are no bus stops designated on Lincoln for a
distance of about a mile from where the bus turns off Fruitvale at Wells
Fargo Bank until it reaches Head Royce School. Bus service in this area is
now far worse than it was before line 53 was changed, with only two
available buses per hour on Whittle or else a long walk to MacArthur or
Head Royce.
I believe new bus stops should be added on Lincoln at the stop signs at
Hearst (in front of Sequoia School) and at Tiffin. Because buses already
must stop at these intersections, allowing riders on and off there would
generally not further impede traffic.
Designation of these bus stops would enhance public safety and the quality
of life in the lower Lincoln neighborhoods by making public transit
conveniently accessible to children, the elderly, commuters, and other
residents who cannot drive or would prefer not to do so, especially those
who cannot easily or safely walk to the current stops. Children at Sequoia
would benefit particularly -- parents and older kids would have convenient
and safe access right at the crosswalk in front of the school, which might
also reduce some of the automobile congestion that currently occurs.
I am working with AC Transit, district Councilmember Dick Spees' office,
and the city traffic engineer to add these stops. A petition I am
circulating in the affected neighborhoods has received a hugely positive
response. To read the petition click here.
Anyone who lives in the neighborhood and would be affected by this proposal
is encouraged to contact me, There is definitely some concern about how the bus line came to be routed
on Lincoln and whether it belongs there. That is not the immediate issue,
however. At the moment, the bus is there. While it is there, it should at
the very least serve the neighborhood it passes through.
Although there were hearings on the new 53 bus route, very few neighborhood
residents were aware of them. Even I, a regular commuter via public
transit, was taken by surprise when the new route was announced. I
understand that there will be meetings later this year to evaluate how the
route is working, and I intend to help make sure those meetings are better
publicized.
In the meantime, some thoughts about the new route and about public transit
in general:
Public transit is generally considered to be a good thing, a necessity in
fact, in an urban area. Sometimes, or for some residents, it may
nonetheless create inconvenience -- even good things have their downside --
so there must be some consideration of both balance and the greater public
good. Residents near a bus line benefit from the convenience of nearby
transit, but some must endure a higher noise level when buses pass or the
annoyance of having groups gather near their property waiting for a bus.
(I am quite familiar with this kind of tradeoff. Living across the street
from a public school as I do is also a distinctly mixed blessing.) In this
case, residents of upper Dimond/Oakmore suffer from reduced service
frequency but benefit by having more than half of the former bus runs taken
off their streets. Meanwhile, residents along Lincoln now have the buses
rumbling past their homes. On the other hand, Lincoln is an arterial
thoroughfare in Oakland, one of very few that hitherto did not have a bus
line. Given the number of trucks and other large vehicles that already
travel along Lincoln, the addition of two buses per hour might not be a
very large consideration. A possible benefit (in the eyes of many
residents, though not necessarily of passers-by) is that bus drivers are
fairly scrupulous about obeying speed limits, so the presence of buses
would help a little bit to regulate the chronic speeding observed on that
street.
Lincoln is a relatively narrow street. Below Carmel, buses can pull out of
traffic only in the downhill direction, and only at the expense of some
parking spaces. On the other hand, a bus stop is badly needed in the
vicinity of Sequoia, and the stop sign at Hearst is the only place that
makes much sense. Current usage patterns would predict only five or so
riders total per run getting on or off at stops below Head Royce during
commute hours, and this number would not seriously slow traffic at the stop
signs even without the bus pulling out. On the other hand, the
availability of the bus might attract more riders, and groups of children
using the bus might cause longer delays a few times per day
On August 27, AC Transit line 53 was rerouted to serve the new Chabot
Planetarium. Two buses per hour now go from Fruitvale and MacArthur to
Lincoln Avenue, running up Lincoln to Joaquin Miller, Skyline and the
planetarium. (Two other buses per hour continue to follow the old route,
now called line 53A, looping on Whittle, Tiffin, and Lyman back to Fruitvale.)
Steven Lavoie Trucks related to the construction of Chabot have killed our power,
destroyed homes and even killed on Lincoln Avenue. What will make it any
safer with these buses? AC could easily access Chabot from buses serving
Skyline Blvd, with three-way BART hubs at Rockridge, Orinda
Because of these buses, congestion on Lincoln Avenue is now past critical
mass. On garbage day, or street sweeping day, it is out of control...and
the noise is constant and perpetual. How did this happen? Did AC Transit
have hearings on this issue. Lincoln Avenue can simply not handle any
additional load in the mornings and the evenings.
Louise Nathe
I'd like to go on record opposing the bus stop at Tiffin; I live on Lincoln, which has a tremendous amount of traffic already. Adding the noise and pollution of a bus is excessive. I often wonder what I've inhaled over the years
David Raich Full-sized buses really are too large for Lincoln Avenue. They do not
compare with other large-vehicle traffic and are, in fact, significantly
heavier than the weight limit for trucks on that street. As a result, each
bus that passes by is far noisier and more disruptive to homes and
classrooms near Lincoln than any other traffic (with the possible exception
of once-weekly garbage trucks). The buses are legal, I'm told, only
because law exempts them from the weight limit; but legal or not, overly
large vehicles are an insult to the neighborhood. In addition, I have
noticed that the buses have difficulty remaining in their lane and
frequently drive on the double yellow center line.
So my speculation that, "Given the number of trucks and other large
vehicles that already travel along Lincoln, the addition of two buses per
hour might not be a very large consideration," was incorrect for the buses
currently in use. AC Transit must be pressed to use their minibuses on the
uphill part of line 53. This is not a new issue. To see an earlier discussion about the old route (now line 53A) click here. The
problem then for AC Transit was that the 53A loop is traversed in only 6
minutes, and although it carries only a few passengers on that part of the
route, a full-sized bus is required on Fruitvale where buses between
MacArthur and BART frequently are filled past capacity during commute
hours. But on the new route, the 53A loop plus the round trip between
MacArthur and Chabot require about 45 minutes. Three or so minibuses could
be dedicated to this part of the route, maintaining the current 15-minute
service. They would have the right capacity for the ridership there, would
better fit on both the residential streets and Lincoln Avenue, and could be
scheduled to wait for and connect reliably with larger buses on Fruitvale
for convenience and (night-time) safety of riders to and from BART.
An important point that has been made by various official sources is that
the buses are not going away regardless of problems they might pose to some
residents or the amount of other traffic on the streets. Public transit
service is a necessity in our urban area and it is not proper for some who
do not believe they need it to overlook the needs of their neighbors who
do. Remember that those neighbors may well include your own children,
elderly relatives, or even oneself at some future time. However,we do
have opportunities to discuss how the service is provided. The next one (I
have been assured by several sources) comes in December, when a
neighborhood meeting will review how the new route 53 is working out.
There was a previous hearing, but I and many other interested parties were
not aware of it. We must make sure that does not happen in December. The
above issues will most definitely be pressed at that time. There is no
chance that any bus runs will be rerouted before then.
The request that started this discussion is, therefore, quite independent
of the above considerations: Given that the bus is currently here on
Lincoln Avenue, at least our neighborhood should be able to derive some
benefit from it. Forcing it to pass through with no stops at all defeats
the point of the bus and is terribly unfair to residents who must suffer
its presence anyhow and have lost the previous service frequency. I have
heard a worry that supporting a bus stop would somehow lend legitimacy to
the overall route when the larger questions are considered later. This is
not the case, which also will be made clear when the request for stops is
presented to the agencies. Preventing buses from serving the neighborhood
could be somewhat self-defeating -- it reduces the strength of some
arguments that might be made about the route later.
Safety is also an issue with many sides. At a fundamental level, any
vehicle on the streets represents a threat to the safety of those around
it. But if the vehicle is a bus that is going to be there anyway, allowing
it to let off passengers at a stop sign and crosswalk (with crossing guard)
in front of a school probably improves safety on the balance, especially
for the school children. Passengers on the bus represent that many fewer
other vehicles on the road. And the children who alight at that corner
spend less time walking elsewhere exposed to other dangers along the street
and are less likely to cross the street at a dangerous place on their way.
Concerns expressed by Mr. Lavoie and Ms. Nathe about traffic congestion on
Lincoln represent a very significant issue, and the matter should be
addressed in its proper forum. The bus is also adversely affected by such
congestion, falling behind schedule when it is delayed by a garbage truck
or the like. My impression is that the street sweepers and other city
maintenance workers do make an effort to stay off Lincoln during the most
congested commute hours. It is less clear that the Waste Management
company is equally careful, and the issue should
In speaking with residents on and near Lincoln, I have gained further
insight on the scope of impact of the new 53 route. Although the street
certainly could accommodate two additional vehicles up and down the hill
each hour, that is not necessarily so for vehicles the size of the buses
now in use on the hill stretch of line 53.
Ann Hutcheson-Wilcox I never understood why they routed the 53 up Whittle (talk about a quiet, narrow street in a residential neighborhood!) It would be great to have stops on Lincoln. Some of us who live in the neighborhood do ride the bus to Fruitvale Bart and other locations. Plus, I think it would be great for school kids and families to be able to take the bus up the hill to Roberts and Redwood parks, as well as Chabot.
Don't people realize that public transit may be the best way to get people out of their cars and reduce traffic hazards and nuisances on Lincoln Avenue for all of us? Maybe some of those parents who drive their kids to school at Head Royce and Sequoia can teach their kids to take the bus (like I did growing up in Berkeley).
Thank you, and let me know how I can assist you
Hi David,
Thank you for doing this work on the bus line. Please feel free to bring your petition to our home alert meeting this Wednesday, Sep 20, 7 pm at Sequoia School library.
Ken Woolfe
This is a well thought out argument, although 2 buses an hour (route 53A) in this neighborhood is not too bad given the ridership. How often does one need a bus that one can't schedule on the half-hour? The lack of bus stops along Lincoln is due to the one-lane width of the uphill, east-bound road. I think a bus stop at Hearst makes a lot of sense - a good mid-point between
MarySue Fisher Should we write to AC Transit, or is there a more effective way to lobby for
this addition of stops?
MarySue Fisher, resident of
I agree....as one who relies heavily on the 53 (now 53A) line, I was still
open to the idea of "dividing" the route between service up Whittle and
Lincoln as an alternative, and welcome the access to the new Space and
Science Center. I have an idea part of the reason was complaints from
Whittle residents who don't have to rely on the bus. However, I was very
surprised myself to learn there were no stops before Head-Royce. I am lucky
enough to live close to Lincoln and so could take advantage of a stop at
Lincoln and Tiffin. It seems a waste to have the bus pass thru this area
between MacArthur and Head-Royce with no stops.
Tim Chapman Our neighborhood is in AC Transit Ward ll Clinton Killian, AC Transit Board Vice President, is our representative on the Board.
Matt Williams, and H. E. Christian Peeples, President of the Board, are the two Directors at large.
On 9/19 I sent the following email to them: You can send your comments to the Dimond message board by sending an email to:
messages@dimondnews.org."
The only information I have found about the candidates for Ward 2 is
Since David has addressed his petition for the bus stops to the City, I am assuming the City has jurisdiction on the stops. I would guess that the change to minibuses would be an AC Transit decision.
Ward II
Portions of East and South Berkeley lying generally south of Channing, east of Shattuck, east of Adeline, east of Prospect, south of Bancroft, south of
Canyon, east of College (including upper Claremont and Rockridge areas) as well as major portions of Oakland (including Hiller Highlands, Forest park,
Claremont, Rockridge, Trestle Glen, the Fruitvale and Dimond Districts, downtown and West Oakland).
"The Dimond neighborhood is having a discussion about AC Transit lines 53 and 53A. You can read our thoughts about the changes on these lines at http://www.dimondnews.org/raichbrd.html.
Louise Nathe
Let me add to my opposition to large
buses on Lincoln, with a stop at Tiffin. The last time I saw a written
traffic study on Lincoln several years ago, some 10,000 vehicles / day
used Lincoln. I shudder to think what it is now! With the volume of
traffic (try pulling out of your driveway during commute hours these
days), including large delivery trucks supplying markets like
Woodminster and the two Safeways (Montclair and Redwood Road), I think
we carry our share of the traffic load on Lincoln without adding
full-size buses. FYI, I live with the bus noise on Whittle now, too. In
a spirit of compromise, however, I could live with minibuses on Lincoln,
but the full-size ones
Joyce Roy: Candidate for AC Transit Board I have a website: http://www.joyceroy.org/ click here
You can get more information about me from this site. There is also an
invitation to a fund-raiser on Oct. 1st at which you can learn about an
innovative bus system in Brazil and give your input into the
I received a call from Tim Chapman and, indeed, I am the Joyce Roy
running for the Ward II seat on the AC Transit Bd. You have a wonderful
interactive web site and I have read all your messages about the 53
lines. I would like to come to a neighborhood meeting and explore this
and other issues with you. I will be available to my constituents, and
as you see, my # is even in the phone book.
David Raich To MarySue Fisher: If you did not have a chance to sign the petition, it probably still is
worthwhile to let the officials know your opinion. I believe the most
important contact is Dick Spees' office:
You could also call AC Transit at the customer service
number given on schedules, or it might be more effective to go directly to
Kathleen Kelly, AC Transit Deputy General Manager of Service Development,
at 891-4716.
To Ken Woolfe: Before line 53 was changed, there were five buses an hour during commute
periods, and it took me an hour to get to work starting with the bus that
made the most reliable connections (this involves making two transfers --
bus to BART, then BART to bus). Driving to work in a car takes 20 minutes,
but I'm willing to spend an hour on the commute by using the time to catch
up on reading, which can't be done when driving.
There would now be four buses an hour if the Lincoln buses stopped below
Head Royce, and I'd be able to get to work on almost the same schedule. As
it happens, to get to work on time as before, I must catch the Lincoln bus
-- and currently I must start my commute 10 minutes earlier in order to
walk down to MacArthur to catch it. In order to use the half-hourly
Whittle buses, which happen to be timed incorrectly and miss the
connections I need to make, I'd need to start almost 30 minutes earlier --
increasing my commute from an hour to an hour-and-a-half, and that's just
too long to be worthwhile. (They don't run exactly halfway between the
Lincoln buses!)
If my only option were to use the current twice-hourly buses on Whittle, I
simply would no longer
Sorry not to have responded sooner -- I've been out of town.
The petitions have been delivered to Councilmember Spees and AC Transit.
I'm not sure what will happen next, but will post any further news --
especially when I learn details about the service review meeting in December.
I find two buses an hour to be too few because schedules of various routes
seldom match up properly. With half-hour intervals, you can waste a huge
amount of time making connections. There simply is not enough flexibility.
Niccolo De Luca: Assistant to Councilmember Spees Adding bus stops is under the authority of AC Transit who works with the Traffic Engineering Department for the specific locations. When AC Transit alters or adds new bus routes they have a public hearing at their board of directors meetings every so often. Since there has been some concern about the 53 line and some possible alterations it will be discussed.
Unfortunately I do not have an exact date but am under the impression it
will be in the winter. Our office has copies of some proposed changes for
the routing of the line.
Our office has received the petition circulated by Mr. Raich that
recommends adding bus stops on Lincoln Avenue for the many users of public transportation in the neighborhood. Councilmember Spees sent the petition to the Traffic Engineering Department of the Public Works Agency with a memo asking that the issue is investigated and for an update.
Gregory Shiffer: Associate Transportation Planner Use of a smaller vehicle on Lincoln Avenue Alternative routes Congestion on Lincoln Avenue New stops on Lincoln Avenue Opportunities for future public input and service changes Please feel free to contact me directly if you have further comments
or questions. However, please note that I will be out of the office from
tomorrow (Wed) until Monday, October 9, so my response may be delayed.
At the request of Tim Chapman, I have read the posts on the Dimond
website regarding the recent extension of Route 53, and would like to
offer the following responses to some of the comments.
In our negotiations with the Chabot Space and Science Center and the
granting agency that provided critical funding for this service, AC Transit
agreed to provide a direct (no transfers) connection between the Space
Center and the Fruitvale BART station. Therefore we cannot use a different
type of vehicle for the upper section of the route as some people have
suggested. And because the section of Route 53 on Fruitvale Avenue is one
of the heaviest passenger volume cross-town routes in our system, it is not
feasible to use a smaller vehicle on this segment.
AC Transit and Chabot Space Center staff examined all of the
possible routes to connect the Center to a BART station and to other major
routes in the AC Transit system. Lincoln Avenue clearly emerged as the
superior choice in almost all respects, including directness, connections
with other routes, use of arterial streets, and ability to serve other
community needs such as access to the many large institutions on the upper
segment of Lincoln Avenue. The other routes that we studied include
Coolidge Ave./Alida St., which is more residential, has existing service on
Route 46, and would take longer; and 35th Ave./Hwy 13, which would bypass
the institutions on the upper segment of Lincoln Ave. Dimond map
One of AC Transit's primary objectives in introducing new bus
service is to reduce traffic congestion by giving commuters alternatives to
driving in private vehicles. By providing a direct connection between BART
and the neighborhoods and institutions on and adjacent to Lincoln Avenue, we
hope to reduce the number of private vehicles traveling this corridor during
peak periods of congestion.
AC Transit staff supports the creation of new stops on the lower
section of Lincoln Avenue if they are desired by the community and deemed
safe by the Oakland Traffic Engineering Department. The petitions received
by our office demonstrate that there is considerable community support for
the addition of these stops, and we are awaiting a review by the Oakland
Traffic Engineering Department.
We have agreed to revisit the new route 53 service in December,
including a review of ridership and public comments. Three possible alternatives to the current routing and stop at Fruitvale Ave. and MacArthur
Blvd. were discussed at a recent community meeting and will be discussed at
a future AC Transit public hearing (most likely in December or January
following the staff review of the service). We will work closely with
Councilmember Spees' office to ensure that the community is informed of this
meeting well in advance.
Greg
David Raich When the hearing about the new line-53 route is held in December or
January, I understand the primary matters under consideration will be how
well the new route is working out, particularly the section that runs up
Lincoln to the Chabot Observatory, and whether any changes to the route
should be considered.
I would like to point out, in light of our experience these last few
months, that the specific issues needing consideration at that hearing are
not the ones Mr. Shiffer mentioned.
The only changes Mr. Shiffer mentioned were three routing alternatives at
the lower end of Lincoln that were originally considered when the new
line-53 route was set up. I do not believe these alternatives will be of
much interest at the next hearing because the problem they addressed has
not materialized. They were intended to avoid having the 53 bus make a
left turn from MacArthur onto Fruitvale because of concern that the turn
would be difficult and would create traffic congestion and delays. In
fact, this has not been a serious problem. In several weeks of watching
the bus make that turn during commute hours, I can report (with some
surprise) that the bus consistently negotiates the intersection without
trouble. In fact, the main problem I have seen is in the opposite
direction, when the bus makes a right turn onto MacArthur to go uphill: If
a car is illegally parked in the red zone in front of the Wells Fargo ATMs,
the bus may have trouble with the turn. This is not a bus problem -- it
should be addressed through more aggressive enforcement by ticketing cars
that stop there.
As for the three old alternatives:
I'd like to comment on and raise some further questions about issues
mentioned in Mr. Shiffer's posting on the Dimond Neighborhood Message Board.