I have heard from lots of people who live at Watergate over the past couple of weeks. Emery-Go-Round, which temporarily suspended its service beyond the Watergate office towers during sidewalk construction this summer/fall, announced that it would not reinstate the bus-stops out on the peninsula due to safety concerns and difficulty turning around. The Emery-Go-Round continues to stop at the Towers, which is a walk from the residential community.
Many people who live in Watergate (which constitutes about a fourth of the population of Emeryville) depend on the free shuttle service to get around without a car. Lives and travel patterns have been disrupted by this change, and everyone agrees -- we like our Emery-Go-Round! Watergate folks can get to MacArthur BART faster than most of us in town!
Well, I am a big fan of public transportation, so I do not take these changes lightly. In fact, abrupt changes like this make it clear that it is time to look carefully and comprehensively at public transportation throughout town and the area. There is a study being conducted now (dubbed EBOTS) that is looking at greater transit service in West Berkeley, Emeryville and West Oakland. See this blog entry for info on upcoming workshops. This crisis also shows how vulnerable chunks of town are to small and big changes -- changes that are not under the control of the city or your elected officials. Emery-Go-Round is predominantly funded by commercial property owners in town, and was set up originally as a shuttle for employees. The Emeryville Transportation Management Association (ETMA) runs the Emery-Go-Round through a funding mechanism called a Property Based Improvement District (PBID). That funding and other options are being considered soon.
The City Council has been asked to weigh in on future plans for Emery-Go-Round and its funding source, the PBID, along with plans for a bus yard. We are planning a study session for Tuesday, Dec. 3, starting around 6:30 pm at City Hall, before our regular council meeting. Please come and tell us what you think!
Some in town have asked for increased service to West Oakland BART, for example. We know that ridership has continued to grow and the free shuttle serves over 1 million riders per year. AC Transit has reduced service in Emeryville over the years. I would like to hear from you about Emery-Go-Round and public transportation in general.
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