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.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Mentor a High School Senior
Every senior at Emery High School is being matched with a mentor for the year. Please consider giving 1 hour per week to advise a young person getting ready to graduate from high school. More information is available on this flyer, or by calling the Emery Ed Fund at (510) 601-4911.
Capital Improvement Program (CIP) discussion begins Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013
On Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 6:30 pm, the City Council will hold a special study session on our Capital Improvement Program (CIP). This is our first attempt after the end of Redevelopment (it has been 4 years since the last real discussion) to look at how we will spend our "capital" dollars over the next 5 years to improve livability in town. This will be a challenge as we have less money and will balance prioritizing sewer repairs, road infrastructure, parks, building maintenance, and other worthy projects, all with fewer dollars to spend. This study session which will last until around 7:15 is the beginning of a process (see below) with culminating Council action in March/April 2014.
The staff report lays out the following steps:
- Identify available resources
- Identify priorities based on our plans that give us a roadmap for our future growth
- Define priority results more precisely
- Prepare a list of projects and programs for evaluation
- Create a priority listing of projects and programs
- Allocate resources
Come to City Hall (1333 Park Ave) and join in the discussion!
Our last CIP plan (2006-2011) is available here.
EBOTS - planning better transportation for our area
Workshops are coming up for public input! Please attend one of the following:
Emeryville-Berkeley-Oakland Transit Study Community Workshops and Questionnaire
Help us improve transit in West Berkeley, Emeryville and West Oakland. Join us for a community workshop to explore future visions for transit in these three cities and to provide input on our transit study. Your ideas will help shape the future of transit in this area!
* Thursday, November 7, 2013, 6:30-8:30pm
West Oakland Senior Center, 1724 Adeline St., Oakland
* Saturday, November 9, 2013, 11:00am-1:00pm
James Kenney Community Center, 1720 8th St., Berkeley
* Tuesday, November 12, 2013, 6:30-8:30pm
Emery Unified School District Office, Multi-Purpose Room
1275 61st St., Emeryville
You can also fill in a questionnaire at* https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/EBOTS
* https://es.surveymonkey.com/s/EBOTS_Spanish
For more information on the transit study, go to www.emeryville.org/ebots or contact Diana Keena at or 596-4335.
The City of Emeryville is conducting this study using Federal Transit Administration funding through Caltrans, in collaboration with AC Transit, Amtrak/Capitol Corridor, BART, Berkeley Gateway Shuttle, City of Berkeley, City of Oakland, and Emery-Go-Round.
Emeryville-Berkeley-Oakland Transit Study Community Workshops and Questionnaire
Help us improve transit in West Berkeley, Emeryville and West Oakland. Join us for a community workshop to explore future visions for transit in these three cities and to provide input on our transit study. Your ideas will help shape the future of transit in this area!
* Thursday, November 7, 2013, 6:30-8:30pm
West Oakland Senior Center, 1724 Adeline St., Oakland
* Saturday, November 9, 2013, 11:00am-1:00pm
James Kenney Community Center, 1720 8th St., Berkeley
* Tuesday, November 12, 2013, 6:30-8:30pm
Emery Unified School District Office, Multi-Purpose Room
1275 61st St., Emeryville
You can also fill in a questionnaire at* https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/EBOTS
* https://es.surveymonkey.com/s/EBOTS_Spanish
For more information on the transit study, go to www.emeryville.org/ebots or contact Diana Keena at or 596-4335.
The City of Emeryville is conducting this study using Federal Transit Administration funding through Caltrans, in collaboration with AC Transit, Amtrak/Capitol Corridor, BART, Berkeley Gateway Shuttle, City of Berkeley, City of Oakland, and Emery-Go-Round.
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