Oakland needs your input on the proposed plan for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Come to one of six community meetings. Similar to light rail without tracks, BRT features bus-only lanes, level boarding and fare payment at stations to achieve faster and more reliable service.

Here are the meeting locations, dates and times:

• January 11: 6-8pm, Fruitvale Senior Center (3301 E 12th St, Suite 201)
• January 12: 6-8pm, Eastside Arts Alliance (2277 International Blvd)
• January 21: 6-8pm, East Oakland Youth Development Center (8200 International Blvd)
• January 26: 6-8pm, Faith Presbyterian Church (430 49th St)
• January 27: 11am-1pm, Hearing Room 2 – Oakland City Hall (1 Frank Ogawa Plaza – Broadway and 14th St)
• January 27: 5-7pm, Hearing Room 4 – Oakland City Hall (1 Frank Ogawa Plaza – Broadway and 14th St)

For more information, visit www.oaklandbrt.com or call 510-238-3792. For transit directions, call 5-1-1 or visit 511.org.

Traffic calming in HarriOak : A Better Oakland.

I was really excited to see V Smoothe’s article on A Better Oakland highlighting the terrific work going on in the HarriOak / 27th St area.  WOBO has been active in this area for a few years now, and the current plan is coming together:

“Harrison Street and Oakland Avenue, as I’m sure most of you are aware, are adorable and primarily residential streets near downtown Oakland that function mainly as super long freeway off and on ramps. 17,000 cars a day speed down these roads with no concern for the speed limit, while bicyclists enjoy basically no special accommodations and pedestrians are forced to use narrow, unlit sidewalks. Although there are plenty of crosswalks, getting across them is, as the draft plan mildly states, a “daunting task” and not one for the faint of heart. (The existing conditions chapter (PDF) of the draft plan outlines these problems in detail.”

There are now 21 comments supporting the Community Transportation Plan (PDF) that outlines improvements that would calm traffic and make the area safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The intersection at Whole Foods / 27th / Harrison gets more improvements, including TREES.  Thanks to V Smoothe for covering this and to all of you helping to transform these mini-freeways that dissect our community.