Category Archives: Transit
Electric car bores people in Berkeley
Wired reporter Chuck Squatriglia got the use of a futuristic-looking electric car from Mitsubishi and took it out for a spin on the streets of Berkeley.
He was amazed at the reaction he got: total indifference.
It seems Berkeleyans were so busy whizzing around in their hybrid Priuses that they barely noticed the bright blue subcompact.
“Only in Berkeley could an egg-shaped car with the steering wheel on the wrong side and the words electric vehicle all over it garner … Continue reading »
Campaign seeks 1,000 new cyclists
Amid the plethora of activities on the 350 day of action on Sunday, a new initiative was launched with the aim of getting 1,000 people in the East Bay to use their bike for everyday transport.
“The idea is the East Bay is a fantastic place to ride for everyday transportation,” explained Stacy Jackson, campaign leader of 1,000 New Cyclists and a doctoral student in the university’s Energy and Resources Group. Jackson said that despite the good conditions … Continue reading »
Downtown Berkeley in 1962
I was perusing the Internet when I came across this 1962 photo montage of a Bart train traveling under Shattuck Avenue. This drawing was probably done for the November 1962 election when voters in Alameda, San Francisco and Contra Costa Counties were asked to approve the sale of $792 million in bonds to build a 71.5 mile rapid transit system. The transbay tube cost another $133 million, bringing the total cost of the BART system close … Continue reading »
AC Transit proposals cut nine Berkeley services
AC Transit faces unbudgeted expenditures of over $17 million following an August 2nd court injunction suspending management-imposed new labor rules. The AC Transit District had imposed the new contract to achieve annual savings of $15.7 million. The court injunction also delayed proposed cuts this fall, accounting for a further $1.9 million in unexpected costs.
To bridge the gap, the district’s board tomorrow night is considering a swingeing set of cuts to be enacted in December. Weekend services on … Continue reading »
Grafitti tour of west Berkeley
Daniel Timothy Wood, who is in digital advertising, had a few moments Thursday between his lunch at Vik’s Chaat Corner on Fourth Street (which he says is the best Indian place on the planet) and an appointment with a client in San Jose.
So the Portland, Oregon resident and a few friends walked along the train tracks in West Berkeley to look at the graffiti painted on the backs of buildings. It’s a walk Wood has … Continue reading »
BART plaza to become an inviting spot
The downtown Berkeley BART plaza is kind of a dead man’s zone. More than 18,000 people pass through it daily, yet only a handful stop to savor its attractions.
On most days, just a few people sit on the benches scattered throughout the plaza. Some of them are a little down and out and loiter for hours, talking and smoking cigarettes.
There is just one vendor – a flower stall – and no other reason to hang out in one … Continue reading »
AC Transit riders stymied by “sickout”
Since Monday, riders of AC Transit buses have experienced reduced or cancelled services. According to AC Transit, the problem is an unofficial “sickout” by drivers, protesting a new contract that went into effect on Sunday. According to the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 192, there is no sickout and their drivers are reporting for work.
AC Transit’s Clarence Johnson, manager of media affairs, told Berkeleyside that 133 of 1,750 employees did not report for work today. He … Continue reading »
New bill creates citizen oversight of BART police
A bill signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger late last night will give citizens a role in directing policy and reviewing practice in the BART police force for the first time.
The BART Accountability Act comes as a direct response to the killing of Oscar Grant by then BART police officer Johannes Mehserle on January 1, 2009 at Fruitvale BART station, and follows public criticism that the BART police force had insufficient oversight procedures other than the transit agency’s own board.
Should casual carpoolers pay for new Bay Bridge toll?
For dozens of years, there has been an informal code of conduct for casual carpooling: A driver stops, picks up two people — one who sits in the front, the other in the back — and drives across the Bay Bridge. Usually, the radio is turned to an NPR station.
But today’s advent of a $2.50 charge for carpools is going to upset all the old rules. Will drivers ask for money for the toll? Will passengers be … Continue reading »
The Berkeley Wire: 5.11.10
Blogs with bite: Berkeley’s Mental Masala makes the cut [Mark Bittman]
Comment: Why Berkeley is wrong on Bus Rapid Transit [East Bay Young Dems]
Watchdog group sues Dept of Justice over missing John Yoo emails [TPM]
Sexaholix’s John Leguizamo joins Berkeley Rep’s Fireworks festival [Rep]
From dance pioneer to former Mexican mayor: Cal’s commencement speakers [UC]
Photo of sign spotted today on Telegraph at Oregon by Bob Patterson.
