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Tra n s i t Tim es f) u ACT
: . . ...New East Bay Transit Plan Ready
Express Bus Network, New Equipmenl: Are Recommended;Sysi:em 1:0
Cosl: $16,900,000, Will Be Self-supporl:ing
A comprehensive program to improveand expand transit operations
in the EastBay will be submitted to the area's citizens for their
approval this November bythe Alameda-Contra Costa Transit
District.
The self-supporting plan, which wasdesigned to pay for itself at
a 20-centlocal fare, will cost $16,900,000.
The plan proposes a network of new express routes, new local
lines, the rehabilitation of more than 15 existing routes, andthe
purchase of a fleet of new buses ofadvanced design and riding
comfort.New Terminals
Other improvements proposed for thefirst three years of
operation includetightening schedules to provide for increased
speeds; development of off-streettransit terminals in Oakland,
Berkeley,and Richmond, and possibly San Leandro, Hayward, Walnut
Creek and Concord; construction of bus transfer stationsat freeway
interchanges, and provision ofall-day parking facilities for
park-andride patrons at strategic points served bythe proposed
express bus lines.
The extensive program will give newservice to more than 100,000
residents ofthe District not presently served by public transit,
and will afford those now usingexisting public transportation
greatertravel speeds, convenience, and substantially improved
riding comfort.
District to Reduce Local FaresTo 20 Cents for ACT Operation
Local fares will be lowered from 25 centsto the former 20-cent
level when the Transit District begins operations in the
EastBay.Robert K. Barber, president of the District, said the
recent fare increase by KeySystem Transit Lines to 25 cents will
haveno effect on the proposed rate structure of
the Transit District. He added:"The studies of our consulting
engineersshow conclusively that the District will beable to provide
improved and expandedservice at the former 20-cent local
fare."Before the District begins actual operation, the Board of
Directors will conduct afull review of existing fare structures in
order to provide economical transportationto the District's
patrons.
The plan was prepared by De Leuw,Cather & Company,
engineering consultants, following several months of studyand
consultation with engineering representatives of the cities to be
served by theTransit District.
Charles E. De Leuw, president of theengineering firm, stated in
his final reportto the District Board of Directors;
"Based on present levels of prices,wages, and fares, our studies
clearly showthat the transit system will be self-supporting, and
that the financing of all capi-
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;4n, EdttfJlUatPlight Of
The recent court decision which ruledthe cities of Richmond and
San Pabloare not legally a part of the Transit District places
future transportation servicesfor residents of that area in grave
jeopardy.By its judgment, the court held thatRichmond and San Pablo
were illegallyincluded in the District by the fact thatabsentee
ballots for the two cities wereimproperly canvassed following the
November, 1956, election that created theDistrict. The Contra Costa
County Boardof Supervisors should have counted theabsentee ballots
by city instead of byAssembly district, the court in effect ruled-
a procedure which may have resultedin keeping Richmond or San Pablo
out ofthe District.Reluctantly, the Board of Directors ofthe
Transit District acceeded to the superior court decision after
determiningthat the interests of the entire District re-
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Transit TimesPublished monthly by theAlameda-Contra Costa
Transit DistrictSuite C, Claremont Hotel
Berkeley-Oakland, CaliforniaTelephone THornwall 5-6610
Alan l. Bingham, EditorOfficersRobert K_ Barber _ _ _
PresidentWm. J . Bettencourt . . _ Vice President
John R. Worthington _ . General ManagerRobert E. Nisbet _ .
Attorney-SecretaryGeorge M. Taylor . Administrative Officer
DirectorsRobert K. Barber . Ward IJ. Howard Arnold Ward IIJohn
l. McDonnell Ward IIIWm. J . Bettencourt Ward IVPaul E Deadrich _
Ward VRobert M. Copeland Director at largeCla ir W. Mocleod
Director at large
lYlo Citiesquired that no cloud be cast over theforthcoming bond
election, as would bethe case if an appeal were taken.
The net result of this prolonged legalcontest spurred on by
self-interestedgroups, has been to deprive citizens ofthe two
communities from the ne t benefits that undoubtedly will accrue
upon activation of the Transit District. The planof the District is
to replace Key Systemand a portion of Western Greyhoundlines with a
program of new, expandedand improved local and express serviceswith
new equipment.
It is entirely conceivable as a result ofthe court action, that
in the near futureresidents of the two communities may bedeprived
of practically all public transportation in tHeir area; Key System,
whichnow serves Richmond and San Pablo, isexpected to end its
operations when theTransit Dish-ict begins service.We believe the
matter should be ofvital concern to each resident, homeowner, civic
official and businessmanhaving a stake in the promising
futuredevelopment of the two communities; wealso believe a
full-scale review of what
the future holds in store for public transportation in the
Richmond area should bethoroughly re-examined by all
responsi-ble-thinking citizens.
East Bay residents established the District two years ago with
bu t one primarypurpose in mind-to provide the areawith improved
public transportation atreasonable fares . Directors of this
Districtwill continue to stand ready to do all intheir power to
fulfill this mandate, and tofully assist residents of Richmond
andSan Pablo in their future considerationsof how best their area
can secure adequate public transportation.
C ~ A N 6 I N 6 TIMES
Tests Successful OnSilent, Odorless Buses
Successful tests are being conducted todeodorize and silence
diesel buses.For more than two months, buses inChicago and
Philadelphia have experi
mented with the equipment which takesthe smell and noise out of
diesel combustion.In each case when the bus moves awayfrom the curb
the surrounding air doesnot appear to become more tainted
thanbefore the driver started.What amounts to an atomizer picks
upair from a supercharger, routes it througha container of a
chemical called Dieseline,and blows vapor into the exhaust
stream.The chemical has an affinity for forma ldehyde, the smelly
end product of dieselcombustion. Odor thus vanishes. The engine
silencing was accomplished by placing a wide acoustic cushion pan
underneath the bus . This keeps the soundwaves from bouncing off
the pavementand building up noise.
Equipment: To GiveMore Riding Comfort:
A fleet of new equipment of latestdesign, styling and riding
comfort isplanned for use by the Transit Districtin both its local
and express operation.A major portion of the trans bay serviceand
the longer East Bay inter-city routeswill be served by a superior
design ofdiesel bus that is still on the drawingboard.
The equipment will include wider anddeeply upholstered seats
with arm rests,bright modern interiors, overhead storagespace for
bundles, unique rear-slantingwindows for wider panoramic views,
andcontrolled overhead reading lamps.
Other comfort features include airconditioning on buses serving
southernAlameda County communities and thosein central Contra Costa
'County, plus asubstantially improved airglide suspension system
which insures a smooth rideregardless of road surface
conditions.Equipment of local city service willcontain many of the
comfort features of
the intercity buses, including wider seats,special window design
to permit maximum outside vision for each passenger,new air
suspension, bright interiors, andair-conditioning where
applicable.In addition to the 334 new buses, theDistrict proposes
to purchase 276 postwar buses owned by Key System, and40 buses used
by Western GreyhoundLines.These buses will be completely modernized
and refurbished. The inexpensivebu t thorough rehabilitation and
colorization program will place these u sed buseson practically the
same level of efficiency,comfort and appearance as those presently
being built.
Equipment costs include $7,900,000 fo rthe 334 new buses, and $3
,700,000 fo r theacquisition of the used vehicles .
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SAN fRANCISCO BAY
LE G EN D_ RECOMMENDED EXPRESS ROUTES__ LOCAL LINES RECOMMENDED
FOR INCREASED FREQUENCy RECOMMENDED NEW LOCAL LINES
Maps show new express routes, new localservice, and improvements
in existingservice for Oakland-Hayward area, asrecommended by De
Leuw, Cather &Company, consulting engineers whichprepared East
Bay mass transit plan. Inaddition to Hayward-San Leandro ex-press,
new service is proposed in Montclair, San Lorenzo Village, and
PalmaCeia Plaza, Schafer Park and TennysonRd. in Hayward area.
Improved scheduling and re-routing also are proposed fora number of
other lines now operating inOakland - San Leandro - Hayward
area.New equipment will be used on all routesincluding transbay
service.
New express routes, betterments in existing service, and new
local routes as recommended by consulting engineers, areshown on
accompanying map. Brand newequipment of superior design, styling
andcomfort will be used on all local, expressand trans bay routes
for midday and evening service plus much of the service during
morning and evening peak hours. Newlocal routes and extensions of
existingroutes provide new or improved servicefor Berkeley, El
Cerrito, Richmond, SanPablo, north Richmond and West Campus of the
Contra Costa Junior College.However, those engineering
recommendations affecting service in Richmondand San Pablo must be
held in abeyanceas a result of recent court decision whichruled the
two municipalities were not apart of the Transit District.
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What the EditorsSay About Transit
Hayward 'Review' Praises NewPlan for Improved Public
TransitReprinted from the Hayward DailyReview:A necessary feature
of the East Bay'sfuture is outlined in an inch-thick reportreleased
last week by the Alameda-Con
tra Costa Transit District. With word andma p it postulates a
system of mass transportation that can relieve a region's
dependence on the private automobilewhich has become a crutch
tripped by thevery congestion it creates.The report at present is
no more than a
paper plan, awaiting its place on the ballot. Transit district
directors are expectedto authorize that action Sept. 16 by calling
for a $16,900,000 bond issue. I t willthen be up to voters to
transform thecolored lines on the maps into bus routesand realize
the promise contained in theprinted text.Although the proposed
system wouldbenefit the entire region, its treatment ofthe local
area will be of uppermost interest to people here. They will find
that itpromises expanded and quicker service.New local lines will
serve San LorenzoVillage, Palma Ceia, Schafer Park andTennyson
road. Express buses will berouted on the Nimitz freeways from
Hayward to Oakland, and through San Leandro on East Fourteenth
St.
I f this is to come into being, votersmust approve the bond
issue. Engineerswho have planned the system believe itwill be self
sustaining. They have evenpredicted a small net income after
expenses.
We regard those views as possibly too6
optimistic, bu t bold that the alternativeof continuing with the
present inadequateservice is much worse than the prospectof a
moderate tax levy should one beneeded to bring the type of service
theEast Bay desperately needs.
I f residents of the two counties are tohave efficient mass
transportation necessary for continuing progress, they mustassume
the apparently small risk involved. The consistent decline of
KeySystem service is a hobble that must beloosened.The transit
district directors are to becommended for their application to
that
task. They are fully justified in passingalong the well thought
out plan for voterdecision.
Contra Costa RegionDropped From District
Directors of the Transit District havevoted to exclude from the
District portions of northern Contra Costa Countybecause residents
c annot be economicallyserved by District transit operations.The
area comprises about 50 squaremiles of sparsely settled ranch land
aswell as heavy industrial installationsalong Carquinez
Straits.Petitions containing 95 signatures werepresented to the
Board requesting theexclusion. John R. Worthington, Districtgeneral
manager, advised the Board anannual ope rating deficit of about
$50,000would be incurred in providing the area
with adequate transportation.Another Copy?
For another copy of Transit Times orto place your name on the
mailing list ifyou are not already receiving a copy ofthe monthly
newsletter, just drop a line tothe Transit District in Suite C at
theClaremont Hotel, Berkeley.
ORIND AVI LLAG E
...r ' ;> u . ; ) I I .. O'
L EGEND_ HEW O t A L I ' IOuTES__ [XISTlIllCi COHTIPt
