transit times volume 2, number 6

8/14/2019 Transit Times Volume 2, Number 6

1/5

,0

I

Tran s i t Times@ 0 ~ ~ ~

Volume 2 Number 6 / OAKLAND, OCTOBER 1959

Transit Plan Gains Wiele Acceptance;East Bay To Vote On Program Oct. 20W i d e s p r e ~ d acceptance by East Baycitizenry has met the Transit Improve

ment Program for the East Bay since itscompletion two months ago.The program to revitalize East Baytransit and replace Key System in thearea is receiving the support of civic, labor, management, business, home improvement, fraternal, educational andtaxpayer organizations.This was the report this month of A. H .Moffitt, Jr., general chairman of the Citizens Committee for Better East Bay Transit.The committee is sponsoring the $16,-500,000 transit bond issue, to be voted on

by East Bay citizens Oct.20 as Measure A.

Moffitt reported to the Transit DistrictBoard of Directors that community leaders representing a cross-section of political, social and economic interests arerallying to support the bond measure."Our activities to obtain the support ofthe nearly 400,000 voters in the districthave been met with enthusiastic endorsement and assistance," Moffitt said.

The citizen leader said that East Bayresidents, so desperately in need of bette r transit, are in their "golden hour.""Right now people of the two East Baycounties have the chance to vastly improve their public transportation andmake their communities a better place in

(Continued on Page 3)


2/5

J . \' :

A Fare-box Bond IssueABASI C distin ction sho uld be drawnbetween a bond proposal as advanced by a school district or municipality, and the bond issue that has beenplaced before the voters by the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District.The difference-of vital importance

to all property owners-is one of taxsupport.When voters must consider school ormunicipal bond measures, they maybe certain that funds to redeem suchbonds will be collected from the customary source-the taxpayer.

The .. transit district, on the otherhand, will have at its disposal revenuenot available to school districts andmunicipalities. Sources of this revenue are the fares which riders willpay when they travel on the system, conservatively estimated at ap-

proximately $11,269,000 pe r year.Engineering and financial studieshave determined that this revenue willbe sufficient to pay all operating costs,retire the bond issue and replaceequipment without an increase in faresor the imposition of additional taxes.This means that property owners ofthe East Bay, who already carry a sizeable tax burden, may be assured thetransit district. bonds will be repaidfrom th e fare box and not from thepocketbook of th e taxpayer.

As we have said, the difference between school and transit district bondsis basic; it is a difference that votersshould bear in mind when they go tothe polls Oct. 20 to weigh the district'sprogram to expand and improve public transit operations in the East Baycities.

Cities Endorse Transit ImprovementsEarly approval of initial transitimprovements for their respective commu

nities has been voted by Alameda, Berkeley and San Leandro city councils.Directors of the San Lorenzo VillageHomes Association also were among thegovernmental agencies announcing earlyapproval.Most of the suggestions advanced bythe various city administrations early thisyear were already incorporated in theTransit Improvement Program.Several additional suggestions, however, were proposed by members of theSan Leandro City Council last monthduring a special work session with rep-2

resentatives of the transit district staff.At the request of the council, the dis

trict will give consideration to improvingcrosstown service among several residential areas and the business districts.Areas affected would include San Lorenzo Village, Washington Manor, Mulford Gardens, Bay-O-Vista, the centralbusiness district and the Bay Fair Shopping Center.William J. Bettencourt, transit districtdirector representing the San Leandroarea, assured the Council that a thoroughstudy of the proposed improvements willbe undertaken by the district during theimmediate months ahead.

East Bay Unites To Support Mass TransitRenovation; Citizens Work For Large Vote

(Continued from Page 1)which to live," he said."This program for improved transportation is tremendously important for theresidents of these cities."Moffitt noted that the program will "assure the public transportation we needto protect business and residential property values from the severe, damaging effects of traffic strangulation."

It also will provide "long-awaited relief for many residents who depend uponpublic transportation or would use theservice if improved," he added.Typical extensive newspaper supportof the transit program was the recent editorial comment of the San Leandro Morn-

ing News. The paper stated, in part, asfollows:

"East Bay voters will have a chance tohelp remedy their crucial transit problems when they're faced with a $16,-500,000 bond issue on Oct. 20 . . . the EastBay needs improved transit .. . districtconsultants have a plan that will help.

"Almost everyone is feeling the needfor better transit facilities. The San Leandro City Council asked for and got assurance that the need for more cross-townroutes here would be studied, then endorsed the Oct. 20 bond issue. So havemany other civic organizations."

Moffitt, in concluding his report to thetransit board, said the greatest single factor faced by his committee is the all-important and difficult job of "getting thepeople out to vote."

Businessmen Told of Transit ValuesThe ability of customers to freely enter

the central business district is the greatestsingle force affecting business profits andthe longevity of a prosperous and healthybusiness core.

John R. Worthington, transit districtgeneral manager, told a meeting of theOakland Lions Club this month that ifpotential customers are obstructed bytraffic congestion, slow publ ic tra nsit andinconvenient parking, they will go elsewhere.Businessmen expend great effort andexpense to attract customers to theirgoods and services, he said.

"But unless the prospective customercan travel downtown conveniently, safelyand comfortably, this effort and expensehas been wasted.

"There is no greater, single dynamic

force affecting business profits than customer accessibility."The transit official noted that twothirds of the entire downtown Los Angeles business district has been taken over

by streets, freeways and off-street pa rking lots, and that business has become"stagnant.""This problem does not appear to beas acute in the East Bay as in Los Angeles-today," he said.

"But with each passing year, this problem of increasing immobility will compound itself into destructive proportionsunless we can develop and agree upon anadequate solution in the very near future."

"I t is our hope that the entire businesscommunity will join hands with us inhelping to make a system of adequatepublic transit a reality," he said.

3


3/5

East Bay Gets First Glimpse of New 'Transit Liners'

4

New Design Transit Coach ShownHere for First Time on WestCoast; Public EnthusiasticPublic response to the newly-designed city transit coachon display in the East Bay cities has been highly enthusiastic.Nearly 3,000 persons inspected the new air-conditionedTransit Liner during the first three days in the area, and itsreception was "remarkable," according to John R. Worthington, general manager.Worthington reported to the board of directors that thoseviewing the streamlined coach were "enthusiastic and clearlyindicated they are anxious to see this type of transit vehiclein service in the East Bay."A group of East Bay city and county officials who traveled

aboard the bus during a special demonstration expressedtheir belief that the new coach would be a boon to publictransit riding, Worthington added.

"In all of my 40 years in the transit business, this is the firsttime I have stepped into a new transit coach that I felt wasof first-class quality."The new coach, which makes a complete break with thepast, is the first completel y new bus design in nearly 20 years.In addition to all-new styling, the new models have greatlyincreased visibility with large "picture windows," fluorescentlights, lower entrance step, wide seats, and improved air-ridesuspension, providing a major advancement in travel comfort.

5


4/5

What the Editors Are Saying About TransitImprovement of East Bay Mass Transit I-Ield EssentialReprinted from the Hayward Daily Review:

BARELY A MONTH remains until theAlamedacContra Costa Transit District's proposed $16,500,000 bond issuecomes to a vote.Every study thus far made indicatesthat this area, along with the balance ofthe district, will benefit if the bonds ~ r e passed. Transit service will be greatly Improved.

New bus lines will be extended intoSan Lorenzo Village, Pal ma Ceia, SchaferPark and as far south as Decoto. The planc o n t ~ m p l a t e s service to Valle Vista, AltaVista, Fairway Park, EI Rancho Verde.Express routes with more frequent service between Hayward, San Leandro andOakland are part of the plan.Much of the District's equipment will

be new and streamlined, with peak hourneeds augmented by existing buses to bepurchased from Key System.All of this is desirable. And it is possible at no increase in fares and withouta tax levy to payoff the bonds or subsidize the District, according to consultants who have drawn up the plan.They base their estimate on fares that

will come from better service, plus thedistrict's exemption from somewhat morethan $1,000,000 annually in taxes andfranchises now paid by Key System.The likelihood-based on a firm engineering estimate-that no tax will benecessary to payoff the bonds shoulddraw voters to the booths in heavy support of the proposal..Traffic congestion and parking constitute one of our major and worsening social irritations. A mass transit system thatoffers convenience, economy and comfort will thin out the number of privateautomobiles Dn our freeways, streets andin our parking lots.Until those improvements materialize,the progressive loss of patronage by KeySystem plus the additional influx of population and cars will increase our bumperto bumper frustration, maroon shoppersin their homes, and slow the economictempo of the region. The transit district'sbond issue should be approved. We aregrowing too fast in population, numberof homes, stores and industries to take achance on being immobilized in ourstreets.

Merchant-sponsored Buses Prove a SuccessSPRINGFIELD (Mo. )- A merchant-spon

sored shuttle bus system is being extended in Springfield to a full year aftera successful six-month trial period.

The two 31-passenger buses,furnishe don a lease basis by the City Utilities transportation department, cover a 1.3 mile,13-stop loop in the city's downtown shopping area.Shoppers may ride the buses as often,

6

or as long as they wish-whether or notany purchases are made at the participating stores.More than 150 merchants, propertyowners, and professional people underwrite the $1,300 monthly cost of the service.Passengers now total 2,000 to 2,400 aweek, showing a gradual, steady growthexcept for upward spurts during theChristmas and Easter shopping seasons.

NEW CONSTRUCTION-Recent ly completed state and county engineering plans recommend construction of 390 miles of new East Bay freeways at a cost of $878,000,000during next 20 years. The new super-highways, added to 125 miles of existing freeway built since end of World War II, would give East Bay approximately 515 miles ofhigh-speed roadway by 1980.

Freeway Plan Crippled Without TransitEast Bay taxpayers face the danger ofspending close to a billion dollars on newfreeways that will be hopelessly inadequate even before they are built.This was the warning of William H.

Coburn, Jr., transit district director whorecently addressed members of the Berkeley Lions Club on the subject, "TransitImprovement and Community Progress.""Automobiles fighting for room on thefreeway network of the future will bedoomed to a creeping paralysis if publictransit does not carry a share of the travelload," he said.The transit official said that engineering recommendations for new freewaysrecently made for Alameda County, forexample, are based in their entirety on

the key assumption that many travelers~ 1 0

on the new freeways will be carried byexpress buses."And it is easy to see why the engineersmust make this assumption," Coburnadded.He explained that if only four out ofevery 100 vehicles on a freeway are public transit coaches, a freeway can effectively carry twice as many people."Instead of four freeway lanes, a smallpercentag e of public transit vehicles givesus the equivalent of eight lanes," he said."Without transit," Coburn said, "wecould expect that our future freeway program would have to be substantially ex-panded-costing perhaps a billion and ahalf dollars instead of the $878,000,000now proposed-a capital outlay we couldscarcely afford."

7


5/5

At an adjourned regular meeting September 10, 1959, the Board of Directors: Adopted an ordinance calling a special election October 20 to vote on a$16,500,000 bond issue to purchase operating facilities, on motion of DirectorBettencourt.

* * *At an adjourned regular meeting September 15, 1959, the Board of Directors: Established compensation for election precinct workers of $12 for officersand $13 for inspectors, on motion of Director Bettencourt. Awarded sale of tax anticipationnotes totalling $200,000 to Oakland Bankof Commerce as low bidder at a net interest rate of 2.896 per cent, on motion ofDirector Copeland.

* * *At its regular meeting October 7, 1959,the Board of Directors: Received a report from A. H. Moffitt,Jr., general chairman of the CitizensCommittee for Better East Bay Transit,

Transit Times" I l A " ' ~ I T DISTRICT

Alan l. Bingham, Ed itorOfficers

Robert K. BarberWm. J. BettencourtJohn R. WorthingtonRobert E. NisbetGeorge M. Taylor

PresidentVice PresidentGeneral Manager

Attorney-SecretaryAdministrative Officer

DirectorsRobert K. BarberRobert M. Copeland .William H. Coburn, Jr .J . Howard ArnoldJohn l. McDonnellWm. J. BettencourtPaul E. Deadrich .

Director at largeDirector at largeWard IWard IIWard IIIWard IVWard V

on activities of the committee. (Details,Page 1.)

Transit Riding Up Second Successive MonthFor the second successive month, the

number of passengers carried by transitcompanies during July exceeded traffictotal for the corresponding period in 1958.Preliminary figures for July, accordingto the American Transit Association,show an increase of 0.77 per cent over

Transit TimesAlameda-Contra Costa Transit District700 Plaza BuildingOakland 12, California

July, 1958. The final tabulation for Juneshowed a rise of 1.62 per cent from lastyear.The increases recorded for June andJuly are in contrast to an unbroken stringof minus signs going back to January,1947.

BULK RATEU.S. POSTAGEPAID

bAHBAHA J H i l J S O N L I B R \ R I A N . WJ;:;(FAU PUB .4DMUN V2 - : t ~ S I TY I ) C" 1. I F'

Oakland, Calif.Permit No. 2105

Form 3547 Requested B f - ; : - < ~ t !,EY "! C':L IF P

transit times volume 2, number 6

Documents