11C2a 2007 0702 - Laserfiche WebLink

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AC Transit East Bay Bus Rapid Transit DEIS/EIR Comments 6/29/2007 2 This letter provides comments on the proposed build alternatives, as well as five principle impact areas: Traffic / Circulation, Parking, Land Use, Noise, and Environmental Justice Impacts. A more detailed letter with additional staff comments on the DEIS/EIR will be forthcoming. Traffic/Circulation Impacts Overall, the City has concerns that the DEIS/EIR has underestimated potential traffic / circulation impacts within the City of San Leandro, as follows: Impacts to Side Streets. Impacts to those side streets along East 14th Street, especially in the East 14th Street North Area are potentially significant. Only qualitative discussions of the impacts, such as cross street through-movement restrictions and delays on cross streets have been provided in the DEIS/EIR. Impacts to Intersections. Although the DEIS/EIR states that no intersections analyzed operate worse than LOS D (i.e., LOS E and F that is unacceptable) in the existing conditions, we believe that the traffic congestion at the East 14th Street/Dutton Avenue intersection is underestimated. Especially long vehicular queues on the northbound East 14th Street south of Dutton and on the westbound Dutton Avenue east of East 14th Street constantly occur in the afternoon peak hours. If either Alternatives 1 or 3, which feature dedicated bus lanes on the East 14th North Area are implemented, the traffic queue and congestion on the mixed-flow single northbound lane would be exacerbated. It should also be recognized that although some intersections may perform better than LOS E, the general reduction in the performance of so many intersections makes for a poorer quality of life - an impact that is not readily measurable. Impacts to Street Improvement Projects. Alternatives 1 and 3 call for dedicated bus lanes that would be in conflict with two on-going major street improvement projects along East 14th Street, as follows: . East 14th North Area Improvement Project: Based on the East 14th Street North Area Study, the City Council in May 2006 approved a modified street improvement plan that calls for two northbound lanes and one southbound lane on E. 14th Street between Davis Street and Georgia Way, coupled with small median islands in several crosswalks to ensure safe pedestrian crossing East 14th Street. . East 14th South Area Median Project: In implementation of the Council-adopted East llh Street South Area Development Strategy, an on-going street median project on East 14th Street between 136th Avenue and 144th Avenue is underway.